Event Recap: Sakqueso!

Sakqueso!, just as the name suggests, was an event we put on pairing cheese with sake. It was loads of FUN! We invited Keisuke Akabori to create a five-course menu and Tim Sullivan of Hakkaisan Brewery to come and pair the dishes with their sakes. Sake and cheese pair very well, wouldn't you know, since both are high in glutamates. We were able to pair the dishes with three different Hakkaisan sakes for the evening. We have visited Hakkaisan Brewery in Niigata a few times and the sakes are always crisp and easy to drink -- so we knew they would pair with Keisuke's dishes very well. Here's the recap of the evening. Timothy talking to a sold out house about Hakkaisan and his stewardship as a Sake Samurai:

First Course: Nectarine Salad Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese dressing, toasted almonds, mizuna, radish w. Cocktail of Hakkaisan Honjozo, yuzu, honey

Second Course: Roasted Baby Potatoes Panko-fried Le Chatelain Camembert, togarashi aioli, tarragon w. Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo Sake

Third Course: Grilled Tsukune Grated Don Francisco Cotija, chives, lemon, fried quail egg w. Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo Sake

Fourth Course: Chile Rellenos Melted El Mexicano Oaxaca, spicy pork ka prow, pico de gallo w. Hakkaisan Shiboritate Nama Genshu Sake

Fifth Course: Poached Bing Cherries Cypress Grove Herb Fromage Blanc, marjoram, port wine reduction, Yoko's honey, aged balsamico w. Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo Sake

Sarah was Keisuke's excellent sous chef for the evening:

Sake Gumi member Andre!

Me hoping to make it to the table without dropping the nectarine salads everywhere:

The crew! Cabs: Timothy with a bottle of Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori, what a treat!: Keisuke with a bottle of Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo: Mike, our back of the house savior for the night: Staff shot: Thank you for all of you who came out and a very special thanks to Sequoia and Andrew of Sequoia Diner who let us host the dinner at their space. We all had an awesome time -- stay tuned for more events like this one!