We're at Sushi Damo in Rockville and I'm perplexed...then delighted

We sat at the sushi bar at Sushi Damo in Rockville Town Center so that we could get to know the chef. Strangely, we were served by a waitress instead of the guys behind the bar. Sure, for drinks, maybe, but I like to talk to the dude who's cutting my fish. This was confusing...then the food came.

The head chef delivered - with a nod that showed he remembered us from a tasting a few months back - the first round of fish, which was delicious and the technique showed great attention to detail in its presentation and the preparation of the rice and the fish. We ate silken, ruby-colored tuna; buttery yellow tail; mild and clean striped bass; smoky, delicate Spanish mackerel; heavy and dull fluke, and terrific fresh water eel...and others. The Mango-something roll (sorry) was great too. It was the best use of fish and fruit I've tried.

The second round of food was prepared by a chef who was right in front of us. Perplexingly, he put it at the pick-up where it sat waiting for a waitress - shimmering at us - until Kat pointed it out. When it did hit the bar I was in for a big treat: the best salmon skin handroll I've had in a long, long time. my very favorite - I use it as my benchmark, along with tamago - and theirs was exceptional. The nori was crisp and fragrant. The little bit of fish was cooked just right - juicy with fat - and the skin was an ideal balance between crispness and chew. I can't emphasize this enough. I'm going back just for that.

Dessert, which was house made chocolate mousse with black pepper, was the most fun I've had with food since my trip to MiniBar. It was a great combination of diverse flavors, sensations and textures. Extra A+ for the gold leaf.

The bill was steep. Edamame for 6 bucks is rediculous...we were silly not to look, but still. Miso soup is too salty and could also stand a pass.

Without the booze and the above skip-ables we spent about $60 before tip for 15 peices and a roll.

The bottom line is that for flavor, inventive and modern use of technically-excellent traditional preparation, and great quality of fish, Sushi Damo is a safe bet for a great sushi in Rockville, MD.

One Thing to Do with Shrimp Heads

The squeamish ones, those who did not eat the heads from their fried shrimp at dinner on Friday night - stir fried whole shrimp in XO sauce and Thai coconut soup - have done us a favor. They left us with the most flavorful and delicate part of what I believe is an occasionally misunderstood ingredient. I think that shrimp are misunderstood because the rich and tender bodies are only half of the point.

Some folks have a hard time eating faces, but if you look around the world - from broiled salmon head and hamachi kama in Japan, to headcheese in France, to halibut cheek in China, and to whole roast pork in...well... everywhere - you will find many sumptuous and memorable flavors. All well worth the "look your food in the eye" factor.

The "look your food in the eye" factor is the very center of what I call The Diner's Dilemma, which is: How am I to feel about the living creatures that I eat? I still don't really have a comfortable answer for that, so today I like to use the Native American response: Use every part of the animal to the best of your ability and treat the animal (the ingredient) with respect. Also, I enjoy every morsel. Waste not, want not and all.

So, with the moral issues out of the way, the shrimp heads sauteed momentarily at the bottom of a stock pot with ginger, scallions, half an onion, coriander seeds, galangal, five spice powder, a bay leaf, garlic, two teaspoons of XO sauce and 3 quarts of water. This was gently boiled for 2 hours, adding water every 30 minutes or so when the contents had reduced by half.


This boiled down to about 1 quart of lightly flavored broth which was strained through a chiniose. After straining the solid remnants were pressed to force the remaining liquid back into the pot with the rest of the broth. To this was added about 2 cups of half-and-half. It should have been heavy cream, but healthier aspirations won out. This reduced by one quarter then finished with two tablespoons of butter and was set aside for a few moments before service.

Pan-fried chicken dumplings went into a wide, shallow bowl followed by the soup and a garnish of sliced scallion.

The soup was light and flavorful. The shrimp heads definitely polished an unique facet in the flavor and the herbs and spices were pretty well balanced, being warm and savory and not too bright. A roux and some heavy cream would have made it a solid wintertime soup but it was nice for a warmish fall afternoon. Next time it will get sauteed shrimp for some variety in the texture.

Total cook time was 2.5 hours. Total work time was 25 minutes.