Tottori Nights are Hot! An Invitation to the Kingdom of O-kan (Warm Sake) - O-kan Goes Great with Western Food Too: Renga-tei Edition

Hello everyone, I'm reporting to you again tonight from a shop in Tottori.
The Nagnagu Tourist (Nag-Tsu) night session is starting now!

The Nag-Tsu policy is,

This time, I'm introducing one of those shops again!

By the way,

How does Nag-Tsu choose shops when visiting a place for the first time?
Today, I'm revealing it all!

First, choosing the hotel location.
I set up camp near the downtown area.

For example, if you search for "Niigata downtown," "Furumachi" will come up. Looking at a map, you can see it's far from Niigata Station. In that case, I choose a hotel in Furumachi. If it's far from the station, the room rates are cheaper, so it's a double win.

When just wandering into a place, experience has taught me that alleys one street over from the arcade streets have a higher rate of good shops.

For this Tottori trip, I set my sights on Suehiro Onsen-cho, the downtown area of Tottori City.

Next,
I stay at the same hotel for multiple nights whenever possible.

If I think the first shop I visit is great,
I get friendly with the regulars and ask for their recommendations on other shops they like. I also ask the owner about the liquor store they are close with. After that, I visit the liquor store to buy souvenirs (sake) and ask for other recommended restaurants.

Yes, Nag-Tsu uses the

So, today I came to "Renga-tei" using the potato-vine method.
(It's a potato-vine connection from Yashima, which I introduced previously.)

It's a counter with a very Western-style feel that reminds you of a bar, but the shelves behind the counter are lined with Japanese sake—it's a gap-moe (charming contrast) (lol).

Prepare for some food porn!

Wait, before that,

Cheers!

And they are particular about their beer glasses, too.

The delicate mouthfeel of drinking beer from a thin-walled glass is just... e-x-c-e-p-t-i-o-n-a-l.

The appetizer to go with it.

It's still hot in September,
a chilled plate, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Simple, but a carefully selected item.
You can taste the natural acidity of the tomato.

Next!

I've had them boiled, but this is my first time having them steamed.
Large grains! The texture is crunchy and crisp, delicious!

Take a pinch of salt and sprinkle it over the peanuts...

This definitely calls for sake. Haha.

Here is a question!
What kind of sake will I drink next?

A flat sake cup you'll likely encounter when ordering warm sake at a Tottori tavern.

Yes, the quote above is a hint.
For sake enthusiasts, if you're looking for the brewery that reveres Hiroshi Uehara as a savior, it's...

Suwaizumi.
I chose the 'Rabbit Label, Aged Two Summers'.

By the way, did you know that sake originally has color?
During the Showa era, koji was improved to create colorless, transparent sake. Until then, a pale yellow color was the standard.

Many breweries in Tottori use no added yeast (fermenting with wild yeast). There are also many brands that have been aged for several years. As a result, there is a wide variety of colors and shades.

Whoever thought of this Western and Eastern otherworldly tag-team trio,
it's a sure thing, isn't it!

I'm going to keep them coming,
the next sake for a refill is the green label Togo.

The acidity stands out, with bitterness lurking behind it. My goodness, even though it's sake, the acidity and bitterness... it's like a completely different drink.

For food to pair with this, if we're talking acidity and bitterness,

Served with red wine salt and a soy sauce-based glaze,

Even while serving such Western-style food, there is an o-kan (sake warming) station right in front of the counter. It's a mysterious space.

Alright, today I'm going to conquer the San-in Togo lineup.

Next up, the purple label.

A light brown liquid. A brand with no sweetness, featuring a complex acidity and the spreading umami of the rice.

Heh heh heh.

Who would have thought I'd be pairing sake with this dish?

Customers have gradually started to arrive.
The counter is full, too.
The owner's movements have doubled in speed. Such incredible efficiency.

The owner whispers to me.
The person who just sat down next to you is the president of the OOO brewery.

Huh? Even though I was pushing the San-in Togo, things felt a bit awkward...

Let's turn back the clock a little here.

I activated my usual 'vine-pulling' method and asked,
"Where do you source this sake from?"

I was gathering material for future bar visits. "This San-in Togo is delicious, isn't it?" I said.

"Would you like me to let you have some?" the owner replied.

"Would you like me to let you have some?" the owner replied.

“R-really?”

(Actually, a regular at another restaurant had been lamenting that San-in Togo was being bought out by a major corporation and the direction of their sake brewing seemed likely to change.)

"Yes, please!"

That was when the president of the OOO Sake Brewery appeared.

I ordered the label that the manager calls "Black Vinegar," a brand with the ultimate acidity.
The blue label.

An acidity that makes you shiver. It’s a sake that throws a straight fastball that would make Yu Darvish turn pale. Of course, served as hot sake. It even looks brownish.

The batter stepping up to face it is this:

A showdown between blue cheese and a sake with intense acidity.
Whew—it’s such a new experience, it’s making my head spin.

And the final batter,
or maybe the catcher, gently caught that blazing fastball.

Today was another deeply satisfying evening.

Thank you very much!
That was a delicious meal!

Leaving the restaurant

Clutching a 1.8-liter bottle of San-in Togo (Blue Label)...

( To be continued... )