Kyubey in Tokyo, Japan
Happy Friday everyone!
I realize I’ve been doing a lot of non-local posts lately, so I thought I’d take a tiny break from the Tribute to Japan Series and talk briefly about local things going on around the city.
If you still want a taste of Japan, you can check out the one crazy post from the November Japan trip that I wrote earlier. In Round 9 of Project Food Blog, we had to write a restaurant review. The stakes were high, as 12 contestants were about to be narrowed down to three!
I decided to write about Kyubey, one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Japan. The entire meal is simply unforgettable, especially if you’ve never had a high end sushi experience Japan before. Check out the post here.
James Beard Award Nominees
Congratulations to some of my favorite local chefs for their nominations! Cambridge made a strong showing, with Tony Maws (Craigie on Main) nominated for Best Chef Northeast and Will Gilson (Garden at the Cellar) nominated for Best Rising Star Chef.
Barbara Lynch’s Menton has been nominated for Best New Restaurant and Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery + Cafe and Maura Kilpatrick of Oleana have been nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Tim Cushman (O Ya) has also been nominated for Best Chef Northeast.
Several restaurants I’ve visited on my travels also made the list. Picasso (where I just went in January) has been nominated for both Outstanding Restaurant as well as Outstanding Wine Service. Richard Reddington from Redd and Josiah Citrin from Melisse are also nominated for Best Chef Pacific. Per Se in NYC has been nominated for Outstanding Service.
Finally, Gary Danko, who I just met a few weekends ago in Napa Valley, has also been nominated for Outstanding Chef. I would love to try his restaurant one day!
Congrats to everyone who was nominated!
Pinkberry will be opening right in the heart of Harvard Square at the old Alpha Omega Building (sharing that space with a spanking new Starbucks Coffee!). On top of the typical (delicious!) frozen yogurt and toppings, this Pinkberry will also serve breakfast as well as offer Pinkberry Take Home, a 25-oz swirl-to-order tub of your favorite yogurt.
Floating Rock, well loved Southeast Asian restaurant originally in Revere, has moved to Central Square and will have a soft opening next Friday, April 1. They are currently selling gift cards at a discount. These discounted cards will only be available up until the opening of the restaurant.
Purchase a gift card worth $25 for $20, a $50 card for $40 and a $100 card for $75. E-mail floatingrockrestaurant@gmail.com for details.
Thelonious Monkfish, a new Asian fusion place, has recently opened in Central Square. They have a full sushi menu, as well as plenty of Southeast Asian dishes plus many standard Chinese dishes. I’ve tried it a couple times and I plan on going again before writing up a full post. Initial thoughts? Some dishes were quite tasty while others were more average. Overall, I think it’s a great addition to the area. Central Square can really benefit from a place like this.
EmPower Breakfast at Rialto with Jody Adams!
EmPOWER Breakfast is an annual benefit in collaboration with women from the business community to raise much needed funds for Asian women and children impacted by domestic violence.
This year, the event will be Thursday, April 7 from 8AM -10AM at Rialto. There will be breakfast, a silent auction, and a panel discussion. I’ll be there blogging about the event as well!
To find out more and to purchase tickets, please visit this page.
This event will be hosted by Jody Adams (Chef/Owner of Rialto Cambridge), Vivian Hsu (Principal of Hsu & Associates, LLC) Renee Inomata (Partner at Burns & Levinson, LLC) and Janet Wu (7News/CW56).
Pop Up Restaurant!
They’ve struck again! It’s yet another pop up restaurant! As many of you know, I went to my first pop up restaurant at the Taza Chocolate Factory.
This time, Aaron Cohen and Will Gilson (along with Sel de la Terre chef Louie Dibiccari) will set up a pop up restaurant at Mizu hair salon on Saturday, April 9, 2011. A 5-course menu will costs $100 and includes tax and gratuity. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the International Medical Corps to aid Japan.
To learn more and to buy tickets, click here.
That’s it folks! Have a wonderful weekend, and we will continue the Tribute to Japan Series next week!
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I tried Thelonious Monkfish this week as takeout and really enjoyed it. Good pad thai and great sushi. I’m excited to go to the restaurant!
What a great update! I’m so jealous that you got to meet Gary Danko! The dinner I had at his restaurant is is quite possibly the best meal of my life.
Sounds like Cambridge has got a ton going on! Congrats to the magnificent James Beard-nominated chefs!
You eat so well. I just need to follow behind and eat up your crumbs. 🙂
The pop-up restaurant sounds fun. I wonder if I can find one around here…?
All of my favorite restaurants and chefs in one place. All are so talented… this post brought a big smile to my face
🙂 Awwww . . . love bringing smiles. I totally agree -so much talent!
Good restaurant with pleasant atmosphere