Vadim treated me to Miya's Sushi in New Haven for Valentines Day dinner. The space was packed with Yale students and one boisterous middle aged couple. I was glad we called ahead for our 10:00pm reservation. We settled into the awkardly decorated front room: a rugby striped carpet, simple tables and a hodge podge of framed 'art.' To start, we sipped on a smal bottle of "dragon lady sake:
ginger, lemongrass & clover honey sake. victory drink of lesbian chinese pirates of the south china seas. also popular with sorority girls everywhere"
We decided to share several plates: Tokyo Fries (shoe string potatoes with a spicy curry & tomato aliole sauce drizzled over top) and a collection of rolls:
"kraken roll"
szechuan peppercorn seasoned tempura squid & scallions
"oo la la mitzvah! roll"
winner of the prestigious 2008 l'chayim world sushi award; this award winning roll was developed by rabbis [of the lost tribe of china] as a gift to the israeli national ping pong team in support of their quest for an olympic medal. Tempura wild pacific king salmon, brie cheese, avocado & ch'i energy
"italian stallion roll"
(inspired by sylvester stallone), Miya's boasts that the roll is their "most masculine creation" – rare-fried tuna, new york mascarpone cheese, pistachios & orange marmalade
curry okra roll (yes tempura, and delightfully southern)
....While waiting for our rolls, the server brought us complimentary miso soup with cauliflower. Savory, textured and one of the best miso soups I have ever tasted.
Each roll was quite obviously lovingly prepared. Although the suggested portion is three rolls per person, I found them to be heavy and quite filling. We were quite content with with a two roll to a person ratio. I would have to say that I enjoyed the 'italian stallion' the most- the marmelade and pistachios added a curious texture and variation in flavor from the typical fushion sushi joints. The Tokyo Fries were perfect for sharing and quite massive in their portion. We had quite a bit left over (perhaps better for four people?)
Beyond the food, Miya's is wonderfully down to Earth, full of energy and humor. The menu pushes the card by stating that certain rolls or beverages are for "Asian's only" and "You can only order this if you're African American."
In short: Miya's is a good reason to get out of the city and head up to New Haven. After our meal, we met up with friends George and Gigi at Anchor. The bar is on the Yale campus (College Street and Chapel)...your quintessential university dive with four dollar shots of bourbon (yes, we did) and $2.50 cans of New England Lager. We were delighted to enjoy the company of Gigi's pal, Greg, who insisted, "Russians? Gigi what is this? I don't like your Communism! Trying to take my Jew fortune?!" He lifted a fist of bills, "I'm going to spend my Jew cash on some shots for everyone!" I was crying...I was laughing so hard. Not to mention his top five reasons why Virginia is an amazing state...I think he only made it to four (and tobacco production was one).
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