The new Zagat Gourmet Shopping and Entertaining Guide says Sakaya impresses novice and expert sippers alike with its "quite nice selection" of more than 100 labels.
Zagat adds co-owners and husband and wife team Rick Smith and Hiroko Furukawa are "knowledgeable and passionate" about the drink.
"Sake is a brewed beverage, like beer, but it has more of the flavors and aromatics that are similar to wine, if you have to draw a parallel," explained Smith. "It's made from water, rice, and yeast and something called koji, which is a mold that is used to affect a portion of the rice used in making the beverage."
Smith says sake is classified based upon the degree to which the rice has been milled.
"There are three fundamental classifications: junmai, where in 30 percent or more of the outer whole of the rice is milled away; ginjo, where 40 percent or more is milled away; and, daiginjo, which is the premium-grade sake, where 50 percent or more of the rice is milled away. The more you mill away, in general, the more refined the sake is and the more expensive."
Depending on the classification, you can drink sake at different temperatures.
"The super premium sake or the daiginjo, as they're called, those that use the most highly milled rice; you don't warm those," said Smith. "But junmai, those that use the least milled or polished rice, many of those lend themselves to warming."
The owners have created labels that suggest food pairings and give a flavor profile of the sake to help customers make their selections.
Out of a possible 30, Sakaya receives a 25 for quality, a 23 for display and a 24 for service. Zagat says prices are expensive.
- Stephanie Simon
August 10, 2008
Gourmet Shopping: East Village Shop Introduces New Yorkers To Sake
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