With Seattle’s close connections to Japan come continued earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.
Case in point: As downtown Seattle’s Dragonfish Asian Café celebrates its 14th anniversary, owner Takao Kikuchi is donating a portion of sales to victims in Ishinomaki—hometown of his wife, Yuko, who is currently spending six weeks there offering whatever help she can.
Through June 11, Dragonfish is serving up special three-course “anniversary” meals for $14. For an additional charge, you can also sample three special signature cocktails as accompaniment, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Ishinomaki Chamber of Commerce. Look for drinks like the Mandarin Dragon Mojito, Cucumber Sake Sour, and Yamazaki Yacht Club, developed by the Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen™, which created the restaurant’s opening cocktails.
Culminating the festivities and charitable efforts is a Japanese Whiskey Tasting on June 11 at 5 p.m. Mixologist Andrew Borher will be discuss the history of Japanese whiskey and demonstrate how to make Japanese ice spheres. $35 admission (part again going to charity) includes a Yamazaki Yacht Club cocktail, whiskey sampling, and Asian bites such as tempura-peppered bacon, spiced root chips, and spicy tuna rolls. RSVP and pre-payment (via 206-467-777 or eat@dragonfishcafe.com) are required.
While Japan has largely slid off the news, the crisis continues, and parts of the country will take years to rebuild. Remarkably, that’s starting to seem like a lucky scenario, according to recent analysis indicating that the nuclear meltdown meant coming close to losing a lot of northern Japan.
