Recipes

March 18, 2014 Boston

Soon Spoon Pop-Up featuring Tony Messina from Uni Sashimi Bar

I had the chance to enjoy a really unique dinner last week.

It was a pop-up hosted by Soon Spoon, a local startup company that's combining last minute reservations at typically hard-to-reserve coveted places and a rewards program. Sign up to be on their email list (or you can just follow them on twitter), and you'll see what last minute reservations are available. They rewards frequent diners with various types of gifts and rewards. One of the coolest rewards is that every month, the top six "most prolific" diners get access to really exclusive pop-up experiences and supper clubs.

Like this one.

I rang the doorbell to an unmarked door and entered a warm and inviting South End apartment. After guests chatted over glasses of sparkling wine, the hosts ushered everyone upstairs to a long dining table.

It was really fun meeting new people who all had a common passion for food.

In the corner right outside a really tiny kitchen (probably smaller than my own original tiny urban kitchen!), Chef Tony Messina from Uni Sashimi Bar was hard at work preparing a really special 8-course tasting menu.

"I started working on prepping this meal five to six days ago," Tony remarked as he carefully plated twelve perfect starters.

I couldn't wait. I'd had Tony's cooking once (my birthday meal at Uni) several months back and I absolutely loved it. I couldn't imagine what he would do for a special one-time meal like this.

We started with two tiny bites. The Chicken Skin Terrine (left) came with black truffles mixed throughout, pork belly croutons, and chives. This was served alongside Osetra Caviar, a dollop of creme fraiche, and yuzu served over a single potato chip. Both bites were delightful - the chicken terrine was savory and juicy; the delicate chip had an intense pop of briny salty goodness which was nicely balanced by the bright citrus-y cream. We paired these with a 2008 xarello/macabeu Cava Recaredo.

Three Hama Hama Oysters came with two different types of seaweed, thin slices of radish, and black olives. These sat on top of painted squid ink and a yamamomo (mountain peach) palate cleanser. The oysters were lovely. I especially enjoyed the crunchy baked larger seaweed, which reminded me a lot of kale chips. This was paired with a 2012 fendant Cave du Vieux-mouin, "amandoleyre" from Valais, Switzerland.

Slices of Tai (or sea bream) sat in a shallow pool of a delicate blood orange consomme topped with razor thin slices of myoga (Japanese ginger) and jalapenos. The broth was intensely tart and the dish was overall almost more sweet than savory (though the ginger and jalapenos added a kick). This was paired with a 2011 Pinot Blanc/Pinot Grigio/Muscat blend called Channing Daughters 'Sylvannus" from Long Island, NY.

Even though I don't typically like foie gras due to its "liver-like" flavor, I was stunned to find that this foie gras dish was actually one of my favorites of the entire evening. In fact, everyone around me was muttering how incredible they thought the dish was.

This Foie Gras Terrine had a layer of espresso gel on top and came with slices of compressed pear, pear paper sheets, and dots of pear essence. I loved the beautiful synergy between the rich creamy coffee-like foie gras (which was almost like a dessert), the fruity pear components, and the fun toasted rye crumbs which added great texture. This was paired with a very aged and delicious 1976 Gewurztraminer Schlumberger "Cuvee Anne" from Alsace, France.

The next dish, simply called "Ramen", consisted of generous chunks of abalone, pork jowl, and tiny little piles of noodles (hiding under black truffle umbrellas!) served with pea shoots in a thick, tonkotsu broth.

The soup was deep and smoky and the noodles were fun, even though there wasn't much of it. The focus of the dish was the intensely flavored broth, which bound together all the other ingredients. The abalone and pork jowl were great, and added additional meatiness to the dish.

Our next course was a single, perfectly slow-cooked egg perched delicately over a pile of salty, umami-laden mushroom ragout, duck, and burnt negi (scallions). We broke the egg to reveal a thick runny yolk which used as a sauce to mix with the mushrooms. This was paired with a 1995 Carbernet Franc from Couly Dutheil called "Clos Echo" Chinon from Loire, France.

I instantly recognized our final savory course, though it came with a twist.

The Duet of Beef included both slices of wagyu (which is what I had at Uni) and slow cooked short ribs (surprise bonus!). The accompaniments of crunchy lichen, broccoli, and sukiyaki jelly were very similar to the dish I enjoyed at Uni. The wagyu beef slices were divine - melt-in-your-mouth soft and buttery and oh-so-flavorful. I know Tony usually serves A5 grade Wagyu beef at Uni. I'm not sure if this was A5, but it sure tasted like it. The shortribs were fork-tender soft and had just a touch of sweetness, which was very nice.

This was paired with a 2008 barbera d'asti from Braida called "bricco dell'accelone" from Piedmont Italy.

I watched Tony and his team prep and plate this next beautiful chocolate dessert. I swear they took a good 15-20 minutes just to plate these!

A decadent chocolate ganache block was served with bacon powder, sumac (a middle eastern spice), pineapple ice cream, sugared pineapples, and tiny pineapple glaze "chips." This was served with a 2006 grenache noir blend from Domaine due Traginer called "banyuls mise tardive" from Rousillon, France.

The dark, rich, creamy dessert was the perfect way to end a lovely meal.

As the evening went on, guests became much more comfortable with each other, and conversations (and wine) flowed. By the end, I felt like I had made some new friends. There's something really special and different about these types of pop-up experiences, especially if they are inside someone's home.

The intimate dining experience, the common love of food, and the unique nature of the event makes it especially memorable.

In Argentina (where I just visited!), this concept of "closed door restaurants" (or supper clubs) is really taking off. People like gathering at a home and don't mind being surprised by the chef.

It's quite fun, actually.

At the end of the evening, the guests gave a huge round of applause to Tony, who came out of the tiny kitchen to greet everyone. People commended him on his ability to execute such an impressive meal within such a tight confined place.

Tony smiled.

"Let me tell you. It's way more intimate and cozy in the kitchen than out here."

The host, Eli Feldman (pictured literally bending over backwards so everyone can cheer on and thank Tony), told us he really enjoyed hosting these types of dinners, "especially when someone else cooks.

He'd love to host more.

It was close to 11PM when we started to head out. Guests each picked up a small brown box of chocolates as a parting gift.

Soonspoon, who is launching this week (I believe!), promised many more dinners like this to come.

Can't wait.

Disclaimer: I did not pay for this meal. All opinions are my own.

March 15, 2014 Argentina

Hello Argentina!

Hello Argentina!My apologies for the silence lately. I have just returned from a nine-day trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina (well, maybe seven-days is more accurate. It takes a whole day to fly there and to fly back). Bryan had the opportunity to travel there for a work conference and asked if I wanted to come along.

After endless weeks of sub-zero temperatures, piles of unforgiving snow, and short days with little light, I was more than ready to fly away to a place where they are still celebrating the end of summer.

Buenos Aires is a beautiful, bustling city with influences from so many different parts of the world. At different times and places, the city reminded me of Paris, London, New York City, and even Thailand.

Puerto Madero, one of the newest neighborhoods in the city, includes soaring skyscrapers, a bustling riverside full of restaurants, and stunning views. Our hotel was in this neighborhood, and we spent several warm evenings walking up and down the river.

Unlike in the US where bookstores are dying, the biblioteca in Argentina is thriving. It's costly and time consuming for Argentinians to order books from Amazon (though it is possible), and thus the local bookstore usually makes a lot more sense. This breathtaking book store was built in a former theater. The old stage is actually a cafe, which you can see in this photo.

There are tons of outdoor markets in Buenos Aires, selling everything from antiques and toys to clothing and souvenirs. Pictured above: San Telmo Sunday Market stall selling mate cups, a drinking vessel made from a gourd used to drink an herbal stimulant called "mate" (pronounced mah-tay).

One of the most interesting sites we visited was the Recoletta Cemetary, where many, many past presidents, dignitaries, famous historical figures (e.g,, Evita), and wealthy families are buried. The mausoleums are impressive and the history is fascinating.

Although it's sort of a touristy thing to do, we immensely enjoyed the Tango Show that we saw. Housed in an old, historic cafe, we enjoyed a three course meal (Argentinian steak, of course!) as well as unlimited wine while we watched the show. The dancing was impressive and we loved the music.

Street art is all over Buenos Aires. Not all of it is pretty (there is quite a bit of vandalism going on right now due to the unhappiness of the people about the economy). However, there are still a lot of really beautiful, artistic, and thoughtful street murals around.

The city clearly embraces art, and the vibrant, colorful walls most certainly give Buenos Aires a unique and edgy signature look.

Meat is king here, and you will find no shortage of beef in this city. I think we ate beef nearly every single day in the city.

A favorite: one of the most famous steak sandwiches in the city.

Empanadas are everywhere. You can get them with all sorts of fillings, such as beef, chicken, sweet corn, tomatoes, ham, and cheese.

So fun! Enjoying our homemade empanadas (with Malbec, of course!)

I even took a cooking class where I learned how to make empanadas, flan, and dulce de leche from scratch! I learned that I preferred the taste of baked empanadas over the fried ones, though both are quite tasty.

Alfajores, sandwich cookies (often covered with chocolate) with dulce de leche (milk caramel) in the middle, are a national obsession. This version that Bryan is holding up is a special twist made with ice cream.

And of course, there's the wine. We tried all sorts of malbecs as well as wine made from other local grapes that I didn't even know existed. The US dollar is very strong compared to the Argentinian peso right now, which means we were able to try a lot of really nice food and wine at prices much lower than what we'd pay in the US. For example, we enjoyed a lovely 7-course tasting including generous amounts of paired wines for about $65 USD per person at the place pictured above.

I have so much more to share with you about my week in this wonderful city. Now that we are pretty much wrapped up with the Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka Series (though I may have a few straggler posts), we'll start this Hello Argentina series! Of course, I'll continue to intersperse Boston posts, as well as maybe sneaking in some other posts from my recent cooking adventures and trips around the US.

Stay tuned!

March 5, 2014 Boston

Backyard Farms Tomatoes / Clover Summer Came Early Food Truck Event

Brrr!

This has been a tough, tough winter. My mom just told me the other day that my hometown of Toledo, Ohio just beat its own record for total accumulated snowfall - a record that's been held since that infamous year I've been hearing about ever since I was a kid - the Blizzard of '78.

Personally, even though I usually love the snow, I'm getting a bit tired of all these snowstorms too - or maybe just the frigid weather in general. These sub-freezing temperatures make me lethargic, tired, and generally less motivated to do things.

I don't feel like going out. I just want to sit at home.

I long for the warm days of summer, which still feel so far away (even though it's March already!).

Despite the fact that summer is more than three months away, there was a tiny burst of "summer" in Boston last week.

For just one day, Tuesday February 25th, Backyard Farms teamed up with Clover Food Trucks to host a "Summer Came Early" event in Dewey Square (right at South Station for those of you not as familiar with Boston).

Even though it was barely in the twenties (Fahrenheit) outside, it was "summer" in this tiny little triangle. There were heat lamps, picnic tables, and even a huge green turf.

All proceeds would benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank, which I thought was very cool. In fact, I believe Backyard Farms is donating $5000 outright PLUS any proceeds from this event.

The lunchtime Boston crowd came by and enjoyed a two new sandwiches that Clover Food Trucks designed specifically for this event (yes, that's me with my poofy down jacket on, enjoying some delicious sandwiches).
Because I work in Fan Pier now (just across the bridge!), it was really easy for me to step out during my lunch break and stop by for some scrumptious sandwiches (a cool benefit of working in Boston city proper!).

After walking more than ten minutes in the freezing weather, my extremities were very, very cold. I was thankful for a warm cup of their spicy tomato soup, which was fantastic. The kick was actually pretty strong (which I liked!), and the tiny croutons on top added a nice textural crunch to the soup. It was deep, flavorful, and very satisfying.

I absolutely loved this unusual seaweed and tomato sandwich. The seaweed is locally harvested off the coast of Maine. They bake it in just a bit of oil and salt until it's nice and crispy. It reminds me of the kale chips I make at home all the time, which I love. The spicy mayo sauce added additional flavor and bound everything together nicely. I heard that Clover may actually be adding this sandwich to their permanent offerings. If that's true, I definitely recommend checking it out. It's quite tasty.

They also had a cheese and tomato sandwich that was actually quite nice (despite how simple it looks). The cheese was a harder, saltier cheese, which was a nice complement to the sweet and juicy tomatoes.

But the best part?

They had promised free boxes of Backyard Farms cocktail tomatoes to the first hundred people that came. It turns out they actually brought two hundred boxes, so virtually everyone that came walked away with a free box of tomatoes.

These were fantastic. I ate them with basil, salt, and a 62 degree sous vide egg for lunch the following day and it was perfect.

Now if only summer would really come . . . soon.

Disclaimer: this post is sponsored by Backyard Farms Tomatoes. I did not pay for the food at the event. All opinions are my own.

February 26, 2014 Back Bay

Uni Sashimi Bar (Chef Tony Messina)

You know I must really like a restaurant when I choose the same place to celebrate two years in a row.

To be fair, I do have my own biases. After all, it's no secret that I'm in love with Japanese food, especially sushi or anything raw (hello crudo, tartare, and ceviche!). I have traveled to Japan every year for the past five years. I've made an effort to visit the best sushi places in the world, and I'm constantly seeking out new places in the States.

More often than not, when I'm enjoying a multi-course tasting menu, I wish all the courses would be like those lighter "crudo" (raw fish)-type courses they serve at the beginning. Why switch to the pasta course? Can we just skip the heavy meat course?

Of course, at most restaurants the answer is no. It's well established that a reasonably-paced, rational tasting menu should begin with light courses and slowly progress to the heavier, meatier ones.

But it's not my preference.

Which is why Uni is such a perfect restaurant for me. It's the type of place where every single course is a creatively plated crudo plate. The menu is filled primarily with "small plates" consisting of sashimi decorated with creative elements that make the final product not-quite-Japanese, not-quite-European.

In fact, executive chef Tony Messina derives flavor profiles and combinations from all over the world (you'll see what I mean when you start reading the descriptions of his creations), and they work incredibly well.

I first met Tony when he won the 9th Annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Regionals competition in New England. I've always been a great fan of Tony's cooking ever since I tried it at both Regionals and Nationals. He's an extremely talented chef, and I love the fun ways in which he incorporates flavors and spices from across the globe into his dishes.

I sort of lost touch with Tony for a few years. I knew he had gone to work at Aka Bistro, a Japanese-French fusion restaurant in Lincoln, right after culinary school. But man, Lincoln is just so far from Cambridge, so I never made it out to there.

When I found out Tony had taken over the reins at Uni Sashimi Bar, I knew I had to come try it again.

My birthday meal was the perfect opportunity, and I got exactly what I wanted.

Course after course, we sampled creatively designed and beautifully executed small bites with inspiration from all over the world.
Bryan and I both started with the smoky Acedia ($13), a cocktail we tried the last time we came. This cocktail is made with "illegal" Mezcal, grapefruit, grenadine, yuzu, and ancho chili. It definitely has a kick, but what I love most about it is the intense smoky flavor.

We started with a sweet and savory duo of Ichabod Oysters from Massachusetts. One was topped with tonburi, loomi, and celery and was flavored with kimchi (savory). The other one was flavored with "momo", or Japanese peach (sweet).

The Smoked Uni Spoon ($16) was made with sea urchin from Maine and topped with a raw quail egg yolk, Osetra caviar, and finely chopped chives. The bite was absolutely delicious - rich and creamy with a wonderful balance of flavors.

The Hirame ceviche (fluke from Rhode Island) sat in a light coconut water "broth" and was topped with house cured ikura (salmon roe) and thin slices of compressed Hitachino apple cured in Japanese white ale. I thought it was a nice way to dress up a lighter tasting fish.
I loved how this next course, the Suzuki (hybrid bass) was presented. The plate was painted with a black sesame sauce while the slices of fish were artfully decorated with goji, pickled oranges, and choya (plum wine).

The Mategai ($15), or razor clams from Massachusetts, was one of my favorites. Inspired by Thai flavors, the chopped razor clams were served with a red curry sauce and coconut kaffir lime emulsion. Not only that, it was topped with bacon powder (I kid you not!) and sprinkled with crunchy forbidden puffed rice. I loved the Thai-inspired flavors, which most certainly gave everything a pretty spicy kick. This was fantastic.

Another favorite was the Kampachi (amberjack), which Tony dressed up with New England inspired ingredients, such as almond milk "paint", cranberries, apple pie purée, and Marcona almonds.

Spanish Mediterranean Sea Bass was clearly inspired by the namesake region, with Sweet 100 tomatoes, thinly sliced olives, wasabi, lemon, anchovies, golden raisins, and a cilantro pesto. Though I'm not typically a huge fan of raisins, I actually thought they worked well in this dish. Perhaps they were just a tad too sweet for my taste, but overall I liked the balance of sweet and salty in this dish.

Chef Messina likes to use various parts of the plate when presenting some of his dishes. This next course showcased Hamachi, in two different ways.

The pieces on the edge of the plate were made using lean hamachi, while the slices on the insides were made with hamachi belly.

Here's a closer look. On the outer edge, lean Hamachi came served with a jalapeño jelly, fried chicharon, acetate and tapioca.

In the middle we had Hon Hamachi Toro ($20), or yellowtail belly from Japan, served with pork belly croutons in a black truffle vinaigrette.

Our next course was one of our favorites. Monkfish Liver Creme Brûlée came beautifully seared and topped with chives and coarse salt. This was served together with apples compressed with daikon and baby watercress. Off to the edge of the plate sat a palate cleanser salad made with apples and wakame (a type of seaweed).

I absolutely loved the flavorful sauce binding this whole dish together. It was slightly tart but also had a boatload of umami. It was really, really good. This was one of Chef Messina's most ambitious plates but also one of the best.
* Our next course, Hotate ($18), consisted of fresh, raw scallop from Massachusetts, maitake (hen-of-the woods) mushrooms, candied bacon, and Chinese pea shoots. Although the mushrooms and bacon had a rich, salty umami flavor, I felt that they overpowered the delicate and sweet scallops.

The next course, the Spicy Tuna & Foie Gras Tataki, is one of their most popular dishes. Yellowfin Pacific tuna is just barely seared with a torch and then sliced into several pieces.

Each piece is served with a bright yellow sauce (Ajiabarillo pepper from Peru) and a white sauce (goat cheese sauce). On top of each piece tuna sits a piece of seared foie gras.

The combination of flavors was really unusual, with all different sorts of flavors exploding at once inside my mouth. It was smoky, salty, savory, spicy, creamy, and funky (hello goat cheese!) It worked incredibly well. There's definitely a reason why it's one of the favorites here.

The Truffle Spoon was another fun little bite, consisting of a single, seared Nantucket bay scallop served with pickled walnuts, apple cider miso risotto, and beautiful shaved white truffle.

Definitely one of the treats of the night was the A5 Japanese Wagyu Sirloin from Miyazaki, Japan. For those of you not familiar with Japanese beef grades, A5 is basically the highest rating possible for steak. It's the best of the best. Check out this post where I explain a bit more about it. This stuff is hard to get outside of Japan, and you pay dearly for it, ounce by ounce (at Uni it's $30/ounce!).

This beautiful beef came with Matsutake mushrooms which had been stewed for two hours and painstakingly pulled apart not unlike pulled pork. It also came with rehydrated lichen, dried (slightly crunchy) broccoli, a broccoli garlic mousselline, and a sukiyaki jelly.

There's not much else I can say except that it was excellent. The overall dish had the perfect blend of umami balanced with just a touch of tartness from the sukiyaki jelly. I personally loved the unique textural contrast from the web-like lichen and the dried, crispy broccoli florets.

I loved it all.
* Lacquered Foie Gras and BBQ Unagi Kabayaki ($23) was seasoned with vadouvan, a blend of spices with both Indian and French influence, as well as thin slices of mango. Both the foie gras and the barbecured unagi (freshwater eel) were nicely grilled and had that lovely, caramelized umami flavor. The dish was creamy, rich, and very tasty.

* * * * *

The official courses in the "omakase" had ended. Chef Messina, with a twinkle in his eye, looked at me and said,

"you know you can't leave without trying one of the pork belly buns."

I was already quite full, but how can you say no to this?

The Berkshire Pork Belly Steam Buns were fantastic. The belly itself was beautifully crispy on the outside (yet still wonderfully juicy and tender on the inside). It came with chili aioli, katsu sauce, and pickled vegetables.

What a perfect birthday ending.

Make a wish!

I loved this dessert. It was a Quinoa French Toast served with a side of kuri squash, candied pepitos and ice cream.

Bryan also had an unusual Miso Cheesecake, which was served with fresh cranberries, "Dipping Dots", and traditional ice cream.

Both desserts were fun and tasty.

Finally, as a final parting bite, we each had simple but satisfying chocolate dipped caramels.

I had a wonderful birthday and it was exactly what I wanted.

We sat at the tiny bar (something I requested after the server first showed us to a normal table), because that's my favorite place to sit for an "omakase". It reminds me of Japan, where sushi counters are the norm and there are only bar seats. The chef makes and serves you one piece of sushi at a time so you can savor each one in the freshest, most optimal way possible.

Now, I'm not saying Uni is like Japan. Because it's not. Unlike the strict Japanese chefs who adhere to very traditional "rules" about Edo-style sushi, Tony is refreshingly creative and not at all afraid to push the envelope. He's ambitious, edgy, creative, and talented enough to make it work.

In this one meal alone, we traveled around the world. Starting in Japan as our base, we went as far as India, Thailand, stopped by Spain, visited France, and ended up in good old New England. It was a fun, dizzying at times, whirlwind of a tour for our tastebuds.

I'm thrilled that Tony is in Boston city proper now. He's really making an impact on the food scene here, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

And don't be surprised if I end up at Uni again for my birthday next year, if not sooner!

Related Posts
Uni Sashimi Bar (2012)
Sukiyabashi Jiro
Oishii Boston
O Ya

February 24, 2014 Cambridge

Sofra Bakery & Cafe {Snapshot}

This quick little visit to Sofra Bakery & Cafe on the border of Watertown and Cambridge can only fairly be called a {Snapshot}. I have barely touched the surface of what this cute little cafe offers, and therefore it cannot by any stretch be considered a full write up of the place.

However, I loved this place so much on my first visit that I just wanted to at least tell you what I experienced.

We came on a busy Saturday right around 1PM. We thought we would be beating the lunch crowd but the tiny little cafe was packed to the brim. It's such a tiny little space, crammed with all sorts of delectable goodies that it's hard not to start shopping from all the tempting things on display, even though you're supposed to order your lunch.

I eventually pulled myself away from the house-made jams, baked goods, and cheeses to try my best to decide what to order. After putting in our order, we hovered around, waiting for guests eating at the very limited number of seats to finish.

Thankfully, we were able to find a seat before our food arrived (it took about 10-15 minutes for the food to be finished).

It was definitely worth the wait. The food was fantastic. Heck, all the food around me looked incredible. This is one of those restaurants where you jealously look at what your neighbor ordered and you say to your husband, "let's order that next time."

Meanwhile, guests sitting around you are also eyeing your dish and asking hungrily, "what is that?"

Yep, it's that kind of place.

We tried the Lamb Shawarma ($9) which came with pickled cabbage and tahini yogurt. The thin, pita-like exterior was nicely toasted while the lamb inside was extremely tender, oh-so-juicy, and delicious. The meat was pulled finely and sort of reminded me of the texture of pulled pork. The tahini yogurt added an element of tartness as well as creaminess and additional moisture to the juicy shawarma.

We tried one of the many specials on the board, the Red Pepper Dolma ($6). In Turkish cuisine, a "dolma" is any sort of stuffed vegetable. In this case, the vibrant red pepper was the vegetable and it was filled with a deep, rich, and flavorful ground meat sauce.

