Morimoto Napa - An Iron Chef Experience

Famed Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto operates a number of restaurants in the U.S. and abroad, including one in Napa (http://morimotonapa.com/). The cuisine is a fusion of Japanese and western ingredients. We enjoyed a superb meal there during our recent trip to California.

Morimoto was originally a professional baseball player in the Japanese major leagues. However, after a shoulder injury ended his career, he turned to cooking.

The entrance to Morimoto Napa is situated along Main St. in Napa. The restaurant features a sushi bar, lounge, large main dining room, and outdoor patio dining area. The dining room and outdoor patio front along the Napa River, with heaters to warm the outdoor area. The ambience is bright, modern, and very casual. The  restaurant is very large and it was packed. It was very lively.

The menu was great, with too many interesting choices. Every bite of our meal was wonderful. I would love to have dined there several times.

My wife started with a Tempura Shrimp Sushi Roll for $9, with tempura shrimp, asparagus, and a spicy sauce. It was fantastic.

My appetizer was pork gyoza with garlic, chives, tomato, and bacon cream for $16. It was different from traditional gyoza. The filling had the consistency of sausage. It was delicious.

 Pork Gyoza

My wife's entrée was Morimoto Pork Chop and Apple Sauce, with kimchee, bacon, and ginger apple purée for$34. The pork chop was marinated in miso sauce for 24 hours. It was a large serving and very tasty.

Pork Chop

My entrée was Seafood Toban Yaki - lobster, king crab, mussels, clams, and diver scallops, with baby bok choy in a red miso sake broth - for $39. It was seasoned with the Morimoto 7, which our server described as having 5 types of Korean chilis, cumin, and paprika. It was filled with seafood and the taste was terrific.

Seafood Toban Yaki



I had a side of Japanese-style rice for $6

We both had the same dessert - Bi Bim Bop - a sushi rice pudding with mango ice cream and tropical fruit for $12 per serving. Like everything else, it was delicious.

Our wine was a 2010 Duckhorn Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from St. Helena for $50. It was very nice and a perfect accompaniment for our meal.

The only minor problem with the restaurant was that it was noisy - both because of the lively crowd and the acoustics.

In view of the great popularity of this restaurant, I recommend reservations long in advance.

ご馳走様でした。大変おいしかったです。