The crew of Sun Valley magazine gathered at Zou 75 recently for a brainstorming dinner. We've been talking about doing this for awhile and finally set the date and made it happen. Gathering together breaking bread (or sushi rolls), and cajoling over a few drinks is a great way to hold meetings in my opinion. Here’s a snippit of our evening.
First, Mike, our fearless editor, and one-liner aficionado was home sick. And for Mike to miss dinner, drinks and an evening out with friends and co-workers, you know he’s reallllly sick. Second, Linda our accountant was sick too. Yikes! For fear of anyone else getting sick, we told her to stay home and we’d miss her. (Blowing kisses from far away). And finally, we were welcoming our new sales manager, Heather Harder Brown back to the Valley and to Sun Valley Magazine. So, we were minus two people, but we had reason to celebrate with Heather’s arrival. (It doesn’t take much for us to have a reason to celebrate… Recently, Mike said, “Julie, It’s National Margarita Day!” and that was all it took for us to go celebrate with a few cocktails.)
We started out with important business—drinks. Agave Ritas (lime + agave syrup, with top shelf, house-made, Habenero tequila), Kelleher Sauvignon Blanc from Napa, New Planet Gluten Free beer and Saporro Japanese Beer. Next up—sushi. Duh, we were at the renown Zou 75 with fresh fish flown daily from Honolulu.
We started off our evening of sushi with the Stop, Drop and Roll (Ebi tempura, Unagi sachimi encrusted cream cheese, avocado and crispy onions, topped with layers of fresh Ahi tuna and drizzled with Kabayaki sauce). This was the overall the favorite roll of the night. The decadence of the shrimp and eel combined with the richness of the cream cheese and the Ahi—that had the texture of butter—was delicious.
The Hailey Roll (fresh Hamachi, or "yellowtail," and avocado, topped with orange Tobikko). Simple, fresh and delightful.
The Mazzola (Dynamite Crab, jicama, scallions and garlic chips topped with shichimi pepper). The garlic chips added a nice texture and these were gobbled up immediately.
Left: Beef Tataki. Right: The Stop, Drop and Roll.
Beef Tataki (thinly sliced, flash-grilled, Torogashi-encrusted Beef Tenderloin drizzled with a creamy Ponzi sauce, garnished with garlic chips and chives). The Beef Tataki was a nice break from the rolls, and the meat, tender as can be, was flavorful without being too salty. Fabulous.
Crispy Maguro Bites (fresh Ahi tuna over crispy-seared rice bites topped with avocado, sweet and spicy sauces, crispy onions and wasabi sesame seeds) were recently featured in Sun Valley Magazine's Signature Cocktails article. This was easily my favorite bite of the night. The avocado mixed with the tuna with the spicy sauce was wonderful.
Zou 75's chef is Derek Holliday, hailing from Coeur D' Alene, Idaho. Derek is well-travelled and has spent many of his years fishing the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles to the Arctic Circle. Derek eventually found his way to Zōu 75 where he apprenticed under Japanese Master Chef Motohiko Sato for four years and eventually took the helm as head sushi chef. Derek applies French infusion to traditional Japanese recipes and techiques, creating an innovative, inspired menu.
Lastly, we all shared the Hamachi Bites (Hamachi, dipped in a spicy batter and then flash fried and drizzled with a Sriracha aioli sauce). These fried bites were light and tasty without being greasy.
Our evening ended with lively talk about living in our great town and how lucky we are to live here and have access to such fabulous restaurants like Zou 75 and outdoor recreation like skiing and hiking out our back doors. Maybe it was the Agave Rita talking, but we formed a bond that night and would enjoy many more "meetings" like this one. Thanks, boss!
Left: Assistant editor, Kate Elgee and staff writer, Alec Barfield at Zou 75. Right: Sales manager, Heather Harder Brown, production director, Julie Molema and publisher, Laurie Sammis wrap up a great evening at Zou 75.
Julie Molema is Sun Valley Magazine's yum! blogger and production director and owner of JAM Designs Jewelry. Her favorite thing to do is go out to lunch or dinner after recreating in her favorite area—Sun Valley. Read more of her yum! blogs here.
