THE GIST Ten years ago, Stirling Sake owner Yuki Mori fell in love with Greenport and created a Japanese restaurant in a place that needed one. Greenport was hard to resist for a New York-based sake sommelier who’d once helmed Decibel, the famed Manhattan sake destination, and who dreamed of his own place. With access to the freshest fish possible, including the tuna, eel, mackerel and clams, mainstays of Japanese cuisine, Stirling Sake is the place you come to revel in the tastes and textures of Japanese food.
THE VIBE The dining room has an elegant less-is-more feel with light-colored walls and natural wood accents. A water-blue/green wall encloses the kitchen and wraps around the bar. Decoration is spare: rustic sake-brewing containers, origami, textile prints, work by North Fork artist Kara Hoblin. The cultural significance of rice in Japanese cuisine means the rice-based beverage that Stirling Sake is named for is thoughtfully paired by Mori with everything on his menu.
THE FOOD Each piece of serving ware is designed for a particular dish. Offerings include classic Japanese fare such as tempura, soba noodles, ramen and miso soup. Sushi and sashimi are made with East End varieties of fish such as fluke, weakfish and porgy as well as the striped bass, tuna, scallops and clams found on traditional Japanese menus. This year, Mori is expanding his offering
of Japanese teas, including matcha and sencha, in addition to the green tea they have always served.
Edamame Immature soybean pods lightly steamed and served with a sprinkle of seasoned salt pop out of their cases and into your mouth for the “Washoku” (traditional) warmup to a Japanese meal. Nutty and slightly sweet, they are sourced locally during the summer.
Green tea crepe cake This dessert looks like a slice of thousand layer-cake, but it’s a stack of delicate crepes with thin layers of green tea-flavored cream in between, crowned with edible flowers. Flapjacks of the gods.
Seaweed salad A celebration of flavors and textures, the salad brings together chewy wakame, three kinds of tosaka (a seaweed with red, green and brown varieties) and romaine in a nutty sesame dressing, topped with a nest of crunchy seaweed noodles. This salad’s diverse textures and fresh flavors are easy to love.
Rainbow sushi An arch of fish wrapped around seasoned rice, this rainbow roll ranges from the freshest-possible red-fleshed tuna to lightly steamed shrimp, to salmon, yellowtail, avocado, cucumber and just enough wasabi to pique your palate’s interest.
Tonkotsu ramen Mori’s roots are in the Fukuoka Prefecture, where Tonkotsu ramen originated. The rich soup is made from pork bones, chicken and vegetables, and is irresistible. After you’ve eaten the noodles, crisp wafers of seared pork belly, red ginger, soy-marinated boiled egg, chewy kikurage (mushrooms), grated sesame seeds and scallions, you’ll be tipping the rest of the broth into your mouth straight from the bowl.
Stirling Sake
477 Main St., Greenport
631-477-6782
Hours Monday through
Thursday: 5 to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: noon to
3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m.
Sunday: noon to 3 p.m. and
5 to 9 p.m.
Closed Tuesday
stirlingsake.com
@stirlingsake
