Thanks for the great recommendations on the new Sake added (and I forgot to say, “nice job!” on recommendations in our earlier thread that might’ve led to Go-san adding them to the menu!). 
I’ve had Shimeharitsuru “Jun” before, but not “Kin”. How much is it at Hayato? It sounds intriguing and something worth trying with Go-san’s cooking.
If the restaurant can source it (sake seems more readily available than requesting a certain vintage of a certain wine), it wouldn’t be infeasible to do. Contact the local importer. If a ready made sale is there, they wouldn’t have to carry inventory long. Hayato already goes the extra mile with service, so it doesn’t seem like a crazy request.
The Kin is a super reasonable $155. Pop that open at the start, enjoy it to the sashimi course then you can overlap with the Jun and use that towards the grill side of the course all the way to the finish, and even save some Daiginjo for dessert pairing.
I had “Jun” at Kurosaki (Shibuya, Tokyo) paired with grilled wild unagi. Very enjoyable I might add.
You will like Kin for sure, and Tedorigawa Tsuyusanzen ($175).
They also have Masumi Yumedono Daiginjo ($200), that’s also a great one but it’s been quite a while since I last had it… also a great starter for the first few courses, and any profiles with some sweet/sour.
Thanks @beefnoguy! 
Excited about trying both of those for sure. We had Masumi Yumedono Daiginjo at Raku last year. It was enjoyable, but after having Mangekyo it kinda ruined many Daiginjo Sake for me. 
Darn you @beefnoguy for that recommendation! 
Still encourage you to try what is now on the latest sake menu, with the examples I provided.
On a side note, the master brewer of Den Sake Brewery (Oakland) loves wine also, so he crafts this California sake to have a wine like drinking experience (more so white wine). Super enjoyable and goes with so many different cuisines.
There is a new Okunomatsu “Sakura” Daiginjo ($105) that is priced lower than the Juhachidai Ihei drip sake. I remember tasting the Sakura back in Feburary at Daimaru Tokyo, and it was quite powerful (so to me an obvious food pairer Daiginjo). Looks like it’s exported, so this one should also be worth trying (also looking at you @Chowseeker1999).
Agreed. Your notes are so good and helpful for future dining at Hayato. I know that I’ll heed them if I can ever get a reservation again.
I loved that while your sake geek was in full force, you still acknowledged (and were grateful for the fact) that Chef Go did have to do some extra leg work in order to accommodate your requests. That says a lot about the chef and about you…because this kind of extra accommodation shouldn’t apply to just anyone coming in.
On top of that, I believe he did all this during the restaurant’s closure/his day off, which already is a huge inconvenience in itself. He’s super busy doing all sort of work from ingredient sourcing, prepping and rarely has time for other things. On top of that he has to work extra hours Friday night and weekends to get ready for the weekend bentos.
Someone did ask him that night I went how many hours of sleep he gets each night, since he starts super early each day and by the time he gets home it’s already very late. Let’s just say he’s in good company with all the sushi shokunin who keep similar hours (it’s even much less hours of sleep for people like Kouji Kimura of Sushi Kimura Tokyo, as he’s entirely a one man show).
So to say “he already goes the extra mile so this isn’t quite a crazy request” is not accurate and in fact quite imposing, whether someone is a VIP/regular or not.
While it may seem it’s just a phone call, there could be other factors behind that; it is still additional time, and the willingness not to sell current bottles he has, but to procure more inventory. Not to mention wait for the delivery person or rep from the distributor to drop it off. He was and should be well within his right to refuse. Even if he does allow the request, should be able to charge whatever he wants.
With that said, I’ve already named some of the new additions to the menu, and some of them are very reasonably priced as well. The sake list is currently expansive enough that someone will find something they will enjoy for sure.
We were inspired by you. Ordered some sake to go with the wine last night! I know little about sake so let one of the other guys pick
Very cool, thanks! That’s Dassai Beyond, what a treat!
