Minneapolis, MN- October 20, 2008 – Blake Richardson, owner, today announces the grand opening of his new restaurant and sake brewery, moto-i. This is the first sake brewery restaurant in the world outside of the country of Japan. Taking inspiration from Japanese speakeasies (or Izakaya), moto-i is pairing simple takes on Japanese street foods, skewers and noodle-bowls, with handcrafted sakes that are brewed on site. This exciting new restaurant is located on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis in the Uptown Neighborhood.
Sake has been increasing steadily in popularity over the last several years as the U.S. population has embraced many Japanese foods such as sushi, and has developed a more sophisticated palette. Richardson spoke to some of the education that will need to be done; "Many Americans are familiar with hot sake, but not with chilled sake. Typically, sake is only heated if it is a lower grade or table sake, as the heating tends to warp or destroy many of the subtle nuances and flavors found in most chilled premium grade sakes." He continued; "sake is actually a malted beverage and is brewed similar to beer, as opposed to the common misperception that it is a rice wine."
Richardson has tapped Chris Olson to be his Chef, Olson is most recently from the acclaimed Izakaya, Biwa located in Portland Oregon. Olson is a graduate of the Western Culinary Institute and of the University of Minnesota. The menu of small dishes can be compared to tapas style fare that is popular today. The menu will include many small dishes to be sampled and shared.
Sake is an increasingly trendy ingredient in many of today's hot cocktail trends such as Saketinis, Sake bombs, and more. Sake is also used as a replacement for Vermouth in many upscale bars in the United States. Like any premium beverage, Sake has a whole range of flavors and fragrances that can be appreciated. And just as naturally, everyone will taste and smell something a little bit different.
One of the easiest ways to classify Sake in the broadest sense is in terms of sweetness and dryness. There will be three handcrafted sakes and sparkling sake when the restaurant first opens, but many grades and different styles of sake will soon follow to complete the taste spectrum, from Junmai Ginjo and Yamahai, to Futsuu and Nama Genshu.
Richardson is passionate about the craft of brewing. Each of his businesses is focused on micro brewing. His first business, The Herkimer Pub & Brewery (located just a few doors away from moto-i) is a Microbrewery dedicated to brewing and serving Lager style beers, including two which have won Gold Medals at the Great American Beer Fest. His second company is TripleCaff Energy Drink, a microbrewed energy drink served at many restaurants around the metro area. Richardson, a Certified Sake Sommelier and trained Brewmaster, talks about why he opened this third concept; "I fell in love with good sake at various sake bars, and being a brewer, I thought that this could be done on a microbrewery restaurant level."
He soon found out after training that he was right. Sake is produced by the multiple parallel fermentation of polished rice. Multiple parallel fermentation is the process where starch is converted to sugar and sugar converted to alcohol at the same time in the same tank. Unlike beer and wine, where the sugar is present prior to fermentation, the starch is converted to sugar by enzyme action, and then the sugar is converted to alcohol by yeast. This is typical of beverages created from starchy sources, such as beers.
The new restaurant and brewery is located in the former Machu Picchu location on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis. It will have a rooftop deck overlooking the Lyndale-Lake area with views of the downtown skyline. The hours of operation are noon to 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday. There will be space for private events and parties. Reservations are available by phone or on their website.
About moto-i
moto-i is the first sake brewery restaurant in the world outside of Japan. In the tradition of Japanese Izakayas, moto-i pairs hand-crafted sakes brewed on site with flavorful Japanese fare. Located in the Lyndale-Lake neighborhood of Minneapolis, moto-i has events space and an outdoor rooftop patio. For more information please visit: http://www.moto-i.com/.
