CincyEats

This past Sunday some friends of ours called and asked if we wanted to go out to dinner. Since it was a birthday dinner we threw out some restaurants, but left the selection up to them. After a lot of back and forth it was decided we would meet at Itchiaban.  None of us really knew anything about the restaurant, but we are always up for something new.

We had a a few different dishes, but nothing stood out like the kamo udon. I might just be in love with this noodle bowl. After Sunday’s dinner we went back on Tuesday because I just had to have it again.  I savored each sip trying to get to the bottom of what really made this dish so wonderful.  The noddles were pillowy. The broth was woody and sweet.  The mushrooms were the cleanest mushroom flavor that I think I have ever had.  The duck was unadorned so not to over power the subtle flavors, but cooked perfectly when set before you.

As I was eating I was having such a hard time explaining the flavors to Jess. I decided to ask our waitress if the sweetness I was tasting was lemon grass and what kind of different mushrooms were in the dish. She was very honest and said she didn’t know. I asked her to ask the chef and if he had a minute if he could stop by our table to talk about it. Apparently he was too busy with us and the one other table in the restaurant to come out . The only answer that I got was that one mushroom was shitaki (which i already knew). The other (you can see it floating in the broth in the picture) was  something that the waitress didn’t know how to pronounce and something we couldn’t decipher. Also, there was no lemon grass.   After all that effort of finding out more, I was left with nothing. I shouldn’t say nothing, I still had a lovely bowl of noodles.

I could stop there, but what’s the fun in that? While Jess watched the UK game, I got online to do a little research.  I think the mushroom is Shimeji. According to Chef’s Pencil they are a little nutty and a little sweet. I would say that is a perfect description.  Now the broth had a mushroomy flavor and a separate back end sweetness that still needed to be addressed. After googling kamo udon I realized that none of the recipes had green onions in them, which is what I thought I was eating.  The sweetness was coming from a  long onion.  I will be the first to admit that for years I have probable been eating them and thought they were green onions. The flavor differences are so subtle.

I hope to get to eat there again soon and will give a full write up on the restaurant. Right now I can tell you that the staff said that the only night they recommend reservations are on Wednesday and Thursday for half price sushi.  Keep checking in and I will let you know more when I know more.