move over morimoto

What happens when two sushi-centric fanatics (read: addicts) unite to try their hands at making their own? A whole lot of smiling mixed with moments of silence with equal parts laughter by means of pure astonishment and highlighted by "shut-up-right-now-I-can't-believe-how-freaking-delicious-this-is" exclaimed over and over and over again.

I will admit, making my own sushi has never been something that's really interested me before; something I argued I'd much rather leave to the professionals; mysteriously missing from my perpetual culinary To Do's. But when an eager-to-try and decidedly handsome fellow expresses great interest in whipping up sliced hamachi with jalapeno and ponzu, you politely accept the invitation. Then promptly start hunting for the perfect serving plates, platters, and appropriate accessories.

With impeccably fresh fish, an extraordinarily sharp knife, and a little creativity--by which I mean plenty of hot sake for the sushi chef(s)--you too, will be well on your way to a DIY project that is guaranteed to yield euphoric and wholly fulfilling results. Even if they don't end up exactly as planned. I assure you, this is a trial and error-type experiment that you will be more than willing to try over and over and over again.

fresh hamachi loin

professionally sliced paper thin and fanned out on an expertly chosen platter

topped with equally paper thin slices of jalapeno, shaved scallions, and a thoughtful splash of ponzu sauce

a well-deserved love pat to your sushi chef on a job well done

a spicy tuna roll with scallion, avocado, and cucumber, while perfect in conception, yielded a much--for lack of a better word--fatter result after rolling (silver lining: I make damn good spicy tuna tartar)

Not pictured: gorgeously thin pieces of tuna draped over sticky sushi rice and a tiny dot of wasabi were consumed entirely too quickly. Sorry I'm not sorry for snapping a picture in time. I was far more interested in getting them into my mouth as swiftly as possible. Par for the sushi course.

bar tables and a whole lotta DIY

[my favorite mod and super tall champagne glasses, a brilliant find snagged from the salvation army]

There are pros and cons to my recent DIY/design kick as of late. Pro: It keeps me busy. And the feeling of instant gratification is one that I crave. Often. Con: It keeps me busy. And I can't focus on anything else but finishing the (what feels like) hundreds of little projects I've started (and with some, failed). My posting regularity has suffered terribly. And for this, I apologize.

But one of my many DIY projects that is actually relevant to Eat and Greet is my bar table which is still a work-in-progress but well on its way to fabulousness. In the before photo (seen just below), you can see that table had caning underneath the glass top. Do I have a thing against caning? Absolutely not. But for whatever reason, the color of the caning against the Wild Truffle wall yielded an unappetizing combination. It got to the point where I couldn't stand looking at it anymore. Something had to be fixed. And after sifting through inspiration photos that I'd pulled from here and there, I started to make some changes. And the first thing to go was inevitably going to be that caning.

Enter: a piece of cream burlap, cut down to size and placed underneath the glass. Instant improvement. Snarls be gone.

Also? A bottle of Bombay Gin which my thoughtful roommate picked up in Duty Free on her way back from Switzerland. There's something about that iconic blue glass bottle that adds a finishing touch to any bar area. It's beautiful. And legitimizes the spot for me. Nevermind the fact that blue glass is a bit of a recurring theme in our apartment. It pops up, well, everywhere (see top left corner of the following photo).

A few shots (all pulled from Remodelista) of inspiration I love for your bar area...

Cheers! TGIF.

Oh, and allow me to indulge you (but really, me) with a sneak peak at another DIY project that was started and completed this past weekend. Never, ever underestimate the power of paint. Particularly matte charcoal paint. Yum.

Before

After

Nothing in our apartment is safe anymore.