The dolma came half swimming in a bright and intense red sauce that had intense and vibrant tomato notes. In fact, when you mixed it al together, it really was not unlike a really, really high quality Bolognese sauce (but with a Turkish spice influence!).

I also loved the Spinach Falafel, which was served with a bright fuscia beet tzatziki and pickles ($8). The beet tzatziki added a lovely, tart pop to the rest of the falafel sandwich. The dollops of tahini (I think?) gave the sandwich a nice level of added creaminess and moisture. I highly enjoyed this and would totally consider getting again for lunch.

We had a slice of Black Pepper Cornbread from the bakery. Made with coarse cornmeal, the cake itself was crumbly, moist, and not at all too sweet. In fact, it sort hovered ambiguously between sweet and salty.

I really enjoyed this place. Yes, it's annoyingly crowded (maybe I came at the wrong time?), and parking can be difficult. They do have a parking lot that they share with the neighboring wine store which fits eight cars. However, there can easily be way more than eight parties inside at any one time.

Despite all that, it's worth the trek. The food is unusual - a mix of Turkish small plates, Mediterranean flatbread sandwiches, and a vast display of gorgeous, mouthwatering pastries from Maura Kilpatrick, the award-winning pastry chef behind this and Oleana. Every is executed well, and the flavors are delicious.

I can't wait to come back. Though maybe not on a Saturday right at lunchtime.

Sofra Bakery and Cafe
1 Belmont St
Cambridge, MA 02138

February 20, 2014 Japan

Nakamura (3-Michelin star Kaiseki in Kyoto)

This is the tenth post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street), Ryugin, Omen (udon), Shouraian (tofu), Dotonbori in Osaka (street food), Taian (3-star Michelin), and Sushi Sho/Shou (Chef Keiji Nakazawa)

There are very, very few restaurants in the world where virtually every single course of a long tasting menu is outstanding. Most good restaurants will have a few dishes they do exceptionally well, and then some dishes that are good, but don't necessarily stand out.And then there are the jewels - the rare restaurant where every single course catches you by surprise. You are constantly and continually delighted by each course's complexity, thoughtfulness, and sheer extraordinary deliciousness (for lack of a better word) of the food. You are never bored.

Bryan and I almost never experience such perfection, despite the numerous well-rated and well-known restaurants we've visited.

However, for just one night in Kyoto (Bryan's birthday), we got to experience a new level of Japanese haute cuisine - everything from the food to the service and the artistry - that took our breaths away. We had a traditional kaiseki in the heart of a city famous for this exact style of imperial, high-end, traditional Japanese multi-course dining.

What is Kaiseki?
Kaiseki meals typically involve the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients prepared in such a way as to emphasize their flavors. The entire experience is a big part of kaiseki cuisine, and therefore the ambiance of the surroundings as well as the artistic presentation of the food are all very, very important.

Kaiseki has been around for over 500 years, starting back in the 1600's when Sen no Rikyu, a tea master in Kyoto, felt that the powdered green tea used during tea ceremonies was too strong for an empty stomach, and needed some food to accompany it.

The original kaiseki meals consisted of just miso soup with three sides, but over the years they have evolved significantly, turning into one of Japan's most elaborate and high-end cuisines. Naturally, Kyoto is famous for its kaiseki cuisine, and houses some of the most famous restaurants.

Service is a huge part of the kaiseki experience, and the service at Nakamura is unparalleled. We almost felt a bit embarrassed with the level of reverence we felt we received. For example, when we first arrived, four ladies dressed in traditional kimonos came in, one by one, bowing to us before serving us our first drink.

Each group gets its own private tatami room decorated with traditional Japanese art. Though a truly traditional tatami room involves sitting on the floor, these days many rooms (like this one), have spaces underneath the table for your feet, so you can sit a bit more comfortably.

There is no menu at a place like this. Essentially, the chef just cooks for you. They ask about dietary restrictions and drinks. Other than that, the entire evening is in their hands.

Once our servers gave us our first course, one lady stayed behind and knelt about 4 feet away from our table watching us eat.

We were a little confused, wondering if she would just be kneeling there the entire meal. As we took our first bites, we all said, "mmmm, very delicious." Once she was satisfied that we were happy with our food, she quietly stepped out. We breathed a sigh of relief, not sure what we would have done had she stayed and watched us eat the entire meal.

Our first course looked simple enough: a light bite that consisted of ikura (salmon roe) and fresh chunks of crab meat tossed together with possibly a bit of yamaimo (mountain yam). On top was a daikon puree and some spring onions. Despite the simplicity, the flavor combination was out of this world. The quality of each ingredient was top notch - the sweet crab meat, the rich juicy goodness inside the ikura, and the fragrant daikon came together beautifully.

Wow.

The second course, Shiromiso Zoni, is one of his signature dishes. It's an unusual miso soup that's actually made without any sort of stock. Most miso soups are made with some sort of bonito dashi based broth to add umami. Chef Nakamura's version depends solely on his extremely flavorful white miso and a sizeable portion of wasabi for flavor.

The resulting thick, creamy soup is intense, exploding with umami, and unlike any miso soup I've ever had. A large piece of pan seared mochi inside adds a lovely, chewy complement to the creamy soup.

It was simply amazing.

Our next course consisted of an artfully plated bowl of seasonal components, including kuri (chestnut), myoga (Japanese ginger), amadai (tilefish), ebi (shrimp), seaweed, and wasabi (mustard). All the components were extremely fresh and beautifully presented.

This next course, the Grilled Ayu Fish, appears to be a traditional dish that commonly appears at kaiseki meals. I had almost the same dish at Kikunoi Akasaka in Tokyo, the only other traditional kaiseki I've ever experienced.

Ayu, or sweetfish, is native to the rivers in Hokkaido as well as several other Asian countries. The ayu here, although it looks like a whole fish, has actually had its organs removed and instead is stuffed with more ayu eggs.

The bones are removed and deep fried into crispy snacks that can be eaten whole.

These fish can be eaten whole. The body portion is rich due to the unusually high egg content. The head is much crunchier and definitely not as rich. Frankly, I did not really enjoy the head very much. The taste was very bitter compared to the body. Furthermore, since I'm not used to eating heads normally, it was still a bit weird for me to bite into one. I ate one head, and after deciding I didn't love the flavor, left the other one behind.

Our next course was a piece of eel (anago) fried in a traditional Japanese rice covering. This was accompanied by tamagodofu, an egg tofu custard, shimeji mushrooms, and yuzu essence. It was a lovely, harmonious blend of subtle yet balanced flavors.

Kaiseki meals focus heavily on local, seasonal ingredients. It was October at the time, and thus autumn ingredients were heavily featured. In this next course, we had marron glacé (sugar glazed chestnuts), grilled anago (sea eel), grilled ginkgo nuts and these tiny potatoes (artfully skewered with a pine needle), a beautiful little salad of greens (in the lime), and pickled ginger.

I love gingko nuts, especially grilled. They are one of my favorite autumn items.

Our next course was another traditional kaiseki component: a gorgeously flavored consomme made from a rich assortment of components including matsutake mushrooms (another autumn specialty), kamasu (whiting fish), samma (mackerel pike), kurumi (walnut), crab, tofu, and greens.

The resultant clear broth, which you drink like tea, is stunning. It's earthy from the fragrant matsutake mushrooms, richly flavorful from all the seafood that's inside, yet clean and restorative at the same time. A splash of lime perfects and brings together all these flavors.

It's the perfect cold weather broth.

I could drink this forever.

Our next course was another soup, this time one made from Grilled Tilefish. The presentation was interesting. First, they brought the grilled tilefish on its own. After we finished eating it (leaving the bones behind), the server came to each of our sides and poured hot, flavorful broth into our dishes.

The broth was exquisitely flavored. I'm not sure our leftover bones contributed that much flavor at that moment to the delicious broth. However, it was an interesting touch and perhaps symbolized something I didn't quite understand.

I still happily drank the flavorful broth.

Although it had gone by quickly, several hours had actually passed by the time we got to dessert. We enjoyed a clean and refreshing dessert that included fresh pear (nashi), huge grapes, persimmons, grapefruit, and pomegranate seeds artfully plated (I can't really call this "tossed together") with a beautiful vanilla custard and jelly.

It had been an extraordinary meal and we really felt like kings, or at least Japanese imperial royalty. The beautiful space, the exquisite service, and the extraordinary food made this an experience we would soon not forget.

As we stepped out of our private tatami room back into the main hallway, we saw our shoes all neatly lined up for us.

The staff carefully followed us out, bowing, smiling, and thanking us even as we drove off.

What a night to remember.

* * * * *

This restaurant truly deserves it's 3-Michelin star status. The entire staff goes above and beyond to make each diner's experience as special as possible. It's a great place to make someone feel really, really honored and treated like royalty. The place also feels special because of the sheer history behind the restaurant. Chef Motokazu Nakamura is a 6th generation chef in the family, carrying on a centuries-old family tradition and craft.

Reservations are a must. They are not usually open on Sundays unless if they have critical mass (at least six diners). Bryan's birthday was on a Sunday and I was having difficulty trying to book a special restaurant for him. I was thrilled when Nakamura decided he could open on Sunday in order to accommodate us. Considering the amount of staff needed to open, this was not a small feat.

This restaurant is very expensive. We only had one bottle of sake yet our total came to $365 per person. It was our most expensive meal in Japan. However, you do have to keep in mind how many people are being employed just to serve you this one meal. We had at least four servers plus probably an entire kitchen staff to pull off that meal.

All in all, it was definitely one of our most unusual, unique, and special meals in Kyoto. It was fascinating to get a glimpse of what a true kaiseki was all about, with all the bells and whistles. It's most certainly not the type of meal I would eat on any sort of regular basis. However, it was definitely worth trying once. The food was incredible and the experience definitely memorable.

February 19, 2014 Boston

Row 34 (Fort Point)

This post is part of a larger series called Seaport District of Boston, started when my offices moved to Fan Pier in the beginning of January 2014. Other posts in this series: Legal Harborside, Bivalves & Bubbles, Sportello, Menton, Morton's Steak House.

I've been working out at Fan Pier for a little over a month now and I'm loving it. It's truly relaxing to be able to stare out of the windows of our building everyday and see views like this or sunsets like this. Imagine having meetings in rooms like this, or chatting with a colleague in corners like this. It's feels unreal sometimes.

I absolutely love jogging in the area, even though it's been crazy cold out there!

And then there are the numerous new restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and stores to explore. I've barely started, but I've already enjoyed some incredible coffee at Barrington Coffee, browsed the tempting selection of gourmet foods at Bees Knees Supply Company, and peered inside Flour Bakery.

Last week, Bryan and I finally had a chance to have our first dinner in the area since the move. I showed Bryan my new 'hood and we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Row 34, a new venture started by the folks who also own the extremely popular Island Creek Oyster Bar.

Self-proclaimed as a "working man's oyster bar", Row 34 not only has many varieties of oysters, it also features a nice selection of crudos, smoked seafood, and other ocean-derived dishes.

It's hard not to miss the massive oyster bar that seems to wrap around half of the restaurant space right when you walk in.

The space itself is enormous, housed inside an old warehouse. The ceilings are tall, and it can get a bit noisy at times. We were there on a Saturday evening, and by the time our dinner was over, a sizable crowd had gathered near the bar, sipping drinks and hanging out.

The oyster list is impressive. On the night we went, there were eight different oysters on the menu, plus clams, crab claws, shrimp cocktail, a half a lobster, and even a cool shellfish tower for $78. Oysters cost between $2 to $3 each.

Our favorites were the house "namesake" oysters: Row 34 and Island Creek. We found the Row 34 from Duxbury to be beautifully sweet, juicy, and have just enough brine for a perfect, balanced flavor. The Island Creek, also from Duxbury, was a bit saltier, bigger, and meatier, but also sweet and delicious! The Howland's Landing from Duxbury was a smaller oyster. It was saltier, less sweet, and had more of an intense flavor.

The Rocky Nook from Kingston was slightly sweet, crisp and briny while the Ichabod Flats from Plymouth was a larger oyster with a mild, creamy, and balanced flavor. The Moon Shoal was big, juicy, a little creamy, and a bit more mild but still very tasty.

The Spring Creek from Barnstable was one of my least favorites. It was more briny, less sweet, meatier, and had a bit of that oceany, fishy taste. Finally, the Northern Cross from Virginia was crisp and briny with a nice, sweet aftertaste.

In retrospect, the server actually told me to switch out the Spring Creek (my least favorite) for the Moonshoal. I decided not to follow his advice because I'd had the Moonshoal oyster before but not the Spring Creek. I've learned my lesson.

Trust your servers. They know best.

Love how they offer Sriracha as a sauce for your oysters (heh, even though we didn't use the sauces for the oysters, we did keep them around to use with other parts of our meal).

We decided to start with a tasting of a few crudos. This lovely Tuna Crudo ($15) comes with crispy black garlic and lemon zest. It was refreshing, bright, and very good.

Fluke Crudo ($12) came with pickled peppers, aleppo, and lime. The lime made the fish quite tart, almost like a ceviche. It was bright and definitely had a solid, spicy kick!

The Faroe Island Salmon Crudo was served with grapefruit, fennel, and jalapenos. It was pretty strongly salted and was quite spicy (from the jalapeño!). Although it initially took me a moment to get used to it, the flavors grew on me and I was a pretty big fan by the end.

The menu has a variety of smoked and cured items, such as Arctic Char Lox, Tilefish Terrine, and a variety of smoked seafood such as salmon, shrimp, and mussels. There's also the Smoked Uni Toast, which the server told us we had to get if we were to just get one item.

The uni was smoky, creamy, and very fresh. Although it came served with a side of sour cream and pickled onions, we thought it tasted better plain.

One of our favorites dishes was the Fried Oyster Lettuce Wraps, which was delicious. Each crispy lettuce cup was filled with a perfectly crunchy fried oyster (which was juicy & sweet), pickled cabbage. and a creamy, spicy mayo. I loved the textural contrast of the crunchy vegetables with the juicy fried oyster and mayonnaise sauce. These were seriously awesome.

We also really enjoyed their classic Onion Rings, which were just a tad addictive.

They sell two types of classic lobster rolls. The cold one, where the lobster is tossed with mayonnaise (very traditional Boston!) and the Hot Buttered Lobster Roll. Both are served on a sweet soft toasted brioche bread with cole slaw and chips on the side.

We ordered the Hot Buttered Lobster Roll, which was simple but well executed. The cole slaw and chips were nothing particularly exciting, but they were solid and most definitely offered a very classic, traditional Bostonian experience.

Their pastas are housemade (which Bryan loves). We ordered the Bucatini with Clams, which was excellent. I loved the delicious garlicky broccoli rabe and the flavorful clams. The housemade bucatini was also very good, and I really enjoyed the added textural crunch from the croutons in the dish.

One of the specials of the day was a dish that consisted of Whole Whiting deep fried in rice flour. I found whiting to be a very rich, fatty, and strongly flavored fish (sort of like mackerel). The fennel orange salad with which it was served balanced out the richness. The fish itself was beautifully fried (I loved that crunchy, rice-based coating), even though I was not a huge fan of whiting itself.

Desserts are simple. There are a few puddings from which to choose. Our server highly recommended the Butterscotch Pudding with rice crispy treats, saying it was well "above and beyond" the other two puddings. How could we say no to that?

The pudding was indeed very tasty. Though simple, it was a perfectly fine way to end an overall very solid meal.

We had a really nice first meal at Row 34. Aside from Legal Harborside and its related restaurants, there aren't that many restaurants in this area with such an emphasis on seafood (surprisingly, considering we are right at the harbor).

We were thrilled to discover that the food is really good here. It's nice to know there is another excellent option for fresh oysters, great crudos, and a nice, wide selection of good seafood. It's yet another great way to access some of Boston's best seafood without having to wait in the super long lines.

Can't wait to come back!

Disclaimer: I did not pay for this meal. All opinions are my own.

February 17, 2014 Japan

Sushi Sho (Sushi Shou) - Chef Keiji Nakazawa

This is the ninth post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street), Ryugin, Omen (udon), Shouraian (tofu), Dotonbori in Osaka (street food), and Taian (3-star Michelin).

How do you cap off an intense week of traveling throughout Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, having dined at so many incredible places? After all the exotic, unusual, and variety of food in Japan, we decided on going back to what we loved most for our last meal: sushi.We'd already had pretty world class sushi up to this point: 1-star Michelin Sushi Iwa early in the week and 3-star Michelin legendary Sushi Mizutani later on in the week. Sushi Sho was the first non-Michelin rated restaurant we were visiting.

According to an article in CNN Travel, Chef Keiji Nakazawa "kicked out the Michelin reviewers" because they "didn't know how to appreciate sushi." When asked personally by blogger Aun Koh from Chubby Hubby, Chef Nakazawa explained that he never kicked anyone out.

A Michelin reviewer had instead approached him about possibly including Sushi Sho in their guide. As the reviewer returned to eat at (and presumably review) his restaurant several more times, Chef Nakazawa became more and more unhappy with this man, concluding that he knew absolutely nothing about sushi.

He told the reviewer exactly what he thought.

And then his restaurant never appeared in any sort of Michelin guide.

10-day aged maguro

Despite the fact that Chef Keiji Nakazawa may not be known as much internationally, this does not mean he's not loved and revered in Japan.

Sushi Sho regularly shows up on top sushi lists in Japan. Chef Nakazawa competed against Chef Morimoto in Iron Chef Japan (though Morimoto did win with his fusion style over Nakazawa's traditional Edo style). He has trained many proteges who have gone on to open very, very successful restaurants of their own, many of which are named after him (e.g., Sushi Sho Masa, Sushi Sho Shingo and Sushi Sho Saito).

We arrived at Sushi Sho at 9PM on our last night in Tokyo (the only time that was available to us). Inside, the ambiance was boisterous and loud. Many of the guests were in the middle or end of their meal, already on their nth glass of sake and looking quite pleased with everything.

We settled into four seats at the end of the circular counter. They handed us the most interesting assortment of seaweed: umibodo, wakame, and ginger.

Also known as sea grapes or green caviar, Umibodo comes from Okinawa and pops like caviar when you bite into it. I found it delightful, and savored each "strand" of tiny little pearls as I bit into them.

Pop pop pop pop pop.
We began with some lightly cooked Hamaguri (clam), served with just a small dollop of wasabi on the side.
Next came two rolled up pieces of sashimi: Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) and Ara (Cod).
Chef Nakazawa does a mix of traditional nigiri sushi, sashimi, and creative combinations like this ika (cooked squid) which was filled with rice inside, a tiny bit of soy sauce, and a delicate dab of wasabi. The squid was a bit chewier than the ethereal squid we've had at 3-Star Michelin places like Mizutani and Jiro (maybe because they massage the squid for a long time?). Nevertheless, the flavors were still excellent.
Aji, or Horse Mackerel, was served filled with finely sliced raw ginger, cucumber, and shiso. I love the pop of the herb, which offset this fattier fish nicely.
Sagoshii (Baby Spanish Mackerel) nigiri.
Katsuo (Skipjack Tuna) is the same type of fish used in making bonito flakes. I have often seen it slightly seared at restaurants, a preparation that I love. Here, the skin seems just barely seared and it's topped with a tiny dollop of onion and Japanese mustard. It's definitely a milder preparation, not as salty or smoky as the grilled ones (which I still prefer).
The simple Ika (squid), is good, though less tender than the best ones I've had.
It seems like every Japanese sushi chef I've ever run into translates Shirako into "monkfish liver." Either they are all getting their translations from the wrong book, or it's just a euphemism that they prefer to use because the truth would gross people out a bit too much.

In fact, shirako is "milt", or sperm sac. The first time I had it in Japan (in a 2-star Michelin sushi restaurant, no less), I was also told it was "monkfish liver." In fact, I announced it proudly on the blog. It wasn't until a kind commenter told me the truth (at least a month later) that I realized what I had eaten.

This time, I knew, though they still told us it was monkfish liver.

The exotic brain-like organ was hot, creamy, and mild. If you didn't know what it was, you'd probably think it was quite delicate and tasty. Unfortunately, psychology is a strong deterrent. One of my male friends who was dining with us said "that is a little too weird for me."
Kamasu, or Barracuda, reminded me of hamachi (yellowtail), but softer and a bit saltier. I enjoyed this piece quite a bit.
Samma, or Mackerel Pike, was super soft, very fatty, and had a strong, intense, mackerel-like "fishiness" (for lack of a better word).
At this point in the meal, they gave us a few slices of pickled radish to cleanse our palates.

Chef Nakazawa uses several different types of rice for different types of seafood. For example, in this next unusual style of Ebi (Shrimp), our rice was brown due to the use of a special type of dark vinegar. The shrimp was topped with an interesting egg and vinegar powder.

Although the flavor was interesting, the quality and texture of the shrimp was only average, not nearly as good as ones we've had at other sushi place, which have been sweeter and juicier with a texture that really "pops" when you bite into it. I found this one to be only OK.
You never see freshwater eel, or Unagi, in a restaurant that strictly serves Edo style sushi. This is because Edo purists will only serve seafood that comes from Tokyo Bay. As a result, you will only see sea eel, or Anago, at these types of restaurants. The Grilled Anago we had was pre-dressed for us with a tiny bit of wasabi and soy sauce. It was good, on par with most places we've visited.
Kombu (seaweed)-cured Ebodai, or butterfish.
This Hokkaido Oyster was extremely flavorful, boiled in soy sauce, sugar, yuzu, and several more ingredients that I just couldn't catch while he was explaining it to us.
1 Chef Nakazawa is well known for how he ages various types of fish. He believes that fresh fish is not always necessarily the best. Instead, sometimes aging fish can intensify and bring out the flavors. In this case, we had a 1-week aged Hamachi (yellowtail) served with rice that was mixed with brown vinegar. The aged fish definitely tasted different. It was softer, more mushy in texture than fresh fish. It definitely tasted fatty and had a nice intense flavor.

I guess I forgot to photograph this next course, but we also had two pieces of Mackerel, one with scallions and ginger pesto and another one flavored with just Japanese mustard. The mackerel was soft, fatty, and flavorful - not a hint of that fishy flavor you sometimes associated with these fattier fish. Along with that we enjoyed some Grilled Snapper Skin (also not pictured).
The Uni (Sea Urchin) was from Hokkaido. The quality of the uni was excellent: the flavors were clean and sweet, without any hint of stink. The seaweed itself was a bit soggier than I would have liked, and the uni was colder than I expected. Overall, it was still a very enjoyable piece of sushi despite the minor flaws.
Hamaguri (Clam) was simply prepared with just a tiny bit of wasabi. This piece was perfectly seasoned (good salt level), very fresh, and overall very enjoyable.
We also tried 10-day aged Maguro (Tuna), which again was softer in texture than fresh tuna. It was also saltier and seemed to have the texture of a fattier piece even though this piece had very little fat.
On the left we enjoyed Mehikari, a deep sea fish called Round Green Eyes. It was served with a crispy skin. On the right we had a slice of grilled Nodoguro (Rosy Sea Bass). Both were excellent.
We then each enjoyed a single Sardine Maki beautifully rolled with cucumbers, ginger, and a slightly sweet soy sauce. The fish itself was quite fatty, and I was slightly surprised at the presence of a few tiny bones in my piece. Overall, I found it to be decent, but it wasn't a favorite.

We then had Ebi (shrimp), which was sweet, super fresh, and warm. The texture was juicy and "popped" the way super fresh shrimp pops. It had balanced flavors and overall was excellent.
They also served us the head of the shrimp separately, which was crunchy, mushy, and warm all at the same time. The psychology of what I was eating got the best of me, and I did not enjoy that bite much at all. I was too grossed out, unfortunately.

