Walk into an izakaya in Tokyo or New York and order a tall glass of beer. You'll usually get one of the crisp, crushable lagers that define Japanese brews for most imbibers. These rice-brewed beverages are massively refreshing, a perfect toriaezu beer, or beer for now, as you check the food menu and unwind. While delicious, rice lagers only scratch the surface of the Japanese beer scene.
In the 17 years it's been open, has grown from a Bushwick pizza-and-tiki-bar pioneer to a citywide institution to a full international empire with outposts in L.A., Nashville, and Singapore (plus two other restaurants in New York).
Tendrils of steam curl out of the bread basket, spreading a warm, yeasty scent as my server unfurls the linen cover to reveal a plump kind of sourdough with a golden-brown crust.
Salmon is a key shaper of Washington's unique marine nutrient-fed landscape. I, like most Washingtonians, grew up reenacting the salmon run in school, going on field trips to spawning grounds, visiting tribal and community-led salmon barbecues, and having the fish in my family's fridge at all times. Salmon is the backbone of Washington and the lifestyle of those who call it home.
Nopa wasn't just seasonally inspired and farm-to-table at a time when seasonally inspired and farm-to-table hadn't yet permeated the city. It was a place whose ethos making everything in-house, from scratch and atmosphere were as much of a draw as its damn good Cal-Mediterranean menu and thoughtful cocktails and wine list.
