Double Knot - A Night to Remember
The other weekend, one of my very best friends from college, P, came to visit with her new boyfriend. A, being the doll that he is, planned a super fun double date night for us to do together.
We started our night at Clay Studio, which offers a date night deal consisting of $45 for 2 hours at the clay studio, some general hands off instruction on how to spin a bowl, and as much clay as you can possibly destroy in a 1.5 hour time period. With half an hour left in the class, you pick two of your best pots/bowls/plates/misshapen clay lumps and decorate them with colored paint and etchings. I thought my bowl didn't turn out too bad, though we'll see how it does after it goes through the kiln. The door price also comes with wine, beer, and light snacks (think meat, cheeses, and cookies). Collectively, we all thought it was a blast and it's definitely something I would do again, and also for booze, food, and a clay bowl you get to make and take home, $45 seems like a steal.
For a late night dinner after Clay Studio, A managed to score some 9:15 PM reservations at Double Knot. Opened in February 2016, Double Knot quickly became renown for it's delicious, well executed izakaya style food, and it's slightly mysterious downstairs basement restaurant vibe. Reservations are always booked more than a month in advance, so I was very excited to finally come try it out.
Upon arrival, we had a little bit of a rocky start -- our table was just getting dessert so the hostess let us know we were in for a bit of a wait. To pass the time, we got some drinks at the bar as we waited for our table. I started with The Jungle Bird Slip (reposado tequila, straberry cordial, campari, lime, mezcal; $12), which was tasted like a ramped up margarita with a little more depth. Delicious, but sweet elements were edging a little past balanced for my palate. P's boyfriend ordered the winner of the round, Monkey's Fist (sake, coconut, pineapple, syrup, lime, chili; $11), which ended up being our collective favorite, tasting like a riff on the classic pina colada with a savory, spicy kick. Sorry forgot to take photos of the cocktails, but did manage to snag one of the cocktail menu.
Just as we were contemplating ordering a second round, the hostess came to let us know our table was ready. As we were getting settled, our waiter came by to let us know that they were sending some complimentary apps to apologize for the wait, which was a nice gesture. So we started out with comped orders of the edamame dumplings and the tempura shrimp tacos.
Edamame dumplings have been a Sampan classic for ages and have found their way onto the menu here. The little pocket of delicate dough is filled with what tastes like the essence of edamame and pairs perfectly with the savory broth they come in. Once out of dumplings, I always make sure to drink the rest of the broth. Though worth trying at least once, the portion size is not what I would call a value. Get these for how they taste, not how much they'll fill you up.
The tacos were amazing -- definitely a group favorite. The shrimp were perfectly crispy and were perfectly complimented with accompanying slaw. Tangy and very addictive, we all could have definitely eaten some more of these. Two bites of deliciousness to start the meal.
We found the extensive menu a little overwhelming and the waiter sold us on the chef's tasting menu, which everybody at the table has to participate in. Priced at $60, you get 10 items from the menu plus dessert, which are composed of one from each section and two from robatayaki. When getting the tasting menu, you can either request certain items or leave it all up to the chef. We were happy to lean into the experience and let the chef fully take the wheel. The next question was how adventurous we wanted to be, and I was happy to hear we were all on the same page -- maximum adventure.
We started off with some salmon sashimi served with a spicy ponzu, which was pretty standard. It was tasty, and raw salmon is always welcome in my mouth, but not the adventure I signed up for. Octopus carpaccio dropped at the same time. Octopus was cooked through and sliced very thinly. Octopus flavor was strong, which I enjoyed, and this was definitely a little more interesting than the salmon.
Next up were the Oxtail Dumplings and what I think I remember the waiter saying was Fluke, though I can't find it on the menu. The dumplings were a yummy tiny bite. It came with little tea quail eggs and some greenery. The flavor was sort of like an asian pulled pork in a dumpling with some anise notes going on. Like the edamame dumplings, I made sure to drink all the broth as well (can you tell that I love soup yet?). I really enjoyed the classic chinese tea egg in miniature size as well. Though I'm glad I tried it, probably won't reorder on return visits.
I don't remember much around the fluke other than it was better than I thought it would be. The fish really shined along side the cucumbers and rice it was wrapped around, and I think the sauce was more of a ponzu than a straight soy sauce and it went very well with the roll.
Next up were our robatayaki courses. We ended up with Scallops and Kobe beef. The Scallop robatayaki was amazing. Two large scallops seared perfectly with that deep ocean-y scallop taste and some strong smokiness and char imparted from the grill. Kobe beef robatayaki, while tender, definitely not the best piece of beef I've eaten recently (that honor goes to the waygu entree at Vernick). There wasn't that deep umami flavor I associate with an amazing steak and the texture was also a little strange -- I had to double check visually to make sure I wasn't actually eating ground meat shaped into cubes.
The Crispy Tofu was a crowd pleaser. Little cubes of deep fried goodness, tasty on their own and even better dipped in the mizzuna pesto sauce (quick google search result: mizuna - Japanese mustard green). Would definitely reorder these, and I wish all bars served this dish because it would be an amazing bar snack to eat with some cold Japanese beers.
After all this food, our mains finally arrived. We got the whole branzino, which came with some pickled vegetables, bibb lettuce, and rice to make lettuce spring rolls with. The sweetness and thickness of the sauce made the branzino a little much to eat on it's own, but paired very well when put into a lettuce wrap with a hefty chunk of rice. Shoutout to the rice too, fluffy and moist, with just the right amount of rice vinegar for tang and stickiness between kernels. I feel like you can definitely judge the quality of an asian kitchen by how well it does rice, and this rice was top notch.
Our other main was the New York Strip. This dish was amazing. A huge portion that I'm really sad I was too full to eat more of. All the sauces it came with were great, and the meat, though in the photo looks a little more medium than medium rare, was juicy, tender, and seasoned extremely well.
We also got a side of brussels sprouts that were cooked to an ideal softness while still maintaining their structure. The fish sauce they were cooked in made them deliciously tangy and I really liked the little crunchies sprinkled on touch, which contrasted well with the sprouts.
Dessert was one strawberry mochi filled with strawberry ice cream per person. A nice little simple two bite dessert to top off the extravagant meal.
The day after dinner, my general train of thought was that for $60, two people can go to a place like Royal Izakaya and eat like kings. The food at Double Knot was great, but was it worth the price tag? However, A's opinion is that with that price tag, you're not only paying for the food, but the general execution of the experience. Double Knot, by his words, has it "dialed in." When you arrive, you know the delivery will be consistent each time. Double Knot also gets points for taking reservations, which Royal Izakaya does not.
And with some time and perspective on the dinner, I would definitely agree with him. Double Knot is not an everyday experience, and that's part of the fun of it. All the food was extremely memorable, even the dishes that were a little more classic, and the entire night was a blast. Part of the allure is that you know it's going to be a little pricey, so go to celebrate, eat amazing food, drink amazing booze, and forget about the wallet damage for one night. I know that I'll be eagerly scouting the horizon for the next thing worthy enough to celebrate at Double Knot.
TL;DR - Plan reservations way in advance, and go with culinarily adventurous friends to celebrate special occasions by getting tipsy and eating some amazing Izakaya style asian fusion food.