Our last bite was Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper), the same piece we had enjoyed as sashimi at the beginning of our meal. Here, just lightly grilled, it was slightly smoky yet super soft and fatty, reminding me of fattier belly pieces. I loved how the bitter daikon purée on top balanced out the smoky, fatty fish. We loved this bite.
And finally, we had a cleansing bowl of Shijimi, or clam soup. The flavors of this barely milky broth were fantastic. It was simple, clean, yet richly full of clam umami flavor. It was a lovely way to close out the meal.
You can't finish a sushi tasting without Tamago, or Japanese egg omelet. We tried two different types here: the one on the left was a shrimp flavored tamago; the one on the right, a scalloped flavored tamago. These were mild and had decent texture. The flavors made it interesting, though I believe most sushi chefs use a variety of trade secret seafood-based ingredients in their tamago.

These were good, but nothing close to my all-time favorite transcendent tamago at Mizutani.

We were super full, yet it was a lovely way to enjoy our last night in Tokyo.

General Thoughts and Tips
Sushi Sho was definitely a fun experience and we had lots of excellent sushi there. The atmosphere is boisterous and casual, and the staff is friendly. Perhaps due to the recent increased attention after a couple food blogs "outed" this place, they now do not allow photography of their staff (though photography of sushi is still OK).

I don't think Sushi Sho is quite on par with the top sushi places in Tokyo, but it's still an excellent experience and costs a bit less than some of the other 3-Star Michelin sushi places. Our total bill, all-in, was just shy of $200 USD (20,000 yen) per person. Expect to pay closer to $300 per person at some of the other top sushi places in Tokyo. My favorite parts of this meal would be the fun "sea grapes" green caviar, the grilled Kinmedai, and that beautiful clam soup.

I booked my dinner for a party of four about a month in advance. I had my hotel concierge call for me. I've heard they only speak Japanese, so that is definitely the easiest way to get a reservation. Because the restaurant only has 10 counter seats, it's crucial to make reservations in advance, especially if you have a larger party. Because they shop for your ingredients that morning (at the fish market!), you cannot cancel same-day. The penalty is 20,000 yen a person for same-day cancellations.

Thanks to Cindy of Chubby Chinese Girl for first telling me about this place!

February 14, 2014 Davis Square

Foundry on Elm

It was one of those weeks.

It was one of those harried weeks where I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Bryan had been out of town on business for almost two weeks straight, and I was starting to feel the effects of him being gone. The house was slowly getting messier and messier; I was taking care of all sorts of stuff that we usually do together; and I was tired.

Really, really tired.

So when I received an invitation to come and try out the new menu at Foundry on Elm, there was a part of me that just wanted to go home. It was cold, rainy, and wet outside, and I'd had a long day.

But I was curious about this place that I'd heard so much about, so I went.

The moment I walked through those doors, it all melted away.

There was something really warm and inviting about the space at Foundry on Elm. It was cozy and relaxing. I felt like I could just be myself. It was earlier in the evening, so the place was reasonably quiet.

And then there were the amazing people who I met there: a few bloggers I recognized; a few new faces I had the pleasure of meeting; and the staff at Foundry on Elm.

I had a lovely time dining at Foundry on Elm, and it was fun to finally get a taste of this popular neighborhood restaurant. I can see why it won Best of Boston for Best Neighborhood Restaurant. The food is good, the drinks are great, and the menu changes seasonally.

We began with a creative cocktail made with muddled golden beet, fennel bitters, cava, rose water, herb d'Amalfi (a lavender liqueur), lemon, honey syrup, and gin.

As an amuse, we tasted this lovely pork croquette, which was filled with potatoes and dressed with balsamic vinegar and herb infused oil.

For our first appetizer, we tried the Goat Cheese Fritter, which was creamy, just a bit tart, and slightly sweet but very balanced.

I loved the love beet jam with which it was served. On the right, we had a refreshing salad of golden beets, salad greens, and fresh orange segments. It was bright and refreshing, a good complement to the heavier fritter.

For our next course, we had a Sugar Pumpkin Butternut Squash Risotto, which was mixed with chives and tons of Parmesan cheese. I loved this dish. It was creamy, cheesy, and perfectly seasoned. I liked the textural contrast that came from the pieces of pumpkin and squash inside.
We paired it with a lovely English brown ale from Rogue Ales called Hazelnut Brown Nectar. The ale is aged with hazelnuts and tasted dark and caramely. I can't imagine a much better beer to pair with the pumpkin/squash risotto.

Overall, Foundry on Elm has a solid beer program, with 32 beers on tap (with many of them local brews), a rotating cask ale, and 20 brews by the bottle.

The person sitting next to me was vegetarian, and thus they gave her this beautiful looking pan fried gnocchi with Brussels sprouts for our next course. To be honest, I was just a tad jealous of her meal - it looked fantastic.

The rest of us had a nicely seared cod filet served with new potatoes, lardons, and a painted parsley soubis. I thought this dish was very well executed. The lardons added a lovely, smoky depth, and the dish paired extremely well with the bright Chardonnay with which it was served.

For our final course, we had a beautiful crispy Pork Belly served with frisée, which was solid. This was paired with a nebiolo.

We were pretty stuffed at this point, but it was hard to resist the comforting call of this warm gingerbread spice cake served over whipped cream cheese. We had this with a beautiful sherry Lustau Pedro Ximenez Jerez.

It had been a lovely meal. All that comfort food plus nice wine was most definitely putting me in a slight food coma.

At least it was a relaxed food coma.

I went home just a bit more calm, with a slight smile on my face. Yes it was raining. Yes, it was still cold. However, I'd enjoyed some great food with some great people in a warm and cozy space. To put it all in perspective, it really wasn't so bad.

Plus, it was only a few more days before Bryan would be back.

Thanks Foundry on Elm, for inviting me to enjoy a warm, relaxing meal right at the moment when I most needed it.

Foundry on Elm
255 Elm Street
Somerville, MA 02144

Disclaimer: I did not pay for this meal. All opinions are my own.

February 13, 2014 Cambridge

Alden & Harlow

It's finally, finally here.

There's been a ton of anticipation for the opening of this restaurant by Chef Michael Scelfo, formerly executive chef of the (still) dearly-loved Russell House Tavern. Chef Scelfo's first solo project, Alden & Harlow, is a HUGE undertaking.

It's located in the space that was formerly occupied by Casablanca, a Harvard Square institution that's been there for over fifty years.

Scelfo has a soft spot for that space.

"I used to dream at Casablanca about what I would do if I opened up my own restaurant. I would look around at the space, using it as a model."

"Never in a million years did I think Harvard Square would be the place for it."

And now here we are, Scelfo himself taking over the exact same space where he dreamed so many late nights as a young chef.

Scelfo decided to expand the already large Casablanca space, taking over the neighboring eyeglass shop and remodeling the whole space from the ground up.

And the result?

It's gorgeous.

It's rustic yet sleek and modern. It maintains a ton of old world character (paying homage to the history of the space), yet clearly has touches of style that make it feel current.
It's also a bit loud.

After all, it's a huge space, and the bar is enormous.

We went at peak time (around 7PM on a weekend evening), and there were times when I had to lean in closer to my dining guests to hear what they were saying.

The place was packed, which is not a surprise considering this was pretty much the first week for this highly anticipated restaurant. I'm seriously impressed at the hardworking team in the kitchen, churning out so many small plates to so many guests.

It must be an organizational nightmare to keep track of it all.

Did I hear you say small plates?
The entire concept of this restaurant is small plates. That's pretty much all they have on the menu. There are a few slightly larger "entrees", such as the burger, the steak, and the lamb sirloin. Most of the other menu items are smaller. The plates range in price from $8 to $17, and they recommend ordering 2-3 plates per person. We came with a party of four and ended up ordering ten plates, which was plenty.

We started with some house pickled green beans, which were complimentary. They were surprisingly sour (I guess they ARE pickles) and a nice way to cleanse the palate.
The Market Crudo that day was striped bass, and it came with cauliflower kim chi, chili oil, and uni aioli ($15). The fish was quite tart, almost like ceviche. The flavors were decent, though the uni cream did give the entire dish a hint of that slightly fishy uni "stink" that makes some people shy away from uni.

The Smoked Moosabec Farm Mussels ($13) were fantastic and one of the favorite dishes of the night. Flavorful smoked mussels were piled high on top of a large, toasted crostino and tossed with parsley, tarragon, and aioli. Locally Foraged Mushrooms ($11) came topped with a perfect, creamy 60-degree egg and tossed with pine nuts and a citrus crumble. Lemony and salty, the mushrooms had less umami than what I typically associate with mushrooms. Perhaps the citrus and salt muted the earthy flavors of the mushroom? The creamy egg was delicious, and tempered the saltiness of the overall dish.

I loved the flavors of the Mesquite Tortellini ($13), homemade pasta tossed with grilled broccoli rabe, Bianco Sardo (a pasteurized sheep's milk cheese) and Colatura (anchovy sauce). The sauce was deeply flavorful; I loved how the slight bitterness of the broccoli rabe stood up to the strong anchovy sauce.

Furthermore, the dish had just the right amount of heat to give each bite a pleasant kick. Perhaps there was just a tad more oil than I would have preferred, but it was very, very tasty and I would totally order it again.

The Island Creek Oyster Gratin ($16) was a rich and decadent dish where oysters were cooked in a velvety sauce of uni, creamed leeks, and guanciale. The leeks were sweet and super tender (almost like caramelized onions).

Though I'm not the biggest foie gras fan in the world (of course, there are exceptions), I actually enjoyed the Grilled Foie Gras ($17) here. This one was mild and did not have a strong "liver" flavor (which I don't like). It came with spiced fruit, sherry vinegar, and a warm crumpet.

The Earl Gray cured Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly ($13) had a lovely crispy top and came with cold smoked corn grits and roasted kumquat. Though I'm not sure how I feel about the kumquats, the pork belly itself was executed beautifully.

Bryan couldn't resist when he saw the Secret Burger (limited availability - $14) on the menu.

It has a mysterious ingredients list: an eight ounce "House Creekstone Grind" patty, a house made Parker roll, and "Your Faith."

"Your Faith" turns out to include these addictively crunchy house made potato chips (which we couldn't stop picking at!) . . .

. . . as well as an excellent burger.

Made from a blend of ground short ribs and chuck, it was cooked a juicy medium rare, served with house made pickles and a creamy, tangy sauce. The ratio wsd perfect: juicy patty, crisp pickles, soft Parker House roll, and a zippy creamy sauce. This is one solid burger that definitely stands up well to the crazy competition of burgers in the Square.

One minor note: We did ask for the burger to be cooked medium (my friends prefer it that way), though Bryan was more than happy that the burger actually came out medium rare instead.

Overall, this was another one of the favorites of the table.

The Chicken Fried Local Rabbit ($14) was served with celery, apple, blue cheese and chili oil. The rabbit reminded me of a breaded and deep fried chicken "patty". It was crunchy on the outside yet juicy and flavorful on the inside. It was fine - nothing super memorable about it.
The Grilled Lamb Sirloin ($16) was rubbed with cocoa nibs and served with a grilled carrot and coriander mash on a splash of ramp greens. The lamb was cooked beautifully (you can totally tell from the photo), though the sweet, almost raisiny flavors of the rub on the lamb was a bit weird for me. Perhaps I'm not as used to such flavor combinations.
Bryan always prefers a salty "dessert", so we went with the Single Composed Cheese Selection– $11. They were serving Oma from Von Trappe Cheese Makers, which I absolutely loved. This cheese is creamy, salty, yet has just enough stink to make it beautifully complex without being too strong that I can't handle it.

It worked with the fruity accompaniments: kumquat, house torrone (nougat) and honeycomb.

The server recommended the Smoked Chocolate Bread Pudding ($9) which was topped with Jacobsen Salt Ice Cream. I'm a sucker for bread pudding, so it's no surprise I would be drawn to dessert.

I especially appreciated how the dessert was not too sweet at all. I really liked how I could really taste the essence of the chocolate (which was high quality) without being overwhelmed by sugar. Of course, the salt ice cream added even more of a savory component, balancing out the dessert perfectly.
All in all, we had a nice time at Alden & Harlow.

Considering how crazy huge the place is, and that this was just their first week open, I thought things went very smoothly. This team knows what they're doing, and they are executing solid dishes. There were definitely some standouts. The smoked mussels was a universal table favorite, and we all loved the burger. I personally really enjoyed the pasta and desserts as well. Though there were some dishes that I didn't love, I'm sure Chef Scelfo will continue to refine and change the menu over time in response to the seasons, available ingredients, and customer feedback.

I love the small plates concept. There's really nothing quite like this in Harvard Square. You really do get to try a lot more different tastes in a single meal, which is something my easily-bored palate prefers.

Congrats Chef Scelfo!
Alden & Harlow
40 Brattle St
Cambridge, MA 02138

February 12, 2014 Asian

Heart Shaped Bacon Wrapped Pork Loins (with yuzu noodles & 65 degree sous vide egg)

I'm having way too much fun playing with heart shapes this week.I'm sort of in shock that, in all these years, I never tried to make any heart-shaped food. It's no secret that I love "playing" with food, creating fun shapes, designs, and characters. A simple search for Totoro on the blog will give you a taste of the crazy creations I've made in the past. Despite all that, it never occurred to me to make heart-shaped food for Valentine's Day.I think my inspiration that started with the heart-bellied Totoros got my creative juices churning. Tonight for dinner - just for the fun of it - I decided to try making these cute little heart-shaped bacon wrapped pork loins.

They fry up beautifully on the pan and aren't too hard to make. I basically roughly cut a triangle of pork loin and then cut out a corner from one side in order to make a heart-like shape.

Add salt and pepper to season the pork, and then wrap the whole thing in bacon.

I fried it on a pan over medium heat, cooking on each side until it crisped up nicely (several minutes). It was a bit tricky to keep the bacon tight against the indented part; it kept wanting to flatten out. I tried sticking a chopstick (a metal one!) in the groove while frying to keep the bacon snug against the pork. It helped, but next time I might try to find something a bit heavier or bigger to weight it down more.

The finished product can easily be sliced for all sorts of fun presentations.

I served it with cold hand-pulled noodles (no, I did not pull them myself this time). Instead I bought some refrigerated fresh ones at C-Mart. The noodles were tossed with yuzu kosho (one of my favorite condiments in the world), bonito, and dashi powder. On top I added a velvety 65 °C (149 °F) sous vide egg.

Simple, elegant, and delicious: the perfect quick yet thoughtful weeknight meal. Serve with a side of vegetables (we had some classic Chinese chives with 5-spice bean curd), and you're all set for dinner.

Enjoy!

February 11, 2014 Baking

Totoro Valentine Cookies (Matcha)

Do these cookies look familar?If you're a long time reader of this blog (and I mean several years long), you maybe recognize this because I made another version of them back in 2011 (has it already been that long??).

For some reason, shortbread cookies have been on my mind a lot lately. Surprisingly, I've been baking a lot more than normal. I've been experimenting with this particular cookie recipe lately, trying out different types of natural food coloring. While the results have been mixed (fruit pulp most certainly changes the texture!), it's been an interesting experiment.

I'll report the results once I get a handle on what are the best options.

Meanwhile, playing with all this colored dough has inspired me make all sorts of multicolored cookies. Here's a super cute one - Totoro heart cookies!

These cookies are made with matcha (green tea) "bodies" and plain shortbread "bellies". I pretty much used the same overall technique as I did in the original Totoro Matcha Cookies post, so I would definitely refer to that post if you want more detailed instructions and more step-by-step photos.

After making the two different colored doughs (see this post or recipe below for full details), refrigerating it for at least 30 minutes, and rolling it out, cut out hearts from the pink dough.

Don't have a heart cookie cutter? Don't worry, you can easily make your own out of simple plastic packaging and a little bit of tape or a stapler, like this.

Cut out Totoros (I used a tulip cookie cutter), and then using the heart cookie cutter, cut out a heart shaped belly from the Totoro. Fill the bellies with the pink hearts.

Using tweezers, gently put on a black sprinkle for the nose.

Totoros are ready to be baked!

Bake at 375°F for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your cookie. Definitely keep an eye on it. The moment it starts to brown slightly at the edges (like in the photo above), take it out and let it cool on a rack.

Use tweezers to add eyes, such as using white chocolate and sprinkles or a food-coloring marker. See the original post for more instructions on how to decorate the Totoro.

Enjoy!

Totoro Valentine Cookies (Matcha)
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar (optional*)
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
3 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 T matcha powder
coloring (artificial or natural, such as beet juice)

Cream butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed. Add egg and then vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add in flour until just combined.

Divide the dough in two sections, with one section roughly twice as large as the other section. Mix in matcha powder into the larger section. Mix pink coloring into the smaller section.

Place each section between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and roll out the dough into a ¼ inch thickness. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F, placing the two racks on the upper third and lower third of the oven. Working with one batch of dough at a time, roll out the dough to ⅛ inch thickness.

Use either a well floured surface or a Silpat liner and plastic wrap. Cut out the totoros from the green dough and then cut out a heart inside each one. Cut out hearts from the pink dough. Put the pink hearts inside the green heart shaped space in the green Totoros.

Take remaining dough, reroll it, and cut again. The dough should only be re-rolled out once.

Bake until cookies are slightly golden brown at the edges, around 8-10 minutes depending on how large the cookie is. After baking, immediately transfer to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!

*If you want to use superfine sugar, you will get a more delicate, crispy cookie. To make superfine sugar, just put sugar in a food processor and pulse it a few times.

*Note, I simplified this recipe and slightly modified it from the original for simplicity's sake. I reduced the butter to 2 sticks (versus 2.5 sticks) just because I didn't want to deal with having a half stick lying around. I also omitted the milk, which seems to be OK.

Of course, you aren't limited to Totoros with this dough.

Feel free to make flowers with green matcha stems and leaves (oops, clearly I overbaked these a bit; the stems are ideally green).

Or you can always just bake hearts, tulips, or wavy rectangles.

Wrap them up in stacks with pretty ribbon. Awww, so cute.

Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

February 7, 2014 Boston

Giveaway winner for the Boston Wine Expo 2014 tickets!

Congratulations to Christine who won the giveaway. She said her favorite wine is:

"Off-dry vouvray, or any noble rot/Sauternes-style wine if I want something sweeter."

For the rest of you who didn't win, you can still use the discount code SOCIAL to get 10% either the Saturday tasting or the Sunday tasting. This discount is only good until February 7th (TODAY!)

Thanks for playing, and I most definitely enjoyed getting all those wine suggestions!

February 6, 2014 Appetizer

Chinese Chive Pie (Leek Pie, Garlic Chive Pie, Chinese Chive Box, 韭菜盒子)

Have you ever had a Chinese Chive Pie? Translated literally as a "chive box", this Northern Chinese dim sum delight is one of my favorite dishes to order.

I guess you could say it's sort of like a hot pocket, filled with a delicious (and reasonably healthy!) filling of cellophane noodles, Chinese garlic chives, bits of eggs, and pork (or 5-spice bean curd in a vegetarian version). It's hearty, satisfying, and totally hits the spot.

I'd never made this before until the other day, right after Chinese New Year, when I found myself stuck with a ton of leftover garlic chives, ground pork, and cellophane noodles, ingredients I had originally set aside for making dumplings.

It was at that moment that I became inspired to try making these chive pies. For some reason, I had always thought that these would be really tricky to make. I had never considered trying to make them myself at home.

I was delighted at how easy it was. Sure, there's a bit of prep that goes into making the filling. But once you have that, the dough is surprisingly easy to make, and the chive pies come together really quickly.

In fact, once I had the filling in hand (made the previous day), I was able to make the dough from scratch, wrap the chive pies, and pan fry them all in about 30 minutes after getting home from a long day at work. If you've ever made Chinese dumplings, it's really not that different at all.You'll feel right at home making these. They're kind of like a bigger cousin, in some ways.

I loved how these turned out. I loved it so much, I may just start making these on a regular basis and maybe freezing some as backup food for inclement weather (you never know when another snowstorm might hit!). I might even play around with the filling, maybe trying a vegetarian version, a ground turkey version, or swapping in various types of vegetables (spring ramps, maybe?).

I love the versatility of these pockets, and I think it'll be great fun to experiment.

But first, shall we learn how to make the classic version?

This recipe takes a lot of prep work. However once all the pieces are laid out, it's pretty easy to put it all together. A lot of this can be prepped over the weekend. The actual assembly does not take that long. Like I said above, I was able to make the skin from scratch, wrap the chive pies, and pan fried them all in about 30 minutes on a weeknight.

Making the Filling

It's best to prepare the filling when you have a bit of time, since all of the individual components take a bit of work to prep. You can chop the garlic chives using a food processor by using the pulse feature and chopping the chives in batches. Alternatively, you can chop by hand with a knife as well.

The cellophane (or bean thread) noodles cook pretty quickly in hot boiling water. Once cooked, drain them and mince them into small pieces (similar in size to the ground pork and chives). Cook the ground pork in a saute pan until it is fully cooked throughout. I seasoned it a bit with salt and pepper. Finally, the eggs need to be pan fried and (again) minced into small pieces.

In a wok over medium heat, stir fry all of these filling ingredients until everything is well mixed.

Set aside the filling.

Making the Wrapper

Measure out flour into a large bowl. Add the boiling water to the flour and mix together. It won't come completely together at this point, but it will start to look a bit shredded and clumpy.

Once mixed, add the cold water and continue mixing until it all comes together. Knead until soft and elastic (about 5 minutes).

Using your hands, roll out the dough into a thick rope and cut into 10 equal sized pieces. I like to keep the dough pieces under a wet towel in order to keep them moist while I am rolling out each individual skin.
Form a sphere with each piece of dough and then flatten into a disc. Roll each piece out with a rolling pin until it's about 4-5 inches diameter. I like a thinner skin, so I rolled mine out quite a bit.

Putting it All Together

Add the filling and fold into a half moon. Because the dough is fresh, it should stick to itself. You technically don't need to crimp the edges, but it looks pretty and helps it keep its shape.

The nice thing about these chive pies is that they are essentially already cooked on the inside, so once you finish making them, pan frying them is pretty fast.

Hello lovelies!

Add oil to coat the bottom of a pan (1-3 tablespoons depending on how big your pan is!) and bring to medium heat. Place the chive pies down and pan fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Be careful and keep a close eye on these - they can burn pretty easily! Flip over and cook on the other side until both sides are a gorgeous golden brown.

Serve immediately! We ate them with a bit of soy sauce, but you can use all sorts of dipping sauces, such as Sriracha, vinegar, chili oil, and much more. It's pretty much up to you.

Enjoy!

Chinese Chive Pies (Chinese Chive Box) 韭菜盒子
5 oz cooked cellophane noodles, minced
12 oz Chinese garlic chives
10 oz ground pork
2 eggs, scrambled, cut up into small pieces
1 teaspoon salt [or to taste]
½ teaspoon ground black pepper [or to taste]
1 T dried mushroom powder {optional}
1-2 tablespoons sesame oil

The filling ratios are flexible and largely based on personal preference. I didn't actually measure any amounts exactly. My general rule of thumb was to have close to equal amounts pork and chives, with a slight bias towards adding a bit more chives. I then added about half the amount of noodles. Of course, this is very flexible. In fact, if you want to make a vegetarian version of this, you can replace the pork with minced 5-spice tofu instead, which will also work quite well. If you like a more vegetable heavy version, increased the vegetable amount and reduce the meat amount. It's really up to you what you want to put inside. Please note that the dough is a different story, and the ratios are a bit more important there.

