Getty Images The art of sake pairing is not that difficult, and this is a great way to start learning about it The North American Sake Brewers Association brings Sake Week back to Dallas for the second year from March 20 to March 23, and Austin gets to experience it for the f irst time on those same dates. This year, participating restaurants in the Metroplex include Asian Mint, Catch, Namo, Musume, Dee Lincoln Prime steakhouse in Frisco, Hamm’s Meat Market in McKinney, among others. In Austin, the lineup includes Fukumoto, Lucky Robot, Lao’d Bar, and more. Weston Konishi, president of the association, says Sake Week started in 2019 with a focus on domestic brewers. These days, that includes around two dozen brewers in the U.S., plus Canadian and Mexican sake brewers. The Sake Brewers Association advocates for the industry, stretching as far as to work with rice growers in Arkansas, as well as with restaurant owners and, as Konishi puts it, “anyone who has an interest in sake in whatever capacity on this continent.” “Our effort with this project is to show people how sake is so versatile and can pair with foods beyond sushi,” Konishi says. The launch of the event last year was, to his knowledge, the first dedicated sake event in Dallas. The idea is to invite people who are interested in sake into restaurants they already know and love, and give them an experience with a touch of education. Alcohol sales are down over all — for liquor and especially for wine, which expects to see large price increases in the coming year due to tariffs from the Trump administration. But, Konishi says, that’s not the case for sake. Our effort with this project is to show people how sake is so versatile and can pair with foods beyond sushi. “If wine is in the red, we’re in the black right now,” he says. “We’ve grown about 2 percent.” To keep that trend going, the Sake Brewers Association wants everyone to know that sake does goes with meals beyond sushi — drink it with burgers, Mexican food, pizza, heck, drink it with whatever you’ve got to serve. “There’s such a range of styles,” Konishi says. “There’s hot, there’s dry, sweet, light, heavy, hot, cold, fruity, and umami. There’s a sake for everyone.” The restaurants involved participated in some training at Dallas College and at Texas Sake Co. in Austin so they could figure out which sakes to pair with the dishes for the individual sake dinners each restaurant is hosting. In Dallas, that was followed by a tasting and party at LadyLove in Bishop Arts, which is also participating and serving a sake martini for the week. Konishi notes that some people think sake rice must come from Japan. “It was a lot of fun to showcase how this one Arkansas family is making the ingredients for our sake producers,” he says. Konishi explains that koji, the mold used to ferment sake, is also used in soy sauce and miso production. “Chefs in the West are marinating their meats in it, so jumpstart the aging process for meat, because it brings out umami flavors,” he says. Restaurant staff were also trained in what Konishi calls the “magic” of koji and its role in making sake. In turn, the participating restaurants work with their liquor distributors to identify sake brands to highlight and pair with a meal. Higher end places might feature more expensive sakes while mid-range restaurants can select sakes with a commensurate price. The various participating bars are mixing sake into cocktails, a la the sake martini. “We believe that a rising tide lifts all boats, so we care less about which sake is featured as long as its good sake,” Konishi says. Sake Week starts on Thursday, March 20 with a sake pairing dinner at Profound Farms at 6 p.m. and tickets are available now for $55 per person. To see all the individual restaurants that are participating restaurants in Dallas and Austin, visit the Sake Brewer’s Association website. ...read more read less