MISO IZAKAYA

This is what I found on wikipeda on Miso.

Miso (みそ or 味噌^?) is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus kōjikin (麹菌^?), the most typical miso being made with soy. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso soup called Misoshiru (味噌汁^?), a Japanese culinary staple. High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso played an important nutritional role in feudal Japan. Miso is still very widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest. Miso is typically salty, but its flavor and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory, and there is an extremely wide variety of miso available.

This is what I found on Izakaya

An izakaya (居酒屋^?) is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. The food is usually more substantial than that offered in other types of drinking establishments in Japan such as bars or snack bars

This is what Stacey and I found when we had dinner last night at the restaurant Miso Izakya. Miso Izakaya is on Edgewood Av. in Atlanta.

It's a great place to look at. Lot's of wood. I had lunched there with Chef earlier in the week and didn't notice the huge communal table just inside the front door. The table was about 8' long and 2'wide. It was a slab of wood with the "raw" edge left intact. Wood was everywhere. The booths are wood, there is a large, slated wooden divider at the front door. The hostess station is a neat little wooden console just hanging off the wall. Very functional, but not to large. Okay, I,m sure you would rather hear about the food. Here's what we ate.

Edamame. Stacey always orders these. Steamed and salted. I have started eating them, but could do without. I would rather use the space in my gut for something like pork or fried fish or you know. Of course we ordered sushi. Unagi, a spicy tuna hand roll and a sushi roll they called Naruto Maki.
The hand roll and the Naruto Maki were great, right away even going back to the Edamane, we realized the food was really fresh. That's what made the sushi so good. It was presented no different then most places, but it was all very fresh. The Unagi was the only dish we had that wasn't real good. I don't know if it was a freshness thing or the fact that the Unagi was not warmed properly. At least not the way I liked it.

Then we had some other dishes, off the izakaya menu. We had Scallops in a beurre blanc sauce that was made with wasabi, very good. We had Haru Maki, spring rolls, good, but there was more interesting stuff we should have tried. Goyza, a plate of steamed dumplings, very good steamed dumplings. Pork filled!

Stacey had a specialty drink made with Shochu. Shochu was described by the waitress as vodka like. She also said that Miso was the only restaurant in Atlanta to have this Japanese liquor.
It was mixed with cucumber and lemongrass. Very refreshing, kinda Pims cup like. I had a vodka martini and it was fine.

Like you just read this was a really good meal. the room was beautiful and the service real good as well. Our total, which I thought was a really good deal, was $62.90, before tip. So go eat at Miso Izakaya, it is a great dining experience.