Noodles
Depending on what kind of cellophane noodles you buy, you may need to either soak them in hot water or cook them in boiling water for a few minutes. After you are done cooking the noodles, rinse the noodles under cold water and then chop finely into small, ½ inch long pieces. Set aside.

Garlic Chives
Chop the garlic chives into tiny (about 1 cm) pieces using a knife or the pulse function on a food processor. Don't pulse for too long - otherwise you may pulverize the vegetables! Set aside.

Pork
In a wok heated over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil. Add ground pork and stir fry, breaking up the pieces and mixing it all around until it is fully cooked. Set aside.

Eggs
In a frying pan (nonstick, ideally), cook the 2 eggs over medium low heat until fully cooked. Mince the eggs so that they resemble the size of the ground meat or chives. Set aside.

Put it all together!
In the wok heated over medium heat add 1 tablespoon sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic chives, noodles, pork, and eggs. Stir it all together and add salt, pepper, and optionally mushroom powder (or other favorite flavoring agents) to taste. Set aside.

Dough + Wrapping
2 cups flour
½ cup boiling water
¼ cup cold water

1. Measure out flour into a large bowl.
2. Add the boiling water to the flour and mix together. It will look a bit shredded and clumpy. This is normal!
3. Once mixed, add the cold water and continue mixing until it forms a ball.
4. Knead until soft and elastic (about 5 minutes).
5. Roll out into a long rope and cut into 10 equal sized pieces. Keep unused pieces under a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
6. Roll into a sphere, flatten it, and then roll out circular skins.
7. Fill with the filling, fold into a half moon, crimp, and set aside.
8. Pan fry on medium to medium-high eat for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
9. Serve immediately!

Enjoy!

February 4, 2014 Greater Boston

Sarma

I sense the start of a new trend.

Is Somerville the new hot favorite location for Cambridge's best chefs to open up their second, more casual outpost?

Less than a year ago, Tony Maws (arguably one of the best chefs in Cambridge if not all of Boston), opened up his second, more casual restaurant The Kirkland Tap & Trotter in Somerville.

And then there's Chef Tim Wiechmann and his wife Bronwyn Wiechmann, co-owners of T.W. Food, yet another one of Cambridge's best restaurants. In 2013, they opened up their second restaurant Bronwyn, a more casual tavern featuring German, Central and Eastern European food, also in Somerville.

And now there's Ana Sortun, chef-owner of the notorious hard-to-book Oleana in Cambridge. At the end of 2013, she opened up Sarma, a small-plates ("mezes") type restaurant modeled after the traditional meyhanes of Turkey. Again, in Somerville.

Bryan and I decided to cross the border into Somerville to visit Sarma after hearing some great things about it. We showed up one rainy evening with two friends (plus a one-year old!).

The cozy, brick-covered interior serves as a welcomed contrast from the pouring rain outside. The ambiance is warm, casual, and convivial. There's a decent noise level - just enough that if the one-year old starts screaming, it's not the biggest deal in the world.

The menu is divided up into several sections, including "Meyhanes" (snacks - $5-$10 each), "Mezes" ($6-$14), Vegetables ($6-$10), Pancakes ($9-$13), and "Shish" (meat? - $9-$13). There are also servers walking around with trays full of special dishes not on the menu, which you can instantly grab and enjoy. It's sort of like Chinese dim sum, but without the carts.

Ana Sortun is known for her famous deviled eggs at Oleana, so it's no surprise that these Black Truffle Pine Nut Deviled Eggs were floating around on trays as a special that night. These were delicious - creamy, savory, yet surprisingly tart - the perfect little bite to whet our appetites.

On that particular day, my friends and I arrived earlier than Bryan did. Bryan had a pretty hard time looking for parking. It's something to note - definitely give yourself a bit more time to circle for parking if needed.

While we waited, we ordered a few items off of the "Meyhanes" snacks portion of the menu, like these crispy fried Hot Dates, which were filled with warm goat cheese and topped with crushed pistachio in a cranberry-harissa sauce.
I really enjoyed the Spicy Peppers with peanut dukkah ($8). Fresh Shisito peppers are deep fried and tossed in a fragrant mix of floral spices. Because I seldom eat Turkish cuisine, there is a part of me that's not used to these flavors. It was tasty, yet foreign, and wasn't quite comfort food for me. It would be hard for me to eat these flavors every single day.

Duck and date kebabs were served over a squash puree. Since I'm not a huge fan of duck, I let my friends each have one of these.

I do love Haloumi Cheese, so I requested this next simple dish, haloumi cheese wrapped in vine leaves served with roasted grapes and a raisin emulsion ($8). I liked the sweet/salty balance of the sweet grapes and the salty cheese, and the bite was satisfying and complete.

The Lamb Souvlaki with lots of herbs and Greek style potatoes ($16) was very good. I gravitated towards the fantastic potatoes, of which there were (sadly) only three pieces.

I did not expect to love this next dish, but the oven-roasted Broccoli with smoked green wheat and spicy feta sauce was excellent ($9). I loved the smoky char on the broccoli, and the spicy feta sauces added a lovely complexity to the whole dish.

This Roasted Pork Loin with Blue Cheese Custard, Mandarin Oranges, and Pear was a special that was being passed around. We ordered one dish while waiting for Bryan and liked it so much that we ordered another one after he arrived.

Not many people cook pork medium rare like this (still pink in the middle!), which is the best way to cook pork. The pork was juicy, tender, and all around well-executed. The delicate balance between sweet (from the oranges) and savory (from the pork) was perfect.

I also loved the Brussels Sprouts Brava, perfectly charred Brussels sprouts topped with crumbled hazelnuts and chorizo ($10). The flavors are bold, spicy, and deliciously satisfying.

The Octopus, served with heirloom bean plaki, celery, and olives ($13) is also fantastic, with beautiful, rustic flavors and fresh ingredients.

For dessert, we ordered a Baklava and Homemade Frozen Yogurt, which comes with your choice of toppings. Each topping is an additional $2, which adds up rather quickly. Honestly speaking, none of us really liked the desserts. Perhaps it was partly misplaced expectations. We were hoping for baklava that was flaky and moist, with many layers and honey. This baklava was on the dry side, heavily filled with all sorts of dense goodies, like various nuts and dried fruit.

I found the frozen yogurt underwhelming. It was more like a light soft serve, with a decent flavor (reasonably tart!) but nothing special. The toppings were OK, but nothing special.

Initial Thoughts
Aside from the disappointing desserts, we really enjoyed our dinner here. There were definitely some standout dishes, such as the Brussels Sprouts Brava, the pork special, and the octopus. Overall most of the dishes were solid. It's refreshing to taste flavor combinations that are so different from the usual seasonal, local, French / New-American gastropub (which I still love, but sometimes gets a little boring). The ambiance is friendly and casual, and it wasn't too hard for our friends to bring their 1-year old daughter. Service was a bit jarred (the timing of dishes came in spurts and was sometimes slow), though that could be attributed to the fact that it's a relatively new restaurant.

I think it's most certainly a great addition to the neighborhood. For me, I'm thrilled to see more and more of these casual, cozy neighborhood restaurants that offer excellent food at a lower price point than their high-end Cambridge counterparts.

It's a great way to experience the talents of some of the area's greatest chefs without breaking the bank.

Sarma
249 Pearl St
Somerville, MA 02145

February 1, 2014 Boston

Boston Wine Expo 2014 + Giveaway!

It's here again! The 23rd annual Boston Wine Expo returns on February 15th and 16th (right after Valentine's Day!) at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center from 1PM to 5PM.

Tickets are $95 for Saturday and $85 for Sunday. $145 gives you a pass for both days. You can also opt for the VIP ticket ($145 Saturday, $135 Sunday), which gives you access to the VIP lounge, complimentary coat check, a nicer glass (the one pictured above is the normal glass that everyone gets), and a champagne toast.

There are over 300 wineries pouring, so it's a bit overwhelming if you just show up without any plan (which is sort of what we did!).

The hall is roughly divided up by geographical regions, which helps a bit.

The setup is pretty straightforward. At the entrance everyone receives a tasting glass. You then just walk around and see which wines you might want to try.

Walk up, ask for a taste, and begin comparing!

There was no way we could finish everything, so we tried to be selective, picking regions we liked, wineries we knew were good, or places with big crowds.

If you need a break from wine tasting, there are lots of other things to do. Last year, Chef Rich Garcia, executive chef of culinary operations at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, gave a cooking demonstration. This year there are many chefs giving demonstrations, including Jody Adams, Michael Leviton, Barbara Lynch, and Michael Schlow.

Click here to see the full schedule of chefs presenting.

There are also many samples from all sorts of vendors.

Like these fancy shortbread cookies.

Fun artisanal mustards (we have the horseradish one at home!).

Healthier dips made with a sweet potato base.

Of course, at any time you can go back to sampling more wines.

GIVEAWAY! (+ DISCOUNT CODE)
I have one pair of tickets to the Sunday, February 16th Tasting that I'm giving away on the blog. In order to enter, please comment below telling me your favorite wine. We are always looking for new wines to try, and would love to hear suggestions.

I have a lot of favorites and it's hard to pick. However, one of my current favorites is the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Kamen Estates Wines. We discovered this wine at Sonoma County Wine Weekend (yet another wine festival!) earlier this year during our unforgettable anniversary weekend in Sonoma. It pairs beautifully with one of my favorite cheeses, Comte Grand Cru from France (only available for a limited time each winter/spring here in the US). It's one of my favorite after dinner "desserts".

Please comment below! I will pick a winner on Wednesday, February 5th at midnight, Eastern Standard Time.

Even if you don't win, you can still save 10% off either the Saturday or Sunday tasting by entering the code SOCIAL.

Good luck!

Hee hee, love these handbag shaped box wines.

January 29, 2014 Asian

Chinese New Year Recipes!

Hi all!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. We usher in the year of the horse this Friday! That means Thursday night is New Years Eve, which is when families gather to enjoy a huge feast together. The type of food heavily depends on the region. Some make dumplings and noodles, others have hot pot, and others just enjoy a huge assortment of all types of dishes.

As the years go by, it's fun to look back to see how I celebrated each year. It's all over the place!

Like in 2010, merely months after Tiny Urban Kitchen was christened, I wrote a fun post about the symbolism behind the various dishes that are often eaten during this time of year. I put up a little gallery of Asian recipes that year.

And then it was the year of the rabbit, where I expanded the gallery quite a bit, to the point it became the starting point for the Asian Food Gallery now on the blog.

In 2012, the year of the dragon, I celebrated the way my family did growing up, a fun hot pot to usher in the new year. Turns out we weren't the only ones with the bright idea. The Chinese supermarkets were cleaned out of the pre-sliced meat by the time I got there, which meant we had to cut up some of our USDA prime steaks from the freezer! I learned that day I still prefer filet mignon steak over New York Strip when it comes to hot pot.
In 2013, the year of the Snake, Boston got a HUGE snowstorm over the Chinese New Year weekend (ha ha, what's new?). We were stuck at home, thankful that we had heat, water, and electricity. Having no access to any supermarkets, we didn't have a particularly Chinese meal that year. Instead, I cleaned out my freezer and made hearty dishes like lamb osso bucco with saffron rice and gremolata, Nobu's famous miso black cod, and noodles with Taiwanese meat sauce.

So what about 2014?

This year, I plan on making hundreds of dumplings using this recipe.

If I'm really ambitious, I may even try making my own wrappers. We'll see how tired I am by Thursday!

More Asian Recipes
One thing I did notice while reflecting back this year is that it's been a long time since I've posted Asian recipes. And that makes me really sad!

My original reason for starting this blog was to keep track of all the recipes I was learning from my mom. Now, sometimes the blog resembles a Boston restaurant blog; other times it seems like a travel blog. Although I still love all those aspects, I want to preserve the original purpose of the blog as well.

So, I've resolved to post more recipes, especially Asian recipes.

I think I got sidetracked from cooking Asian food this entire year because I was part of a CSA from Siena Farms. Even though it was a fantastic experience, I basically never needed to go shopping for Asian produce. I was busy enough trying to cook the weekly box of veggies being delivered to my door!

I made a lot of autumn soups, spring pestos, and summer salads.

Why am I excited?
This new year I'm excited because my new offices are SUPER CLOSE to C-Mart, a well stocked Chinese grocery store right on the edge of Chinatown. I am thrilled to have such easy access to Asian groceries. In fact, I've already gone twice in the three weeks I've worked in the area.

And I've already been cooking Asian food.

A lot more.

Stay tuned for some fun upcoming posts - such as this fantastic Soy Braised Beef Shank from my mom.

Or this nourishing pork bone mustard green soup (with Shangxi Knife Shaved Noodles!) that kept me going when I was home sick the beginning of this month.

I can't wait to kick off the year of the horse.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

January 23, 2014 Boston

Morton's Steak House (Boston)

My company offices just moved to Fan Pier in Boston, right on the waterfront. I'll be starting a new, ongoing series on the Seaport District of Boston as I begin exploring all the restaurants in this new neighborhood!

Bryan travels a lot for work and it comes in waves. Fall is typically bad. The spring has pockets of intense travel as well. It's during those times that I tend to hunker down at home, cooking random stuff alone since I don't really enjoy eating out by myself.

It was at the end of one of these long business trips that Bryan told me he really wanted steak. He had been traveling all over the world, visiting many foreign countries where steak (or meat, for that matter) was not really a part of the local diet. By the end of his two week trip, he was craving a good steak.

One of Bryan's co-workers had kindly given him a gift card to Morton's, a well-known high-end steakhouse chain based out of Chicago. So the day after stepping off that plane, we headed into Boston to check out one of the last few remaining steak houses in Boston that I had yet to ever try.

For years Morton's was located in Boston's trendy Back Bay neighborhood. Bryan had eaten there numerous times for work dinners and such. More recently, Boston's Seaport area has slowly become more and more developed. The Boston Convention Center opened up a few years ago, bringing in many restaurants to the area. In early January 2014, even my own workplace moved out to that area.

Morton's is now in the Seaport area as well. In fact, the Seaport area seems to be filled with many expense-account friendly restaurants that are safe for business dinners. Other businesses in the area include Legal Harborside, Del Frisco's, and Smith & Wollensky.

We started with their signature loaf of onion bread, which is huge (especially for two people), but a great way to curb the growling hunger pangs.

We had the Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Cocktail as an appetizer, which was highly recommended by our server. The crabmeat was fresh and high quality, though the overall dish itself was not particularly exciting.

Bryan got his favorite - the bone-in ribeye. A signature steak preparation at Morton's is the use of butter on the steaks. You can choose from a variety of flavors. We both chose the black truffle butter, which was very nice.

All the steaks at Morton's are USDA Prime and are dry-aged 23-28 days. Our steaks were cooked a perfect medium rare (check out that grilling in the photo above!) and tasted great with the butter sauce.

We were pleased to find that they offered wine from Jarvis Estates, one of our favorite wines from Napa Valley (the tour of their winery is super fun and the wine is delicious!). Because Jarvis wine is so hard to get here in Massachusetts, we decided to order a bottle to go with our steaks.

For fun we ordered a basket of Parmesan and Truffle Matchstick Fries, which was pretty good, but still not the best truffle fries in the city.
The sauteed Brussels Sprouts with bacon were solid, a nice healthy counterpoint to everything else we were eating.

Their desserts are huge and can easily be shared. Even though I'm always a sucker for key lime pie, we decided to go for their signature item, Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake (the sacrifices I make for this blog!).

It was like a classic molten chocolate cake, and it was well executed.

To celebrate his return to Boston (or may just to celebrate life?), Bryan ordered a nice scotch for dessert (I believe it was a MacCallan 25).

All in all, it was a fun outing. The steaks are definitely high quality, the service was good, and the overall experience is pleasant. This is a good, safe place to have a work dinner or a client meeting. I can totally see why it would thrive in this location, right next to the convention center.

The menu basically never changes, so if you want creative, innovative cuisine, this is not the place for you. This is the type of place you go to for familiarity, comfort, and safety. You come here after you've been traveling the world and just want to feel like you're home again.

For Bryan after that crazy international trip, this was just the thing he was looking for.

Morton's Steak House
Seaport Ln
Boston, MA 02210

January 20, 2014 Japan

Taian (3 Star Michelin grill)

This is the eighth post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street), Ryugin, Omen (udon), Shouraian (tofu), and Dotonbori in Osaka (street food).

Osaka is a food lover's paradise.

The city itself boasts 120 Michelin Stars: four three-star Michelin restaurants, eight two-star Michelin restaurants, and a whopping seventy-six one-star Michelin restaurants. Even the normal casual restaurants are at another level, and the street food is fantastic.We visited Osaka twice during our short stay in Kyoto (yes, we actually took the train out to Osaka just for dinner!).

Our two meals were completely different. One night, we immersed ourselves in the bright lights and crazy crowds of Dotonbori, waiting in line for world famous okonomiyaki and chowing down on takoyaki in the street.The second night we visited Taian, a recently minted (2011) three-star Michelin restaurant that specializes in grilled food.

Everything from the zen garden outside the window, the impeccable service, and spectacular food (not to mention very, very reasonable prices), made this one of the best "bang-for-buck" three-star Michelin experiences I've ever had.

I started out by ordering the most unusual of teas. I didn't quite feel like alcohol, so I ordered one of their specialty teas called "Fall In Love". It was a "royal blue tea", something I had never heard of before. The tea arrived served like a cocktail, with a huge spherical ice ball. The bottle from which it was poured looked like a wine bottle.

It turns out that Royal Blue Tea comes from the Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan and is cold brewed for three to six days before being bottled. The plants are carefully cultivated by hand, fermented under tightly controlled conditions, and brewed with the same level of obsession that Westerners typically see in winemaking.

The tea was indeed beautiful and I was sad that my ice ball was so large - it meant I actually didn't have that much tea! Alas, I sipped slowly and carefully, savoring each and every golden drop. I loved how floral, fragrant, and smooth the tea was - strong, yet without a single hint of bitterness.

The menu at Taian is pretty straightforward. It's a set tasting menu but you do get to pick which grilled protein you want as your main dish. The basic price is 10,500 yen ($105 USD), with certain entrees (such as the Wagyu beef) costing extra (13650 yen, about $136.50 USD).

For the sake of variety, our table of four decided to order four different main dishes.

I loved this first set of mini dishes that we all got, each one unique in its own way. The focus is most certainly on local and seasonal vegetables, many of which are very different from what we see in the West. We were pleasantly surprised that the server spoke English and she took care to explain everything in English to us as well as she could.

This Japanese Potato Soup was filled with some sort of white fish sashimi. It was beautifully velvety and smooth, and the flavors were beautiful, full of deep umami from the fish.
In this second dish, oyster mushrooms were topped with tonburi and toasted pine nuts. Tonburi is a seed that is often used in Japan as a food garnish. The texture sort of reminded me of quinoa. The server was so kind as to bring over a book with a picture of the plant (from which the seeds come) in order to explain to us what we were eating.

This next dish consisted of slices of barely seared raw fish topped with pickled "kiku" flower and freshly grated wasabi. Kiku is the Japanese word for chrysanthamum. This was delicious as well.

This next dish consisted of sea cucumber and mountain yam. If you've never had mountain yam (yamaimo) before, it's sort of an acquired texture. It's sticky and gooey, kind of like the inside of okra. Here it's paired with sea cucumber, another gelatinous sea creature that's unusual for the Western palate. I happen to like both sea cucumber and mountain yam, so I was able to enjoy the lovely flavors of the dish without being distracted by the textures.

And finally the eggs of the Ayu, or sweetfish, came mixed together with salt duck eggs to form an extremely flavorful, umami-laden bite. This was yet another very locally inspired dish, since ayu is predominantly only eaten in Asia.

Our next course was a soup, and it was beautiful. It was full of matsutake mushrooms, which are always in season during the fall. The fragrant mushrooms gave the soup a beautiful earthy yet clean flavor that I love. There was one ginkgo egg dumpling with a bit of ginger.

Although I loved the soup, I felt a bit torn about this dish. I'm not positive if I heard the server right (since she did struggle sometimes with English), but I could have sworn she said it was a snapping turtle broth.
I grew up with a pet turtle (he's actually still alive - I think they live crazy long lives!), and I've never had the heart to eat turtle before, even though I'm a reasonably adventurous eater. I know it's not exactly rational, but it felt a bit sad and weird to think that I might be drinking turtle soup.

On the other hand, it's quite possible she said snapper, in which case I'd be totally fine.

Aside from my personal "issues", I actually objectively loved the soup and thought that the flavors were extremely sophisticated and perfectly balanced.

Next came a simple dish of sashimi. We had Bonito (skipjack tuna, one of my favorites), which we were supposed to dip in bonito flavored soy sauce. We also enjoyed Tai (red snapper), and Kobashira (scallops).

The quality of the fish was excellent and on par with high end sushi places.

I mentioned earlier that we each ordered a different grilled item. The reason (of course) is that we all wanted to try as much as we could. It was fun to sample everyone else's grilled dishes.

Hee hee, here's a plate full of a small bite of everyone's food. All of the grilled items were fantastic and simply served with an endive leaf filled with a sweet soybean paste sauce, a cucumber slice, a few slices of pickled daikon, and citrus.

The Miso Fish was smoked with (I think) fermented tea leaves. The fish itself was super soft and tender yet had tons of flavor from both the miso and the smoked tea leaves.

The Anago, or sea eel, was served rolled up to resemble whimsical cinnamon rolls. Although this was also very good, it did not stand out the way the other dishes did.

The locally sourced Wagyu Beef (I wish I could remember the region, but I cannot) was phenomenal. The steak was served with a honey sauce and Japanese pepper. Bryan happily ate the remaining pieces (after sharing one piece with each of us), stating that this was up there with the best steak he's ever had in his life.

Their signature dish is the Red Wine Braised Pork Ribs, and it's worth the hype. These ribs were sweet, gorgeously fragrant, and so soft and tender we "cut" them with our chopsticks.

Once the grilled items came, we thought that the meal was pretty much over. I remember thinking that I was glad it was already over, since I was feeling perfectly satisfied but not stuffed yet (which is rare in a multi-course tasting menu).

Alas, we were very wrong about the fact that the tasting was over.

The next dish reminded me of Greek pastries such as baklava and the like. I thought, "is this dessert?"

Nope.

The inside of the deep fried pastry shell was an ayu (sweetfish) full of eggs. We ate this with salt and lemon, which was the perfect, bright balance to the strong umami from the fish. The combination worked very well.
We then enjoyed a delicious, balanced flower petal soup filled with uni, tofu, and wasabi.

Many meals in Japan end with soup, rice, and pickles. In this case, our rice was interspersed with chestnuts. Our soup was a hot miso-based soup filled with a very herbal tasting vegetable. The pickles included daikon and this other black disc that I could not identify. It was very salty and reminded me a bit of olives.

Finally, dessert was simple but refreshing. We each received a stem glass filled with gelatin and other unusual ingredients you may not associate with dessert, such as peas, tomato, large grapes, and black beans. All of the ingredients were excellent quality and overall the dessert was quite nice, though perhaps not particularly groundbreaking.

All in all, we had an extremely pleasant meal at Taian. The atmosphere is warm and pleasant, and not at all stuffy. In fact, it felt pretty laid back, which was nice. The service was great, and they really took great efforts to make us feel comfortable.

Overall the food was excellent. I really enjoyed all the unusual and locally inspired bites at the beginning of the meal. Everything from the seafood to the grilled meats were top notch, and soups were complex, balanced, and excellent as well. Honestly, it's really hard to get a three-star Michelin meal for just a hair over $100 USD these days. There are A LOT of mediocre restaurants that charge in this range, if not more. If nothing else, this is by far the best 3-star Michelin value I have ever seen. Most 3-star Michelin meals run closer to the range of $200-$300 a person. $105 is really a steal, especially considering the quality and variety of unusual and expensive ingredients they use.

