Herring at Aquavit

I've just returned from a press lunch at Aquavit, which is a restaurant I've
always wanted to try but had never had the opportunity. The restaurant
celebrates Herring Week June 4 through the 14 with special menu items and a
$20.03 herring lunch buffet and $30 herring dinner buffet at the Cafe. The
buffet is what they served us at the press lunch, which was great because
herring is one of the many things I've never tried.

I tried the pickled herring almost last, and it was a wonderful burst of
sharp, ginny juniper with the soft, smooth texture of the fish. Almost
nothing at the luncheon was fishy. There was a ceviche, which was the only
dish I tried that had flaky fish (I assume it was herring?), cooked from the
acid in the sauce. The potato dumpling had a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.
There were some Asian inspired dishes, sushi with sharp horseradish flavor
and a lemongrass noodle soup. Thin slices of herring with a salty, sweet
sauce drizzled on, and bright red slabs of cured herring with the softest
texture. I liked the smooth, soft, velvety herring bites the best, and was
less fond of the herring-puff type bites.

My favorite new experience, though, was the aquavit. This one had anise and
some other spices (but the anise flavor was the main one I tasted). The
strong, sharp alcohol taste really carries similarly sharp flavors well,
delivers them with force. I can't accurately describe the burst every little
sip had.