For future visits you guys can also try
Tedorigawa Mangekyo
Okunomatsu Juhachidai Ihei Daiginjo Shizuku
Shimeharitsuru Kin Daiginjo
Dewazakura Yukimanman Daiginjo
Kokuryu Shizuku Daiginjo
Hakkaisan Kowagura Junmai Daiginjo
Born Yume Wa Masayume Dreams Come True (1000 mL bottle by default, beautiful gold bottle and is a perfect size to share, and will fit in nicely in your lineup)
They each offer enough (and even more) complexity and finesse in their own unique ways (and have wider food pairing ranges) that also wouldn’t feel out of place with aged white burgundies, especially the Dreams Come True, Kokuryu Shizuku, and Tedorigawa Mangekyo. Definitely the right place to enjoy these fine sake.
Hi @beefnoguy,
Wow, that’s the infamous bottle of Dassai Beyond? Around L.A. that’s shown up on our local Japanese restaurant menus around $900 - $1,200 a bottle! 
Ballers Club Only. 
How does it compare with the Shimeharitsuru Kin and Born Dreams Come True for balance and flavor?
Oh you’ll be happy to learn that Dassai Beyond at Hayato is actually a bit below that lower limit range you posted. Chef Go’s pricing is actually very reasonable, and deserves our support!
One thing about Beyond is that Dassai uses polish ratio/percent polish remaining to the sake rice’s shinpaku/core to market their core products (e.g. 50, 39, 23). Beyond roughly means polished to beyond 23 levels (ie a number below that), but what that number actually is remains a big secret. Speculation says anywhere between high single digit percentage, and I’ve heard 12 to 14 and skeptics say 18. Nobody really knows. In Japan you can buy a box set containing 23 and Beyond, because Dassai wants you to compare them side by side, drink the 23 first then feel the difference if you can tell, of the Beyond.
When Iroriya (Santa Clara) was still around, during its heyday they held a Dassai Bar 2.0 one off event, and in collaboration with the distributor, had one of the VPs from Dassai Tokyo office come over and together hosted a tasting of all the Dassai exported sake. They had food served to pair, mostly sampler small bites, essentially a trio, to pair with small pours of 50, 39, 23, and Beyond. What I distinctly remembered of the small bite made to pair specifically with Beyond was a mousse made out of edamame.
Beyond is more of an apertif style sake and even for sipping it’s good, it’s really delicate. For sushi that’s lighter flavored, the best match would be white fleshed fish and not too heavily seasoned shari and even that is a bit of a stretch (just to maximize the pairing) but perfectly fine to enjoy also if the pairing is not a concern. So for a food sake it has less structure, and probably will change in taste and feel once it nears room temperature (definitely keep the bottle on ice)
Kin is different, it’s a competition level/grade Daiginjo (and that level Japan are super serious). So by nature of Daiginjo it has distilled alcohol added (likely rice based), to give more aromas and complexity. Wicked nose, intensity of flavor, although the finish is not long, but really exquisite and remarkable (especially for a Niigata Daiginjo which I’ve grown tired of throughout the years). And for the value you get (as well as the reasonable pricing at Hayato), it’s amazing. I also recommend the Kin because I honestly think wine drinkers will understand it very easily and like it. As for food pairing, that’s subjective but definitely a wider range than Beyond. But nonetheless super enjoyable.
Born Dreams Come True, you’ve had that already. Far richer mouthfeel and complexity from the five year low temperature aging. It’s also a different drinking experience than the Mangekyo which you had (although I’ve only had Mangekyo once, memory is fading other than “wow” haha).
I believe the Kin and Dreams Come True are at about 35% polish. Some serious breweries think once you polish to below 35% you lose a lot more (in addition to more cost/expenditure/time just to get the polish ratio down further, and at that point it becomes bragging rights for marketing…kind of like reverse P envy). Polish envy?
In the end, as long as the customer is happy, it’s all good. Although having the right drink to best match with food is next level enjoyment.