Chef Hitoshi Takahata, who opened this restaurant in 2000, is still excelling at what he originally set out to do:
"prepared dishes that leave an impression."

He has undoubtedly done that for us.

January 15, 2014 Las Vegas

CES 2014 - Post Conference Reflections

It came and it went. Just like that.

CES whizzed by me this year. I'm sure the fact that I arrived a day late due to a flight cancellation didn't help. Bryan and I had basically two and a half days in Las Vegas - not nearly enough time to soak on all the cool technology being showcased, much less experience the city itself: the excellent shows, the world class dining, and my favorite, the Bellagio Fountains.

I've only had a few days to reflect on those few days, but here are some highlights of some of my favorites finds during the conference.

Similar to years past, 3D technology (with and without glasses) was still being featured front and center. I loved this HUGE 3D demonstration right at the entrance of the first hall we visited. The screen looked so clear, so real, and so "3D" that I saw people ducking as objects from the screen whizzed towards them.

For the first time, curved screens made an appearance, both in large TVs as well as in handheld devices like phones, tablets, and anything in between. I guess it provides a more surround experience, though we weren't sure how practical a curved device would be to stick into your pocket or hold in your purse with all your other flat things.

Crazy high resolution screens, such as these 8K screens, are so clear you can't distinguish the pixels at all even if you walk right up to the screen.

There was a lot of cool new car technology being featured. I really liked this cute little electric BMW i3 which has a range of 80-100 miles per charge. It's a zippy sporty car, able to go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in 7.2 seconds. It can also talk to your smartphone, figuring out ideal routes while taking into account information from the Internet.

Audi debuted a concept car with laser headbeams which are supposed to offer much better visibility at night.

This was accompanied by a flashy laser show that was actually pretty cool to watch.

Toyota showed some pretty cool new mobility concepts, such as this protected three-wheeled vehicle that can actually hold a small child or groceries in the back.
Or this cool looking three-wheeled vehicle which does not have a steering wheel.

Instead, the driver steers by leaning. If you want to turn right, then lean right and the vehicle turn right in response. It's supposed to be pretty intuitive, though I'm sure it's hard to give up on the steering wheel.
Oh, and I had to show this one. Gibson's tent had what looked like the original DeLorean from Back to the Future! It even had the flux capacitor inside and Mr. Fusion on the outside. I seriously wonder if it was one of the originals used for the movie.

Bryan and I tried "walking around" in a virtual reality world with the special glasses, which was really weird! If I turned my head up, I could see the ceiling in the imaginary world. If I walked forward, my world changed around me. No matter where I looked, I felt immersed in the virtual world.

Even though it was cool, it made me very motion sick and I actually wasn't able to wear it for very long without feeling sort of ill. I guess my body is still confused when it looks like I'm moving but I'm really not!

Finally on the camera side, I was most intrigued by this new lens-style camera from Sony. The camera has no body. It's a high quality lens that uses your smart phone's screen and software as its display and viewfinder. It's like having a high quality point and shoot (it uses the same Carl Zeiss lens as Bryan's Sony RX100, a $550 camera!) but in a more flexible package.

The best part is that all of these high quality photos will instantly be stored onto my smart phone, where I can upload it to social media or immediately back it up in the cloud. It clips onto a smartphone, but you can easily remove it and use the lens to take photos of yourself or just stick it onto a tripod for group shots (which you can control from your phone).
It's always exciting to check out new technology, and I can't wait to see some of these products come to market.

And finally, since this is a food blog after all, stay tuned for some posts about some of the fantastic restaurants we checked out while we were here. Of course, we did visit a few old favorites (such as Bryan's favorite 9-month aged Riserva steak or one of my favorite tasting menu experiences in Vegas), but we were also able to try some great new restaurants!

January 14, 2014 Las Vegas

Whirlpool CES 2014 video + giveaway!

What a whirlwind week!

I certainly ran into several travel snafus both on the way to CES and on the way back. Weather delays in Boston caused our flight to Vegas to be canceled. We scrambled desperately to find an alternate flight but ended up having to delay our trip by one day.

It meant we only had two full days at CES. Hardly enough time to absorb everything, but we tried our best.

On the way back, our plane had mechanical problems and we had to hang around Dallas for three hours waiting for a new plane. On the bright side, I got a chance to try some fantastic Texas BBQ while I was waiting. Now, finally, I'm back in Boston and I'm pleasantly surprised by the warm weather (though I know it's going to get cold again really soon).'

It was fun exploring all the new kitchen technology at CES. Whirlpool's booth focused a lot on their three pillars of connection, expression, and innovation.

My favorite concept at the booth was the concept of a flat induction cooktop that had the flexibility to heat anywhere on its surface, responding organically to whatever sized pot is placed on top of it. This flat cooktop would also provide access to social media, email, and the web (like recipes!).

Alas, this is a pure concept right now, and I'm not sure how long it will be before something like this is available in the marketplace. Can't wait for something like this to actually come out!

Another useful product which is coming out in 2014 is the CoolVox refrigerator, which has Harman/Kardon® speakers sneakily tucked within the refrigerator. You can control it wirelessly with your smartphone acting as a remote. Whirlpool's goals were to reduce the number of wires in the kitchen. This definitely beats having to mount speakers on your kitchen walls or trying to look for valuable counter space for the speakers.

Finally, I saw some fun washer/dryers that had some pretty cool designs on them. I must say my current laundry room is not the most fashionable room in the house. It would be fun to jazz it up a bit with some style - maybe a colorful machine matched up with equally bold carpeting or something. Whirlpool is releasing two designs this year - a black diamond design and a chrome polka dot design, which you can see in the video. If those go over well, they'll expand the design selection in the years to come.

Speaking of the video . . .

I mentioned in my last post that I shot a video while I was at CES at the Whirlpool booth. The video is now LIVE! You can see it on Whirlpool's CES site or see it embedded below.

Enjoy!

Since Whirlpool 20/20 is all about a future focused on you, we, want to hear your ideas for it. Leave a comment below telling us your idea for the future for your home and be entered to win a $1,000 grand prize.

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January 12, 2014 Japan

Dotonbori in Osaka (Mizuno okonomiyaki and takoyaki)

This is the seventh post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street), Ryugin, Omen, and Shouraian (tofu).

There is a well known Japanese proverb that goes like this: "dress (in kimonos) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka."

It pretty much sums up the way people think of Osaka, a gastronomic destination for both Japanese and foreign tourists alike. The word kuidaore (食い倒れ) is often used to describe the city, which literally means "to eat oneself bankrupt."

Clearly Osaka is all about food.

We traveled to Osaka for dinner two out of the three nights we were staying in the neighboring city, Kyoto. After all, Osaka is only a 14 minute ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train), or a 30 minute local train ride away.

One of those nights, we went to the most popular street food destination in Osaka: Dotonbori.

Dotonbori is a bustling area along the Dotonbori-canal in Osaka. It's a well known food destination, and both sides of the canal are filled with all sorts of tasty options. The neighborhood is also a sight to behold.

"I've never seen anything like this" remarked Bryan as we meandered around the crowded streets.

Well-known colorful, almost gaudy, icons line the streets, such as a huge 6-meter wide crab whose claws actually move (see photo at the top of the post), larger-than-life gyoza, and huge, eccentric statues of clowns, a running man from Glico, and much, much more. There are neon lights, music, friendly vendors, and jam-packed crowds.

Dotonbori is also one of the best places to enjoy Osaka street food, especially two of the city's most famous dishes: okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

1. Okonomiyaki

Our first stop was the famous family-owned okonomiyaki place called Mizuno. The lines out the door attest to the popularity of the place. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake made from a batter of flour, shredded nagaimo (a Japanese yam), egg, and dashi broth. You can fill it with all sorts of meat, vegetables, or seafood according to your preference. In fact, "okonomi" means "as you like it".

The traditional Osaka-style okonomiyaki includes shredded cabbage, pork belly, and seafood. The pancake is then topped with bonito flakes, okonomiyaki sauce (a brown, tangy sauce), mayonnaise, and scallions.

Mizuno is not a big restaurant, and thus it can't seat many at once. Thankfully, the lines moves pretty quickly. People don't loiter or hang around. They come in, eat their okonomiyaki, and then head on their way. We initially thought the restaurant only had 8 bar seats. In fact, there is a second floor which has tables for larger parties like ours.

If you've never had okonomiyaki before, the menu can be a bit overwhelming. There are all these different options for toppings, sauces, fillings, and even whether to add noodles or not. I can tell you I definitely felt overwhelmed.

Thankfully, the menu does point to some suggested "most popular" items. Furthermore, the wall right at the entrance has a nice collection of photographs showing the most popular ones.

We ordered the classic "mazeyaki", which translates to "mixed grill" and includes shredded cabbage along with squid, pork belly, octopus, and shrimp. Once it's cooked tableside, the chef tops the okonomiyaki with Mizuno's signature seaweed powder, brown sauce, and mayonnaise. This one was listed as the second most popular dish on the menu.

The pork belly and leek okonomiyaki is third most popular on the menu and is much simpler, less gooey, and less rich than the mazeyaki. There's hardly any sauce on top. Instead, the drier pancake is topped with a simple sprinkling of baby sprouts.

Finally we got the number one most popular one, a version made with mountain yam flour as well as a mixed variety of seafood which included shrimp, scallops, and pork.

All three were pretty tasty and most certainly satisfying as the utmost comfort food. A part of me wished I could read the menu better so I could create okonomiyakis more suited to my personal preference, which is less meat and more vegetables. Of course, most people aren't like me and probably think the ratio of meat/seafood to vegetable is just perfect. That would explain the crazy lines at this 65 year old family owned establishment.

Service is pretty fast. They take your order before you even sit down (while you're waiting in line), so soon after you sit down, they come to your table and begin cooking the okonomiyaki table-side. All the tables have a flat griddle down the middle, so everything is made to order right in front of your eyes.

2. Takoyaki

Takoyaki is another well known Osaka street treat. "Tako" means octopus and "yaki" means fried or grilled.

Takoyaki are bite-sized balls made from a flour and egg based batter (sort of like a pancake) filled with pieces of octopus, ginger, and scallions. They are frequently topped with mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and takoyaki sauce. They were invented in Osaka around 1935 and have since spread to the rest of Japan.

Four of us hit a takoyaki stand after polishing off three okonomiyakis from Mizuno. It was a little past 9PM at that point, and we were surprised to see that some of the takoyaki stands had closed. It's so weird that a place with so much "nightlife"-like activity has food stalls that close early.

Nevertheless, we did find one stand that was open and the four of us got a small order of six to try.
Topped with bonito, takoyaki sauce (a brown, tangy sauce) and mayonnaise, these sort of remind me of okonomiyaki but with a fluffier batter and with a different filling. They are soft and gooey inside, best enjoyed hot.

3. Fugu

We saw many other sorts of unusual restaurants, such as this place that specialized in fugu, or puffer fish sashimi. They had a tank full of live puffer fish displayed on the window, as well as plastic versions of the various sashimi packages they offered.

It is supposedly very safe these days to eat puffer fish in Japan. However, there's a part of me that's still a bit nervous about it, and thus I haven't tried it yet (though Bryan has!).

After a long evening wandering around Dotonbori, we caught one of the last trains back to Osaka. At that point, the bullet trains weren't running anymore, so we just hopped on a local train, which still only takes 30 minutes or so.

I'm sure there's still so much of Dotonbori that we missed, but we'll have to save that for another time. I think the next time I go to Japan, I should seriously set aside a few days to devote specifically to Osaka!

January 10, 2014 Las Vegas

Whirlpool CES 2014 - I made it to CES!

Greetings from Vegas!

You won't believe this, but I almost didn't make it here. I'm sure you've heard about all the crazy flight cancellations going on a couple days ago. Well, our flight to Vegas was one of them. We went through Herculean efforts trying to grab a flight out Tuesday. Everything was completely sold out and overbooked. Bryan was actually half tempted to consider our only option: taking a last minute train to New York, then get on separate flights from two different airports in New York to Miami, and then finally to Vegas.

I really didn't want to spend 15 hours getting to Las Vegas, so we finally gave up and conceded that we would miss a whole day of CES. We finally arrived in Las Vegas late Wednesday afternoon.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm partnering with Whirlpool at CES and will be writing a couple posts about some of the cool new things they are showcasing at the booth.

Well, I finally had a chance to head over to the booth on Thursday morning!

There was a lot of emphasis on making products that make life simpler for the user. One of my favorite concepts that was being demonstrated (it was only a concept, not a working model) was this idea of an interactive induction cooktop that would adjust its cooking surface based on the pots you put on it. You could put your pots or pans anywhere on the surface and the heating surface would detect the pot, know how big it needed to be, and then only heat that area.

Furthermore, on the other side of the cooktop, you'd have all your social media, internet, recipes, etc. at your fingertips while you cook. You could look up recipes, check your email, or even tweet or write something on Facebook while you cook.

There was also a big emphasis on the idea of appliances that were more design-oriented, allowing customers to pick the design the design that best suited their personal style. This year, they are actually rolling out these duet washer/dryers. It's hard to tell, but the front one has a sleek black diamond texture while the back one has a "chrome bubbles"design.

They showcased an art installation of their microwaves painted with designs from a Mexican artist that they found (shown behind me in the photo above). I shot a quick little video where they interviewed me and asked me a few questions about CES and their products.

All in all, it's been fun here so far. I haven't had a chance yet to visit the Las Vegas Convention Center yet, which is where all the big TVs and all that other gadgety stuff is. We will check that out tomorrow! I plan on posting photos throughout the day of stuff I see at the convention center, so feel free to follow me on Twitter or Instagram if you want to keep updated.

Last day in Vegas!

Sigh, this visit just felt way too short.

January 10, 2014 Allston

Pikaichi (Ramen)

I just may have discovered a new favorite Japanese noodle shop.

It's a tiny little gem of a place in Allston (a neighborhood in Boston) that's tucked right next to Hong Kong Market (formerly Super 88). Pikaichi has been in that space for quite some time now, taking over the beloved old favorite Ken's Ramen Shop. I stopped going out in that direction a few years back because I stopped shopping at the supermarket when it started to struggle. After the market changed hands and improved, I sort of got used to not going out there.

Until I discovered their noodles.

Pikaichi's fresh ramen noodles are wonderfully chewy ("QQ") and among the best I've had in Boston. The restaurant sources its noodles from Sun Noodle Company, the same company that makes noodles for some of New York's finest ramen shops, like Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ivan Ramen, and many others.

In fact, a little known fact is that most ramen restaurants in New York source their fresh handmade ramen noodles from just three companies. With the exception of a few places (like Ippudo, for example, who make their own), most ramen shops don't have the capacity to make their own fresh noodles.

Of course, noodles alone does not a ramen restaurant make. However, I think Pikaichi has a nice combination of everything that makes it a casual place that I enjoy visiting over and over.

The ambiance inside feels decidedly Japanese. I can almost imagine that I am in Tokyo, stopping by a casual neighborhood ramen shop. I am pretty certain the workers are Japanese and speak Japanese to each other. It's a tiny shop with only a handful of seats so you may have to wait during busy seasons. However, each time we've gone, the staff have been extremely friendly in trying their best to get us seated as soon as possible.

The first time we went during the summer, they had this special yuzu cold ramen dish that I loved.

Cold noodles were tossed together with fresh leafy greens, corn, and I *think* tuna (or is it pork?) in a spicy, yuzu kosho sauce. The noodles were especially toothsome since they were cold. I took half of it home as leftovers and enjoyed them immensely the next day.

The menu includes your basic ramen types, such as a shoyu (soy) based broth, a miso based broth, and a spicy broth. During the winter they also have a yuzu shoyu based broth, which is my favorite.

Pikaichi claims they give a larger portion of noodles (6 ounces) unlike standard ramen places that only give 5 ounces. I personally think their portion size is pretty large, although Bryan finds it doesn't quite fill him up, maybe due to the fact that there's not a huge amount of meat.

You can always order small supplementary rice dishes for about $2, such as chashu over rice (chashudon) or curry over rice (curry-don), if you are hungry.

The restaurant also serves other simple fare, such as curry katsu (my sister's favorite) . . .

. . . and tonkatsu (my mom's favorite).

I like how their sign encourages diners to start eating the noodles right away, since they care about the texture of the noodle and understand that the longer it sits, the less perfect the noodles become.

All in all, I just really like this place. I have to confess that I haven't tried the whole menu. In fact, we've only tried the noodles, but we like them a lot. I do think it's one of my favorite simple Japanese noodle places. Sure, I'll always have a special place in my heart for other handmade noodle shops, such as Yume Wo Katare and Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe. However, I see those places more as "once in awhile" type places, due to their enormous portions or high caloric dishes.

Pikaichi feels cozy, serves excellent noodles, and overall is pretty healthy. It's the perfect type of place at which to become a regular.

Pikaichi
1 Brighton Avenue
Allston, MA 02134

January 6, 2014 Japan

Shoraian (Syourian) Tofu Restaurant (Kyoto)

This is the sixth post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street), Ryugin, and Omen.

When in Kyoto, you have to try the tofu.

Tofu is one of Kyoto's specialties, perfected by Buddhist vegetarian monks over the centuries. The tofu artisans in Kyoto are passionate and extremely serious about their craft.They use century old techniques to create perfect blocks of fresh, silky, and surprisingly flavorful tofu that's nothing like the bland bricks found in the industrial mass-produced variety.

Kyoto's tofu is widely regarded as the best in Japan, and Shoraian's is considered the best. It was in the quest for this magical, ethereal tofu that I took my friends on a forty-five minute walk, including a hike through a mountain path and up numerous stone steps, in order to reach this special place.

Shoraian is not your typical Japanese restaurant.

It's located in Arashiyama, a popular recreational area in Western Kyoto well known for its beautiful fall foliage, spring cherry blossoms, and stunning bamboo forests.

Not only is it on the western edge of Kyoto, you also can't get to the restaurant by car. Or by any wheeled vehicle, in fact. Shouraian is perched on the edge of a mountain overlooking the beautiful Oi River. You must take a short hike along a dirt path before climbing several flights of stone steps to reach this little oasis tucked away in the trees.

If you're already at the bamboo forest, there are many ways to get to the restaurant. The most direct way involves hiking through various winding trails towards the restaurant. We had read enough warnings from other travelers saying they got lost this way, so we chose not to risk it.

Instead, we walked along the river (very straightforward!) until the paved path ended. We continued following a dirt path until we reached a dead end where we saw a sign leading up to the restaurant (see Bryan pointing above). At this point, there are many signs which lead you towards the entrance.

Go up a series of steps, and then another. After a few more steps, hang a left into this gravel pathway. It's useful to know the Japanese characters for the restaurant, since none of the signs are written in English. It took us about 45 minutes to walk from the bamboo forest to the restaurant because we took the longer, more circuitous but easier route.

Upon entering, we immediate noticed a lot of hanging brushstroke art. The owner of the restaurant is also an artist, and really enjoys Japanese calligraphy.

And then they showed us our table.

I almost gasped.

Our own private tatami room? I later found out that every table has a view of the scenic river. It's serene, peaceful, and very relaxing.

We had an option of three different types of tasting menus. The Shoyo is the least expensive, costing 3800 JPY (about $38 USD), and includes an appetizer, a smaller assorted specialties plate, "yudofu" (tofu hot pot), agedashi tofu, rice and pickles, and dessert.

The Shorai costs 4600 JPY (about $46 USD), and includes everything from the Shoyo plus an additional special item and a "Kyo-ryori seasonal selection".

The Shofu costs 5800 JPY (about $58 USD), and includes everything from the Shorai plus toyuba tempura, tofu gratin with namafu, and a mini-steak of wagyu beef. Additionally, it includes unlimited refills for the yudofu.

Since we had a party of four, we though it would be fun to order all three sets just to see exactly how they differed.

I loved our appetizer, a delicate, creamy tofu "burrata". It was soft, silky, and custard-like, so light and delicate it could be easily eaten with a spoon. This came with all three set menus.

The next course was the "Assorted Specialties Plate", and included several artfully presented tiny bites. Pictured above is the platter from the 3800 JPY Shoyo menu: a boiled Japanese sweet potato slice, boiled shrimp, a leaf-shaped wheat gluten (namafu), Japanese mountain yam (yamaimo) topped with white miso, fresh fig slice topped with prosciutto, kabocha squash, boiled fresh soy beans (edamame), and a cake made from a mixture of wheat gluten and tofu.

The same "Assorted Specialties Plate" from the mid-priced Shorai and higher priced Shofu menus included many of the same pieces served in the Shoyo menu, but also added other special items, such as a black sesame mochi skewer topped with white miso, a piece of cooked salmon, another piece of fish, a small vegetable salad tossed in a sesame paste dressing, and a grilled Shisito pepper.

The sheer variety of food so artfully presented on the plate was impressive. Though some items (like the salmon, shrimp, and edamame) were relatively unexciting, other items (like the wheat guten, tofu, or mochi-based little bites) were unusual and fun to try. I think the wheat-gluten tofu block was one of my favorites.

The next course, called Sunrise, was the "Kyo-ryori Seasonal Selection", which basically translates to Kyoto Cuisine Seasonal Selection. It was served alongside a postcard with the poem which inspired the dish. The poem, written in calligraphy by the restaurant's owner, is about the sun, and the dish represents the sun with its various components.

This was one of my favorite dishes. I loved the dense, gelatinous orange egg yolk combined with the intense red pepper sauce. I'm not sure what they did to the egg yolk, but the resulting texture was really unique. It was dense and thick, almost jamlike in texture but savory in flavor. It sort of reminded me of the gooey orange-yolked eggs you find in Japanese ramen. The red components were topped with a white foam and tiny little gingko shaped chips.

I also loved the next course, Toyuba Tempura, which is only available as part of the most expensive Shofu tasting (5800 JPY). Yuba is made by harvesting the thin film that forms at the top of a a boiling pot of soy milk. These skins are collected and dried to form yuba, which can then be deep fried into tempura. The toyuba tempura was served alongside a couple pieces of vegetable tempura.

These were delicate and crispy. We dipped them into a tiny bowl filled with matcha powder and salt.

The next dish, Tofu Gratin with Namafu, is also only available as part of the most expensive Shofu tasting (5800 JPY). It's unlike anything Japanese I'd ever had before. Essentially, it's a ramekin filled with a cheese and soy cream custard filled with eggplant and a sesame mochi namafu (wheat gluten). I was surprised but the cheesy, soy cream flavor combination worked. It was very rich and creamy, but not too salty, which I liked. The wheat gluten inside added a nice, chewy texture.

And then it was time for what they call "Yudofu", or tofu hot pot. It's actually a really simple dish. I believe the simple preparation allows you to actually taste the inherent flavors of the tofu. You taste the fresh, soy flavors.

Our server came by to light our individual tofu pots.

Once the tofu blocks were hot, we just ate them with a small amount of soy sauce and thinly sliced scallions. The tofu was excellent. It was luxuriously silken soft and light. The Shofu tasting includes unlimited refills of this delicious tofu.

But most definitely save room, because the next course, also only part of the Shofu tasting, is the Mini Steak of Wagyu Beef. The breed of the Wagyu beef we had was Hida beef, which comes from black haired Japanese cattle raised in the Gifu prefecture for at least 14 months. All Hida beef needs to be certified with a yield score of grade A or B and firmness levels 3, 4, or 5 (see my brief aside about Japanese beef grading in my Le Cirque post for more details).

This beef was simply grilled to a perfect medium rare and served over grilled eggplant and topped with spring onions. It was beautiful marbled, juicy and rich. In short it was excellent.

