ALEXくん
"Chef Yuko, known as the 'Witch of Nishi-Azabu,' returned from her month-long summer 'Italian training' and reopened her restaurant to a flood of regular customers. The dishes she enjoyed in Sicily were faithfully recreated without any Japanese-style adaptation. This time, it was a Sicilian dish called 'Pesto Trapanese,' made with finely chopped garlic, almonds, cherry tomatoes, and Italian parsley. There were six appetizers to choose from, including 'Herring and Orange Salad,' 'Marinated Mushrooms,' 'Sicilian Pasta Salad,' 'Caponata,' 'Marinated Octopus,' and 'Gazpacho.' The Herring and Orange Salad was a refreshing dish with the sweet and sour flavors of orange complementing the pickled herring. The Sicilian Pasta Salad with Pesto Trapanese was a highlight with the added crunch of almonds and summer vegetables. The Caponata was rich and flavorful. There were twelve types of pinchos, with the 'Millefeuille' of blue cheese and honey being a standout. The meal was accompanied by a red wine from Southern France. There were sixteen meat and fish main dishes, including 'Stuffed Crab,' 'Puebla-style Moqueca Sauce Enchilada,' 'Tomato and Fennel Cornichon Gratin,' 'Potato and Truffle and Lard and Onion Gratin,' 'Almond-wrapped Swordfish with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Vegetable Sauce,' 'Tripe Stew,' 'Shrimp Muqueca,' 'Curry of Stuffed Crab,' 'Meatballs of Beef, Porcini Mushrooms, and Cornichon Cheese,' 'Falso Magro,' 'Beef Stew Cornichon-style,' and 'Lamb Kebab with Okra and Tomato Pomegranate Sauce Stew,' and more. Chef's recommendation was the 'Seafood Tricolore,' featuring grilled sea bream, salmon, scallops, mussels, spinach, and paprika arranged in the colors of the Italian flag. The sauce, of course, was Pesto Trapanese. The seafood soufflé was flavored with almonds and olives. The 'Lamb Kebab' was served with Carnaroli rice from Italy. The 'Beef Stew' was also rich in flavor. The complex marriage of flavors and textures of multiple ingredients on the palate, along with the accompanying sauces, was difficult to describe, but simply put, it was delicious. Lamenting their own lack of vocabulary, diners would eagerly make reservations for the next visit in search of the dishes they missed out on that evening."