While sake has begun to reach critical mass in the consciousness of most Americans, it has been woven into Japanese culture for the past 1,700 years. Now, two of the most soundly developed sake programs in North America are right here in Las Vegas: Shibuya at MGM Grand and Shintaro at Bellagio.

When Shibuya opened in July of 2004, their list had about 60 sake selections, but now boasts 75. Says Alex Jureeratana, senior manager at Shibuya, “Many first-time customers already know of our wide range of sake.” While a huge list might seem intimidating, Shibuya ensures it is painless. “We want to make the experience as pleasant and easy as possible, which is why our staff has been so well trained.” The same philosophy is the backbone of the sake program at Shintaro. Mark Szczepanski, the general manager at Shintaro explains, “While many customers still need a good bit of coaxing, we are almost insistent about folks trying good sake here.”

Shibuya’s menu is divided into sections corresponding with the different grades of sake: junmai, ginjo, daiginjo, and specialty, promoting awareness of the different aspects of sake. Shintaro’s list is more focused, with perhaps 30 selections that represent the upper echelon of the sake world. These too are divided into sections representing the various grades of sake. Formidable sake menus such as these are indeed few and far between and as exciting as the range might be, ordering can be daunting. The best thing to do is leave it up to the experts at Shibuya and Shintaro. If you want to go at it alone, choosing good sake is no different from choosing good wine.

Look for balance. Do the aspects complement each other? How does it strike your palate? How does it fade? What flavors present themselves? Next, look for one word: ginjo. Ginjo sake is to regular sake what single malt scotch is to regular scotch. It’s the same stuff, only better; better raw materials, better processing, better flavors, and better aromas.

And finally, keep it cool. The special rice types, high degree of milling and modern yeast strains, all combine to make ginjo sake a mélange of subtle and deep flavors and aromas that would be destroyed by heating. “When we developed our sake program, I kicked the hot sake machine to the ground,” explains Mark. In fact, they only serve cold sake at Shintaro, unless the customer is insistent on hot.

At both restaurants, educating the guests through informative menus or personal interaction with customers is paramount. And the final goal, of course, is helping guests enjoy the evening. “It has been a long process, albeit a fairly pleasant one,” relates Mark. “Many people are really shocked at first at how good sake is. And everyone we have turned around has thanked us for it and loved it.”