The Agedashi Tofu, deep fried tofu served in a dashi-based brothi, is part of all three tasting menus. I thought this was pretty good, though it did not necessarily blow me away. I may even dare say I've enjoyed this specific dish more in other restaurants. It was still perfectly enjoyable, though, and since I love this dish in general, I still happily ate it up.

Finally, the meal ended with Rice + Pickles, which is a part of every tasting menu. We also all received a small bowl full of tiny fish tossed in Sichuan peppercorn powder.

For dessert, we had a phenomenal Tofu Ice Cream topped with a tiny sheet of cinnamon flavored mochi. Wow. I absolutely loved this course too, and I longed for more than just a tiny scoop (which is all we got). I loved the strong soy flavor. It reminded me of the perfect, intensely flavored soy milk made into an ice cream.

All in all, it was a very excellent meal. I liked how it was largely vegetarian, but still incorporated just enough meat to make it very filling. After trying all three, I would recommend the Shofu, which comes with the most interesting variety of tofu prepared in many, many ways. I was afraid of ordering the Shofu mostly because I was afraid it would be too much food. In reality, I think it's probably OK.

A sad aside, but Bryan actually got sick during out trip and had a really bad stomachache during this meal, so he ended up not eating at all. However, we felt bad taking up a seat, so we ordered four tasting menus (Two Shofus, one Shorai, and one Shoyo). Even though Bryan didn't eat, the three of us managed to almost finish all of the food. Yes, we were stuffed, but that also tells me that their normal portion size may be something I could actually handle.

I highly recommend this restaurant. I think it's the best bang for buck when it comes to everything. Where else can you get such a beautiful and authentic Japanese "kaiseki" experience with multiple, artfully decorated courses, a private tatami room, gorgeous views of the river, and really excellent food all for between $38-$58 a person? Keep in mind that really high-end kaiseki experiences usually run in the $100-$300 range. Compared to that, this is a steal.

Other Tips
You can make reservations and you should. There are a limited number of tatami rooms and they book up reasonably quickly. I think I booked mine a little less than a month before arriving in Kyoto.

I've mentioned this earlier in the post, but please note that you do need to sort of hike to this location. It's not particularly difficult (equivalent to a few flights of stairs), but it's definitely not wheelchair friendly or anything like that. If you take a cab close to the entrance, you probably don't need to walk more than 5-10 minutes to get to the restaurant. We walked 45 minutes because we had been visiting the bamboo forests earlier in the day.

At least one person should order the Shofu. Except for the silken tofu appetizer and the actual Yudofu (hot pot), I found most of the courses from the Shoyo to be more ordinary. My favorite, more interesting dishes came from the Shofu, such as the Toyuba tempura, the "Sunrise" egg dish, and the Wagyu beef. I think it's worth the extra $20 USD for at least one person at the table to get the Shofu.

Here are the menus written out for your reference.

Enjoy!

Shoyo [3800]
Appetizer
Assorted specialties plate
Yudofu
Agedashi tofu
Rice and pickles
Dessert

Shorai [4600]
Appetizer
Assorted specialties plate
Special Item
Kyo-ryori seasonal selection
Yudofu
Agedashi tofu
Rice and pickles
Dessert

Shofu [5800]
Appetizer
Assorted specialties plate
Special Item
Kyo-ryori seasonal selection
Toyuba tempura
Tofu gratin with namafu
Mini-steak of wagyu beef
Yudofu (Refills available)
Agedashi tofu
Rice and pickles
Dessert

January 2, 2014 Las Vegas

I'm going to Vegas! (CES 2014 and why I'm excited) + Giveaway

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it's 2014?!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile will know that I go to Las Vegas every January. Of course, the fantastic food that Las Vegas offers is a huge reason that we go (as evidenced by the numerous Las Vegas restaurant posts I have on this blog). However, the main reason we go each year in January is to check out the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the largest trade show of its kind.

So why am I talking about an electronics show on a food blog?
After all, isn't CES the place where they show off all the latest tech gadgets? Like uber-thin flat screen TVs?

Cool touch screen projectors?

And the latest in 3D technology?

Yes and no.

CES is huge. There is a lot of all that gadget-y stuff (which, frankly, my husband loves). But there's also a lot of other really, really cool technology that has nothing to do with flat screens: things like the latest technology in music, cars, lighting, audio systems, and even the kitchen!

That's right.

CES has a huge section devoted to the newest innovations in kitchen technology. It's super fun to check out what tomorrow's appliances will be able to do.

This year, I have the privilege of partnering with Whirlpool at CES. I'll be blogging (live from Las Vegas!) about some of the cool new things they'll be showing. I don't have all the information yet, but here's a sneak peek at some of the stuff.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Jan. 7 – 11 in Las Vegas, Whirlpool® brand is showcasing how its three pillars, Connection, Expression, and Innovation come together in both new products and innovative concepts for the future as part of Whirlpool® 20/20.

Connection
Imagine . . . . appliances that talk to you as well as to each other.

Connection means creating appliances that connect you with your world. That speaks volumes to me. I love my current thermostat which I can control with my smartphone. Not only does it save me money by lowering the temperature when I'm not home, I can turn it on remotely with my phone once I know I'm on my way home. In cold Boston, it's very, very nice to come home to a nicely heated house.

At CES, Whirlpool will be featuring some concept appliances that do just that - talk to each other and also to your smartphone. Just imagine how much easier life would be if you had information and control over your appliances at the tip of your fingers anytime.

I can't wait to learn more about it.

Expression
Imagine . . appliances designed to reflect each person's unique style

Expression is about having appliances that are customized to your individual style. Why should handbags, cell phone cases, and cars have all the fun? It's about time that boring appliances get an upgrade in style. I've always enjoyed funky furniture, novelty kitchen appliances, and unusual office supplies. I like being different, so having customizeable appliances totally makes sense to me. It would be fun to pick the color, design, and other features of an appliance, if possible.

Whirlpool is featuring several things at CES including 1) MaxArt Microwaves, colorful, expressive microwaves designed by two Mexican artists using graffiti techniques and 2) Designer Duets - a washer and dryer customizeable with a huge array of colors and designs.

Giveaway #1!
Throughout the week of CES, consumers will have the chance to win a custom laundry pair of their own with the You Be The Designer Sweepstakes.

Create your perfect Duet® Design and enter for a chance to win a new Duet® Washer and Dryer
One winner picked daily during CES wins a new Duet® washer and dryer
One lucky grand-prize-winner takes home the very first Duet® Designer pair from Whirlpool®

To enter the sweepstakes, click here.

Innovation
Imagine . . . the coolest technology you can dream up applied to your everyday appliances

Innovation very important for any company that relies on technology. Although it's true that most appliances rely on basic, fundamental technology to work, there are still many ways in which our lives could be made so much easier with more innovative solutions.

Whirlpool will be featuring a concept of their Interactive Cooktop, a flat surface on which you can cook anywhere as well as interact with social media, look up recipes, and manage appointments all on one device. I think I have to see this to decide how useful it is, though I do admit that I do use my iPad a lot right now when I'm in the kitchen - mostly to look up recipes!

They will also be featuring CoolVox™, a refrigerator that can play music using bluetooth technology, which can be controlled using a smartphone.

If you want to learn more and/or can't make it out to Vegas next week, free to browse Whirlpool's CES website, which will be constantly updated throughout CES (January 7-11). You can also check in here, where I will be writing at least a couple more posts once I'm there in Vegas.

Of course, even if you're not in the market for appliances right now, I'll also be blogging (or at least posting photos on Instagram, Facebook, or Google Plus) about all my Vegas eats, so definitely stick around.

Hope you're enjoying 2014 so far!

Giveaway #2!

Since Whirlpool 20/20 is all about a future focused on you, we, want to hear your ideas for it. Sharing a comment below, tell us your idea for the future for your home and be entered to win a $1,000 grand prize.

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
BlogHer will pool entries from participating blogs and select a sweepstakes winner at random and will contact the winner with details about fulfilling the prize.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 1/2/14 – 1/18/14.

Disclaimer: this blog post is sponsored by Whirlpool

January 1, 2014 Boston

Happy New Year! Reflecting on 2013

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2014. To be honest, sometimes I can't believe we're so far into this decade. Time has been whizzing by ever since I graduated from law school (and started this food blog!), and sometimes I can't believe the blog is that old.

Anyway, it's been quite a whirlwind of a year here at Tiny Urban Kitchen. Bryan and I traveled quite a bit this past year, and most of it is summarized in great detail on the blog.

I spent quite a bit of time this New Years Day looking back at 2013. and I'm kind of shocked at how much happened. Though time felt like it flew by, I'm also stunned at how much stuff we did.

Clearly when you're busy, you don't notice it all whizzing by you.

Here's my attempt at summarizing this crazy year.

Enjoy!

Traveling Eats

1. Japan
We rang in the new year halfway through my Japan series. It's hard to pick a favorite (food is so amazing in Japan, in general), but some of the more memorable posts would include the beautiful "best steak I've had in my life - Bryan Che" Wagyu steak at Ukai-Tei, homemade soba from our favorite authentic Japanese soba spot, and sushi at the difficult-to-book 2-Star Michelin restaurant Sushi Sawada.
Of course, the culmination of that entire trip had to be our visit to Sukiyabashi Jiro - we finally had an opportunity to be served by the revered sushi master himself. The experience was surreal, to say the least. It felt like we were living the movie, familiar yet completely foreign.

The sushi was as good as you might expect, though we didn't necessarily think it was better than our other favorite, Sushi Mizutani (Jiro's protege who also makes appearances in the movie).

2. Las Vegas

We took our annual trip to Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronic Show. It was a memorable Las Vegas trip, to say the least. We managed to get reservations at the whimsical and fun e by Jose Andres, where we enjoyed one of our favorite meals of the trip. We also had a delightful dinner at Le Cirque, where we probably had our first tasting of A5 Wagyu beef ever in the U.S.

But the craziest clincher? We randomly ran into President Clinton at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesar's Palace. No joke. We were as shocked as anybody. We had gone early (11:30am) since my friends were bringing their newborn along. Clinton walked in (with about 8 other people), said hi to us, and proceeded to sit at the table not too far from us. It was unbelievable.

Here's a fuzzy picture to prove it.

3. Thailand

In March I traveled to Thailand for the first time in my life and I absolutely loved it. The people are super friendly, the city of Bangkok itself is fascinating, and the food is phenomenal.

We tried some incredible street food, such as the most famous pad Thai in the country, the best drunken noodles I've ever had in my life, and seriously tasty street food that was different from anything I'd ever had before.

In Bangkok I took a couple cooking classes where I learned so much about Thai cooking. It was super fun (and not too expensive at all!). I've shared every single recipe from those courses on this blog. To see all the recipes, click here and scroll down to the Thailand section.

Finally, I wrote a series of posts on some of the excellent "fancier" restaurants we tried in Thailand, such as the crazy high SkyBar (world's largest open air bar) where you can enjoy cocktails while looking out on Bangkok, or Nahm, number 32 on S. Pellegrino's 50 Best Restaurants in the world; Number 3 on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list).

4. London

April was a bittersweet month. Though I was fortunate enough to visit (and eat) in London with Bryan (and even meet up with another friend), our trip was most certainly clouded by the Boston bombings that occurred while we were there. It was an eerie reminder of 9/11 for me over a decade ago, when I was also in Europe, helplessly watching the devastation unfold in the U.S.

I responded by not only sharing my own feelings about the bombings, but also writing a tribute post to Boston, highlighting my favorite restaurants there. It has since become one of the most shared posts.

5. Vermont

After returning to Boston, I took a short trip to beautiful Vermont, where I spent two days learning how to bake at King Arthur Flour's Baking Education Center. I'm working on eventually sharing with you all the wonderful tips I learned. For now, I've written just one post - how to make the perfect whole wheat scone.

6. Utah & Yellowstone National Park

In June we met up with Bryan's parents to visit Utah (his parents' old stomping grounds) before heading to Yellowstone National Park. I was mesmerized by the bubbling sulfurous lakes, plethora of shooting geysers, vast wildlife, and sweeping majestic mountains. It's utterly unreal how much beauty is packed into such a "small" area. A week wasn't enough, and I can't wait to go back and explore some more.

7. Seattle

Summer was a season for weddings, and we traveled quite a bit for these out-of-town weddings. At the end of June we did a weekend jaunt to Seattle, where we managed to slip in a fantastic dinner at How to Cook a Wolf (not to mention bring home an entire Copper River King salmon from Pike Place Market!).

8. Washington D.C.

In July we visited Washington D.C., where we did classic touristy things like watch the fireworks at the National Mall and visit the various free museums (though I must say, I prefer Boston's fireworks!). Our favorite meal by far was the magical experience at minibar (another by Jose Andres!).

9. Cape Cod

On a last minute whim (after finding out we were not scheduled to play in the music team at church), we decided to head down to Cape Cod for a weekend, somewhere Bryan had never visited. We covered much of the island by bicycle, my favorite bike trail being the Shining Sea bikepath which connects Falmouth to Woods Hole. We devoured the best oysters we'd ever tasted right in Wellfleet, had incredible fried seafood at Mac's Shack, and took tons of photos of the beautiful cape.

10. Sonoma Valley

In early September we took an unforgettable anniversary trip to Sonoma Valley. We cycled throughout the vineyards, tasted dozens of seriously incredible wines at Sonoma County Wine Weekend, and enjoyed some fantastic food. On our actual anniversary day, we met the owner of Kamen Winery, who took us on a stunning personal sunset tour of his vineyard. It was breathtakingly beautiful, a once-in-a-lifetime experience I will never forget.

11. Martha's Vineyard

In October we visited Martha's Vineyard off-season. It was not only beautiful, peaceful, and quiet, we had a chance to also enjoy the Martha's Vineyard Food and Wine Festival, where we tried a bunch of great wines as well as sample delicious little bites from O Ya, Craigie on Main, and Tremont 647.

12. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka

In October we also visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, a blog series I've just begun and still have a ways to go! For the first time, we did not go alone. Instead, we went with two of our friends who had never been to Japan. We brought them to all of our favorite places (plus many, many new places - everything from ramen to 3-star Michelin kaiseki cuisine).

13. New York City

In November we visited New York City over Thanksgiving, where we watched the Macy's Parade (boy was it cold standing outside for 3 hours!), enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving meal at Daniel Boulud's flagship restaurant, and had what Bryan calls "the best fried chicken I've ever had in my life" from David Chang's Momofuku Ma Peche. Those posts will hopefully be coming sometime in 2014!

14. Los Angeles

And then, just like that, December was upon us. We traveled to Los Angeles (Bryan's hometown) where I of course had my Din Tai Fung fix, my potsticker & handmade noodles fix, plus a visit to Little Tokyo.

In some ways the year felt like it flew by. Yet as I look back, I realize that a lot of stuff happened. I guess when you're busy you don't even notice the time flying by.

I need to remember to sit back and just soak it all in.

It's most certainly been one a heck of a year.

Before I sign off, I did want to share with you some of my favorite cooking/baking posts, as well as some of my favorite Boston restaurants that I discovered this year.

Cooking + Baking

I had tons of fun making these Chili Chocolate Domos (so cute!) and the extremely popular (not to mention easy and addictively delicious) matcha mochi cupcakes.

Spring was a great time to make all sorts of seasonal-inspired dishes, such as ramps pesto, garlic scapes pesto, as well as anything with asparagus and peas. Summer was the perfect time to experiment with my farm share, where I ended up making lots of healthy veggie stew with my pressure cooker. Winter I often turn to my pressure cooker, where I've made hearty and comfort type dishes such as this lamb osso buco or this delicious French Lentil Soup. We also often just pan fry Copper River King salmon (see above), grill Costco prime steak, or make noodles. I roasted a lot of farm share veggies this past year!

Favorite New Boston Restaurants Discoveries
Though I do travel a fair amount, most of my time is still spent here in my hometown of Cambridge, MA. We discovered lots of fantastic restaurants this year.

We were sad to see David Punch leave Ten Tables Cambridge last year, However, we were super impressed with his new restaurant Sycamore in Newton, which is certainly a valuable addition to the neighborhood. We had a delightful meal at Lumiere, thanks to a gift certificate from Bryan's co-worker. My friends and I also loved our girls night out where we sat at the chef's counter at 80 Thoreau.

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of talent that exists in the pop-up world. Bryan and I enjoyed a creative, whimsical, and sophisticated tasting menu at Whisk at 351 as well as an impressive blow-you-away 9-course tasting menu at the Dining Alternative.

We checked out the highly anticipated Kirkland Tap & Trotter, which most certainly lives up to the hype. Other new restaurants, such as Tavern Road and the soon-to-be-open Alden & Harlow, have solid offerings from experienced chef-owners who really care about the food they produce.

A few good-bys

We bid farewell to some longtime Boston institutions, such as Radius (and their famous burger!) as well as Upstairs on the Square, one of our longtime favorite outdoor dining spots in the summer. We will really miss these places, and look forward to what they might be bringing next.

All in all, it's been a crazy year, but I'm loving every moment of it.

Here's to a great 2014.

Happy New Year to you all!

December 31, 2013 Japan

Omen (udon)

This is the sixth post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, and Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street), and Ryugin.

The first time I ever visited Kyoto was in high school with my mom and my sister. I don't remember too much from that trip except for a few things.

1. It cost a lot of money to visit each of the temples, so we limited ourselves to just a handful
2. There was a cool looking temple covered in gold that was worth the 500 yen entrance fee
3. We dressed up in yukata (Japanese robes) and stayed in a ryokan (Japanese traditional inn)

I had absolutely no recollection of the food.

Obviously I had to rectify that on this second trip.

In a lot of ways, Kyoto feels like a completely different world than Tokyo. Instead of the bright lights, crowded streets, and ultra-modern technology that define Tokyo, stunning Japanese gardens and beautiful temples are heart and soul of Kyoto.

It's a zen oasis away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

This ancient city was the capital of imperial Japan for over a thousand years. It is richly full of the history that made it what it is today.

There are countless temples, shrines, and gardens to visit in Kyoto. The Japanese are meticulous about keeping these historic buildings and the surrounding grounds immaculate.

It is a pleasure to visit these beautiful, extremely well-kept grounds.

One of the most famous sites in Kyoto is Ginkaku-ji, or Temple of the Silver Pavilion. Originally built as a place for the Shogun to rest, this Zen temple is most famous for its elaborate sand gardens (pictured above) and the famous two-story temple.
Silver Pavillion

Yoshimasa, the shogun who built this temple, had intended for it to be covered in silver foil. However, due to various delays in construction (partly due to a war, among other things), Yoshimasa died without ever seeing it completed. The temple still stands today in that unfinished state.

A popular place to have lunch while visiting Ginkaku-ji is Omen, a fantastic, reasonably priced udon restaurant that is a super short walk away from the zen temple. I would recommend making a reservation, since lines can get very long during lunchtime (see photo above!).

We made reservations through our hotel. Although there was a bit of a mix-up when we first arrived (we were told after showing up that the restaurant did not take reservations), we eventually found someone who spoke better English who also was able to confirm our reservation.

Omen has all sorts of udon as well as appetizers on the menu.

We decided to start with a fun mochi appetizer, which consisted of three different kinds of mochi on a stick. My memory is starting to escape me, but I believe the one on the left was black sesame was a savory, red miso paste; the middle one was topped with white miso, and the right one was a green tea mochi with the same red miso.

We also enjoyed tiny, tiny potatoes on a toothpick as well as a maple leaf shaped rice cake.

Of course, the star of the show is the udon. You can choose warm or cold noodles, depending on the weather outside and what you feel like. All the components of an udon dish are served separately.

Separating the noodles from the soup is an especially good idea because the noodles don't get soggy too quickly.

Roasted sesame seeds are provided along with a mortar & pestle, allowing you to grind them and add them to your soup as you like.

Their signature dish, the Omen Udon, is actually a vegetarian dish that consists of udon (warm or cold), a soy-based dipping broth, and an assortment of local, seasonal Kyoto vegetables that are either boiled or pickled. On my plate, I had boiled eggplant, scallions, Japanese ginger, ginger, cabbage, daikon, and burdock (gobo).

Bryan ordered a Roasted Duck Udon, which came with three slices of perfectly cooked duck as well as a hot soy based broth filled with scallions (see above picture). The flavors were fine, though this one did not particularly stand out.

My personal favorite broth of the night came with an autumn special, Matsutake, a gorgeously fragrant mushroom that is only available in the fall. Because matsutake mushrooms are so expensive, this bowl was significantly more expensive than all the other dishes (closer to $30 versus the others, which were in the $12 - $15 range).

Oh but it was so worth it.

Looking back at all the ways in which I enjoyed matsutake mushrooms during our trip, I think this particular preparation was one of my favorites. It really brought out the umami and richness of the matsutake mushroom flavors into the broth. I felt like I was making the most of the mushrooms by enjoying their delicious flavors continually with each spoonful of soup.

My friend ordered the Tempura Udon which came with a side of vegetable and shrimp tempura. It was good, but again nothing particularly over the top compared to top tempura places. Of course, the noodles themselves were still fantastic.

All in all, we had a fantastic meal at Omen and the total bill was quite reasonable. I think we spent around $85 for a party of four, which isn't too bad considering the quality of the food, the fun ambiance, and the proximity to one of the biggest tourist sites in Kyoto.

It's not a surprise at all that this place is so popular.

December 25, 2013 Tidbits

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all are having a wonderfully blessed day. I'm trying my best to appreciate and remember everything around me - laughter with family, the magical lights decorating the city, and everyone's general good cheer. Sometimes in the busyness of it all, we forget to soak it all in.

Bryan and I have been enjoying the warm sunshine in Bryan's hometown in Southern California. After an exhausting (but totally fun) day in Disneyland (we stayed from 9AM to midnight right after arriving from the East Coast - talk about jetlag!), we've been seeing lots of family, friends, and also enjoying some good eats.

Like a stop at my favorite dumpling restaurant in L.A.

Or some fantastic seafood from Rowland Heights.

Sushi from Little Tokyo.

And my first time trying shaved "snow"!

Mochi egg tarts, anyone? (from one of Taiwan's most popular bakeries which transplated to California).

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

December 23, 2013 Recipe

Carrot "Fries"

I am swimming in carrots.My CSA, Siena Farms, had an extremely healthy season for carrots. It was immensely fun - throughout the weeks we tried all different varieties of carrots: purple ones, yellow ones, orange ones, Mokum carrots, Laguna carrots, Bolero carrots, and more.Even though my CSA deliveries technically ended on November 18th (more than a month ago), I am still finishing up the bounty that I received those last few weeks.

Thankfully, winter vegetables can be stored for quite some time, so I've been able to slowly drag out my last few shares of crops. In fact, I've been making tons of velvety blended butternut squash soup (a fantastic umami version where I add bacon and mushroom essence to my standard recipe), roasting winter squash, making beautiful salads with my watermelon radish, and roasting purple cabbage with bacon (delicious, by the way).

I still had tons of carrots left, so I experimented with food "art" using some of my fatter carrots. Yes, that is a Totoro carrot. Hee hee, I had lots of fun making all sorts of character-based dishes for my birthday (see entire themed meal here).

But even after that, I still had carrots left.

I guess the bounty was so plentiful, even I had trouble finishing it all.

So I started roasting them in the oven with just a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

They turned out to be absolutely amazing. They sort of remind me of a healthy version of sweet potato fries. They are sweet and almost creamy on the inside, yet nice and crispy on the outside. The roasting caramelizes the sugar inside the carrot, intensifying the flavors. Honestly, I find them quite addictive.

Even though I had planned on trying the complicated (yet supposedly incredible) Modernist Cuisine at Home version of carrot soup, I ended up using up all my carrots making these fun carrot "fries."

