Notes From The City: An Abundant Life

The first time I met Dan Grey, I had gone to dinner at his restaurant Grand Vin in Hoboken at the suggestion of a friend whose taste I trust. She had said that it was excellent, and at her recommendation I went there with a stylist who I was meeting with for a blog post. Our dinner was so delicious, and the service and environment so wonderful, that I asked if I could write a blog post about the restaurant. The waitress went inside to ask if the owner was available to speak with me, and in a moment a very charming young man appeared who introduced himself as Dan Grey. It was really so astonishing to me that someone could be so humble and personable who had such a beautifully designed restaurant and tastefully curated menu of not only an extensive list of delectable wines but delicious food as well, but that's the type of person Dan Grey is. Everything in his restaurant, from the staff to the design, to the touches of decor to the outstanding cocktail and beer and wine list and menu is chosen and carefully selected to create the most memorable, comfortable and delicious experience possible. And though he does everything he does so well, he won't take any credit for it - every time I tell him how wonderful he is, he always deflects it and reflects it back to the people he works with. And they are all wonderful - over time as I've gotten to know them, I've seen how excellent they are, but it is Dan who sets the tone and Dan who creates the environment for people to thrive and excel in, and it's Dan's skill and expertise that creates the wonderful restaurant experience that is not only excellent, but enchanting.

When I heard that he was opening a restaurant on the other side of town, I knew it was going to be another great one. I had heard through the grapevine that he was planning the new venue with a Japanese Sushi and fusion cuisine theme, and that the site he had chosen was the former site that housed the Turtle Club, a restaurant I've written about in these pages before and where I had enjoyed some delightful meals and cocktails. Then one day I saw an Instagram post about the new restaurant, Saku, from Hector Noel, a Mixologist extraordinaire who I've also written about and enjoyed many a wonderful cocktail with, and he commented that the food and cocktails were outstanding. I know that Hector's taste is the best, and if he was impressed, I knew there was something really special happening there. Then I saw a few posts from the restaurant and a post of Dan Grey's, and the food looked and sounded so amazing that I sent Dan a message and asked if I could come in to write about it. He responded immediately, and we set a date for the following evening, and so this past Tuesday I walked across Park Avenue to 10th Street in Hoboken, looking forward to a lovely evening.

My expectations were high, and I can honestly say that Saku raised the bar even higher. From the moment I came up to the door and saw that they had completely and tastefully redesigned the old front entrance to create the sleek look and feel of a Japanese restaurant in SoHo or the East Village, through the experience of walking in that sleek door and seeing the lovely design complete with cherry blossoms and branches and decorative walls and murals, to the moment I tasted my first sip of a specialty cocktail and my first bite of delicious food, and continuing on through an exquisite meal that was deliciously and carefully prepared and presented, each note of the evening made me happy that I was there, and looking forward to more times to come. The name Saku means "To Blossom," and the experience that has been carefully created at Saku is not just an early blossom that will fade, but a full flowering of all that is luxuriant and delightful.

I started my evening with Shumai, a favorite of mine but also something that can be disappointing, and here of course they were outstanding, each taste exquisitely and delicately flavored and prepared in house with the freshest of ingredients. I followed that with a pureed sweet potato soup, surprising in its hearty richness and layers of flavor with an added prize of toasted walnuts sprinkled at the top and bottom of the bowl, reminiscent to my fun loving mind as an adult version of the peanuts that add to the deliciousness of one of my my old favorites Cracker Jack. I wanted to try the eel sushi, because I am honestly a bit of a sushi snob and eel is one of my favorites that like Shumai can sometimes disappoint, and though I knew it would be excellent, it was even more perfect than I could have imagined. At the suggestion of Dan's brother who was not only cheerfully and expertly serving but also helping me choose from the menu that evening, I had a piece of Octopus sushi along with the eel which was perfect in every way. Octopus can be tough, but this was lovely, with a freshness and sweetness that only the freshest of seafood ever has. I had started my evening with a Samurai's Widow, a selection from the cocktail menu which was completely perfect and lovely, a beautiful interactive experience as Dan's brother poured the hibiscus infusion into the cocktail changing its color from white to red. I followed that up with a Boba Felt, a cocktail made from Misunderstood Whiskey, a favorite whiskey of mine made by two wonderful men who I've also written about here before. In addition to the flavorful ginger spice, the cocktail utilizes matcha and coconut water along with the boba or "bubbles" that are usually found in bubble tea - I'm not usually a fan of bubble tea, because though it is a fun concept the bubbles don't usually seem to add much to the experience except for novelty. But here at Saku where everything has its perfect place and taste, the bubbles are passion fruit flavored and so delicious and bursting with flavor that I enjoyed chasing them with my straw like a little girl at a birthday party. By this point my selections of sushi rolls had arrived, and I had chosen three, each one memorable and perfect in its own way with combinations inside and outside that made the presentation as beautiful as the tastes were sublime. The Surf & Turf Roll combined crab meet with avocado, and wagyu beef, the Colorful Roll brought together the flavors and textures of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, white fish, shrimp and avocado with kani, cream cheese and fish eggs, and the Big Daddy Roll was a dreamy creation of lobster, eel, avocado and fish egg with orange mayo and miso yuzu sauce. The fish was not only tender but each taste so delicately and deliciously flavored I was reminded of the most memorable Sushi dinners I've had at some of the best world renowned restaurants in Manhattan. I kept thinking of the people I know who love Sushi, and I can't wait to bring them to Saku.

I ended my meal with a piece of Avocado Cheese Cake, a beautiful green color and infused with coconut, it had a flavor so delicious I'm still dreaming about it. My last cocktail with dessert was a Tokyo Rose, with yuzu, jasmine, sparkling sake and rose water with a perfect petal placed on top and scent of Rosa Rugosa, my favorite of all roses. Everything had been so perfect that I couldn't have imagined anything topping it, but as each course and cocktail arrived right through to the end, each one was more perfect than the last.

Dan's business Partner at Saku, Pat Light, had introduced himself when I first arrived, and he is just as humble and kindhearted as Dan. I found out that he also has an illustrious career in sports, playing baseball as a pitcher at the top of his game, but you'd never know it unless someone else told you - his first and only focus is to make sure that everything is running smoothly at the restaurant and that everyone is having a wonderful time.

And at Saku the time is wonderful. There is a saying on the wall, atributed to Kobayashi Issa, "In the cherry blossom's shade there is no such thing as a stranger," and that feeling of peaceful co-existence and camaraderie is what Dan Grey and Pat Light have created. With the marvelous and ingenious creations of Executive Sushi Chef Eddie Ho and Executive Chef Anthony Leonida, and service from a wonderful staff, as the beautiful design beguiles you and the delicious flavors awaken your senses you will find yourself not just enjoying a sense of blossoming, but of luxuriously living in full bloom.

Saku

936 Park Avenue

Hoboken, New Jersey

http://sakuhoboken.com/