Aker Restaurant & Lounge: Fighting the Good Tuna Fight

Aker Restaurant & Lounge | 9 Exchange Place, Salt Lake City
(385) 295-4077 | akersaltlake.com
Mon-Thurs: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. | Fri-Sat: 4 p.m.-11 p.m. | Sun: 4 p.m.-9 p.m.

Sushi, to me, has always been about more than just what is on the plate. It’s about the excitement of what comes next; it’s about ceremony and the discovery of something new. Being somewhat of a sushi nut, when I first heard about Aker Restaurant’s Tuna Fight Club event — in which their chefs process a 250-pound bluefin tuna fish into a 10-course meal — I knew I had to get in on that.

Aker is an upscale downtown sushi shop that aims to incorporate Latin fusion elements into their sushi. Paired with delightful cocktails, even their regular menu can tantalize the sushi snob and novice alike. But once a month for the last eight months, Executive Chef Johnny Lopez and Sushi Chef Pae Randall have been busy with a special treat for the most ardent of sushi patrons, creating a one-night-only omakase menu using the contents of the giant fish. While answering questions from the crowd, Chef Randall explained how this challenge pushed them in directions that a more traditional setting would not allow.

For the first course of the evening, I watched as saws and knives big enough to be called swords were used to break down the different anatomy. The kitchen crew answered questions from their eager audience, who sipped on complementary champagne as fish scales flew. A portion of the rib meat was placed in front of the crowd for us to scrape spoons along the bones, and harvesting our own tender treats to be placed on a tostada and dressed with red onion, avocado and a lime-cranberry leche de tigre sauce which was so bright and popped along the fresh oceanic flavor of the tuna.

I decided to splurge on the offered cocktail pairing and truly give in to the pleasures of the experience. The first was a refreshing vodka based mixture with rosemary and lemon called the Winter Orchard. But the second course was when I knew that this was going to be a night to remember: chutoro sashimi with a cranberry-yuzu gelée on top, beautifully presented and tasting unlike anything I’d ever had before. The cranberry was sharp and sweet but didn’t overpower the other flavors; the tuna with the citrus all worked together well in these fleeting bites.

The only tuna of the evening that wasn’t harvested that night was the dry-aged toro sashimi with a truffle dashi sauce. I was surprised by how tender it was and how easily it compared to the fresh tuna being served. The enzyme breakdown is controlled by temperature and moisture removal that allows the fish to taste rich and flavorful. Maybe the most inventive course, though, was the toro pâté and caviar set over a wasabi hash brown. Usually made from poultry or pork, pâté is often thought of as stuffy and old fashioned, but the smooth silky texture made of tuna belly with the salt from the caviar and the crispy bite of the hashbrown was truly a wonderful combination.

My last cocktail of the evening was a take on an old fashioned with Toki Black, a smooth Japanese whiskey, finished with cherry and grapefruit peel. One of the most surprising final courses was a miso tuna meatball in a red chile sauce. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but after my first bite I was pleasantly comforted by its warmth and texture. Tender, delicious and better than any mere meatball ought to be.

Now, an evening of indulgence such as this may not be for everyone, and the exclusivity and $195 per person ticket price point to just that. Personally, I cherish experiences and memories like I have from this night, but it’ll be a while before I’m able to attend a Tuna Fight Club again. Every month’s menu is different, so while I can tell you how extraordinary my night was down to the last detail, your round will be different. Regardless, Aker is dedicated to such high-quality food that I can’t imagine regretting it.

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