These make a great snack and can be made in small portions in the convection toaster oven, which is what I do a lot (I love my convection toaster oven, which heats up really fast!). I just chop up a few carrots, throw them in the convection toaster oven (which only takes like 3-4 minutes to warm up to 450 degrees!), and within 20 minutes, I have myself some amazing carrots fries.

The smaller you cut your fries, the shorter the cooking time. I find it took about 20-25 minutes to make reasonable thick ¼ to ⅓ inch fries. I would totally consider trying to bake thinner, "shoestring" fries, which might only take like 10 minutes. My biggest piece of advice is not to stray too far from the oven, because these DO burn and they aren't that good once they are blackened beyond recognition. 🙂

Carrot Fries
3-4 Carrots, cut about ¼ inch thick, 2-3 inches long (like fries)
~ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat convection toaster oven (or normal oven) on the convection bake setting to 450º F. Cut up carrots into sticks that are as similar as possible in width and length. This ensures even cooking. If you have really small carrots, you can roast them whole. Toss with enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the carrots (about 1 tablespoon). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roast for about 20-25 minutes, checking the oven after about 10 minutes to stir the fries (in case your oven does not heat evenly).

When the fries are golden brown and slightly crisp remove and eat right away.

Enjoy!

December 16, 2013 Japan

Ryugin

This is the fifth post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (soba), Sushi Iwa, and Ramen Honda (Tokyo Ramen Street).

There are some restaurants that are so universally well-known, so full of accolades, so full of respect from other people that I already respect - they are bound to make it onto the "bucket list."

I believe Ryugin falls into that category.

This restaurant is bursting at the seams with top awards. It holds the number two spot on S. Pellegrino's "Fifty Best Restaurants in Asia" list and number 22 on the "50 Best Restaurants in the World" list. The restaurant boasts three Michelin stars - the highest honor - and the chef, Seiji Yamamoto, is well respected by some of the most famous chefs in the world.

Chef Yamamoto is trained in the traditional art of Japanese kaiseki yet possesses a fervent passion and skill for modern "molecular" techniques. He wowed the likes of Ferran Adrià, Joel Robuchon, and Wylie Dufresne in 2012 at Madrid Fusion, an annual chefs' conference showcasing the newest technology in food, where he silkscreened QRC codes onto plates using squid ink and demonstrated how he made "liquid ice."

Ferran Adrià calls Yamamoto "one of the most important chefs in Japan", an extreme honor coming from someone who himself experiments at the far edge of innovative food technology.
I sometimes wonder at the timing of this meal for me. You see, up to this point I had never tried a real traditional Japanese kaiseki meal. I had most certainly had my fair share of meals that made use of modern technology, such as at Tapas Molecular Bar and at the various Jose Andres restaurants. However, I'd never experienced it in the form of a kaiseki.

Nevertheless, this was our first serious meal in Japan after our soba adventure straight off the plane and our first sushi lunch. I was definitely intrigued and curious to see what a meal at such a well respected place would be like.

The restaurant has just one tasting menu, called the "Autumn Gastronomy Menu" while I was there. There are about 10-12 seasonally-inspired courses as well as a few signature favorites. They have recently added an a la carte option (a great way to sample the food without getting the entire tasting menu!). You can only make same day reservations, and reservations runs between 9PM and 10:30PM.

Service was pleasant and the space is warm and cozy. The theme of the decor is clearly dragons (and almost feels a bit Chinese). The name "Ryugin" is inspired by a Zen poem that describes a powerful dragon. There were dragon paintings on the wall and dragon designs on the plates and coasters. Our server was (surprise!) a woman who had just moved from France about two years ago. Her husband was a pastry chef in Japan (there are phenomenal bakeries in Japan), and she spoke fluent Japanese and English.

The food is meant to evoke and touch multiple senses, not just the tongue. The menu titles reflect this philosophy, with language that is whimsical and dream-like, evoking a general sense of fantasy.

Beginning with a variety of Sensations - Seasonality, Aroma, Temperature, Texture, and Assemblage

We started with a salad made from a variety of very local seasonal vegetables. All ingredients are first cooked separately and then mixed together to ensure a good mix of textures and flavors. This salad consisted of water chestnuts, Shitake mushrooms, blanched greens, bean sprouts, spongy bamboo hearts, vegetables pickled in red wine vinegar, and crispy chips all tossed together in a beautifully fragrant pine nut dressing.

I loved the unusual ingredients, textural contrast, and fantastic flavors. It was a great way to begin the meal.

We then move onto Swimming Crab and Steamed Abalone, a delicate stack of extremely fresh crab meat and abalone topped with an apple vinegar jelly and finely grated ginger. This "stack" was presented dramatically inside of a huge shell. All the ingredients were top notch - sweet, tender crab meat and fresh, chewy abalone, though I found the flavor combination to be a bit underwhelming. It just didn't quite work for me.

The final course in this series was called Egg Custard with Savory Fried Milt. It was a piece of warm, creamy fish roe deep fried and served in a delicate egg custard. The flavors and texture were excellent, though they did not necessarily blow me away.

~ Philosophy on the Ichiban Dashi ~ Taste of the Wind that Captures a Moment.

The next course consisted of a charboiled Kinki Fish (also known as thornyhead rockfish) and grilled eggplant in a clear broth. I loved the deep, smoky flavors from the grilled eggplant and the fish, and the crisp, fresh, young Japanese ginger shaved on top offered the perfect contrast to the rich umami of the rest of the dish.

~ A Message From the Coast of Japan ~ Richness of the Sea, Tidal Current

We gasped when the next course came - it was so artfully and meticulously plated. This is a signature dish at Ryugin and varies each day depending on that day's available fresh ingredients from the ocean. Here they are in detail:

A perfect slice of fresh hirame (flounder) came topped with yuzu paste and thinly sliced green onions.

Kinmadai (Golden Eye Snapper) came with daikon and wasabi while the Ika (squid) was cut into thin slivers and served with a yuzu sauce. The squid was chewy and almost crunchy in texture.

Ebodai (butterfish) came topped with a delicately flavored soy jelly which worked together beautifully. A generous piece of Ankimo (monkfish liver) was topped with chrysanthamum flowers.

One of my favorite fish, Bonito (skipjack tuna) was gorgeously smoked and richly full of flavor. Finally, a small little cup in the middle was filled with abalone cream and topped with Ikura (salmon roe).

~ Binchotan ~ A Power Scent of Charcoal Grill

I love the smoky fragrance that comes from food that has been cooked on a nice, hot charcoal grill. This excellent dish consisted of charcoal grilled sea perch topped with a roasted rice and black vinegar layer. It's meant to be a playful variation on sushi, where the rice is usually underneath the fish. Here the rice is crispy and laid on top. Off to the side, an avocado slice is topped with some pickled vegetables. A grilled Matsutake mushroom slice (an autumn seasonal specialty) and chestnut "snow" plus a gingko nut complete the autumn-inspired dish.

I'm a huge fan of Matsutake mushrooms so it was easy for me to love this dish. I also really enjoyed the crispy rice and the textural "crunch" it offered to counter the soft perch.

~ A Sealed Dedication under the Lid ~ Exquisiteness, Sincerity of Japan

I loved this next dish: a single dumpling made out of Kuruma ebi (Japanese imperial prawn) sat in a daikon and yuzu flavored broth. Although the flavors were subtle, they were beautifully rich, complex, and balanced at the same time. It was one of my favorites.

~ Diverse History of Wagyu ~ Grassfed Free-Range Akage Beef from Tosa

The next several dishes were served at the same time: the season's "new rice", red miso soup made with shrimp stock, and house made pickles which were subtly flavored - not at all tart or too salty.

The grass-fed free range Akage, one of the four breeds of Wagyu known as Japanese Brown, was cooked "Charcoal Sukiyaki style" and took center spotlight. "Sukiyaki" is typically cooked as a hot pot in a soup flavored with soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Here, I'm guessing the beef was marinated in those flavors before being chargrilled.

On top was a crispy poached egg . . .

. . . which broke open to reveal runny yolk that you could mix together with the rest of the dish.

After we finished the decadent beef, our server stopped by and asked us "are you still hungry? Would you like extra courses?"

Frankly, I was stuffed, but my friend agreed to add on another course. A few moments later, the most vivid and colorful fried rice I've ever seen came out. Purple cabbage, seasonal greens, sancho peppers (Sichuan peppers), and small bits of some sort of meat (it reminded me of Chinese pork sung, actually) were the main ingredients in this fancy fried rice.

We all tasted a bit. We agreed it was pretty good, though nothing particularly special. Compared to the previous dishes, it was rather simple in both flavor and preparation.

~ Lusciousness ~ Coolness, Warmth, Playful Spirits, Nostalgia, and Temptation

This dessert is one of Ryugin's signature dishes, and it's not hard to see why. A tiny "candy pear"- which looks like a delicate ornament or piece of art - is placed right in front of you.

The server than places a spoonful of compressed pear and watermelon cubes.

I tap at the pear a few times with my spoon, and it breaks open, exploding pear powder all around. It's a fascinating (and delicious) dessert to experience - everything from the intense pear flavored cubes to the cold crunchy candied shell and the dry powder - it's really unusual and probably unlike any dessert you've ever had before.

The second dessert was equally delicious, though perhaps not as dramatic. A study of the flavors of sake both hot and cold, we enjoyed two different interpretations of Japanese sake.

On the left we had Sake Ice Cream. It's hard to describe it except to say that it really tasted like sake without being at all "boozy" or alcoholic. It captured the wheat flavors of sake perfectly. I loved it.

On the right we had a Sake Souffle with mochi and red bean at the bottom of the box-like container.

The souffle itself was fantastic - it was warm, super soft (almost creamy!) and had a lovely sake flavor as well. I enjoyed both immensely.

Sincerely for you . . .

Finally, at the end of the meal, we all had a bowl of matcha made the traditional way. This involves using a special match whisk to blend matcha powder together with hot water to make the creamy, foamy matcha you see pictured above.

A final finishing "popcorn" ginseng oolong tea from Taiwan was a perfect, clean finish to an excellent meal.

The Details
The restaurant is open daily from 6PM to 1AM, and you can only make reservations within the same month as the date on which you want to dine (e.g., book on October 1st if you want to eat in the month of October). For foreigners, they request that you make reservations through your hotel concierge. There is a steep cancellation fee of 20,000 yen ($200 USD!) per person if you don't show up.

There is only one menu, the tasting menu, which costs 23,000 yen per person (about $230). A nice way to access just a taste of Ryugin's dishes without breaking the bank is to try to reserve dinner after 9PM. At this time, the a la carte menu is available, which means you don't have to order the entire tasting menu. A la carte reservations can only be made same-day, or you can try walking in as well.
Overall Thoughts
This was our first nice meal (and first ever kaiseki) in Japan, so in some ways we weren't sure what expect. Ryugin does incorporate many aspects of a traditional kaiseki meal, such as the inclusion of sashimi and hot dishes as well as the meticulous focus on artistry, seasonality, and locality of ingredients. However, Ryugin veers quite a bit from a traditional kaiseki in its use of modern cooking techniques (liquid nitrogen, "snow" made from chestnuts) as well is its other European style influences (runny egg yolks, European-style desserts, and wine pairings).

Our server was actually a woman from France, and the overall ambiance and experience felt more Western than Japanese. We sat at regular tables (no tatami mats!), spoke English, and found ourselves surrounded mostly by foreigners.

Overall the food was very good, though there were several restaurants that we liked better than this one from this trip. My favorite dishes here were the Seasonal Vegetable Salad (at the beginning), the Kuruma Ebi soup, the Chargrilled Perch & Matsutake Mushroom, and the Sake Desserts (though the Candy Pear dessert comes a close second!). I'd consider returning again during A La Carte hours to have a dessert or maybe sample one or two of the dishes. It may be a long time before I come back for another full-fledged tasting, however.

Sources: Food and Wine and Food Sake Tokyo

December 15, 2013 Uncategorized

The Perfect Whole Wheat Scone (basic recipe)

Oh the weather outside is frightful . . .

As I am sitting here at home watching our first major snowstorm arrive (they say 6-10 inches), I'm surprised that I am actually looking forward to the snowstorm. There's something about inclement weather that forces me (or likely many of us) to stop, slow down, and take a deep breath.

This time of year is always really, really hectic. When I was a student there were always exams, final projects, and then the mad dash to pack and fly home for the holidays. As I got older, the exams were replaced by end-of-year work deadlines, holiday parties, and just the general hustle and bustle of activity.

It takes a major winter snowstorm to slow me down.

Once it snows, things close. Other things get canceled. And all of a sudden, expectations change.

It's OK just to sit at home.

Reflect.

Maybe organize those kitchen cabinets you never had time to look at.

Or bake.

Here's a classic recipe I learned at a two-day baking seminar at King Arthur Flour's Baking Education Center in Vermont.

It's a whole wheat scone that is surprisingly moist and flavorful. It's really, really good even though it's made with whole wheat flour.

And it just might be the perfect thing to make on a snowy, snowy Sunday afternoon.

First, we start by "cutting" the unsalted butter into the dry ingredients. According to our instructor, it's better to use unsalted butter because it's typically more fresh. Furthermore, it's better to have finer control over the salt level by adding it yourself.

"Cake or Flake"
There are two "stopping points" when you cut butter. If you want a more flaky scone, cut the butter so that the butter "bits" are about pea-sized. If you prefer a more cake-like scone, cut the butter even more until it's crumbly - almost sandy. The flour will look almost damp.

If you don't like manual labor, you can also do this in a food processor. Just make sure to freeze the butter beforehand.
Now add your mix-ins! In my case I added dried cherries. You can also add chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, crystallized ginger . . . really, it's up to you.

Whisk together the buttermilk and egg yolk (the liquids) and stir them into the dry mixture until a dough forms.

The addition of an acid (such as buttermilk) activates the baking soda, allowing carbon dioxide to be released which helps the dough rise.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently and quickly knead. You don't want to overwork it. Too much time and agitation can result in a tough scone.

Once everything is nicely mixed, pat the dough into a flat disk about 7 inches across and cut it into wedges.
Transfer the disk to a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. For crispier scones, separate the wedges; for softer, higher rising scones, leave them in the circle.

Brush the tops of the scones with the egg whites.

Optionally sprinkle with sparkling white sugar.

Bake the scones in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 to 27 minutes, inspecting halfway through to turn the pan.

Remove the scones from the oven when they're light, golden brown and cool them on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Pictured: fellow bloggers from the workshop: Brandy from Nutmeg Nanny, Rebecca from Foodie with Family, Tara from Ladies Home Journal, and Audra from The Baker Chick.

Whole Wheat Scones
source: King Arthur's Flour

Ingredients
2 cups (8 ounces) King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
2 tablespoons (⅞ ounce) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter
¾ cup (6 ounces) buttermilk
1 egg yolk (save the white for topping the scones)
½ cup dried fruit (optional)
Sparkling white sugar

Recipe
• Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

• Cut in the butter with a pastry blender.

• Whisk together the buttermilk and egg yolk and stir into the dry mixture until a dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and gently and quickly knead in the optional dried fruit.

• Pat the dough into a flat disk about 7 inches across and cut it into wedges.

• Transfer the disk to a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. For crispier scones, separate the wedges; for softer, higher rising scones, leave them in the circle.

• Brush the tops of the scones with the egg white and sprinkle with sparkling white sugar. Bake them in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 to 27 minutes, inspecting at midpoint to admire and turn.

• Remove the scones from the oven when they're light, golden brown and cool them on a wire rack.

Disclaimer - King Arthur Flour paid for the cost of the two-day baking workshop and lodging in Vermont

December 7, 2013 Boston

Is it December already? Where I ate in Boston in November

Happy December!

Time surely does fly, doesn't it? Can you believe 2013 is almost over?

I feel like I've been neglecting Boston for awhile, between all my Japan posts, Sonoma posts, and then the recent nod to New York. It almost appears as if I'm never at home . . . which is so not true.

In fact, I've actually eaten at a lot of really cool places this past month. I've also had some fun here and there cooking. I've pretty much stayed anchored in Boston this whole month.

So what were some of my more memorable or interesting meals?

Puritan & Co recently celebrated its first birthday. This restaurant is such a part of the Boston dining scene now, it's hard to imagine that it did not exist a year ago. Kudos to Chef Will Gilson and his team for their amazing success. I visited in early November (after almost half a year!) and had great fun trying some fall-inspired dishes, such as the lovely colorful beets pictured above as well as some of my favorites, such as Chef Gilson's swordfish pastrami.

I used to eat at Cafe Sushi in Cambridge all the time. They had this great $1 sushi deal on Sundays, and since it was only a 3-4 minute walk from our home, we went all the time. They got rid of that deal in June of 2011 and we moved out of the neighborhood in August 2011, so I stopped going there.

Just recently I returned and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The specials board had a nice variety of interesting fish to try (many from Japan!). They also offered more interesting nigiri pieces with additional elements such as yuzu kosho, basil oil, smoked salt, or shiso. Yes, the prices have gone up since the $1 sushi days, but I think the quality and creativity has improved as well. My friends and I went twice in one week, and we all unanimously agreed that we liked it better than our recent visit to Oishii, which used to be one of our favorites.

When Bryan's away on business, my friends and I take the opportunity to visit restaurants that Bryan wouldn't normally want to visit (such as Indian or Korean cuisine - notice the dearth of those types of restaurants on this blog? There's a reason). Ironically, we ended up eating at a Korean restaurant (Koreana in Central Square, Cambridge) while Bryan was eating authentic Korean food in Korea. The food was solid at Koreana, and (as always) I loved the banchan.

Why can't other cuisine adopt this wonderful practice of giving free little bites at the beginning of the meal?

I met several other food bloggers at a fantastic media dinner at Foundry on Elm where we tried out the new fall menu. Full post to follow!

Bryan's workplace is only 4 miles away from Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe. I always try to get him to bring back noodles for me on his way home from work. Sadly, I have yet to see any noodles come home.

Hmph.

However, a few weekends ago Bryan had to go to work to pick up something, so we ended up visiting Gene's for dinner. The place was packed at 5PM. I swear, that place is never empty.

Though I was super disappointed that my favorite dish, the cold noodles, were sold out, we did get to try a new menu item - the lamb hand pulled noodles, which were very good. Of course, we ordered the spicy hand pulled noodles as well as the lamb stew, classic favorites of mine.

My birthday is halfway through the month of November. Bryan had gone on a long business trip to Asia but made sure to come back in time for my birthday. We had a phenomenal dinner at Uni Sashimi Bar thanks to Chef Tony Messina, who came on as executive chef just a little over a year ago.

We were blown away by Tony's mastery of flavors as well as artistry on a plate.

One of my friends has a birthday just a week after mine, so we did a joint celebration at Menton, where we finally got to try Kristen Kish's new menu (as well as meet her briefly). Our friends had tried her food just a month earlier and loved it, and thus wanted to take us there. It was a lovely meal - definitely look out for a post in the not-so-distant future.

For my birthday, I decided it would be fun to have a character inspired meal full of some of my favorite Japanese characters. You can see a Domokun cake, Domokun Taiwanese meat sauce, Totoro soba noodles, and a Totoro carrot with a Domokun kohlrabi.

Finally, on all those nights I wasn't eating out (I never eat out alone, which means I cook at home a lot when Bryan's away on business), I made lots and lots of veggie soup. I had received so much root vegetables in my farm share from Siena Farms, it was the easiest (and super tasty!) way to use them up.

The best part? The vegetable soup (with barley and bacon!) tasted fantastic and only took 10 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker (did I tell you I'm in love with my pressure cooker?).

Perfect on a cold, autumn night.

To finish off this Boston-focused post, here are two more lists that I made for Foodie.com.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I received compensation for creating these lists. The contents of the lists are completely my own opinion.

December 5, 2013 New York

A New York Thanksgiving

It's been almost three years since Bryan and I had a traditional, American Thanksgiving dinner (something he grew up eating every year!). That was back in 2010, when we enjoyed a traditional turkey dinner at Upstairs on the Square, one of Boston's most well known Thanksgiving dinners.

In 2011, I ended up cooking an Asian twist on the traditional Thanksgiving meal for the first time, complete with oven roasted duck, Chinese sticky rice "stuffing", and kabocha pumpkin mochi cake. In 2012, we went on a three week trip to Australia and New Zealand with Bryan's family, and thus ended up celebrating an American holiday as foreigners in Sydney, Australia.

This year, sort of on a last minute whim (I had some free hotel coupons I had to use up), we decided to travel to New York City over Thanksgiving weekend.

I know, I know - I'm not done with the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka series yet (I promise I will get back to it really, really soon), but I just wanted to share with you a preview of our New York trip, including some fantastic eats we enjoyed.

We purposely booked an earlier flight in order to make it to New York in time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Little did we know that our flight would leave Boston right in the middle of a terrible storm that had already wrecked havoc for travelers in other parts of the U.S.

Thankfully our flight was uneventful (except for the fact that no one - not even the flight attendants - could get up during the bumpy flight). We arrived into New York on a rainy Wednesday afternoon.

Rumors were flying all over the place that the balloons might not fly during the parade due to high winds, so I insisted that we make a special trip out to the balloon inflation the night before, an event almost as popular as the parade itself.

It's a great way to see the balloons up close and personal. You also appreciate how much work goes into assembling and blowing up the massive balloons.

Though it was raining, it wasn't too crowded, and we had tons of fun visiting all the balloons.

The next morning, we bundled up (it was sooooo cold outside!) and stood oustide for three hours watching the parade go by. It was blast, though we almost couldn't feel our toes near the end of the parade.

Snoopy was the first, and he ended up being one of my favorites. He's just so cute! Plus, since it was the first one I'd ever seen, it was all the more exciting.

They look like they are flying since you can't really see the strings that much from a distance.

Autumn pumpkins bobbled through the air.

Pikachu chased after his ball.

Hello Kitty flew in an airplane! I loved this one as well. To see all my parade photos, check out my Flickr Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Album.

After warming up our extremities at a nearby coffee shop (ha ha, doesn't Bryan look like a popsicle?) we headed off to a special Thanksgiving lunch at a place where I had one of my favorite restaurant experiences four years ago.
We surely had never had Thanksgiving dinner at a 3-Star Michelin restaurant before.

We sat in the lounge, which is more casual (no jackets required!), more relaxed, but just as good (the food was exactly the same as the main dining room, but significantly cheaper). We had a phenomenal meal which culminated in the Duo of Organic Heritage Red Bourbon Turkey with giblet stuffing and cranberry chutney.

And just like Thanksgiving dinner at home, you could get seconds (how often does that happen at a fancy French restaurant?). Like I said, the atmosphere was surprisingly and pleasantly relaxed.

We really had a great time.

Of course, you have to end with a pumpkin dessert. This one was topped with a small gold leaf.

That evening, just for fun (since our hotel was right there), we decided to check out the flagship Macy's in Midtown, which opened on Thanksgiving evening. It was crazy! Check out the mob trying to get up the escalator.

I was extremely amused, since I'd never gone Black "Friday" shopping on a Thursday (or even midnight on a Friday) ever before. I did score some nice boots and overall was able to get quite a bit of shopping done over the entire weekend.

For the rest of the weekend we wandered around New York, enjoying the festive feel of the city.

I love how the buildings are decorated to look like wrapped presents. Many of the large department stores also have beautiful displays in their windows, some of which even move!

We enjoyed the best white truffle tasting menu deal in town - a three course (each course with a generous shaving of white truffles from Piedmont), for $99.

We had a fabulous lunch at one of the most popular restaurants in New York - I can't believe it took us this long to get here.

And then we explored David Chang's Momofuku empire. We fell in love with his rice cakes.

For Thanksgiving weekend they were serving Turkey Buns, which were fine but nothing special (and not nearly as good as the pork belly buns).

Bryan declared this Habanero, Coriander, and Black Pepper Fried Chicken as the best fried chicken he'd ever had in his life. It's too bad that it only comes in one size (a whole chicken!), so we ended up taking a lot of it back to Boston with us (thankfully this was our last meal in NYC!).

Of course, you have to try one of these crazy hot drinks (literally heated with a 1500 degree red hot poker!) from David Chang's bar, Booker and Dax.

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone.

Stay tuned for details on each of these restaurants after the Japan series is over - probably 2014!

UPDATE - here are the posts!
Momofuku Ssam Bar
Momofuku Ma Peche
Gramercy Tavern
Booker and Dax
Casa Mono
Babbo

December 4, 2013 Boston

Foodie.com Boston Restaurant Lists! {Sponsored}

I have a soft spot in my heart for Foodbuzz, the advertising company with which I first signed in the early days of my food blogging career. I met so many great friends through the annual Foodbuzz Festivals, I had tons of fun channeling my creative cooking ideas through their 24, 24, 24 program, and then there was Project Food Blog, the crazy national food blogging contest that I entered on a whim and ended up winning.

Foodbuzz was bought out by Federated Media at the end of 2011, and at this point Foodbuzz as we knew it is pretty much gone. Many of the people (friends!) who I knew at Foodbuzz ended up joining and launching Foodie.com.

I've partnered with Foodie.com as a Boston restaurant "expert" to curate some fun restaurant lists. I'll be sharing them over the next couple days. Today, we have my picks for top neighborhood restaurants in Cambridge/Somerville as well as top spots for special occasion dining in Boston.

Please peruse and enjoy!

Top Neighborhood Restaurants in Cambridge/Somerville

Top Spots for Special Occasions in Boston

Disclaimer: I received compensation for creating these lists. The contents of the lists are completely my own opinion.

November 26, 2013 Recipe

Thanksgiving Round up of My Favorite Autumn Recipes!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner?

It feels a bit odd, Thanksgiving being so late this year. All around me I'm getting the sense that people are anxious for the holiday season to begin, and therefore Christmas trees are coming up, holiday decorations are in full force inside stores, and sales are everywhere. Heck, add to that the fact that Hanukkah is this weekend, the holiday spirit is everywhere!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite Thanksgiving-related recipes and past posts. I've got everything from Asian-inspired roast duck Thanksgiving meal that I prepared a couple years ago to some of my fall favorites.

Enjoy!

Main Course

I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time two years ago at my new house. I made this well-received Chinese oven-roasted duck, which was made tender by roasting with a beer can. Fill this with Chinese sticky rice for a pretty authentic Chinese version of the American turkey with stuffing.

These savory Chinese pumpkin cakes are a family classic from Bryan's side of the family. His grandmother used to make them in China, and his mom figured out how to adapt it using US ingredients. This totally makes us think of the holidays and especially reminds Bryan of home, since that's the only time he ever eats it (except when I make it, which still weirds him out because he's not at home while eating it).

Side Dishes

This oven roasted kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) is one of my favorites right now. I actually prefer Kabocha squash to normal pumpkins. It's like crack for me - I can't stop eating it! It's sweet, roasts up beautifully, and works with so many things. I recently roasted a whole squash and have been enjoying it for breakfast (!) and dinner every day.

These Chinese Long Beans with Garlic are the healthier, crispier, and (in my opinion) better way of preparing green beans compared to the typical green bean casserole. Serve these as a side dish to counter all that rich gravy and mashed potatoes!

Another fun Asian-inspired side is to make something with taro root. I fried these taro "fries" in duck fat - which is delicious - but totally not necessary.

Or to be a bit healthier, you can bake your own sweet potato chips in the oven. Just be careful to watch the chips really carefully - you can easily overcook them and burn them!

I have always loved the Kaddo Bourani (Afghan baked sugar pumpkin) at The Helmand, my favorite Afghan restaurant here in the Boston area. The magical combination of the sweet pumpkin, savory meat sauce, and cool garlic mint yogurt is out of this world.

Why boil gnocchi when you can fry it? Kabocha squash is starchier than pumpkin, and therefore lends itself really easily to being made into gnocchi. I love eating gnocchi this way, just simply pan-fried and drizzled with some truffle oil and sea salt. Click here to see the recipe.

Warm, Hearty Soups

Ahh, autumn is the perfect time to enjoy comforting bowls of warm, hearty soup. I love blended soups, especially when they are made without cream. This creamy kabocha soup with a kick uses no cream yet comes out velvety smooth, sweet, and super addictive.

Maple Butternut Squash Soup

Another simple soup that I like to make is a classic butternut squash soup. Serve in its own shell for fun.

I made this celeriac apple potato soup based on an inspiration from a meal at Upstairs on the Square. It's simple, hearty, and perfect for those chilly nights. It's also a great way to use up those apples you got from apple picking!

Desserts

Who doesn't love mochi? Instead of the traditional pumpkin pie, try this pumpkin mochi cake. Or better yet, make it with Japanese pumpkin (kabocha) for a twist (Kabocha Mochi Cake).

Bryan dreamed up this creative interpretation of the traditional apple pie - inside out apple pies! All you need is a muffin tin and a really sharp knife. They present beautifully and are eco-friendly too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget to spend some time this long weekend reflecting on all things for which you are thankful. In the hectic nature of these last few weeks leading up to the new year, it's easy to forget!

November 21, 2013 Japan

Ramen Honda (Tokyo Station Ramen Street)

This is the fourth post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Matsugen (delicious soba), and Sushi Iwa.

The past few years have been very exciting for ramen aficionados.

Two words: Ramen Street

It's exactly what it sounds like: eight of the city's top ramen places - in a row - serving swoon-worthy bowls of noodles at one of the most convenient intersections of the entire city. For a ramen-seeker, it's a dream come true. Forget trekking around the city to random out-of-the-way places, just to seek out ethereal bowls of noodles.

Now, they are all right at Tokyo Station - just about as central of a location as you can imagine. It's where both the Narita Express and the train from Haneda International Airport drop you into the city. It's where you pick up the Shinkansen (bullet train) to all sorts of neighboring cities, like Kyoto, Osaka, or Kobe. It's where Japan Rail, the Tokyo subway, and the Keio Line all converge.

Since the original four noodle stands came in 2009 and four additional ones in 2011, there's arguably no better or more concentrated single location for ramen (well, except for maybe the Ramen Museum in Yokohama, but that's far!).

Really, there's almost no excuse not to stop by Ramen Street.

We took the JR Yamanote line to get there, but as I mentioned above, there are countless ways to arrive at this station. The station is huge, and I must confess that the first time I tried to find Ramen Street (about a year ago), for some reason I couldn't find it (thought I did find Character Street, another super fun area in Tokyo Station). Look for exits pointing to the Yaesu Central Exit. Once you exit, turn right.

{Yes, there are "Women Only" areas in the train - much more important during rush hour!).

It's pretty much impossible to avoid waiting in line. It seems like Japanese people love their ramen at all hours of the day. Thankfully, our wait was only about 20 minutes, which isn't too bad.

Oh, you do have to buy your tickets for your order before getting in line. We had just gotten in line when a lady came by asking us for our tickets. Oops! We had to get out of line to purchase them. Thankfully, she came by pretty immediately so we hadn't really moved that far in line before having to step out.

The machines are only written in Japanese, so it's a bit stressful if you don't read the language. I can read a tiny bit of Japanese (plus I can sort of read Chinese), but it was still hard. They do have certain buttons marked as "most popular!" or "No. 1!", so if in doubt you can always choose one of those.

And then the torturous wait begins. Thankfully, there are seats as you get closer to the front of the line.

We were finally seated after about a 20-minute wait. It's amazing how efficient the whole operation is, actually. Once you enter, you don't wait that long before beautiful, hot piping bowls of noodles appear right in front of you.

Here is a Tsukemen, or "dipping noodles" with chashu (roast pork) and a poached egg. Aren't those gorgeous pieces of pork?

You dip the noodles into this rich, velvety "broth" (or shall I call it sauce, it was so thick!), which is made with a combination of fish and pork bone broth. It was deeply rich, superbly satisfying, and overall fantastic.

And slurping is totally encouraged.

We also got a bowl of their shoyu (soy sauce based) noodles, whose broth is made from a combination of chicken and fish stock.

This was also very good, with a perfect, super yellow yolk.

You can order supplementary sides for about 300 yen (about $3) each. Here is a simple chashu over rice topped with Japanese negi (onions).

Here is a more complex side dish, with chashu, bamboo shoots, and a boiled egg over rice. Personally, I thought the ramen provided plenty of food, but I guess if you have a larger appetite it's nice to have some "snack" you can order on the side.

Overall, we had a great time there. Personally, I might give Rokurinsha (also at Ramen Street, but with more than an hour's wait that day) an edge for the flavor of the broth in the tsukemen. However, everything at Honda Ramen was still very, very good.

Most of the ramen costs between $8-$10 USD, with the "sides" costing around $3. Do remember to bring cash though, since I don't think the machines accept foreign credit cards (or any card, for that matter).

The original location of Honda Ramen is an inconvenient 15 minute walk from a train station north of the city. This is most certainly a much easier way to access these delicious noodles.

Tokyo Ramen Street
B1F Yaesu South Exit, Tokyo Station (First Avenue Tokyo Station B1F South Street)
Access by exiting through the Central Yaesu exit and turning right.
General Hours 11:00-22:30 (kitchen closes at 22:00), though hours vary by shop

November 19, 2013 Japan

Sushi Iwa

This is the third post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include Matsugen (delicious soba) and the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.

A popular first thing to do in Tokyo following a long, tiring flight is, surprisingly, to get up at 4AM the next morning to visit the daily auction at the world famous Tsukiji Fish Market.

The rationale goes like this: since you're super jet-lagged anyway upon arriving in Japan, why not take this opportunity to visit the one place where you have to be up at a crazy hour anyway?

I had the same thought.

After all, in the past several visits to Tokyo, I never saw the live auction at Tsukiji. I came close - once - with my mom and sister when I was still in high school. We just missed the actual auction, though we did manage to see up close and personal huge whole tuna fish, vendors cutting up ultra fresh sashimi, and all those interesting wheeled vehicles full of seafood roaming around.

Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to see the live auction. The influx of tourists made the crowds so unwieldy, there is now a hard limit to the number of tourists who can enter per day. Only 60 people can enter the space at once, in two waves: one at 5:25 AM, and one at 5:50AM. It's first come first serve, so there's a chance you could get up super early, stand in line, and still not be able to enter.

Furthermore, they are renovating and expanding the entire market, so the historic, crowded, crazy market as we know it today will soon cease to exist.

Despite all those reasons to visit now, we still ended up not going. After a long flight from the U.S., it's exhausting to imagine just sleeping a few hours before getting up again super early to watch the auction. We were all starting to get sick and didn't want the lack of sleep to incapacitate us for the entire trip. Plus, the risk of potentially getting up early and still missing the auction would just be too, too disappointing.

So we chose not to go.

Someday. I swear, someday I will make it out there.

At least, as a consolation prize of sorts, we were still able to enjoy the fruits of the market.

After visiting the market in Tsukiji, most tourists eat "sushi breakfast" at one of the many sushi restaurants nearby. The most popular places have insanely long lines (2-3 hours is not uncommon). The fish is fresh and the prices are good, but you do pay for it by standing in line for hours.

A sushi breakfast at one of these places will run you around 3800 yen ($38 USD), a pretty good price considering the freshness and quality of the fish. Don't be fooled into thinking this is the best sushi you can find in Tokyo, though. It's decent, but it's not even close to the best.

For much higher quality sushi, consider heading down a few blocks to a place like Sushi Iwa (one Michelin star), where sushi lunch starts at 4750 yen (a mere $10 USD more), there's no multi-hour wait in line, and you can eat at a reasonable time.

We had a fantastic lunch here. It was nice being able to sleep in, get well-rested, and then leisurely show up for our 11:30AM lunch reservation.

Sushi Iwa is tinywith only six counter seats. I was surprised I was able to make a reservation with relative ease, booking a mere two weeks before my arrival.

Not all sushi places will do this, but Sushi Iwa gives you wakame (kelp) to munch on as well as hot miso soup.

For lunch, the chef gave us a choice of 10 pieces or 13 pieces. We opted for the 13-piece lunch, which cost around ¥8000 ($80). In general, lunch prices range between ¥4,725 to ¥15,750 (roughly $48 to $158), which is much cheaper than dinner ¥18,900-26,250 ($189 to $263).

A sushi tasting usually starts with lighter, white fish, such as Tai (red snapper). Usually, the sushi chef seasons the nigiri for you. The wasabi is nestled inside between the rice and the fish (in this case, Hirame or fluke) while the soy sauce is brushed on the outside. You don't get a separate dish of soy sauce or any dollops of wasabi for dipping.

We also had Kampachi (amber jack), which I sadly forgot to photograph.
You can either eat with your hands or use chopsticks. Though most pieces are nigiri (fish on top of rice), sometimes you'll see this gunkan-style sushi (translated as "warship" sushi, invented at Kyubey!). Here is a gunkan-style Kaibashira, which translates to mean "adductor muscle of a shellfish" (tiny scallops in this case).
We were intrigued by the unusual preparation of Ika (squid) here. The sushi chef sliced crazy thin sheets using just his knife. He then julienned these slices some more, finally bringing it all together like this: It was super tender and delicious. Nothing beats the tuna in Japan, called Maguro or Akami. Iwa ages all of his tuna, which results in a softer, more tender, and more deeply flavored piece of fish. One of my favorites is seared Toro (tuna belly).
I loved the meticulous artistry that went into every piece, like the perfectly spaced cuts in this piece of Kohada (gizzard shad).Aji (horse mackerel), came with a tiny dollop of leek "pesto" on top.Ikura (salmon roe) in Japan has absolutely no element of fishiness, and I actually enjoy it here. Here is a much larger scallop, called Hotate.
True practitioners of Edo-style sushi (serving only seafood that comes out of Tokyo Bay) will only serve Anago (saltwater eel) and never Unagi (freshwater eel). I actually prefer Anago, which I find to be sweeter, more tender, and a bit lighter in flavor. Lime is a common At the end of most sushi meals, the chef will make a maki roll.
Here, the chef makes a maki with Toro (tuna belly) and Maguro (tuna).
Isn't that absolutely beautiful?
It was a great first sushi meal in Japan. We had allowed ourselves to sleep a solid 9-10 hours after crashing the night before (following our reasonably light Matsugen soba meal). It was nice to roam around Ginza just briefly before our 11:30 AM reservation (though it also surprised us that most department stores in Ginza do not open intil 11AM! - late culture!).

The food is very good here. It doesn't quite reach the ultimate perfection of the top sushi places we've visited, such as Sukiyabashi Jiro, Sushi Mizutani, or Sushi Sawada. However, it was significantly better than the sushi we've had at Tsujiki Fish Market (though, to be fair, we've never lined up at the two most popular places).

Like most sushi restaurants in Japan, this one has no English signs out front, so you'll have to look for the Japanese characters (see sign below). Thankfully, this restaurant faces the street (unlike many that are either in basements or in highrises), so it's a bit easier to find the sign!

Sushi Iwa
8-5-25 Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tokyo, Japan
Tel: 03-3572-0955

November 18, 2013 Asian

Birthday Totoro and Domo Fun

We interrupt the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series just briefly for a fun post on some Japanese anime inspired dishes I made for my birthday.

Yes, today's my birthday.

It's been interesting looking at my blog and seeing what I've done in past years to celebrate. Time flies so quickly, it's kind of crazy!

Back in 2009, Bryan and I went to New York City to enjoy an exquisite dinner at Daniel, a meal that just felt perfect in every single way.

In 2010 I had the privilege of being in Tokyo on my birthday (what a treat!), where I shopped for fun kitchen gadgets during the day in Kappabashi and then enjoyed a wacky, creative tasting menu at Tapas Molecular Bar in the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo - complete with stunning views of Tokyo down below.

In 2011, we stayed in Boston, enjoying a fabulous white Alba truffle tasting at the Chef's Table at Menton. And in 2012, we were in Australia celebrating Bryan's parents' retirement. After hiking all day in the Blue Mountains, we headed over to Din Tai Fung in Sydney for dinner. Yep, they let me pick any restaurant I wanted and that's what I chose.

What a crazy past five years!

This year I had a bit of fun with some Totoro and Domokun themed dishes that I made. Here's how I did it.

I made the Totoro Carrot by carving out one of my big carrots from my Siena Farms CSA. This mainly involves having lots of patience and using high quality knives. The eyes are cut from the thin root tip of a parsnip (I picked a part of the root where the circumference was the right size).

The belly is also parsnip, from a thicker part of the root. The eyes are black sesame seeds, and the nose is cut out from a purple carrot, though you can use almost any sort of dark colored thin sheet (e.g., eggplant skin, nori, etc). The leaf on his head is cilantro and his belly lines are bits of leeks.

Totoro soba noodles are really easy to make. Once you make the cold soba according to the package's instructions, just lay the noodles down on a plate (ideally on top of some sort of green background, like a bed of lettuce + scallions) and shape it accordingly. The eyes are parsnip, the eye balls are purple kohlrabi skin (though you can use eggplant, nori, etc), and the belly is kohlrabi as well. I used either a sharp knife or a pair of scissors to cut out the appropriate shapes.

I carved out the Domokun from a huge purple kohrabi I had received in my farm share last week. The pink inside his mouth is a thinly sliced watermelon radish, which I sort of tucked inside underneath the teeth. The rest of him is kohrabi. I drew the eyes with edible food coloring markers.

I also made a Domo "Taiwanese Meat Sauce" (lower right corner) by using Shitake mushrooms as his eyes, mashed beets as his mouth, and teeth hand cut from a thin kohlrabi slice. The Domo cake on the left corner was brought by a friend.

Fun times!

Tonight, I'll be headed to Uni Sashimi Bar with Bryan. It will be the first time I'm trying it since Chef Tony Messina joined on. I haven't tasted his cooking since 2009 when he won the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef's competition in New England. He was working in the burbs for awhile, but just last year joined Uni Sashimi Bar.

I can't wait!

November 15, 2013 Japan

Matsugen

This is the second post in the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka series. Other posts in this series include the intro post: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.

It's funny how soba hasn't really caught on here in the U.S., (unlike the insane ramen craze going on right now), even though it's a huge deal in Japan.

The Japanese love their noodles.

They have dedicated noodles houses that specialize in just one type of noodle. Of course there are the ramen shops (the Japanese are obsessed about ramen too!), but there are also specialty udon restaurants, soba places, and even yakisoba houses.

I was surprised at the relatively large number of soba restaurants with Michelin stars (Tokyo alone has eight such restaurants), and the paucity (or shall I say absence) of Michelin starred ramen or udon restaurants (yep, not a single one). Even though in America we view all of these Japanese noodles as reasonably casual, clearly it's not that way in Japan - at least when it comes to the art of really good soba.

We decided to seek out Matsugen for a number of reasons.

First of all, it was close to our hotel in Ebisu. We knew we would be arriving at around 7PM after a long 14-hour flight from the U.S. We figured we would be tired, jet-lagged, and likely wouldn't want to travel far for food (or spend a long time eating it).

Second, this restaurant became famous when Jean George Vongerichten, the three-Michelin star French chef with numerous restaurants around the world, declared Matsugen as his favorite soba restaurant in the world.

"These fresh noodles are the best I've ever had" he proclaimed.

He was so impressed after trying it in Japan, he somehow managed to convince the owners, the Matsushita brothers, to open one in New York.

Sadly, the soba craze never completely caught on in New York, and the newly opened Matsugen closed in March of 2011 after being open for only three years. The brothers moved back to Tokyo, where they continue to run their other restaurants in Japan.

Without good soba anywhere near me (yep, Boston does not have a single soba restaurant), I was insanely curious about this highly revered place that first peaked Jean George's interest.

Matsugen in Tokyo is very foreigner friendly. They have menus written in English and the staff try hard to work with you. Furthermore, the brothers speak excellent English, probably due to the fact that they spent close to three years in New York.

I absolutely loved our first appetizer, Kumiage Yuba, a creamy, soft tofu skin that reminded me of luscious buratta, but with a rich, sweet soy flavor. This delectable, smooth custard was served with freshly grated wasabi and soy milk. It was fantastic.

We had originally ordered grilled fava beans.

The server came back, profusely apologized, and told us that they were out of fava beans.

"Is edamame OK?"

Inside, I groaned a bit. Edamame is so boring. We can get that anywhere in the U.S. - even at your local supermarket in the frozen section.

However, I agreed, not knowing what else to do.

Can I tell you how utterly surprised and pleasantly blown away I was by how good this dish was? Wow. Grilled edamame is nothing like the boiled variety. It's got this char-grilled smokiness that is incredibly good and hopelessly addictive. Add just a dash of salt and you have the perfect pre-dinner snack. I could not get enough of it.

For fun we ordered Soba Daki, which they translated to soba "gnocchi." It was essentially a dumpling made out of ground soba flour that was boiled and served in the water in which it was boiled. It was surprisingly light and not really seasoned at all.

I think the point was to enjoy the subtle flavors of the soba. No one at the table really loved it, seeing it instead as this dense, slightly gummy, heavy blob of not-so-flavorful carbohydrates that would make us too full for the rest of our meal.

My friend ordered a tempura hot soba noodle soup, which came with the crispy fried tempura on the side. This is a nice touch, as it preserves the crispiness of the tempura and allows you to add it at your own pace throughout the meal.

All of their soba flour is ground at the restaurant and the soba is freshly made each day. Soba tends to get soft quickly, so it's important to eat it fast if you're having the soup version. We definitely noticed a difference in texture, and preferred the cold noodles because they stayed nice and al dente throughout the entire meal.

I ordered the houe special, called Matsugen Soba, which included a variety of vegetables, nori, bonito flakes, fresh wasabi, scallions, and Japanese ginger, all topped with a perfectly cooked quail egg. It was refreshingly, healthy, and quite flavorful. The texture of the cold noodles was excellent - nice and chewy.

Bryan ordered his favorite - Uni Soba. The uni was fresh and sweet - none of that "stink" that you get with uni in the U.S. Overall the dish was very good, though Bryan still longed for the super thick cut soba that we had enjoyed at another excellent soba restaurant in Ebisu.

On a whim, right at the end of the meal (after still feeling like he was missing out on really good soba texture), Bryan asked about ordering thicker soba. The server recommended their Inaka Soba, which is soba made from flour that has been ground up with the husks. The resulting noodle has little specs of husk throughout as well as a deeper, earthier flavor.

I loved it.

I am so glad that Bryan decided to order it. It turned out to be my favorite dish of the entire evening (well, maybe it's a tie between that, the edamame, and the tofu). This special type of soba had superior texture to all the other sobas that we had eaten earlier. Why hadn't we just ordered this one instead?

This soba is meant to be enjoyed on its own. You just eat it with a simple soy-based soba dipping sauce.

Honestly, I think that's the best way to go.

I loved this restaurant. It was small, cozy, and felt really authentically Japanese yet was foreigner friendly at the same time. The food is excellent. I would totally go back, order a few appetizers, and just get that simple inaka soba.

We chatted a bit with one of the brothers on our way out. When he found out we were from Boston, he said, "oh yes, Boston. I lived in New York for a couple years. We had a restaurant there."

Although I'm sad that Matsugen is now gone from New York, I'm happy that the brothers were able to return to their home country, which is where they really wanted to be. I think there's still one open in Hawaii, so if you really want to stay in America but still experience their soba, you can try the Honolulu one.

Of course, I'd much rather just go to Japan.

Hiroo 1-3-1, Hagiwara Bldg. 1F.
[on the left side of Meiji-dori going towards Hiroo]
Open 11:30am-3, 5pm-midnight daily.