Rock & Roll with Morimoto and Friends

Unable to choose just one type of seafood, Masaharu Morimoto decided to serve up a small tasting plate of a variety of delectable goods from the sea. (photo by Francis Chin / Meniscus Magazine)

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto hosted his annual “Rock & Roll with Morimoto and Friends” sushi event at the Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival on Oct. 12 at the Harvard Club. Table spreads of sushi from top restaurants, as well as a separate karaoke room, dominated the festive event well into the wee hours of the following morning. Some establishments created special tasting dishes specifically for the event, and Morimoto himself took pride of place near the front of the room with an entire team of sous chefs slicing fresh fish.

Blue Ginger (Wellesley, Mass.) chef Ming Tsai, a Yale University graduate, had no qualms in telling Meniscus Magazine how much the choice of venue made him comically ill. “HARVARD SUCKS,” Tsai emphasized. “For the record, Harvard sucks. Always has, always will.”

“I get a rash every year. It’s ridiculous,” Tsai added.

Other chefs stopping by the event to greet old friends included Guy Fieri and Andrew Zimmern. For more interviews and mouth-watering photos of some of the dishes, check out our video and photo footage below.

The 2013 event will take a slightly different twist. Still hosted by Morimoto at the Harvard Club, the event has been renamed to Rockin’ Dumplings and Rollin’ Sushi. It takes place Fri., Oct. 18, from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. as part of the 2013 Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival. Ticket information is available at nycwff.org.

Video: Rock & Roll with Morimoto and Friends – 2012 NYC Wine & Food Festival
video by Francis Chin / Meniscus Magazine
interviews by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine