Himitsu (Washington, D.C.)

*TEARS RUNNING DOWN MY EYES* This is the best restaurant I’ve been to in my life.  This can be argued as the best restaurant in Washington, D.C.  This restaurant is a gift from high above.  It is a symbol of all things good.  (Wait, I’m not really crying, but I can sacrifice a tear on how well this food touched my soul)  Himitsu is a Japanese and Asian inspired restaurant that includes sushi & artisan cocktails.  For the month of August I wanted to try different cuisines because I think expanding your palate is very important.  It helps you be culturally aware of how things are made and why it is done the way it is, it helps you articulate your thoughts about a specific dish, and you should be able to taste different pieces of continents even if you’re unable to travel to them.

The restaurant only seats 24 people, so if you’re able to get there when it opens at 5 p.m. then that would be best.  Himitsu is located on Upshur St. in D.C. off of Kansas Avenue. The interior is absolutely beautiful and is the perfect spot for date night, if your significant other understands the importance of being on time, otherwise expect to wait an hour or two.  The menu is pretty straight-forward with offering dishes that range from specials, to small plates, and regular sized entrees.  During this visit I was able to order around 5 dishes.  The dishes consisted of Nigiri to Cabbage to Fried Chicken just to name a few.

Let’s start off with the Nigiri that was ordered.  If you are unaware of what Nigiri is, it’s rice that’s usually topped with a piece of raw fish.  I ordered 4 different type of Nigiri. (Pictured from left to right) I ordered Amadai (which is Golden Tile Fish), Masaba (Mackerel), Hedai (Goldline Sea Bream), and Azura (Quail Egg).  The Amadai texture resembles cod, a flaky white flavorless fish, but it is sweeter and the flavor is much richer than cod.  This was one of my favorite pieces of Nigiri that was ordered.  The next dish that was ordered was the Masaba.  The Masaba was sweet but light as well.  It wasn’t as sweet as the Amadai, but definitely has a consistent texture.  The Hedai had the taste similar to a snapper. It was a little bitter and tough but the softness of the rice helped balance it out.  It was good, but my least favorite.  The last Nigiri that was ordered was the Azura, which was the Quail Egg.  I absolutely love Quail Egg’s and everything about them.  They are rich in flavor and work well accompanied with other kinds of seafood.  This was my favorite. The Nigiri that was ordered was apart of their “special” menu.  So, it may or may not be available once you go to dine here.

The next dish that was ordered was the sapidus farm oysters.  They were cornmeal fried oysters made with lemon crema, chili-kosho, and fermented spinach powder.  The only thing that I wish was differently about this dish is that I wish they gave me more oysters!  These were the best fried oysters I’ve ever had.  The oysters were fresh, light, and the chili-kosho was one of the most flavorful sauces I’ve ever had.  So, between you and me, I wanted to lick the plate,  but my mother would yell at me so I had to act like I had table manners at that moment.

The third dish that was ordered, (or is this the sixth dish because the Nigiri counts as one?) was the akami meron.  It consisted of bluefin tuna, sanbaizu, schugcompressed watermelon, and cilantro.  I’ve never had raw fish with watermelon but it absolutely works well together.  The sweetness of the watermelon combined with the fatness of the tuna and the spiciness of the sanbaizu will send your taste buds to heights they’ve never been.  I’m not big on spicy foods or anything spicy but for some reason I fell in love with this dish.

The fourth dish that is the best vegetable dish that I’ve had in my life was the cabbage e pepe, which is a vegetarian dish.  The cabbage was made with miso, parmesan, black pepper, and celery.  The celery wasn’t too strong and the black pepper gave the overall dish a kick that it needed.  The cabbage was made soft, but not too soft where it was mushy.  The celery was warm, and that was only because it sat on top of the cabbage.  There are so many descriptive words that I can use to justify how amazing this dish was, but sadly there are not enough words to describe it.  I am sorry.  You have to go find out for yourself.

The last dish that was ordered was the karaage and biscuits.  It’s a buttermilk fried chicken thigh, korean gochujang glaze, house sweet pickles and kewpie.  I want to call my grandmother to inform her that someones fried chicken is better than hers.  I’m not sure how upset she’d be at me, so I’m going to spare her that information.  The biscuits were made by Martin’s mom.  (Shame on you if you don’t know that t.v. show)  The glaze brought a tear to my eye with every bite.  There was a slight crunch and the inside was so juicy even a man who has been stranded in the desert with no water would be just fine after eating this.  The house sweet pickles blew my mind away by how light in flavor they were.  The kewpie mayonnaise was made by a higher being, I’m convinced.  There’s no possible way that a sauce that good was just made by an ordinary person.  Whoever made the kewpie Mayonnaise I feel as though they deserve a ring from Tiffany’s from me.  How many ever vegetables they want in their ring, that’s how many they will get.

Overall, this restaurant is an “If you don’t attempt to go to it, we are no longer friends” recommendation.  I am serious.  Friends come and go, but I am willing to lose a friendship over this restaurant.  The ONLY reason why this restaurant is getting a First Class Experience from me is because I don’t know what’s higher than first class.  Teleportation?

OVERALL RATING : FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE