Tiny Urban Kitchen

My Favorite Date Restaurants

2012-01-26T23:29:00.000-05:00

This post was originally published February 8, 2011. I have since updated it with new insights I've gained this year, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Picking a good date restaurant can be tricky.

You want the ambiance to be pleasant, nice . . maybe even a bit fancy. Yet, the last thing you want is a pretentious, stuffy environment that makes you feel uncomfortable. You want to be able to sit back, relax, and really enjoy the evening.

Of course, it goes without saying that the food must be excellent. And, preferably the prices would be reasonably, although we may be willing to splurge on special occasions.

I've lived in Boston for 17 years and I've been with Bryan for about 15 years. Needless to say, we've been on a lot of dates in Boston, and definitely have tried a number of places in the greater Boston area.

Here are some of our favorite special occasion / date places (I've thrown in a couple from New York, California, and Las Vegas as well just for fun!).
The North End

Hand made Ravioli from Mamma Maria

We always love going to the North End. The neighborhood itself is fun to explore; it's bursting at the seams with fantastic food; and (if the weather's nice), you can take a lovely romantic stroll all the way back to Cambridge through Faneuil Hall, the Public Garden, Back Bay, and the bridge overlooking the Charles River.

Because I love to walk, a night out in the North End is one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. For a romantic night out, I love the ambiance at Mamma Maria, a quaint multi-level townhouse overlooking North Square. Mare, an Italian place specializing in seafood, is also very nice with huge windows facing out into the North End. Try the langoustine if you go there; it's absolutely delicious. Prezza and Monica's Vinoteca are also great choices, with Prezza being a bit smaller, quieter, and more intimate.

Rack of Lamb and Grilled Langoustine from Mare

Though it's not Italian, I also love Neptune Oyster. It's tricky for a date because you can't make reservations and it gets quite crowded. Nevertheless, I love the tiny, intimate atmosphere, and the food is absolutely outstanding. Taranta, a Southern Italian / Peruvian restaurant also in the neighborhood, was ranked the most romantic restaurant in Boston by Yelp last year.

My favorite thing to do at the end of the night in the North End is to forgo dessert at the restaurant and instead opt for a nice cappuccino and a small pastry at one of the local cafes (e.g., Cafe Vittoria). Finally, stop by Mike's or Modern Pastry and pick up some cannolis to take back with you. If you still have room, you can always enjoy one on the road as you take your time meandering slowly throughout the Boston neighborhoods nearby (the waterfront, Faneuil Hall, Chinatown, just to name a few).

Cambridge / Somerville

Ragout of wild mushrooms, Farm fresh egg from Craigie On Main's Ultimate Chef's Tasting

There are so many good restaurants in Cambridge / Somerville that it's hard to just pick a few. Craigie On Main is one of my favorites and we've celebrated many special occasions there in the past, like our anniversary, Bryan's birthday, and my birthday. I highly recommend the Ultimate Craigie Experience. Just make sure you call ahead and tell them you want to have that particular tasting! You might even score ringside seats, the ones that give you a firsthand view of the action inside the kitchen!

Bergamot is another one of my favorites. Keith Pooler is inventive and is always changing up the menu. You never know what to expect! The service is excellent and the prices are very very reasonable considering the quality of the food that comes out of that kitchen!

Ten Tables and Salts are two very small, intimate places that serve high quality food. Ever since moving to the northern side of Harvard Square, Ten Tables has become our favorite place in the neighborhood to visit. The food is fantastic, the staff is super nice, and the prices are very, very reasonable.

Bondir is another fabulous option. The first time I visited, I fell in love with the warm, inviting ambiance inside this tiny little restaurant. There's a huge roaring fireplace that just beckons you to come inside - super romantic! The chef-owner, Jason Bond, comes from Beacon Hill Bistro and creates a new menu every single day.

Finally, there's a little gem call T.W. Food in North Cambridge just a little off the beaten track. The ambiance is super warm and intimate, and the food is fantastic.

Littleneck Claims and Andouille Sausage from Rialto

If you're in the mood for Italian, Rialto has excellent food in a very traditional upscale environment. If you want more old world Italian charm, then Gran Gusto in North Cambridge is perfect for that. For something a bit unique, try Oleana, which serves farm fresh dishes with a Mediterranean twist. Upstairs on the Square is also another solid, traditional upscale restaurant overlooking Harvard Square. If you don't mind something a little unconventional, I think Hungry Mother (Southern American/French cuisine) serves some of the best food in Cambridge.

Finally, if you want something just a little different, try Muqueca (Brazilian), Atasca (Portuguese), or the Helmand (Afghan). All of these are excellent ethnic restaurants that are really nice and just a bit more reasonably priced than your typical European or new American restaurant.

Boston

Maine Lobster, "Pain Perdu", Grilled Local Romaine, Dill from Menton

Barabara Lynch is sort of an icon in Boston and has some of the finest restaurants in New England. Her newest venture, Menton, aims to bring Boston's haute cuisine to a whole new level. Menton has excellent service - the type you would find in a multi-star Michelin restaurant - paired with really really good food. If you can, try booking a special meal at the Chef's Table, a unique and intimate experience that's different from eating in the normal dining room.

No. 9 Park was Barbara Lynch's flagship restaurant (before she opened Menton) and is a solid choice as well. We went there for our wedding anniversary in 2009. The service is top-notch and the food is very good. If you go, you must try her signature dish: the prune stuffed gnocchi with fois gras. Incroyable!

If you're a steak lover, Bryan thinks Grill 23 has the best steak in Boston. If you love Japanese food, O Ya has a fantastic tasting menu that's wonderfully creative, exquisitely executed, and absolutely delicious. Bryan thinks O Ya has the best food in Boston, period. Oishii Boston is another solid choice for Japanese (especially if you don't feel like shelling out $100+ for a tasting menu).

A special Valentine's Day post-dinner treat at Clio

For Valentine's Day in 2010, Bryan and I tried Ken Oringer's Clio for the first time. We liked some dishes better than others, though overall we had a very enjoyable time there. Last year, we checked out a few places over Valentine's weekend, like Oishii Boston (just 'cuz I love sushi) and a pop up restaurant at the Taza Chocolate Factory, prepared by Will Gilson, formerly from Garden At the Cellar.

New York, Las Vegas, and Napa Valley

The French Laundry, Yountville, California

California
You can't beat a trip to Napa Valley when "romantic" comes to mind - rolling hills, beautiful vineyards and some of the best restaurants in the world. Thomas Keller's The French Laundry is iconic - a gorgeous, quaint farm house serving some of the most exquisite food around. I also love Redd, a more reasonably priced but perfectly enjoyable restaurant just down tbe street in Yountville. If you're in southern California, Melisse is an excellent option, having one of the most extensive bread collections I've ever seen (second only to Joel Robuchon in Vegas), not to mention fantastic food in a warm, comfortable atmosphere.

We tried Jose Andres' Saam inside of his flagship Los Angeles restaurant Bazaar this past winter. A mixture of molecular gastronomy, bold Spanish flavors, and traditional French technique, the tasting menu at Saam showcases some of Andres' favorite dishes from all his restaurants (post coming soon).

For Sushi, try Sushi Zo, an omakase only no menu sort of restaurant. The fish is excellent and the atmosphere is very authentic. It's one of closest experiences I've had to a Japanese sushi omakase here in the US (post coming soon).

Joel Robuchon, Mansion in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas
Las Vegas is the land of excess, over-indulgence, and opulence, and Joel Robuchon definitely delivers! My dinner at Joel Robuchon (both the four course and the Menu Degustation) were, by far, the most over-the-top meals I'd ever had - everything from plush velvet pillows and pearls to gold in my food and a crazy display of bread and mignardises (see above). It's a little insane, but definitely a unique experience! We also tried an excellent French meal at Picasso last January, along with some crazy good 90-day dry aged steak at Carnevino ("best steak I've ever had" according to Bryan).

If you're into really good pasta, definitely check out Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's B&B Ristorante. The service is good, the tasting menus are fun, and the pasta is some of the best we've ever had. For a bit more traditional, old world Italian, you can't beat Raos or Il Mulino, which have all around good, solid food (even if the ambiance is a little bit more casual). Bryan and I both agreed this past January that Il Mulino is now our favorite Italian restaurant in Las Vegas (sorry Mario!).

Butter Poached Abalone from Daniel in New York City

New York
Oh New York! New York is still the mecca for food in the US. There are so many crazy good restaurants, where do I start? Well, there's Thomas Keller's flagship east coast restaurant, Per Se, which sits at the top of the Time Warner Building in Columbus Circle. Though we liked The French Laundry just a tad more, we still had a perfectly enjoyable meal here.

We celebrated my birthday at Daniel in 2009 and it still reigns as one of my favorite dining experiences of all time. The service is incredible - warm, friendly, yet super professional at the same time. The space is beautiful and the food is absolutely unforgettable. As a seafood lover, Le Bernardin is still my top choice in New York if we're just talking purely food. No one beats Eric Ripert when it comes to seafood . . . .

Well . . . that is unless you want to talk sushi, in which case I highly recommend Sushi Yasuda. The ambiance is like a normal sushi restaurant (so none of the white glove service, etc), but the food is insanely good, and probably among the best sushi in the U.S.

Eleven Madison Park (which just got its third Michelin star!) is a gorgeous restaurant with absolutely incredible food. I've had the privilege of trying Daniel Humm's food twice, and both times I was blown away by his talent.

If you can score a reservation, Momofuku Ko is a fun and unique experience. David Chang is a genius when it comes to putting flavors together. The ambiance is casual (we wore jeans), but the experience is definitely special.

Well, there you have it - my current ever changing list of good date restaurants. I know this list is a bit biased since I tend to eat most often in Cambridge and just a bit beyond. Also, when I travel I have only a few days, so I tend to seek out well-reviewed, well-known restaurants. However, I'm sure there are tons of excellent hidden finds out there.

I would love to hear what you think.

What are your favorite date restaurants??

THE LIST FROM THIS POST

The North End
Mamma Maria
Mare
Prezza
Monica's Vinoteca
Prezza
Neptune Oyster
Taranta
Mike's Pastry
Modern Pastry

Cambridge/Somerville
Bondir
Craigie On Main
Bergamot
Ten Tables
Salts
Rialto
Gran Gusto
Upstairs on the Square
Oleana
Muqueca
Atasca
Helmand

Boston
Menton
No. 9 Park
Grill 23
Oishii Boston
O Ya

California

The French Laundry

Redd

Melisse
Saam at Bazaar

Las Vegas

Joel Robuchon

B&B Ristorante
Picasso

Raos
Carnevino
Il Mulino

New York

Per Se
Daniel

Le Bernardin
Sushi Yasuda
Eleven Madison Park
Momofuku Ko

L.A. Burdick's

2012-01-25T01:43:00.000-05:00

This has been a weird winter.

After a freak snowstorm that we had in October, we hardly saw a snowflake throughout November, December, and most of January. The weather had been in hovering around the “balmy” fifties, with occasional stretches into the sixties. Bryan even commented a couple weeks ago how our beloved Charles River hadn't frozen over yet, a rare sight indeed.

Well, that changed pretty quickly. The past two weeks, we've seen frigid temperatures flirting with single digits as well as our first big snowstorm. I guess there's not doubt that winter is really here in full force. Perhaps it's time to set up the fireplace, take out the down blankets, and think warm thoughts.

Like hot chocolate.

Mmmmm ... hot chocolate!

There’s no doubt (in my mind at least) where the best hot chocolate in Boston is. Time after time, year after year, we always bring out-of-town guests to the same place. It’s this cute, quaint little chocolate shop in Harvard Square that’s famous for its chocolate penguins, chocolate mice, and hot chocolate drinks.

Welcome to L.A. Burdick’s, (aka “Burdick’s), which is opening up a new location in Boston's Back Bay very, very soon (we're talking in less than a week!). Burdick’s makes one of the most intense, rich, and deep hot chocolate drinks I’ve ever had. They achieve this by heating their high quality chocolate shavings in hot cream and milk (no, I never said it was healthy!). The resultant hot chocolate is so rich, if you take it home and try to refrigerate it, it solidifies into a solid mass of chocolate (!).

It’s so delicious, though, you have to try it. I would recommend sharing, or ordering the smallest possible size.

Sometimes Bryan and I like to order a mocha, which “dilutes” the super thick and rich chocolate with espresso. The drink is still gorgeously chocolate-y, but the thickness and sweetness is tempered by the strong, dark coffee.

Burdick’s sells cute hot chocolate kits where you can make your own version at home. It comes with a bag of chocolate shavings and a tiny little whisk. They make great gifts – local, creative, and . . . it’s chocolate!

Their most famous chocolates are their miniature penguins which are made of lemon ganache, dark chocolate, and "little almond arms".

Aren't they so cute?

Their tiny little mice are also really famous. You can get all different kinds of mice. White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate infused with various types of flavors (e.g., cinnamon, orange, or espresso!).

Even though I've been living close to Harvard Square for over a decade, I'm embarrassed to say I've never had one!! As a student I never felt like I could afford it, and I guess since then I've never bought one for myself to try. I've bought them as gifts for others, but I've actually never had one, so I actually can't comment on the penguins or the mice!

They open pretty late at night, so it’s fun here to just come, have some chocolate drinks, and sample their desserts (yes, they have a lovely spread of cakes, cookies, and cupcakes!). It's a perfect place to visit after dinner at a restaurant in Harvard Square.

It used to be one of the few places in Boston that had French macarons, though I think these days more and more places are starting to offer them.

I promise I'll get a few penguins and mice the next time I'm in the area and I'll let you know what I think! Meanwhile, you should still stop by and try the hot chocolate while it's cold outside!

Stay warm!

L.A. Burdicks
52 Brattle St
Cambridge, MA 02138

Happy Chinese New Year (& Giveaway Winners!)

2012-01-24T01:02:00.000-05:00

The Bellagio in Las Vegas

I'm just a little late, but Happy Chinese New Year!

We enter the year of the dragon this year, a year that many people think is the luckiest of all the Chinese zodiac signs.

Bryan and I just came back from Las Vegas not too long ago. The Bellagio always puts out a fantastic display every year during Chinese New Year. This year, they went all out, complete with huge dragons that blew smoke out of their noses, larger-than-life firecrackers that lit up and made cracking noises every so often, and tons of flowers. There was even a pond filled with live fish!

We celebrated this weekend by having hot pot! Apparently we weren't the only ones in the city who had the brilliant idea of having a hot pot during the new year. Several Chinese supermarkets in the city ran out of thinly sliced beef. We finally "sacrificed" a couple of our USDA prime steaks from the freezer and sliced them up for hot pot (!!).

Although it was delicious, I still think thinly sliced filet mignon (which I prepare at home) is by far the best way to enjoy beef during a not pot. The New York strips were good, but the texture of filet mignon can't be beat.

Giveaway Winners!
Congratulations to our three winners who win a personally autographed copy of Nina Simonds' brand new book: Simple Asian Meals.

Our winners said the following:

Lindsay of Eat, Knit, Grow says her favorite Asian dish is "Pho!!"

I still haven't actually made real, beef pho before, but I've attempted chicken pho!

Janice said "it's tough to pick a single favorite dish. I love all Asian food! But if I had to, I would say Ramen is my favorite dish. I could probably eat a bowl daily."

I'm just starting to learn about ramen! I've had incredible tsukemen (dipping ramen) in Japan a few times, pretty good ramen in Boston, and fantastic ramen at a pop-up restaurant. However, I have still yet to try some of New York's most well-known ramen, such as Ippudo or David Chang's Momofuku ramen!

Finally, Emily said, "my favorite is gyoza. I grew up helping my mom fold the gyoza skins - painstaking but worth the effort!"

I love gyoza (Japan's version of dumplings) as well! It's one of my favorite foods and I love making it at home or at some of my favorite dumpling restaurants!

Congratulations everyone and thanks for playing!

Here's to a wonderful new year!

Red Bean Soup with Rice balls (tang yuan)

2012-01-20T02:33:00.002-05:00

When I was young, my dad loved to turn on the tape recorder and pretend to interview me. There is one particularly amusing recording that sticks with me.

"Jennifer! Do you want to go to Taiwan?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to stay in America."

"Why do you want to stay in America?"

"Because in America, I can eat tang yuan."

Because in America, I can eat tang yuan. What a misinformed little kid I was. I must have had no idea that "tang yuan", or glutinous rice balls (aka mochi balls), were so much more Taiwanese than they were American.

Misinformed or not, even at such a young age, I knew that I absolutely loved eating these rice balls.

Decades later, nothing has really changed.

Well, I guess I've gotten slightly wiser. I now know that Taiwan has some amazing rice balls. I also know that you can get pretty perfect rice balls right here in the US, right in your own kitchen.

Here's the little secret. These things are ridiculously easy to make from scratch. Seriously, it takes like 5 minutes, and only two ingredients.

There's no need to ever buy those store-bought frozen ones again.

Tang yuan are traditionally eaten with family on the first full moon after the lunar new year (the fifteenth and final day of a two-week long new year celebration). Of course, there's absolutely no reason to limit yourself to eating it once a year. In Taiwan, people eat these all year round, though it's popular in the winter since tang yuan are usually eaten with comforting hot soups.

If you have glutinous rice flour on hand, the only other ingredient you really need is water! Simply mix together water and the flour until you form a nice, pliable dough. Roll out a log, and then cut equal sized pieces.

The next step is the most time-consuming one, but even this step only takes about 5 minutes. Individually roll out each piece into a sphere.
Though you may think it's cute to stack them (aren't they so cute!), I would try to keep them in a single layer. After all, you are dealing with glutinous rice flour, aka sticky rice flour. The rice balls will stick to each other when you stack them.

Bring a pot of water to boiling, add the rice balls, and cook briefly, just until they float to the top.
Add them to your red bean soup (recipe below), and enjoy!

Homemade Rice Balls
prep time 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup glutinous rice flour
1/3 cup water

1. Add water to flour one tablespoon at a time until a pliable dough forms.
2. Roll out a log about ½ inch thick.
3. Cut off ½ inch pieces.
4. Roll each piece into a sphere between the palms of both hands.
5. Cook briefly in boiling water until they float.
6. Put the cooked rice balls into the red bean soup

Red Bean Soup
prep time 10 minutes | cook time 45 min | serves 4

Ingredients
1 cup dried azuki beans (red beans)
4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar

1. Soak azuki beans in water overnight.
2. Drain the beans.
3. Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil. Add the beans, bring a simmer, and cook for 45min to 1 h.
4. Add sugar (start with 1/2 cup and keep adding to taste)
5. Add homemade rice balls

Enjoy!

Matcha Mochi Cake

2012-01-19T02:29:00.000-05:00

Over the holiday break, I received the most interesting e-mail from a friend.

Dear Jen:

I have a serious proposition for you.

[Our friend] gave me a taste of your green tea mochi that you made for his birthday. It was SOOOOO good!

If you would be willing to make me a batch, I'll pay you for it.

Please consider!

What a proposition! I don't think I've ever had anyone offer to pay me for my baked goods! Usually I'm happy enough if people enjoy my cooking.

In any event, this green tea mocha is easy to make and definitely a crowd pleaser. The friend for whom I made it? He ate an entire loaf in one morning.

Yeah, it's that good.

Matcha powder is the key ingredient in this recipe. Matcha is finely milled shade-grown dried tea leaves. During the last few weeks before harvest, tea plants are covered and protected from the sun. This act causes the tea leaves to grow more slowly, become darker, and produce much more amino acids, which results in a sweeter tasting tea. The best buds are picked, dried, and crumbled up.
These crumbled leaves can then be milled into a fine powder. Drinking matcha involves adding hot water to this fine, bright green powder and drinking it whole.

Matcha boasts even more health benefits than normal green tea because you are drinking the entire tea leave whole instead of just steeping the leaf and extracting certain flavors from it. Matcha is packed full of anti-oxidants, having a more concentrated boost than pomegranates, blueberries, and spinach.

Because of the involved process required to make matcha, matcha costs a lot more than other green teas. A tiny little can of the stuff from Japan can cost you close to $20.

I think it's worth spending the money on good matcha, because the quality of the flavor influences the flavor of your dessert so directly.

Enjoy!

Matcha Mochi Cake
1 lb glutinous rice flour
2 T matcha powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten

Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Add to 2 well greased loaf pans (or 1 bundt pan) and bake at 350 ° F for at least one hour depending on the pan. Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly.

Let cool completely before trying to removing from the pan! Otherwise it will get stuck and you will be very, very sorry.

Note: this dish was made for the Gojee (Virtual) Potluck.
Starting on Thursday, January 26, check out other potluck dishes fellow gojee contributors shared. Go to gojee.com and enter “gojeepotluck” into I Crave. You can also follow #gojeepotluck on Twitter.

Giveaway is still going on! The odds are pretty good right now. I am giving away three personally autographed copies of Nina Simonds' new book Simple Asian Meals. Enter the giveaway here.

Chinese New Year Video with Nina Simonds + Giveaway

2012-01-18T02:02:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? Chinese New Year is less than a week away.

On Monday, January 23, 2012, we will usher in the year of the dragon!

Over the holiday break, I had the unique opportunity of getting together with cookbook author and video blogger Nina Simonds from Spices of Life and making a short video for Chinese New Year.

In the video, we show two different ways of making dumplings. I talk about how to make traditional Chinese dumplings (pork, leek, and napa). Nina shares here own creative take on the dumpling. Her deconstructed dumpling soup consists of meatballs (made with dumpling filling), pasta, and kale.

Some of you may remember the awesome garlic chicken with golden noodles that I made from Nina's health-oriented book Spoonful of Ginger about 6 months ago. Nina has been writing Asian cookbooks for over two decades. She's won countless awards for her books, and she recently just released a new one.

Hot off the presses, Simple Asian Meals just came out January 3, 2012. It's a mixture of traditional Asian meals, Asian-inspired meals, and dishes influenced by Asian ingredients or philosophies. You'll see a mix of various Asian influences, such as Vietnam, China, Singapore, and Japan. There's even a dedicated vegetarian section. In general, the dishes are simple, healthy, and flavorful.

Nina has generously offered to give away THREE personally autographed books to Tiny Urban Kitchen readers.

To enter the giveaway, please comment below your answer to the following question: "What is your favorite Asian dish and why?"

One entry per person. Shipping to US addresses only. Giveaway ends this Friday, January 20, 2012 at midnight, EST.

Best of luck!

Disclaimer
The video and books are provided by Nina Simonds and Spices of Life

Homemade Chinese Dumplings (jiao zi)

2012-01-18T02:01:00.000-05:00

Nothing beats a homemade dumpling.

OK, perhaps I exaggerate slightly. There are some transcendent dumplings out there that I have no hope of every recreating.

However, by and large, I almost always prefer the dumplings I make at home to restaurant dumplings (in the US), and definitely above all frozen dumplings. I find that most restaurant dumplings (with the exception of those at my beloved Din Tai Fung), are too meat-heavy for my taste. Often, it seems like I'm eating mostly pork, maybe with a little bit of chopped scallions. I personally prefer a more balanced dumpling that incorporates Chinese chives, napa cabbage, and pork in more equal proportions.

In northern China, dumplings are traditionally made at home on New Year's Eve after dinner. They are meant to be eaten right at midnight as the family ushers in the new year. The Chinese like to eat dumplings because they are shaped like gold ingots (yuan bao), and thus symbolize prosperity and wealth.

Since Chinese New Year is fast approaching (hello year of the dragon!!!), I thought it was the perfect time to share with you how I make dumplings, one of my favorite foods in the world.

When I was growing up, my mom used to hand chop all of the vegetables with a cleaver. These days, with the help of modern technology (hello food processor!), you can quickly and finely chop both napa cabbage and Chinese chives in mere seconds. Definitely use the pulse function, but don't pulse too many times! You're not trying to make chive & napa pesto!!

It's best to use reasonably fatty ground pork. Your dumplings will be juicer and much more flavorful.
Mix together!

Although it's horribly messy (Bryan would absolutely hate this), it's probably easiest to just get your hands in there and make sure everything is incorporated especially if you're working with such large quantities as I was!)

Wrapping the Dumplings
[Please look at the photos, going counterclockwise]

You can easily buy pre-made store bought wrappers in most Asian grocery stores. Do not buy the square wonton wrappers, which are thinner and egg-based. Instead, look for the circular, white wrappers.

If you are really ambitious and want to make your own dumpling wrappers, scroll to the bottom of the post for that recipe.

Add a small, teaspoon-sized dollop of pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Moisten the outer edges of the wrapper using your index finger. Bring together opposite ends of the wrapper (as if you are making a half moon), and press together. For the simplest dumpling, simply connect remaining edges together to make a half moon shaped dumpling. This type of dumpling is good for boiling, but not as good as pot stickers.

For a potsticker style dumpling (which can stand on its own with a flat bottom), press together most of one half of the dumpling, leaving a small loop, which you then flatten into a pleat. Repeat on the other side. Alternatively, start on one side and form multiple pleats down the entire edge of the half moon. The dumpling should be able to stand on its own. Place the finished dumplings, flat side down (pleat side up), in one layer on a piece of foil.

If freezing, freeze the entire tray until the dumplings are frozen. Then remove them and pile them individually into a freezer bag.

Pan frying dumplings (to make potstickers)

You will need to work in batches here, since each pan can only pan fry one layer of dumplings at once. Add 1-2 T of vegetable oil to a nonstick (e.g., cast iron pan) pan and heat to medium high heat. Once the pan is really hot, place the dumplings (either fresh or frozen) in one layer (flat side down) inside the pan.

You should hear significant sizzling. Let the dumplings cook for about 2-4 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.

Add about ½ cup of water (or enough that there is about ¼ inch of water in the pan). Cover, and reduce heat down to medium. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until all the water evaporates and you begin to hear that sizzle sound again.

To see the video that I made with Nina Simonds that shows you how to do this step by step, click here.

Boiling Dumplings (Alternate Cooking Method)

Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Add the dumplings and cook until they float to the surface. Add about 1/2 cup of cold water. When the water reboils again, add another 1/2 cup of water. On the third "reboil", the dumplings should be done. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve.

[Note - the above method is the traditional "Taiwanese Mom" method. Most package instructions will tell you just to reduce the heat to medium after the dumplings initially float and cook for 5-6 minutes. That probably works as well, but I find the Taiwanese Mom method to be more fun and cool!]

EAT!
Serve hot, with soy sauce, optionally mixed with black vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili sauce, chopped ginger, garlic, and/or scallions (it’s really up to personal preference!).

Making the Dumpling Wrapper
This is seriously optional - it's a lot of work and you can easily buy store-bought wrappers that are pretty good. However, homemade dumpling wrappers are more moist, don't require water when wrapping, and overall have better texture.

You can check out the video I made with Nina Simonds where we show you how to make the skins, wrap the dumpling, and pan fry it!

Ingredients
makes about 50-60 wrappers - you will need to make several batches if you are using the pork recipe above

4 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups hot boiling water
additional flour for the work space

Measure out flour into a large work bowl. Slowly add the hot water to the flour and stir with a spoon or chopsticks until it is combined and sort of lumpy. Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands until smooth and sort of elastic. Cover the dough in plastic wrap or a damp paper towel, and let rest for at least 15 minutes, up to two hours.

When ready to wrap, pull off a portion of the dough that is just large enough to roll out into a 5-6 inch log about 1 inch diameter (pictured below). Wrap the rest of the dough back up. Cut equal sized nuggets about 1 inch thick. Lay the cut cylinders on their sides and flatten into 1 1/2 inch wide discs. Using a rolling pin, flatten the outer edges while turning the disc. You want the middle of the disc to be just slightly thicker than the edges, which is why you roll from the outer edges.

Set aside, and wrap!

Chinese Pork, Leek, and Napa Dumplings
Makes about 200 to 250 dumplings (I think I served over 10 people with this recipe)

Ingredients
1 head Napa cabbage (about 1.5 lbs)
4 bunches of Chinese chives
16 oz firm tofu
4 lbs ground pork
2 tsp salt
tsp pepper (white or black)
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger root, finely grated
2/3 cup soy sauce 4 eggs, beaten
1 T sesame oil
2 T Shaoxing rice wine
4-5 T corn starch
Commercially available dumpling wrappers (enough to make ~250 dumplings) or homemade dumpling wrappers (see bottom of post)
a small cup of water for wetting the wrapper

Dipping Sauce
soy sauce
additional optional ingredients
vinegar (either black or rice)
sesame oil
hot chili sauce
minced ginger
minced garlic
chopped scallions

Filling
Using a food processor (in batches), finely chop the Napa cabbage and Chinese chives by using the pulse function. Be careful not to pulse for too long. Otherwise, you may pulverize the vegetables!
Alternatively, chop and then mince by hand.

Separately, add salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, and corn starch to the ground pork and mix well. Combine the vegetables, tofu, beaten eggs, and the ground pork mixture, using hands to thoroughly mix together if necessary.

Wrap dumplings according to instructions shown above.

Cook (choose from pan frying or boiling, both described in detail above) and eat!

Enjoy!!!!

Guchi's Midnight Ramen Pop Up

2012-01-17T02:01:00.004-05:00

Last night was a crazy night.

Precisely at 12:20 AM on Sunday "evening" (technically Monday morning!), Bryan and I stepped out into the frigid night (it was ten degrees Fahrenheit - brrrrrr!) and headed out for ramen.

Ramen at midnight???

In the wee hours of Monday morning on January 16th, Guchi Midnight Ramen, a pop up restaurant started by a few O Ya chefs, opened its doors for the first time. Rumors had been circulating for months about this mysterious venture. The word was that several O Ya chefs had decided to create a ramen pop up restaurant where everything was to be made from scratch, from the broth down to the handmade noodles.

Handmade noodles??!! I didn't need to hear more. I couldn't wait for this to open.

Imagine the thrill I felt this past weekend when I received an invitation to attend the first ever opening of this much-anticipated pop up.

Even though both Bryan and I had to work the next day, nothing would stop us from heading out to Bondir at midnight to slurp up that inaugural batch of noodles!

Mark O'Leary and Yukihiro Kawaguchi (aka "Guchi")

First of all, let's meet the founders behind this crazy venture.

The whole idea was hatched one night at the bar at Drink. O Ya chefs Yukihiro Kawaguchi (Mr. "Guchi" himself) and Mark O'Leary were chatting with the bartender when the idea of a ramen pop-up came up.

Mark O'Leary, who loves making noodles, was thrilled that Guchi, who loves experimenting with making broths, wanted to partner and bring this idea to fruition.

"I'm lucky to work with Guchi. He's taught me a lot. I'm lucky he lets me make his noodles. I hope to make a lot more noodles for Guchi."

Guchi at O Ya

Guchi comes from a family of noodle makers. His family owns a ramen shop in Japan, and he grew up living directly upstairs from the shop. When Guchi moved to America, he spent some time at Ginza in Boston before becoming a chef at O Ya, where he still currently works.

Vilas Dhar and Tracy Chang

Vilas Dhar is an attorney and food entrepreneur. The mastermind behind the pop-up Dore Creperie in Downtown Crossing, Vilas brings to the team his experience, drive, and enthusiasm. Tracy Chang also worked at O Ya back in 2010, but left last year to spend a year in Spain to train at three-star Michelin restaurant Martin Berasategui. She came back to Boston not too long ago, and since then has been very involved in many of the details behind this pop-up!

Checking Out the Kitchen
Soon after I arrived, I couldn't help but be drawn to the kitchen. How in the world were they going to execute this pop up?

Guchi told me that the broth, which is a pork and seafood based broth, had been cooking for about 10 hours. He has actually experimented with making many different kinds of broths, many of which he plans on using at future pop ups.

Mark and Tracy got up at 6AM (!) to start making the sweet buns for the pork belly buns. The two of them then began the laborious process of hand-cranking out 50 portions of handmade noodles. Talk about dedication!

They spent all day prepping every single component of the evening's dinner from scratch, from the delicious "XO-like sauce" (which they call "Umami oil"), down to the broth, the buns, and the noodles. I can't believe they still had energy at midnight after getting up at 6AM!

As soon as the last guest arrived, Tracy popped into the kitchen and told Mark and Guchi, "I think we're ready to go!"

Soon afterwards, these delicious homemade pork belly buns began to appear.

The bun itself was moist, just a tad sweet, and gorgeously fluffy. The pork belly was divine, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that worked perfectly with the crunchy cucumbers, peanuts, and fresh cilantro. It was fantastic.

The much anticipated ramen was also really, really good. We loved the handmade noodles, and the broth was really flavorful. It's a bit lighter than a traditional pork bone broth, which is usually very creamy and quite heavy. This broth still had the creaminess from the pork bones, but had other complex elements that came from the variety of seafood used in the broth.

Bryan, who usually doesn't like ramen that much, absolutely loved his bowl of noodles and even finished mine!

I loved the "umami oil" that they put on the tables. I liberally added it to my noodle soup, which infused a lovely kick as well as a huge umami boost to the dish. Bryan tried it with the pork buns as well, which he said was quite good. If only they would bottle it and sell it, I would totally buy one!

Yes, I looked tired, but what do you expect? It's 2AM!

We ended with a delicious matcha chocolate chip cookie. It was a great way to finish off the meal.

The atmosphere was lively and celebratory. The Guchi Midnight Ramen crew had invited many of their close friends to come and enjoy this special inaugural feast with them, including a bunch of people from Barbara Lynch's group (pictured above, Colin Lynch, executive chef of Menton), James Bissonnette from Coppa, and John Gertsen from the famed Drink where it all started.

Tracy talking to members of Barbara Lynch's team
After everything had been served, the team popped the champagne and celebrated this exciting occasion.

Jason Bond, chef owner of Bondir (the host restaurant!), and Monica Higgins also hung around next to the lovely fireplace at the entrance of the restaurant. They were able to enjoy all of this delicious food too, not too long after working so hard earlier in the day running Bondir!

Although I was exhausted afterwards, I don't regret going one bit. I had tons of fun not only enjoying the delicious food, but also getting to know this crew of incredibly dedicated, hardworking, and talented people.

I personally can't wait to find out when the next Guchi's Midnight Ramen pop up will be. It's so hard to find handmade noodles here in Boston (trust me, I've tried). Here, not only do you get to enjoy the delicious chewiness of handmade noodles, you get to slurp them up with Guchi's unparalleled broth. The Guchi Midnight Ramen team has promised that their pop ups will be priced much lower than other ones we've seen around town, which is awesome.

Seriously, it's a win-win combination.

Guchi Midnight Ramen team, thanks so much for the rare opportunity to share this exciting first meal with you all. It was definitely a tremendous honor. Can't wait to see what you have in store next!

Disclaimer
I did not pay for this meal.

Menton - White Alba Truffle Tasting Menu

2012-01-13T12:31:00.002-05:00

I was born in November. November has always been sort of a dud month in general. I’ve always been jealous of Bryan, whose early October birthday coincides with glorious fall colors and perfect, crisp hiking weather here in New England.

November is that weird month after all the leaves have fallen but before the magical snow of Christmas has blanketed the ground. For my birthday, I could never go on a leaf peeping hike, a lovely outdoor picnic, or a trip to the beach. Instead, for the last five years or so, we’ve bundled up indoors, enjoying a traditional Chinese hot pot for my birthday.
Then I found out something awesome about November.

Two words: white truffles

Yep, November is when the white truffle season goes full bloom. I have been in love with white truffles ever since the moment I tried them. Their fragrant, earthy aroma is intoxicating, and I am drawn to anything that incorporates this mystical fungus.

I even told Bryan I wanted to go to Alba, Italy for my birthday someday.

Well, I didn’t get a chance to visit Alba this past November. However, Bryan did treat me to a White Alba Truffle Tasting Dinner at Menton.

This meal was really like no other meal I had ever enjoyed. For the first time, we got to dine at the Chef’s Table at Menton.

Now, before I go on, let me tell you something cool about the kitchen at Menton. If you’ve ever been to Per Se or the French Laundry, you can’t help but notice an uncanny resemblance of the Menton kitchen to those kitchens.

As it turns out, Menton's kitchen was designed by the exact same people. According to a chef I met at Menton, the Menton kitchen is probably one of the nicest (if not THE nicest) restaurant kitchens in Boston. Once you cook there, you really become spoiled because no other kitchen is so well-designed, well-organized, spacious, and stocked with so much special and useful equipment.
Anyway, back to the Chef’s Table. The Chef’s Table is actually inside the kitchen. You walk through the kitchen (a cool experience in and of itself) to enter the door to this small, exclusive room. The room has one long table (seats about 20), and has a HUGE window that looks into the kitchen.

It’s seriously front-row seats to all that intense action going on in the kitchen.

It’s fascinating to sit there and watch. There’s a mirror on the other side of the wall opposite the window, so people seated on all sides of the room can enjoy the spectacle.
The manager of the restaurant, Alec Riveros, sat with us throughout the evening and taught us all about white truffles. The dinner was both educational, fun, and (of course), delicious. Because of the intimate nature of the room, you actually get to know the people at the dinner, which is kind of fun.

Before the meal began, the staff brought in the huge white truffle we would all be eating today. The aroma alone engulfed the room, making everyone just a little swoony from the luxurious smell. We passed around the huge white truffle, admiring this rare jewel. White truffles, unlike black truffles, cannot be cultivated. For some reason, no one has figured out a way to farm these precious nuggets. As a result, the only way to obtain white truffles is to go to the Alba region in Italy and hunt for them during their short season. The truffles are buried underground (about 6 inches?), so you can’t even see them if you go into the forest. This is why truffle hunters bring truffle dogs of truffle pigs, whose keen sense of spell can pick out white truffles that are buried underground. The price of white truffles varies wildly depending on availability.

This year was a sparse year for truffles, which is why prices shot up as the season progressed and not a lot of truffles were harvested. Alec told us that the executive chef, Colin Lynch (no relation to Barbara Lynch), is quite picky about truffles and will spend quite a bit of time smelling the various truffles that the truffle vendor brings before picking one out. (Can you imagine being a truffle vendor? Walking around town with that box of truffles! I would so be afraid of getting mugged!)
Butter Soup
Nova Scotia Lobster, Royal White Sturgeon Caviar, Honey
NV Ferrari Brut

We started with a non-truffle dish, actually, the signature “Butter Soup” from Menton. This soup seriously reminded me of melted butter, yet was more velvety, luxurious, and refined. The addition of caviar and lobster just made the entire soup that much more decadent. Of course it was delicious, though I couldn’t help but feel just a tad guilty that I was literally drinking butter!!
Bay Scallop Ceviche
Chives, Honeycrisp apple, Celery
2010 Cascina Roera Arneis "Ciapin"

The next course was a simple dish of bay scallops topped with the first magical shaving of white truffles. The Bay scallops were fresh and very sweet, which was offset nicely with the crisp apple and celery components. The white truffle smelled incredible on the dish, and worked perfectly fine with the components. Part of me did wish I could taste the white truffle more. In this dish, there were many equally strong flavors going on in conjunction with the shaved white truffles. Unlike simpler preparations where the white truffle is clearly the star, here it acted as an equal player in an orchestra of several flavors.
Chestnut Agnolotti
Fondutta, Braised Lettuce, Madeira
2005 Cascina Roera Barbera d'Asti Superiore "Cardin"

The chestnut agnolotti was one of my favorite courses of the evening. The fresh, homemade pasta had fantastic texture, and the fondutta sauce (a rich, creamy sauce made from fontina cheese, butter, milk, and egg yolks) bound everything together beautifully. Of course, the white truffles added a gorgeously sweet, earthy aroma that worked really well with the other components in this dish.

Braised Beef Cheeks
Ris de Veau, Parsnip, Sauce Perigueux
2007 Bianco Aldo Barbaresco
2006 Oddero Barolo

Our last savory course was braised beef cheeks and ris de veau (sweetbreads) in a Périgueux sauce (a rich, brown sauce made from Madeira wine and black truffles!). They came with these peculiar looking seashell shaped root vegetables that none of us had ever seen before. They sort of tasted like a cross between water chestnuts and potatoes, and were actually quite good. The braised beef cheeks went very well with the deep, rich Périgueux sauce. The white truffles were a nice balance to the intense flavors in the meal, though (again), part of me wished I could taste the white truffle more.
The meal included wine pairings, which was pretty unlimited. In other words, if you were a fast drinker and finished your wine before the course was over, they would just pour you some more. Of course, I had the opposite problem. I had trouble finishing so many glasses! This is why so many red wine glasses started "piling up" in front of my plate!

We moved onto a simple cheese course. I regret to say that I cannot remember the name of this cheese. I can say that it was nutty, creamy, had nice depth, and was lovely with the accompanying toasts, Marcona almonds, and fruit jam.

Chocolate Mousse
Cardamon, Milk Chocolate Crumble, Grand Marnier Glace
2010 Marenco Brachetto d'Acqui "Pineto"

Though we were all crazy full by the end, we ended with a few more sweet bites! The decadent chocolate mousse was nice - rich and chocolatey yet not too sweet.

Before we left, the last thing we enjoyed were these baby mini-macarons! This was not the first time I had seen these, but they were still just as fun to eat! Each color is a different flavor. I think we had espresso, mint, raspberry, and orange (though I am not positive!).

All in all, these special Chef’s Table dinners are really an interesting and different way to enjoy dinner on a Sunday evening. Instead of paying the crazy $2000 minimum to reserve the Chef’s Table for yourself, you can just pay the price of a dinner.

The white truffle dinner was significantly more expensive than most largely due the the cost of the ingredients. However, they often have other, more “normally” (normal for Menton, that is) priced set tastings (usually in the $100 to $150 range) that are probably fun, informative, and (of course), delicious.

Thanks Bryan for a such a fun, unique "visit" to Alba. Maybe next year we can go for real. :)

Menton
354 Congress St.
Boston, MA 02210

Lumpia (Popiah)

2012-01-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

There are certain food experiences that remain with you forever, indelibly branded into the far recesses of your brain.

For me, I'll never forget the first time I tried street food in Singapore.

I was in high school. My family was taking one of our first family trips to Asia, complete with stops in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

In Singapore, we were overwhelmed by the countless night markets that stayed open all night long! Singapore is seriously a night owl's dream, with readily available food stalls open 'til the wee hours of the morning.

I remember walking around these street food areas where rows and rows of stalls appeared to go on for infinity. We tried some really fresh fruit smoothies. We snacked on tropical fruits. And then . . . for the first time in my life, I tried a lumpia.

It was the most amazing combination of flavors I'd ever had. Fresh cilantro, juicy pork, fresh ground peanuts, carrots, all wrapped up in a soft egg-roll skin. The memory of those bites stayed with me for a long, long time.

It wasn't until about a decade later that I finally learned how to make them myself.

A lumpia (or popiah as it is also called) is a fresh spring roll common in Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia. It originates from the Fujian region of China and became popular in Southeast Asia when Chinese immigrants from Fujian settled there.

The hardest part in making fresh, homemade lumpia is probably the crepe-like wrapper. I did not attempt to do this because you can purchase frozen wrappers at Asian supermarkets. However, if you are ambitious, you can always try to make it yourself.

Once you've got the skin, a lumpia is really not hard to make. The biggest challenge is the time that it takes to prepare and gather up all the components. I think lumpias work great at parties where you can let guests each make their own. People can custom-design their lumpias, adding as much or as little meat, cilantro, sauce, etc. that they want.

So What Are the Components?
Components vary from region to region. In the most general sense, lumpias have meat, eggs, and vegetables. The classical Taiwanese version incorporate sautéed pork, preserved radish, carrots, cabbage, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and shredded egg omelet.

Crushed peanuts can be easily made in a food processor. Alternatively, you can make them the way my mom used to make them (pre-convenience days!), with a mortar and pestle. If you want your lumpia to be more Southern Taiwanese style, add sugar to the peanut mixture before grinding it up.

The fried egg omelette is pretty straightforward. I basically followed the technique that I used for making tamagoyaki, except that I did not add the Japanese flavoring ingredients. Slice into 1/4 inch strips.

Preserved turnip is a bit harder to find in ordinary grocery stores. You can find them in most Chinese supermarkets. They usually come vacuum packed, and may or may not be pre-chopped. These are pretty salty, so you may want to soak them in water for a bit. If you do that, they will absorb water and expand, thus becoming less salty.

I usually like to stir fry some lean pork loin strips. If you want more fat and flavor, you can stir fry pork butt or shoulder instead. Alternatively, chicken, beef, or any other protein should work as well (though my mom always uses pork). Marinate the meat with a bit of soy sauce, corn starch, and sesame oil. Stir fry and set aside.

For veggies, cut up cabbage and carrots into thin strips and stir fry until soft and cooked. Optionally season with a bit of salt and pepper.
Fresh cilantro is important to have on hand, as the crisp, bright flavors of the cilantro work well in offsetting the savory pork, strongly flavored hoisin sauce, and the salty turnips.

You can also blanch fresh bean sprouts and add them as well.

WRAPPING
Assembling your own lumpia is not too hard. If you've ever made Mooshu pork before, it's pretty similar. Start by adding just a small bit of hoisin or Sriracha sauce (I think I've actually put a little too much in the photo, but it's all kind of subjective). Next, add your sugar peanuts. Then slowly layer on whatever ingredients you want to add. I personally think it tastes best with everything on it. If you're using a lot of hoisin sauce, I would recommend skipping the sugar in the peanuts, because it makes the entire lumpia a bit too sweet.

Enjoy!

Lumpia or Popiah
Serves approximately 4

Prepare all the different components and put them in separate bowls. Allow guests to roll their own lumpias based on the instructions above.

Please note: this "recipe" is very flexible, and the amounts I have written are approximations that I have made. Think of this as more of a guide, not so much a precise recipe. Feel free to alter the amounts based on personal preference, dietary restrictions, what you might have at home, etc.

Components
Cabbage + carrot stir-fry

1 T canola oil

1/2 head of cabbage, cut into 1/4 inch strips

3 carrots, julienned

Add about 1 T canola oil (or any vegetable oil) to a heated wok. When the oil is hot, add cabbage and carrots. If necessary, add a bit of water and cover. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the cabbage and carrots are softened. Optionally add salt (about 1/2 tsp or to taste).

Pork Loin

1/2 lb pork loin, cut into strips

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp corn starch

1 T vegetable oil (or sesame oil)

Cut pork loin into thin strips. Marinate pork in soy sauce, corn starch, and vegetable oil for about 20 minutes. In a heated wok over medium high heat, stir fry pork until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

Omelet
3 eggs

Using a fork, mix together three eggs in a bowl. Over medium heat in a nonstick pan, add a thin layer of the egg mixture and cook until it is no longer runny (see this post for pictures and details). Slowly scroll up the egg omelet into a cylinder. Remove from heat and slice into thin strips. Set aside.

Preserved Turnips
3 oz preserved turnips, soaked and rinsed

Cut up the turnip into small cubes, about 1/4 inch wide. Set aside.

Cilantro
Wash cilantro and optionally chop into 4-6 inch long pieces

Peanut Sugar
Using a food processor, add peanuts and sugar at a 3:1 ratio (peanuts:sugar). Grind these two together until you have a sweet peanut powder.

Additional Components

Hoisin sauce

Sriracha sauce (or chili sauce)

Lumpia wrappers

Wrap and eat!

Enjoy!

Sushi Mizutani

2012-01-10T00:45:00.000-05:00

This is part 7 of my latest travel series: Post Quake Japan. Other posts in this series: Kago, Daisan Harumi, Tempura Kondo, Sushi Mitani, Inakaya, and Aronia de Takazawa.

I never expected ever to dine at Sushi Mizutani.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, that’s for sure.

In my last two trips to Japan, I tried to book a reservation at this tiny, 8-seater, 3-star Michelin sushi bar. Twice, I was rejected. Rumor has it that you have to book at least 2 months in advance, maybe 3 to be safe. Typically (purely a result of my disorganized propensities), I don’t start planning my trips until about 2 weeks before leaving. At that pont, it’s usually too late to reserve the really popular places.

Surprisingly and sadly, I had no trouble reserving a coveted sushi bar spot this time around. The massive earthquake back in March had all but scared foreigners away. No one was coming to Japan, and therefore this sushi master’s table was actually open.

Available for those like me to partake.

Seriously, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

First things first. This place is not easy to find. It is on the 9th floor of an elevator building in a back alley in Ginza. None of the signs are in English, so you need to know a bit of Japanese to be able to even read the signs. Furthermore, they won’t take reservations in English, so you need to either call and speak Japanese, or have your hotel concierge make the reservation for you.

After lots of wandering around, Bryan and I finally find the restaurant! The space is warm, yet quite humble and simple. It looks just like the dozens of ordinary sushi bars around town, hardly what you might expect for a three-star Michelin restaurant. Perhaps it is true – Michelin stars are granted purely for the quality of the food, nothing else.

A friendly, grandmotherly woman, the master sushi chef’s wife, takes our coats and other things (like our backpack!) and puts them in a closet. The sushi bar seats are so narrow, there’s really no room for extraneous things. She doesn’t speak English, but motions a big “X” with her hands, and says, “ka-meh-la, NO.”

No cameras??

Bryan and I look at each other.

Oh dear . . . well there goes my visions of sharing with you photos of this elusive meal.

There isn’t much conversation in the beginning. Mizutani-san asks us whether we want just sushi, or sushi and sashimi. We say we want sushi and sashimi. His wife takes a drink order, and then we just sit and observe.

I had read that Mizutani-san is very serious about his craft, and comes off as less friendly to foreigners because he won't really talk to them. My initial impressions seem to confirm those sentiments. The room is quiet even though almost every seat is filled. There appear to be three Japanese diners, another couple from Singapore (who are speaking English), and us.

Mizutani-san hands us our first plate full of several pieces of sashimi without saying a word. He almost acts as if we do not exist. Perhaps it's true. The experience is so different when you can’t interact with the chef.

The next time he comes over, I muster up as much courage as I could, and sheepishly ask in my broken Japanese, “kore wa nan desu ka?” (what is this?) A tiny smile flickers across his face as he looks at me and slowly said, “ma-gu-ro.”

On that same plate, we sample ikura (salmon roe) from Hokkaido served in a bowl. The eggs are firm, bursting with a slightly salty yet almost sweet, rich liquid. Hirame (fluke), a light, white fish is chewy and just slightly stringy. Abalone appears again, which is characteristically chewy yet sweet. At this point, I start to realize that all sushi restaurants get their fish from Tsukiji, which means most restaurants will have pretty similar offerings.

Saba (mackerel), one of my favorites, is deliciously fatty, rich, full of flavor. I've mentioned before that I absolutly love ika (squid) sashimi in Japan. The ika here is beautifully creamy yet has a nice al dente texture to it.

We washed all of this down with a few bottles of Kirin beer.

I relentlessly express interest in what I am eating, constantly peppering him with questions.

Occasionally I won't understand his Japanese, which causes him to ask his assistant to bring out a book with English words and pictures so he can show us. As the evening continues, the atmosphere relaxes and we start to chat a bit with the people around us.

The couple from Singapore speak English, so we make some light conversation with them. A Japanese guy sitting a few seats away actually speaks excellent English, and starts helping me out with translations when Mizutani-san and I get into binds.

The sashimi courses end, and we move onto sushi.

We begin with akagai (bloody clam), which is toothsome and slightly sweet.

But honestly, at this point I'm almost not noticing the clam. Why?

I have just tried Mizutani-san's sushi rice for the first time.

This is truly the most incredible rice I've ever had.

Mizutani-san is seriously a master at making rice and slicing fish. Each piece of nigiri has an absolutely perfect ratio of fish to rice. The temperature of the fish and rice is precise and accurate; and the texture of the rice is phenomenal - perfectly "vinegar-ed", beautifully al dente, and just the right temperature. You can taste each individual grain of rice, which is crucial (no mushy rice here!).

Kohada, gizzard shad, comes next followed by tuna (maguro). Unlike the typical red maguro, this one is slightly pink and rich full of flavor. In Japan, I actually prefer tuna over salmon! We continued down the line of tuna fatty-ness, trying chutoro next (tuna belly), which has noticeably more fat and a much richer taste. Finally, the mini-series ends with otoro (super fatty tuna belly), which is absolutely incredible. It really seems to just melt in your mouth!

Aoyagi (red clam) then appears, followed by kobashiya, which looks like a bunch of mini bay scallops in a gunkan (warship) roll form. The few times I've tried mirugai (geoduck) in America, I haven't liked it because I found it to be stinky. Here, however, it is chewy and sweet, not the least bit stinky.

I get more comfortable with my Japanese, and soon, Mizutani-san and I are chatting about all types of topics (sometimes with the help of Mr. Japanese Translator Man!).

He tells me he has been making sushi for 50 years (!!!), and jokingly asks me whether I was born yet when he started making sushi. He used to work at Sushi Jiro (a well revered legendary sushi institution also holding 3 Michelin Stars) in Yokohama for 5 years before coming to Ginza to start his own place.

At first, he had a space in the basement, but just last year, he finally was able to move to this 9th floor location. Though the place has no windows, he still likes being high up compared to being in the basement.

"In Ginza, there is no Jiro, so Mizutani reigns," he half jokingly asserts.

Mizutani-san is super friendly now as he continues to churn out expertly constructed, gorgeous sushi - one at a time.

We continue our sampling feast. We try Aji (horse mackerel), a white fish that I see over and over at Tokyo sushi shops. Kuruma ebi (fresh, cooked prawn) is good but (shockingly), we think we actually prefer the one at Kyubey! This one was more cooked than I would have liked. Maybe something to do with cooking live shrimp right before serving? . . . . :(

Uni (sea urchin) is creamy, delicious, just like at all the other places. Anago (salt water eel) is not as fatty as unagi (freshwater eel), but is soft, tender, and flavorful like unagi.

Finally, near the end, he hands us a simple tekkamaki (tuna roll). While at any other restaurant I would consider not eating this "filler" type ending course, here I love his rice so much I almost don't care what is inside. I savor every single bite of the tuna roll.

We end with tamago (sweet egg omelet). This is fantastic - soft, delicate, and custard-like! It reminds me of the tamago from Sushi Kanesaka, the only other place with such perfect eggs.

I tell Mizutani that his food is incredible, and that I have been trying to book a reservation here for over 2 years.

He sighs and tells me, "it used to be that you had to book at least two months in advance to reserve one of the eight seats in this restaurant. However, ever since the earthquake, foreigners stopped coming."

Suddenly, Mizutani hollars for his wife, "Obasan!" Before you know it, he has asked her to let us get out our cameras. Bryan and I are in shock - is he going to let us take a photo? The meal is already over, but he lets us take a coveted photo with him.

Is this the best sushi you’ve ever had?
It’s hard to say. At this point, I’m seriously having a hard time distinguishing all these Michelin stars. We are still huge fans of Kyubey, and although it lost the one star that it had, honestly, we still think it’s very, very good.

The nice thing about going to Sushi Miztani is that you are guaranteed to get the MAN HIMSELF when you dine there. Other places, like Sushi Kanesaka (2 stars) and Kyubey employ other sushi chefs. You may not necessary get the man himself when you dine there. Kyubey is such a huge operation, odds are you won’t ever get the same chef twice unless if you request someone.

Mizutani-san goes to Tsukiji fish market every morning (only a 10 minute walk away) to scope out the best fish for the day. The sushi at Sushi Mizutani is incredible and definitely compete with the best sushi we’ve ever had.

There’s nothing particularly fancy or inventive about what we ate. Most of our courses consisted of a very fresh piece of seafood either on its own with just a slight bit of sauce (sashimi), or over a perfectly formed ball of rice (sushi). At a place like this, it’s all about the quality of the fish and the precise execution of the numerous sushi skills needed to assemble that perfect, blissful bite (still thinking about that oh-so-perfect sushi rice . . .).

The free sugared gourd slices that Mizutani-san gives to Bryan to enjoy while waiting for me to come back from our second ATM trip

Cash only??
This is something we didn’t know, but Sushi Mizutani is cash only. You may think that it’s ridiculous that a restaurant that charges over $200/head would be a cash only type restaurant. Mizutani’s wife tried to explain their reasons. Credit card companies charge a 10% commission. This really starts to add up when meals start hovering around $500 USD and up. She said they didn’t want to increase the prices even more since the meals are already so expensive. Thankfully, there is an ATM that accepts international cards (not all of them do!) inside a 7-11 down the street. In our case, one of the assistant chefs escorted us to the ATM and back. Interestingly, the ATM only lets you take out around 20,000 yen in one sitting, so Bryan and I had to take a trip each to make sure we had enough cash! Lesson learned. If you’re coming to Sushi Mizutani, come with enough cash!

If you really, really enjoy top quality sushi made my one of the most expert hands around, Sushi Mizutani is definitely worth the visit. His rice alone is second-to-none. It goes without saying that the fish is incredible. If you don't speak any Japanese, I do think it would be beneficial to go with someone who speaks. It really makes the experience much more enjoyable.

This ends the Post Quake Japan Series based on most recent trip to Japan a few months ago. It was truly an incredible trip. The Japanese people and culture continue to fascinate me and I am continually amazed at their resilience following such an awful tragedy.

Can't wait to go back!

RELATED POSTS

2011 Japan Trip
Post Quake Japan
Kago
Daisan Harumi
Tempura Kondo
Sushi Mitani
Inakaya
Aronia de Takazawa

2010 Japan Trip
Part 1: Kappabashi Dori
Part 2: Tapas Molecular Bar
Part 3: Suzuran
Part 4: Matcha and Azuki Breads
Part 5: Masamoto Tsukiji Knives
Part 6: Maisen (Tonkatsu)
Part 7: Snacking in Japan
Part 8: Sushi Kanesaka

2009 Japan Trip
Everything I Learned About Sushi I Learned from My Mom . . . . And Kyubei
Seryna (Kobe Beef Shabu Shabu)
Sometaro (okonomiyaki)
Maisen (tonkatsu)
Kyubey (sushi)
Suzuran (ramen)

Armando's Pizza

2012-01-09T11:24:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a neighborhood secret off the beaten path?

Right around the corner from the world famous market "Formaggio Kitchen" (where Julia Child loved to shop) and just across the street from one of my favorite upscale bakeries sits a simple, no-nonsense pizzeria that churns out delicious, hot, and inexpensive pies (yes, in Boston we call pizzas "pies").

I first heard about Armando's when one of Boston's most well-respected and famous chefs commented that it was one of his favorite places to eat.

After moving to my new hood and realizing it was only a 10-minute walk away, I told Bryan we had to try this local favorite.

Armando's is a family owned operation started by Armando Paolo, originally from Benevento, Italy, over thirty years ago. His daughter Rina now owns the place, and runs it with the help of her husband and her son Michael. The restaurant is very locally focused, supporting neighborhood sports teams and school activities. The walls of Armando's are adorned with framed pictures of little league teams from local schools. In fact, in 2010 the local residents requested the city name the corner of Huron and Concord in his name. Today, it is officially called Armando Paolo Square.

Armando's has both Sicilian style (thick, bready-crust) pizza as well as New York style pizza. We asked Michael what we should order. He personally loved pepperoni (or was it sausage?) and onions, but he also said that one of the most popular slices was the spinach, tomato, and garlic pizza.

We decided to try sausage and mushroom on the Sicilan and try the tomato, spinach, and garlic on the normal pizza.

We grabbed a simple booth seat and waited a few minutes for our pizzas. While waiting, a large crowd of high school students walked in and started ordering pizzas. I guess this place is popular with the local students!
Soon afterward, our pizzas arrived piping hot! I really, really liked the tomato, spinach, and garlic pizza! It was not that greasy at all, and was generously topped with fresh sautéed spinach, fat slices of tomatoes, and tons of garlic.

The crust was nice and crispy yet had a nice, hefty chew to it as well. Definitely enjoy these slices fresh. I can see the crispy bottom getting soggy pretty quickly if it sits around for too long.

Armando's has a pretty sizable takeout business, so I'm guessing the take-out pizzas are still pretty good. However, if you really want to experience their pizzas at their peak, definitely eat-in, order a few slices, and eat them as soon as possible! They are so much better hot, crispy, and fresh.

I was thrilled to discover such a delicious pizza place so close to home. The prices are quite reasonable, and the food is good. Sure, the decor looks like it hasn't changed since 1980, but hey, that's part of the charm.

Many think it's the best pizza in Cambridge, though part of that draw probably comes from the nostalgia it brings back for people who grew up eating it.

Hey, nostalgia or not, I'm stoked there's such a great Italian-owned neighborhood pizza joint so close by.

Armando's Pizza
163 Huron Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138

Aronia de Takazawa

2012-01-05T00:30:00.000-05:00

This is part 6 of my latest travel series: Post Quake Japan. Other posts in this series: Kago, Daisan Harumi, Tempura Kondo, Sushi Mitani, and Butagumi.

Imagine a restaurant that only serves three tables an entire evening.

It's like going to an intimate dinner party where the chef personally designs your meal, shops for the ingredients, and personally executes the elements, course after course after course.

Welcome to Aronia de Takazawa, a culinary playground for Chef Takazawa right in Akasaka in Tokyo. Here, every night, a small, privileged group of guests get to enjoy Takazawa at his best, sampling his playful interpretations on numerous dishes using both French and Japanese techniques.

There weren't always three tables.

For the first five years or so, Aronia de Takazawa only served two tables a night. Chef Takazawa felt that with any more tables, he "could not give customers the attention he thinks they deserve," said his wife, Akiko. More recently, due to much demand, Takazawa has hired a few assistants and has increased the restaurant to accommodate three tables.

I had read a lot about this place and had tried unsuccessfully to book a table there the last time I was in Japan. Bryan and I were shocked when we were able to land a reservation this time only one week before flying to Japan. As I have mentioned before in a previous post, the earthquake had all but shattered Japan's tourism industry, and many restaurants had more open seats than ever before.

For us, it was an incredible opportunity to experience a food adventure that Chef Takazawa personally designs for his diners - a food journey that aims to surprise and delight all who take its path.

Join me as I take you through our 11-course tasting experience and get a glimpse of Chef Takazawa at his best.

At the center of the dining room, an exterior "kitchen" is the stage where diners can watch Takazawa perform his magic. Our server, a lovely woman named Akiko, is Takazawa's wife and speaks impeccable English. She's warm, friendly, and converses very naturally with us as a gracious and humble host.

Takazawa, on the other hand, is shy.

As we settle into our seats at one of the three tables in the restaurant, Akiko begins,

"Now, about photographs . . ."

We internally freeze, afraid of the dreaded statement to come.

"It is fine to take pictures of the food. However, the chef is very shy and requests that you do not take any pictures of him."

So, out of respect of Chef Takazawa's wishes, I do not take any pictures of him (which is too bad, because it was really cool watching him prepare the dishes on"kitchen stage." Nevertheless, please enjoy the many, many photos of his incredible creations!).

We begin with a playful interpretation on Sardines and Vegetable Tempura. The "sardines" are actually marinated saba (mackerel), and are flavorful and delicious. A deep fried mushroom cap and leafy green is presented dramatically next to circles of salt. Interestingly, we had just enjoyed really really amazing tempura at 2-star Michelin Tempura Kondo the day before, so we note that the fried vegetables here are not quite as well executed as the tempura at Kondo. Nevertheless, the overall dish is still gorgeous and very delicious.

Ratatouille
This is Chef Takazawa's signature dish and has been on the menu since the restaurant opened in 2005. Each individual vegetable (there are around fifteen) is prepared in its own special way and combined together to form the unique, colorful mosaic. A tiny dab of volcanic salt and black bean sit precariously on the edge of the big, flat spoon.

"Although it's sort of big, the chef definitely wants you to enjoy the entire spoonful in one bite."

The bite is full of various textures, each piece giving off its own distinct flavor.

After the first few amuses, Akiko gives us "bread and butter." The bread is actually corn toast, which is perfectly grilled and full of rich, corn flavor. The best part, however, is the accompanying rillettes de pork made from Okinawan Agu pork. Rillettes de pork is a spread made of slow cooked, shredded pork in lots of pork fat. It's rich, flavorful, and absolutely astounding.

Vegetable Parfait
The next course is a playful interpretation on the classic Italian flavors of tomato, basil, and mozzarella served in a slightly unusual way. Layers of tomato water and tomato gazpacho are topped with mozzarella mousse, caviar, baby tomatoes, and a fried basil leaf. We are given a straw, which we use to slurp up the chilled soup at the bottom. It is a gorgeous and creative dish, though the flavors are reasonably familiar (just delivered in a different form!)

Matsutake Spaghetti
This next playful interpretation of "spaghetti" is absolutely decadent and filled with incredible flavors. I've raved before about the gorgeous aromas and flavors of Matsutake mushrooms, which also happen to be terribly expensive. In this dish, you get to eat whole slices of Matsutake mushrooms, which, when lifted up, reveal uni (sea urchin) and a Hokkaido hairy crab sauce underneath. The flavors for this dish come together beautifully, with the rich, creamy uni and crab sauce perfectly balancing out the earthy, woody mushrooms. We both love this course.

Bacon EGG
This next dish is a playful trick. What looks like an egg is actually a soy-milk gelee with a mashed kabocha squash "yolk." The "bacon" is actually jamon iberico, the famous acorn-fed ham from Spain (something I had also just enjoyed as tonkatsu a few days ago!). The course is finished off with a beautiful creamy corn soup, which is absolutely delicious. Fresh corn kernels and popcorn accentuate and round out this dish.

Colorful and playful, the spirals you see in this next course are actually made out of daikon and carrots. The vegetables are dyed, compressed, and then extruded into fusilli-like shapes. Beet juice gives the daikon that vibrant color. The spirals sit on top of an intense, nori (black seaweed) paste. On the right are slices of seared bonito (skipjack tuna), topped with bonito flakes, ginger, and herbs.

Bonito is one of my favorite seared fish in Japan. I had just enjoyed an incredible seared bonito at Daisan Harumi a few days earlier. This preparation wasn't as good from a pure taste perspective. However, the presentation is stunning, the ingredients are super fresh, and the overall dish is still very good.

Truffle Hunt
All of a sudden, Akiko puts down some colorful, cartoon placemats and cloth gloves in front of us.

She smiles and says, "now it's time for a picnic. You will put on your gloves and 'forage' through the forest for truffles."

A large plate appears in front of us, filled with autumn leaves,"dirt," and "rocks."

Well, what could we do? Bryan and I put on our gloves and start "foraging."
I find some "truffles", which turn out to be boiled spherical taros and potatoes covered with breadcrumbs, seeds, and spices. A dehydrated, paper-thin mushroom risotto sheet resembles autumn leaves, but is totally edible. The whole experience is whimsical, playful, and fun.

Coffee Jelly and Cream
Takazawa is a big fan of teasing and tricking your eyes into believing one thing while tasting another. Coffee jelly and cream is a popular dessert in Asia. Here, Chef Takazawa has made a mushroom flavored jelly and serves it with fois gras cream. The fois gras cream, which is both sweet and savory, is very rich and full of flavor. Together with the rich, umami-filled mushroom jelly, the spoonfuls are addictive.

Hot Balloon
As we peer over at the kitchen "stage", we see Chef Takazawa and his assistants preparing this next dish. He is stir frying all sorts of mushrooms in a skillet with cream sauce. Moments later, he pours portions of the mushroom cream mixture into plastic bags, which his assistant seals with a red plastic tie.

After a few minutes, the bag begins puffing up, not unlike a balloon. Once filled with air, Akiko carries over the bags, cuts them open, and serves us the final product.

I actually do not enjoy this dish that much. It is extremely rich, so full of cream that I feel like the mushrooms are drowning in it. I try my best to pick out the mushrooms, but at this point I am already getting quite full and not so much in the mood for such a heavy dish.

Towel Service
Takazawa's take on the traditional Japanese hand towel is really funny. Akiko gingerly places a white disc on my plate. I look quizzically at her. She then brings over a tea kettle and fills the dish with boiling water. Within moments, the little tablet starts growing and growing until it becomes a full fledged hand towel.

We wipe our hands in preparation for the next course, which undoubtedly requires our hands to be clean.

Dinner in the Forest
Bryan hates getting his hands dirty. He eats chicken wings with chopsticks and refuses to peel oranges. In the previous "foraging" course, he was saved by those cloth gloves.

No such luck this time!

This next course arrives on a huge cork bark. Akiko briefly lights a pine tree branch on fire, causing the immediate vicinity to smell like a pine forest! With our hands, we enjoy our "dinner in the forest" of roasted chestnuts, Wagyu beef, and Gingko nuts. Everything is executed flawlessly, though the flavors are familiar and actually pretty simple.

Champagne Grapes
Finally, it's time to cleanse the palate before we move onto dessert! The two green grapes look ordinary from the outside, but surprise us with their interior fizzy-ness, just as if they were filled with champagne!

Takazawa's Special Blue Cheese
Surprise! What looks like blue cheese (though it's actually green), is in reality cheesecake. It is served alongside a fruit granita, which is light and refreshing after such a huge meal!

Special Teas
Akiko then brings out a box full of tea leaves and asks us each to choose one. Bryan chooses one that is associated with "hard working" while I pick one that is associated with "happiness." The teas are fragrant and a perfect way to finish off the meal.

Petit Fours
We end with a cute assortment of sweets: matcha (green tea powder) mini-muffin, coconut meringue, yuzu marshmallow, and salt & pepper chocolate. I loved the savory and spicy take on the chocolate, which was probably my favorite of the four (though I still love yuzu!)

Wine is a big part of Aronia de Takazawa. As a former sommelier (the youngest ever senior sommelier in Japanese history), Chef Takazawa knows a lot about Japanese wines and has relationships with many winemakers in Japan. Aronia de Takazawa probably has one of the best Japanese wine selections in Tokyo.

Although the Japanese wines are interesting, Bryan still misses the complexity and depth of flavor associated with European or California wines, especially for the reds.

The Details
Because the entire restaurant only has three tables, reservations are notorious difficult to get (rumor has it that you may have to book up to three months in advance). I had no trouble booking a dinner reservation just a week before back in October 2011, but that is most likely due to the earthquake.

You choose between three menus: A seven course for 16,000 yen, a 9-course for 20,000 yen, or an 11-course for 24,000 yen. They have a pretty steep cancellation policy because the chef actually orders the ingredients for your meal a few days before your arrival.

The chef's wife, Akiko, speaks excellent English and is a wonderful host for the entire evening. She is super easy to work with via email (while we were finalizing the reservation and our menu) as well as in person.

The dinner is truly an experience that tries to touch all five senses. Chef Takazawa is fanatical about how he sources his ingredients, and the food quality is top notch. Certain courses (like Matzutake Spaghetti and Coffee + Cream) were stand outs, while others were flawlessly executed yet did not necessarily blow me away with their flavors.

Overall, it's quite clear that Takazawa is obsessed with executing high quality, impeccable, yet whimsical dishes that are meant to whisk you away to "Enjoy Your Imagination", a term he uses to describe the entire meal. A meal here is much more than just a dinner. It's an experience you will likely never forget, full of discovery, a little bit of magic, and lots of fun.

Happy New Year 2012! (New Years dinner + Top 10 posts of 2011)

2012-01-03T14:40:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

How did you spend your New Years?

One of our good friends, Peter (who has guest-posted on this blog before), decided to host an Italian wine tasting event. We started at 4PM and began pairing Italian wines with a variety of Italian dishes for the whole night! (I guess it's best to space out 8 bottles of wine when you have 10 people!). Peter even gave a slide presentation throughout the evening teaching us about the different kinds of wines, regions in which they are made, and grape varieties from which they come. We studied wine tasting notes, aromas, etc. and how they paired with the flavor elements in the food. It was informative, casual, and really fun!

Of course, I'm sure the excellent wine, delicious food, and good company didn't hurt!

Here's our menu and pairing!

FIRST COURSE
Antipasti elements (marinated mushrooms, olives) and Lobster Ravioli in a Crab Sauce
2010 St. Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio (WS 90)
*tasting note: the acidity of the pinot grigio pairs well with food that take well to acid, such as things on which you would want to squeeze a lemon (e.g., fish, oysters, clams, light pasta)

SECOND COURSE
Romano-stuffed Tomatoes (pictured above) and Bolognese pasta (pictured above)
2007 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva (WS92; 2011 #31)
2006 Luce La Vite Lucente Toscana IGT (WS 91)
*tasting note: the bright acidity of chianti goes well with foods that are slightly acidic, like red pastas.

THIRD COURSE
Grilled Lamb Chop and Steak
2006 Campogiovanni (San Felice) Brunello di Montalcino (WS 96; 2011 #4)
2006 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso (WS 95)
*tasting note: Brunellos have velvety tannins balanced by some acidity. These are big wines that are matched with hearty food such as red meat, flavorful hard cheese, and mushrooms

FOURTH COURSE
Beef Shank Osso Bucco
2006 Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno Toscana IGT (WS 96; 2008 #15)

*Tasting note: Super Tuscans are blends that contain non-Italian wines. This particular wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, and Merlot. Sangiovese produces a medium-bodied wine high in acidity. Cabernets are full-flavored, fruit-forward, and semi-tannic, thus pair well with red meats. Similarly, Merlots also have deep fruit flavors, with tannic overtones as well.

FIFTH COURSE
Beeramisu (tiramisu but made with beer!)
NV Mionetto Sergio Prosecco

NEW YEARS TOAST
NV Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco

TOP 10 POSTS of 2012
In the past two years, I've summarized my "most popular posts of the year" on New Years Day. As my blog has matured over the years, I've found that this year, many of the "top 10" posts are actually old posts that have high search rankings, and thus are still popular. In fact, many of the top 10 posts this year are the same as the top ten last year (thought pretty different from top ten in 2009).

In order to share some new posts, I've limited this top 10 list to posts that were actually written in 2011. Accordingly . . .I now present you with the TOP 10 NEW posts written in 2011!

#10: Copper River Salmon

I have always loved salmon, but after trying Copper River Salmon, it's hard for me to go back to the bland, overcooked, farm-raised salmon that is so prevalent in grocery stores these days. This salmon has TONS of flavor, and tastes fantastic on the grill (or any other way, in fact!). I partnered with the Copper River Salmon organization in Alaska this summer. It was a great way to try many different types of Copper River Salmon (King, Coho, Sockeye). My favorite is King, which, unfortunately, is only available fresh for about a month and is also quite expensive!)

#9: Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce with Bacon

This is one of my classic go-to recipes when I'm at home during the winter with no fresh produce. It makes great use of canned tomatoes, vodka, and cream (which I often have lying around since I like to make ice cream!). As long as you have some great quality pasta (ideally fresh, but good dried pasta is also fine), you've got a winner of a dish.

#8: Chinese New Year Recipes


Mustard Greens	Sauteed Chinese Watercress

Spicy Pork with Sour String Beans	Chinese Chives and 5-Spice Tofu

Chinese New Year is a HUGE holiday in Asia. People take vacation for weeks and travel back to their hometowns to visit family. Of course, the holiday is filled with lots of food. This post essentially provided a nice, graphical interface (filled with pictures) of all the Chinese recipes on this site. I eventually moved it over to the Chinese food gallery so that all could access the recipes more easily.

#7: Jean Philippe Patisserie

Last year in Las Vegas I saw the most amazing cakes at Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio. This bakery also boasts the largest chocolate fountain in the world! Come check out this post to see other fantastic cakes and also pictures of that crazy fountain.

#6: Sushi Kanesaka

I'm always ruined for sushi when I come back to the States after some extended time in Japan. The sushi in Japan is incredible and still so much better than anything I've had in the US (and I've had some pretty good sushi here!). Sushi Kanesaka was one of the more interesting omakases that we had in Japan, complete with exotic offerings like fish sperm sac! Of course, there were also many, many delicious courses, my favorite of all being the slightly grilled tuna cheek.

#5: My Favorite Date Restaurants

I've had dates in many, many restaurants (Bryan and I eat out a lot). Here are some of my favorite places that do a good job of combining excellent food, great service, and a really nice ambiance.

#4: Sous Vide Chicken with Pesto

I got a sous vide machine last fall and have been experimenting with it ever since. I've used it most for steak, actually, though most meats taste pretty amazing when cooked sous vide. Chicken is one of those meats that turns out plump, juicy, and ever so soft (never dry!) when cooked sous vide.

#3: Oven Roasted Golden Beets

I love beets, and I'm surprised it took me so long to realize that beets aren't just deep purple! These diced golden beets caramelize beautifully and taste even better than roasted whole beets (which essentially just steam in the oven). Definitely give them a try if you've never had them before!

#2: Homemade Oreos (TKO's)

Oreos are one of my favorite cookies and Bouchon is one of my favorite bakeries. So, it's no surprise that the Thomas Keller Oreo (aka "TKO") is one of my all time favorite bakery items at Bouchon. I was thrilled to find a recipe for these, and I can attest that these are fantastic. I still like the Bouchon ones better (I guess I'm still not that skilled of a baker). However, these are great when I'm getting that itch for a TKO and don't feel like traveling to NYC to get one!

#1: Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies

I love my Tiny Urban Kitchen stamp! I made these cookies for an annual Boston-based blogger cookie swap last year. It's a simple shortbread recipe but the addition of Meyer lemons adds a gorgeous floral note that I love. These are great as gifts because they pack and store easily!

That's it! It's been a crazy year filled with lots of travel (Las Vegas, Napa Valley, Tokyo, London, Greece, and NYC), moving to a new house, arrival of my sister's new baby, celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary, and serving and fundraising for the Boston Rescue Mission.

Here's to an awesome 2012!

Happy New Year!

A Personal Story: Meet Anthony from the Boston Rescue Mission

2011-12-31T15:56:00.000-05:00

This article is part of a larger series of articles about the Boston Rescue Mission, and organization for which I am raising money this winter. Other posts in this series discuss 1) why I decided to start this fundraiser in the first place 2) Why the Boston Rescue Mission 3) The meals we cook and serve while volunteering 4) The recipe for the delicious bacon wrapped pork loin that we cook and serve to the homeless, and 5) A Personal Story from Billy O, a former client

Happy New Years Eve!

To close out 2011, I've decided to share stories about two people who actually spent some time at the Boston Rescue Mission.

Yesterday we heard a little bit from Billy O, a former client who now runs the kitchen at the Boston Rescue Mission.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Anthony.

Anthony is one of the nicest guys around. He's sweet, friendly, and funny. He's gone through some pretty tough times in the past, and it's super encouraging to see how far he's come.

I visited the Boston Rescue Mission earlier this year to meet him and hear his story so I could share it with you.

Anthony was born into a 2-parent home, with seven brothers and sisters. He was the middle child, so often he got forgotten a bit. The year Anthony turned thirteen, his father left the family. Soon afterward, Anthony started using drugs and alcohol. For the next twenty years, he struggled with drugs and alcohol.

Then Anthony had a son. Anthony came to the Boston Rescue Mission to get help. His son was only 2 at the time, and he was raising him alone.
"To go from a year to two years of just moving from drinking/drugging to raising a child that has all of these issues - crying all the time, all these things I wasn't familiar with - was frightening at the beginning."

"But as I got to know people, I started to really see. I was blessed with knowing they've been through this, and I can learn something from them. Through the program here I've learned the patience, the understanding to see if something is wrong or something is good. And it has helped while raising him up."

"This is a spiritual program, which really helped me along because I am a believer in God, and it played a role in my program."

Soon after Anthony graduated from the program, he came to the Mission asking if he could help out.

"I felt that this was a good fit for me because helping people is something I felt like I needed to do to stay off drugs and alcohol."

I've been working here for about 5 years. I continue to grow with the Mission. It's a great organization. Each and every person here has a story, from John Samaan all the way down to the clients."

"I have a 7 year old son and I am a single dad. I can go to any one of these people here and give them questions about what I should do, like 'is this normal?'"

Anthony says the age-old saying is really true. "It takes a village to raise a child. That has been really really helpful in my life, in my growth at the Boston Rescue Mission."

Anthony has been doing tons of stuff at the Mission. Not only is he head of housekeeping, he is also one of the board members. Last spring, Anthony trained for and ran the Boston Marathon, all to benefit the Boston Rescue Mission.

It's incredibly inspiring to see how he has turned away from a life of drugs and alcohol to one where he is helping others in such profound ways. I'm especially touched knowing that his son will grow up with a father, which is something Anthony himself did not really have.

Thanks so much Anthony for taking the time out to share your story with us.

Giving Back
I am so inspired by people like Anthony and Billy O who, as a result of being blessed, give so much back to the organizations that helped them. Seeing and meeting dedicated people like Anthony and Billy just makes me all the more excited and committed to supporting the Boston Rescue Mission.

If you'd like to partner with me in supporting the Boston Rescue Mission for all of the great work that they are doing, you can donate to the Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser.

Thanks so much everyone! Looking forward to an awesome new year!

To donate, click on the image below and check the box for "Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser."

A Personal Story: Meet Billy O. from Boston Rescue Mission

2011-12-30T02:46:00.000-05:00

Billy O. - the guy in charge of food at BRM

This article is part of a larger series of articles about the Boston Rescue Mission, and organization for which I am raising money this winter. Other posts in this series discuss 1) why I decided to start this fundraiser in the first place 2) Why the Boston Rescue Mission 3) The meals we cook and serve while volunteering and 4) The recipe for the delicious bacon wrapped pork loin that we cook and serve to the homeless.

I got the best news this past week.

It was a perfect early Christmas present from an unexpected source.

Out of the blue, while I was in California for the holidays with Bryan's parents, I got an email from Eric, an organizer at the Boston Rescue Mission (BRM), telling me the Tiny Urban Kitchen fund had raised $3094.19 so far this year!!!

My jaw almost dropped.

I had initially been really, really discouraged. Two and a half weeks after my initial post about the fundraiser, Eric told me that the fund had only raised about $200, (a chunk of which came from Bryan's parents - thanks Mom & Dad!).

I remembered my quote "I will be over the moon if we reach our $10,000 goal" and wondered whether I had been dreaming a bit too big. $200 felt so so far away from that goal.

Last week's email totally gave me renewed hope.

Thank you so much, all of you generous donors, for contributing to the fund. It takes a lot to give up a bit of your own comfort and luxury in order to help some pretty needy people. Thank you so much.

I am thrilled to be 30% of the way to my goal.

As a way to end 2011, I will spend the next two days sharing about some really special people from BRM and their stories.

These are people whose lives came upon hard times. Through the perseverance of the individual, the hard work of the BRM staff, the support of volunteers and donors, and lots of grace from God; these people have been able to turn their lives around in incredible ways.

Today, we'll meet Billy O, who is the official "acting food service manager" at the Boston Rescue Mission, but who I like to call "Executive Chef of the BRM Kitchen."

Cooking for Hundreds of Homeless a Day

I had the privilege of interviewing Billy O right inside the "tiny urban kitchen" in the basement of the Boston Rescue Mission. Billy works at BRM as the acting food service manager. It is in this crazy, tight kitchen that Billy and his team churn out hundreds of meals every single day.

Working at BRM is challenging and full of surprises. First of all, they serve six meals a day - 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners. According to Billy, during the winter months (when more people come), you could be feeding up to 600 people a day.

Each day, different donations pour in from various sources. You never know exactly what you're going to get. Billy's difficult job is to decide how to combine all these daily donations together to execute enough tasty and complete meals to serve to these hundreds of people.

Though the stress sounds daunting to me, Billy finds it challenging and fun.

"[not knowing what you're going to get] makes it exciting. Because of our long history here, we get donations from many of the upscale restaurants in area."

Like what?

"Duck breast for example, or jumbo shrimp. Or squid meat balls from the North End."

"I just love, like, when we get donations and we get all these different foods. I just love watching it unfold until the moment when it's time to serve the entire dinner. I've been doing it for so many years it's like second nature to me."

What have you learned from your experience cooking here?

"Keep it simple, keep it basic - that way you're going to reach more people." Don't add too many weird spices. Instead, put the spices out and let people season their own food. A lot of people don't like onions; a lot of people don't like garlic; you'd be surprised."

Sometimes if they run out of food, they end up scrambling like crazy. It's at these stressful moments when he really needs to think on his feet, creating meals on the fly from available ingredients in the pantry, refrigerators, and freezers.

"We make sure every single person gets fed. No one will be turned away. That's what we've been doing for 111 years."

Volunteers Cooking at the Boston Rescue Mission
Boston Rescue Mission works with several church groups who cook and serve food during their Sunday Community Dinners. I asked Billy O a little bit about his experience with these volunteers.

"Here's the beauty of what I love about the church groups on Sunday nights. They come from all denominations. Pauline from Boston Chinese Evangelical Church comes with her group and they make Chinese food. The Koreans come from the Korean churches and they bring Korean food. And then you have the Baptists and they'll have soul food. Depending on the group that's coming, you basically know what they're going to be cooking."

"We really appreciate the volunteers. We depend on that. What you consider small, to us it's huge."

Turning a New Leaf

Billy O is a recovering alcoholic and went through the recovery program at the Boston Rescue Mission about seven years ago. With help of a great team of professionals, case managers, and others at BRM coupled with Billy O's strong desire to change, he slowly got his life back on track.

Billy attributes the community aspect of BRM as the main driver for his success in the program.

"I could just go and talk to anybody and talk about what was going on. All the doors were open. They makes you feel like you are really a part of the community. It's been years now, and I thank God for this community."

How did you do it?

"I approached it with a serious mind and a deep commitment. I did it a day at a time. I realized I didn't have to stay clean & sober for the rest of my life. I just had to do it today. That was a huge relief. I can do today. It's all based on being consistent with the program."

How do you deal with holidays? parties? Times when you're feeling down?

"I go to work! I stay connected here. On a holiday if I'm getting that feeling, I'll just come here and volunteer or do some paperwork. Or I make good friends and things like that."

Final Thoughts from Billy
"Our mission from day one has been to help feed and shelter those who have fallen on hard times and who are less fortunate. It's awesome to know that if you know someone who's fallen on hard times, they have a place to go where they can be treated with respect."

"I'm really motivated to give back to a community that gave so much to me, literally gave me a whole new life. It fulfills me to do this, and I genuinely get appreciation and gratitude for doing this."

Thanks Billy O so much for the time you spent sitting down with me and sharing with all of us a little bit about your life, you passions, and the workings of the BRM kitchen!

Giving Back
I am so inspired by people like Billy O who, as a result of being blessed, give so much back to the organizations that helped them. Seeing and meeting dedicated people like Billy just makes me all the more excited and committed to supporting the Boston Rescue Mission.

If you'd like to partner with me in supporting the Boston Rescue Mission for all of the great work that they are doing, you can donate to the Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser.

Thanks so much everyone! Looking forward to an awesome new year!

To donate, click on the image below and check the box for "Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser."

Abigail's

2011-12-28T14:03:00.000-05:00

Have you been to Kendall Square lately?

Within 2 years it’s transformed from being an office-building heavy tech area that was dead at night, to one of the hottest spots for new restaurants! Being a Cantabrigian who went to MIT and used to work at One Kendall Square, I’m thrilled at these new developments.

Abigail’s is one of several new restaurants that has opened in Tech Square this past year. Abigail’s aims to serve familiar, American fare with a slight upscale twist - "blue collar bistro" as they like to call themselves.

Sweet Corn Bisque – jalapeño corn salsa, bacon crème fraiche (cup 4, bowl 7)

Abigail's is the culmination of a lifelong dream for couple James Ludwig and Sarah Murnane, who named the restaurant after their daughter Abigail. It hasn't been easy getting here. James (only 36 years old!) suffered an aortic dissection last year and was immediately rushed to MGH for open heart surgery, which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Soon afterward, his family moved to a wheelchair accessible building right next to the restaurant.

Despite all these pitfalls, the couple did not let this get in the way of their dream.

Gouda Fries – chicken gravy, bacon 9

The restaurant opened in August 2011 and so far things have been going strong. Even though James does not cook in the kitchen, he is very involved in planning the menus, executed by chef de cuisine Jason Lord (also from East Coast Grill).

During our first visit, we were immediately intrigued by the interesting appetizers. The gouda fries (topped with chicken gravy and bacon!) were a playful interpretation of Canada's classic poutine, and were very good. The sweet corn bisque sounded promising, but disappointed slightly with its watery consistency.

Three Grain Salad - light carrot sauce, medley of farm vegetables, greens 17
I like the fact that several of the entrees seemed geared towards those who care about eating healthy. I ordered a three grain salad that came chock full of kale and other grilled vegetables. It was nice - not amazing - but reasonably enjoyable, and definitely healthy!
Yellowfin Tuna – sweet corn sauce, heirloom tomato panzanella salad, fresh basil oil 25
Bryan liked his grilled tuna dish, especially the tasty sweet corn sauce.
Sweet Ricotta Pie – dark chocolate ganache, toasted hazelnuts 7
Dessert was fine. Nothing to write home about, but it was a interesting offering (something I've only seen in the North End) that was pretty enjoyable.

First Thoughts?
I think Abigail’s is a great addition to the neighborhood. If I lived close by, I could definitely see it becoming a convenient, local restaurant that I would visit for casual dinners. For seafood lovers, they have a raw bar with oysters, clams, crab claws, and more. The menu has several sandwich options, a few burgers, and a solid offering of dinner entrees.

The food's still not as good as places like Bergamot, Bondir, Craigie on Main, or Ten Tables, and I probably wouldn't call it a destination restaurant at this point. However, it’s still reasonably enjoyable, and I think it fits in quite comfortably amongst its new neighbors, such as Area 4, Mead Hall, and Catalyst (posts for many of these coming soon!).

I'm really excited to see how Kendall Square develops in the next couple of years!

Abigail's Restaurant
291 3rd St
Cambridge, MA 02142

Butagumi

2011-12-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

This is part 5 of my latest travel series: Post Quake Japan. Other posts in this series: Kago, Daisan Harumi, Tempura Kondo, and Sushi Mitani.

In a residential part of Tokyo, far from the hustle and bustle of typical Tokyo life, lies a little whimsical house with a crescent moon cut into the side of it.

The journey here is idyllic – step off the beaten path, meander through some lovely parks, and emerge in a little neighborhood to discover Butagumi, a restaurant that arguably serves the best tonkatsu in all of Tokyo.

What makes Butagumi unique?
There are many, many well-known tonkatsu restaurants in Tokyo. The most famous one is probably Maisen, a tonkatsu restaurant housed inside of a former WWII bathhouse.

Unlike Maisen, which sells all sorts of fried items (pork, prawns, potatoes), Butagumi specializes in pork only. The moment you enter the restaurant, you are greeted with a refrigerated display case showcasing many gorgeous cuts of pork.

Butagumi is particularly unique because it has an incredibly diverse range of pork selections. Unlike most tonkatsu places, which may offer one or two choices of pork, Butagumi offers over 50 different varieties of pork – everything from the Kagoshima region’s kurobuta (Berkshire pork) to Spain’s highly prized Iberico pork. The selection varies every day, but on any given day you still have several dozens from which to choose.

Even wall decorations remind you the focus of this special place.

The menu lists which varieties of pork are available that particular day. If you really can't decide (and many people cannot), a popular option is to try the "Butagumi-zen" (3000 yen), a tasting plate which allows you to try small portions of 5 different kinds of pork.

The Butagumi-zen always includes the Iberico pork, which is definitely one of the tastiest (and most expensive) cuts on the menu. If you do order this tasting set, definitely eat the Iberico one last; otherwise, you will be disappointed with anything afterward!

Although the tasting is fun to get, I still think you should order a whole tonkatsu to get the real experience. The tasting pieces are small and are breaded all the way around. The entire piece becomes less “meaty” and, in my opinion, does not taste as good as a traditional slice of a tonkatsu filet.

If you want to go all out, you can do what Bryan did, which is to get a single order of the Iberico pork tonkatsu (4800 yen). Each order actually comes tagged with a number, likely indicating how many they've sold in the lifetime of the restaurant. Typically, you can choose either a rosu ("roast") or a hire ("fillet") cut. The rosu is pork loin near the lower part of the ribs and is typically juicier and fattier. The hire is tenderloin, and is leaner, but also not as juicy! Usually the staff will recommend rosu since it is juicier and tastier.

If you're not quite ready to shell out close to $70 for a piece of tonkatsu, you can always get the normal tonkatsu lunch special, which is still good and much more easy on the wallet at 1500 yen. Other possible interesting pork types include Tokyo X, SGP (Super Golden Pork), the Mangalitsa pork from Hungary. For an excellent, in-depth description of many of their pork offerings, check out this post.

Like at all tonkatsu restaurants, Butagumi serves tonkatsu with pickles and shredded cabbage.

But the pork - how did it taste?
Oh, of course, how could I forget! The pork was absolutely phenomenal, definitely among the best tonkatsu we have ever had. The Iberico pork tonkatsu was especially delicious – fatty, juicy, and full of flavor.

The crunchy, breaded exterior was perfect – not too greasy yet satisfyingly crispy. If you are a pork aficionado, or if you just really like trying different varieties of pork, Butagumi is an excellent place to visit. The ambiance is comfortable yet quaint; the food is incredible; and the menu offerings are really unique and hard to find anywhere else.

Butagumi is a little off the beaten track. It sits inside a super cute house that was converted into a restaurant years ago. Enter and walk up the wooden, slightly creaky stairs to the second floor, where, if you’re lucky, you can actually sit next to the crescent window!

Butagumi
2-24-9 Nishi-Azabu
Minato-ku, Tokyo
(港区西麻布2-24-9)
Nearest station: Roppongi

Merry Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T20:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday.

I look back at my Christmas post from last year and I'm tickled at how familiar the food offerings are. I guess we are creatures of habit and tradition,enjoying similar dishes year after year.

This year, we get to carry home our own batch of CHE family savory pumpkin cakes. Before we head on our red eye flight back to Boston, we will enjoy a hearty, warm hot pot with the family.

As always, we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Din Tai Fung (though the wait was painfully long!).

I come closer to my goal of visiting every single Bouchon Bakery by buying some Snowman TKOs (Thomas Keller Oreos) from the Bouchon Bakery in Beverly Hills. Sadly, the family dog ate my cookies before I had a chance to eat them. :(

celery and tofu

At our annual extended family potluck, we chowed down on all sorts of delicious Chinese food made by the relatives.

Homemade scallion pancakes!

Bryan's mom's scallion oil chicken

Pork and Vegetable Pan Fried Dumplings (10 for only $7!!)

We visited our favorite local Beijing style restaurant which makes amazing homemade dumplings and handmade noodles!

Bryan and I also did a bit of restaurant hopping. We partook in a 21-course tasting menu at Jose Andres' Saam as well as tried the omakase (29 pieces!) at Sushi Zo in Los Angeles. Definitely look out for an LA food series soon!

BOSTON RESCUE MISSION UPDATE

I was thrilled to find out just a few days ago that the Tiny Urban Kitchen fund for the Boston Rescue Mission has so far raised $3094.19 this year! I am aiming to raise $10,000 in total. If you're interested in donating to the fundraiser, just click here or on the image above.

Gingerbread people from Bouchon Bakery, Beverly Hills

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Braised Lamb Shanks

2011-12-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

After a freak snowstorm in October, we've actually be enjoying unusually warm weather throughout November and even into December.

In fact, we got so used to the warm weather that when temperatures actually reached the twenties a few days ago, everyone complained about how cold it was. Funny thing is, that's sort of normal for December here in Boston!

With the inevitable cold winter arriving, warm and hearty meals begin to look really, really inviting.

I've just recently started experimenting with using the oven more and learning some pretty traditional Western dishes I never made before. I guess most of my life I've cooked simple Asian stir fry, which almost never involves the oven and typically only requires quick cooking of meat.

I'm slowly discovering the amazing flavors that can come from simply cooking meat for long periods of time at low temperatures with certain, key "magic" ingredients.

I was not planning on making lamb shanks the night I cooked this. Instead, I had planned out a whole menu of Milanese osso bucco and oven roasted Brussels sprouts for a good friend (and relative!) who was coming over for dinner. After picking up 90% of my osso bucco ingredients, I stopped by the meat counter to pick up some veal shanks.

"I'm sorry, we're totally out."

????!!

I was running out of time. Why am I such a procrastinator?? The last time this happened, I tried making the same dish with pork shanks. Although the sauce was tasty, the pork came out way too dry.

The butcher looked me in the eye and say, "here are two beautiful lamb shanks. You can use the same ingredients from your osso bucco and try roasting the lamb shanks in the oven. Low and slow - it will taste fantastic."

Dubious but desperate, I called my friend to make sure she ate lamb. Thankfully, she said she liked lamb, so I took the plunge and bought the two shanks.

This dishes takes a lot of time to cook, but the actual prep time is not too bad. You need to spend about 20-30 minutes up front and then you just wait for several more hours.

I started cooking on a Sunday afternoon around 2PM. Sear the shanks in a big pot until they are nice and browned. Set them aside.

Magic Ingredients
Add your mirepoix ingredients (onions, carrots, celery) plus garlic and cook them until they are nicely browned. Don't skimp on this step, as waiting for proper browning will give the final sauce a lot of flavor! Add wine and deglaze, letting a portion of the alcohol to boil off (5-10 minutes).
Add the shanks back in, cover with chicken broth, add rosemary and bay leaves, and bake in the oven, covered. The longer you cook, the more tender the meat will become. I would bake for atleast 2 hours, but if you can cook for even longer, it will taste even better. I ended up cooking it for 4-5 hours before we ate dinner close to 8PM! At that point, the sauce was gorgeously flavorful and the meat was literally falling off the bone.

I served the shank over saffron rice (made in a rice cooker!) with gremolata on top.

It was fantastic and so easy! Sure, it takes a long time, but the amount of active prep time is actually pretty low. You can even "cheat" and purchase a tub of pre-chopped mirepoix from Trader Joe's if you're short on time.

Enjoy!

Oven Braised Lamb Shanks
Serves 4

4 pieces lamb shank with bone
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
2-3 cups wine (can be white, red, or a mix of both)
1-2 T tomato paste
2-3 cups chicken stock (or enough to cover the shanks in the pan)

Gremolata
Saffron Rice

Make sure to use a saute pan big enough to comfortably fit all the shanks because you will be stewing them in the pan later.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Over medium-high heat sear all sides of the lamb shanks in olive oil. Set aside the shanks. To the oil in the pan, add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until browned and aromatic (~20 minutes). Add the tomato paste and mix well. Add wine, turn up the heat, and deglaze the pan. Let the mixture cook for about 5-10 minutes to boil off some of the alcohol. Add the shanks back in, and pour in the chicken broth. Make sure that the shanks are covered (or at least mostly covered) in liquid. Add bay leaves and rosemary. Cover the pan and place it in the oven. After one hour, reduce the heat to 325 and cook uncovered for another 2 hours, checking every 45 minutes or so and flipping the shanks if necessary.

Serve over saffron rice with gremolata on top.

Easy Saffron Rice

2011-12-21T01:20:00.000-05:00

I love shortcuts and saving time.

Perhaps it's because I like to do many things at once. Or perhaps it's because I value efficiency and hate waste. Or perhaps it's because I am naturally a procrastinator and therefore am always pressed for time!

Whatever the reasons, I've discovered a favorite easy way of making saffron rice with a rice cooker when I'm preparing it to serve with either veal osso bucco, braised lamb shanks, or any other dish that goes really well with this beautifully fragrant rice.

This recipe is super simple because I rely on the meat sauce to provide a bulk of the flavor. My aim here is just to get a strong saffron essence to complement the meat. Traditional saffron rice involves stir frying onions in oil and then stirring in the rice and cooking it in a pot for about 20-30 minutes. I've skipped the onion stage because I think the rice itself is still reasonably fragrant and goes quite well with the meat.

The result is a light and fluffy saffron rice that's fragrant yet not laden down with oil.

Enjoy!

Easy Rice Cooker Saffron Rice
1 large pinch of saffron

2 tsp hot water

2 cups rice*
3 1/2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

In a small bowl, crush the saffron threads with a back of a spoon. You should end up with about 1 tsp of crushed saffron. Stir in 2 tsp of hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

To a rice cooker, add rice, broth, and saffron infused water. I use medium grain Asian rice, but any grain length should work fine as well. Cook according to the manufacturer's instructions.

If you don't have a rice cooker, you can easily do this in a pot. Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn to low heat, letting it cook for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve!

*Note - I've written these instructions using traditional cup measurements. Most Asian rice cookers come with a smaller rice cup (about 3/4 of a normal cup). I usually use 3 rice cooker cups and fill up to the proper line in the rice cooker with broth.

Inakaya

2011-12-20T17:05:00.000-05:00

This is part 5 of my latest travel series: Post Quake Japan. Other posts in this series: Kago, Daisan Harumi, Tempura Kondo, and Sushi Mitani.

One thing I love about visiting Japan is seeing (and trying!) all the unique aspects of the cuisine that I don't get to appreciate in the States.

Most Japanese restaurants in America serve a generalized sort of conglomeration of all things Japanese, sort of like a "greatest hits." Sure, you may have a few dedicated sushi bars and ramen joints. By and large however, most Japanese restaurants in the US have diverse menus that include noodle soups, tonkatsu, sushi (and even Korean food sometimes!) all under one roof.

In past trips to Japan, I've had the luxury of experiencing all sorts of dedicated, specialty restaurants, like shabu shabu, tonkatsu places, countless different sushi bars, ramen joints, dedicated tempura bars, as well as curry houses.

I really think I've barely scratched the surface when it comes to experiencing all that this amazing country has to offer.

This past trip to Japan, I encountered yet another, new style of dining I'd never seen before.

Welcome to Inakaya, a robatayaki located in Roppongi, the most gaijin (foreigner) friendly part of town.

What is robatayaki?
Many of you have probably seen teppanyaki restaurants around in the US. These are the ones where a chef cooks your meal tableside on a big, flat cooking serface (teppan literally means metal board). At the ones I’ve visited, the cooking demonstration is typically accompanied by light theatrics, such as fancy chopping with lots ingredients being thrown around (and caught!).

Robatayaki is completely different. In this style of dining, you have two chefs kneeling on stage in front a huge fire pit. You choose your fresh ingredients, and they roast it over the open flames for you. The ingredients are simple yet high quality, and thus the resulting dishes are really, really good.

And then there's the really unique atmosphere.

The moment you enter, every single worker at the restaurant yells out “Irrashaimase!”

Though that may be normal at most Japanese restaurants, it doesn't stop there. Soon afterward, a customer orders a beer. Within moments, the server places the cold bottle on a long paddle stick (reminds me of a narrow pizza peel!), reaches across the table to her, and shouts,

“The lady just ordered a beer!”

This is followed immediately by a chorus of voices from the entire staff, in unison,

“The lady just ordered a beer!”

Of course, this is all in Japanese, which makes it sound all the more comical. It was funny to watch, and made the environment festive and fun.

Fresh shitake mushrooms

We started with some fantastic vegetables. Nothing was really seasoned heavily – at most a sprinkling of sea salt, maybe some soy sauce, and a brush of vegetable oil. However, the flavors were incredible. The sweet, natural umami of the shitake mushrooms were significantly enhanced by the grilling.

These gorgeous asparagus were cooked in nothing but a bit of oil and salt, but they were sweet, crispy, and perfectly charred.
I was really impressed at how good simple fire-grilled vegetables could taste. Above, some little Japanese peppers.

I was ecstatic to see my beloved matsutake mushrooms again, this time simply roasted with salt. Beautiful.

Enoki mushrooms, another favorite, were also wonderful. After gorging myself meal after meal in Japan, this meal felt downright healthy and cleansing, yet still really delicious!

The fire-roasted seafood was similarly fresh and delicious. These large prawns, cooked in their shells, were sweet and juicy and retained a ton of flavor.

The pinnacle of the meal, however, was the roasted red snapper, which took quite a long time to cook but was totally worth the wait. Above you can see the chef carefully spearing the fish onto a long, metal skewer.

The fish probably sat on top of the fire for at least 20 minutes, slowly developing a gorgeous, salted crust. Every so often, the chefs would rotate the fish.

The final product was incredible. Crispy and salty on the outside, juicy, moist, and sweet on the inside. This was surprisingly simple yet really superb.
We ended the meal with some refreshing grapes. Bryan actually said they were the sweetest purple grapes he'd ever had (contrasting with the sour ones with pits we usually have in the the US!)

Concluding Thoughts
This place is definitely well-known. It’s written about in multiple guide books and also happens to be located in a very foreigner friendly part of Tokyo (nowhere else do I ever hear so much English spoken on the streets!). While we were there, we noticed only two Japanese diners in the restaurant. Everyone else was a foreigner, with English being the predominantly spoken language.

Some might think it's a bit staged and theatrical.

But you know what? It's fun.

And there are still a lot of reasons to visit. First of all (most importantly!), the food is absolutely delicious. They definitely use super high quality seafood and vegetables. Furthermore, it’s really fun to just sit back, relax, and watch these guys roast anything you want on that awesome grill. The place is foreigner-friendly, so you won’t have any trouble speaking English with the staff. I think it's great for a celebration, a family get-together, or a dinner with out-of-town special guests.

One thing to note - a meal here is not cheap. Although the a la carte prices aren't too bad, the bill can add up quickly. I think our meal came out to somewhere in the $50-$75 USD range per person, but I've read that you can expect to spend up to $150 USD for dinner.

Inakaya
5-3-4 Roppongi
Imnato-ku Tokyo

Chinese Eggnog Tarts

2011-12-19T03:05:00.000-05:00

This post is part of a larger series: An Asian Twist on a Traditional Holiday Meal. Other posts in this series include Chinese Oven Roasted Duck, Keroppi Cookies,Totoro Cookies, Taro Fries, Chinese Long Beans with Garlic, and Kabocha Pumpkin Mochi Cake

I’m a huge, huge, huge custard fan.

I love French crème caramel and the Japanese version “pudin”. I cannot get enough of those Portuguese egg tarts that are slightly burnt on top. I have a weakness for custard-based ice creams (in fact, that’s the only way I make ice cream!), and I’m a huge fan of Chinese egg tarts.

As the holidays are just around the corner, what about taking your traditional Chinese egg tart and spicing it up with some bourbon? The result is this delicious egg tart with a kick – eggnog tarts!

I veered from the traditional egg tart crust recipe, which uses lard in the crust. Instead, I used my favorite basic pie crust recipe. I love making pie crust this way because I think it’s so fool proof that even inexperienced bakers (like me!) can execute it perfectly every time.

Freeze 1 stick of butter (cut up into 1/2 inch cubes) in the freezer. When cold (about 30 minutes), mix in a food processor with flour, salt, and sugar (adding a bit of cold water bit by bit) until a crumbly, slightly wet mixture forms. Form a ball with your hands and then roll out the crust. You should see little specks of butter.
Cut out small crusts with a circular cookie cutter and put the crusts inside of a muffin tin.
Add bourbon-laced custard filling up about 3/4 of the way.

Bake at 350 °F for about 15-20 minutes, or until the egg is set and the crust is golden brown.

My brother-in-law ended up drizzling the tart with more bourbon, which he said was delicious. For a fancy twist, make a sweet bourbon cream sauce and pour over the egg tart.

Enjoy!

Note – please don’t use the top photo as a guide for how the tarts are supposed to look. I was cooking 5 things at once that day (see this post to see the entire meal), and I accidentally left the tarts in the oven for a bit too long! For a better photo of what the tarts should look like on top, check out these photos!
Chinese Eggnog Tarts
serves about 12

Custard
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup 2 percent milk
4 eggs beaten
1 oz bourbon
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3-4 Tbsp ice water

use muffin pan

Custard
Heat milk, cream, and sugar over medium heat in a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the beaten egg mixture in a slow stream to the saucepan while stirring. Continue to stir gently as the egg mixture is being added to ensure proper mixing and to prevent clumps of solid egg bits from forming. Add vanilla extract and bourbon. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and let it cool as you prepare the shells.

Shells (crust)
Freeze 1 stick of butter (cut up into 1/2 inch cubes) in the freezer. While waiting, combine flour, salt, and sugar. When the butter is cold (about 30 minutes), mix in a food processor with the flour mixture. Slowly add ice water one tablespoon at a time until a crumbly, slightly wet mixture forms. Form a ball with your hands and then roll out the crust. You should see little specks of butter. Cut out small crusts with a circular cookie cutter and put the crusts inside of a muffin tin.

Add bourbon-laced custard filling up about 3/4 of the way. Bake at 350 °F for about 15-20 minutes, or until the egg is set and the crust is golden brown.

Optionally sprinkle with nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Holiday Gift Ideas

2011-12-16T12:15:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again.

For people like me, who leave things to the last minute. It's time to think really hard - what gifts can I get for that difficult-to-shop-for [insert name]?

Of course, I don't claim to have all of the answers, but through the years I've amassed some pretty cool kitchen & photography things. I thought I would share with you some of my favorite (and perhaps more unique and unusual) things I've gotten over the past few years. Perhaps it can be the perfect gift for some food-loving friend or relative you know.

:)
The Inner Kitchen Chemist

I actually got this present for my birthday about a month ago from some good friends of mine. It's perfect for my inner chemist who likes to play around with powders, liquids, and vials!

This molecular gastronomy kit includes many of the basic ingredients needed to execute all kinds of molecular gastronomy techniques. They also gave me the Alinea cookbook, written by none other than Grant Achatz, one of the leading masterminds of molecular gastronomy in the U.S.

Or Savor Beautiful Food Photography + Recipes

Speaking of books by amazing 3-star Michelin chefs, another great gift idea might be the new, gorgeous book by Daniel Humm about dishes from his newly minted 3-star Michelin restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. I got to try many of these dishes at a special "cookbook tour" dinner cooked by Daniel Humm himself (at Boston at Menton, of all places!) just a few weeks ago. Details from that meal will be posted, soon I hope! I haven't tried cooking out of the book, but I can attest to the fact that it's gorgeous and the food we had on the cookbook tour tasted incredible.

I've been meaning to try out these cool Japanese kitchen items I got in the mail from Korin, a cool specialty Japanese tableware and knives seller from New York City. They carry a lot of neat Japanese kitchenware, including many knives similar to my beloved Masamoto knives (among many other Japanese knives). They recently contacted me asking me if I wanted to review something from their store. I ended up picking this unusual type of pot called a Jo On Sai Pot because it was different and something I'd never tried using before. Look out for a new post about this! Meanwhile, check out Korin's store online, which has tons of fun Japanese-type dishware & knives, many of which would make excellent gifts for anyone who loves Japanese stuff (like me!).

Sous Vide Supreme

If you want to experiment with a cooking technique used by many high-end restaurants around the world, try the art of sous vide cooking, which involves cooking foods at very precise temperatures (in a water bath). For the adventurous, try cooking out of Thomas Keller's food dedicated to sous vide cooking, Under Pressure. For a more basic book that's chock full of really useful information, try Douglas Baldwin's Sous Vide for the Home Cook.

Jura-Capresso Impressa F9 Fully Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center

We absolutely love our espressos and cappuccinos. We drink them every single day. This trooper of a machine has served us faithfully for the last two years. It is Swiss built and super reliable. We love that it's completely automatic (everything from grinding, tapping, removing the grounds) and you can choose whatever type of beans you want to put inside. No K-cups in landfills!

This machine is quite expensive, but we've definitely gotten our money's worth and we absolutely love it. The espressos that it makes have excellent crema. The cappuccinos are solid as well. I would highly recommend it!

Blendtec or Vitamix ??

The Blendtec 1560 watt blender is one of the newest toys I've gotten this past year (thanks Bryan!). Many people have a hard time deciding between the Vitamix and the Blendtec. Frankly, both are excellent machines and will perform beautifully. From the multiple reviews I've read, the difference comes down to height (Blendtec fits under a kitchen counter whereas Vitamix does not); controls (Vitamix is more manual while Blendtec is more computerized); and noise (Blendtec is louder than Vitamix). There are other differences that people debate about such as power, ease of cleaning, tamper, and how "smooth" the shake is.

We chose the Blendtec mostly for counterspace reasons and the fact that you could turn it on and walk away. So far, I've had tons of fun with it - everything from making my own soy milk at home to whipping up gorgeous, restaurant-quality velvety smooth blended soups. Although it is a loud, the blending is only for a short amount of time, and the results are so worth it!

Zojirushi Fuzzy Rice Cooker

I have an older model of this rice cooker and I love it! It makes perfect rice every time. I also like how it has settings for different kinds rice, and you can set different types of timer options. Seriously, after having tried one of these rice cookers, it's hard to go back to a normal one. :)

Lello 4090 Gelato Pro Quart Ice Cream Maker

Bryan got this for me as a birthday present one year and I absolutely love it. It has its own condenser so you don't have to bother with taking up precious freezer space for a huge dewar. Best yet, you can make ice cream on a whim just by turning it on. It makes luxuriously beautiful ice cream. You can check out some of the more unique ice creams I've made on this blog, such as avocado, olive oil, black sesame, simple lemon, and grape nut.

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron French Oven

I can't believe it took me this long to appreciate how awesome cast-iron Dutch ovens are! I finally bought my first Le Creuset piece the summer of 2010 at an outlet store. I am still amazed at how evenly it heats everything and how well it retains heat. Seriously, it has made stir frying a breeze. I love the versatility of this pot. Yes, it's heavy and a pain to lift up, but it's totally worth it for the performance. It has become one of my default pots of choice whenever I want to stir-fry! Perhaps I'll look into a cast iron wok next!

Zester

New generation zesters (inspired by the original Microplane zester) are surprisingly useful for so many things! I love the Oxo zester (pictured at left) because it "cuts" in both directions. Of course I love my original Microplane zester as well, which works like a charm. I use them to zest my lemons, create gorgeously fluffy Parmesan cheese shavings over pasta, and make chocolate shavings! It's quite sharp, so be careful!

Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Hollow Ground Knife

For the longest time, this was my favorite knife. Bryan gave this to me one Christmas. It far surpassed all the cheaper Tramontina knives I had in my starter set. I still swear by Japanese knives (I think they are among the best in the world), though I recently purchased some Masamoto Tsukiji knives (hard to get outside of Japan), which are nothing short of amazing. For a knife that is easily purchasable in the U.S., I still think this is a fantastic option. It's great for someone like me who has slightly smaller hands.

Panasonic Lumix GF1

A birthday gift from Bryan in 2009 (soon after Tiny Urban Kitchen was christened), this is my carry-with-me-everywhere camera. It is small enough to put inside my purse and it's really light. I love the f/1.7 aperture, which allows me to shoot really nice pictures in extremely low light conditions (typically inside restaurants). It is seriously the ultimate food blogger's camera. Click here to read more detailed thoughts about it.

Also consider getting the new generation Lumix GX1, either just the body or with a 14-42mm lens.

Canon 5D MK II

When I know I'm going to a special event, or if I know I'll be in a very challenging light situation, I will bring this camera along (which actually belongs to Bryan!). We bring it along with us on all of our trips, and it's really versatile. It's biggest (and only) drawback is that it's HUGE. It's still worth it, though, This is an amazing camera that really takes seriously good photographs. Click here to read more detailed thoughts about it.

24-105 mm f/4 lens

Another present from Bryan (such a generous guy!), this is my favorite all-time lens as its zoom range is versatile. Although this lens doesn't quite have as low light capabilities, it has a wonderfully versatile zoom range and can still handle reasonably low light due to the fact that it has stability control. It is my favorite travel camera.

Bryan's favorite travel lens is the Canon 24mm f/1.4 wide angle lens. It takes wonderful sweeping shots of landscapes and cityscapes, and performs beautifully in low light conditions.

After raw files leave my camera (yes, I don't advise shooting in jpg! Please shoot in raw if possible!), I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 to catalog and work up my images. I absolutely love Lightroom because it makes photo processing so much easier! There are little sliders on the right side which allow you to fine tune parameters such as exposure, color, and clarity. Finally, there are all these plug-ins you can get that allow you to automatically upload to Flickr or post to your favorite blogging software all in one step. Definitely a time saver!

That's it, for now . . .
I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop here. Hope I gave you some inspiration for possible gifts, either for someone else or even for yourself!

If you'd like to support Tiny Urban Kitchen through your shopping, feel free to search for amazon.com items through the link on the left sidebar of the blog, or click here to get to Amazon.

Have a great final week of holiday shopping!

Sushi Mitani

2011-12-14T02:14:00.000-05:00

This is part 4 of my latest travel series: Post Quake Japan. Other posts in this series: Kago, Daisan Harumi, and Tempura Kondo.

Following your husband on one of his business trips has both positive and negative aspects.

On the up side, the lodging, his airfare, and his meals are paid by the Company. This particular flight, my million miler husband even used his points to upgrade me to business class with him.

On the down side, however, I'm left to fend for myself for most of the working day and (occasionally), even during the evenings. Sometimes I'll use the time to do some serious clothing (or shoe!) shopping. Other times, I'll visit my favorite kitchen supply area in all of Tokyo.

It was during one of these rainy, working weekdays when I stopped in for lunch at Sushi Mitani.

OK, admittedly, "stopped in" is hardly the right term to use. I had made a reservation, partly based on a few glowing reviews online about this place. In fact, I sought out the restaurant, and it was surprisingly difficult to find.

A simple wooden door and a sign written in kanji were my only clues.
I entered a serene, modern, yet intimate dining space. Like many high-end sushi places, the entire restaurant is merely a sushi bar, manned by the namesake sushi chef himself.

The next two hours were definitely an adventure, both in concepts and in flavor. Instead of your traditional sushi meal consisting almost entirely of unadulterated, fresh seafood with rice, the omakase at Sushi Mitani comes with no shortage of little surprises along the way, many which deviate from the traditional sushi model.

Omakase

1. Uni (Sea Urchin) Soup
As I settled down into my little sushi bar seat, the sushi chef (Mitani-san himself) welcomed me. I tested my elementary Japanese with him, and he seemed willing to work with me, which immediately put me at ease. Soon after sitting down, he handed me a red lacquered covered bowl.

What could be inside? The traditional miso soup?

I was delighted to discover that I couldn't be more wrong. A vivid orange hue met my eyes. Sweet, creamy, and singing the fresh flavors of uni, this chilled uni and caviar soup was the perfect amuse to what would be an unforgettable meal.

2. Abalone
I then sampled some fresh abalone. This chewy, flavorful shellfish was slightly seared and covered with a seaweed based sauce. Mitani-san told me that the typical season for abalone is May to October, so we were definitely at the tail end of the season.

3. Sama
This fatty, mackerel-like fish comes from Hokkaido, is currently in season, and "very delicious" according to Mitani-san. I agreed wholeheartedly - the thick slices of fish were buttery, slightly salty, and full of deep, rich umami.

4. Saba (mackerel)
This next course was similarly gorgeous, beautifully rich, and full of flavor. It was so soft that it seemed to melt in your mouth.

5. Ebi soup with Tamago
After several pieces of sashimi, we had a second course of soup. Here, a perfect, barely-cooked piece of shrimp sat gingerly on top of a thick, almost gelatinous soup filled with shrimp roe. It was rich, and bursting with strong, flavorful umami of the sea.

6. Akamatsu with Chutoro
Things continued to get more interesting. Next he handed me this double layered fish course comprising two types of fish: red deep sea grouper on the bottom and fatty tuna (chutoro) on the top. The slightly seared grouper was sweet while the fatty tuna was rich and fatty. It was an interesting contrast.

7. Matsutaki Soup (mushroom)
Have you ever had Matsutaki mushrooms? They grow at the foot of pine trees and are hard to find, thus very expensive. Mitani-san made a simple yet delicious broth out of the matsutaki mushrooms. It was earthy, clean, and extremely flavorful. It was a perfect "cleansing" mid-course between all the different seafood dishes. I absolutely loved it, and savored every sip of the golden nectar.

8. Otoro wth Karasumi (from Taiwan)
If you're from Taiwan, you've probably had Karasumi before. Called 烏魚子 in Chinese (wūyúzi), it is the dried and salted roe sac from a fish called the mullet. According to my aunt and uncle, Taiwan is one of the few places that can harvest this because the fish migrate near Taiwan right around the time when the roe is large and ready for harvest.

In this case, the otoro (fatty tuna) is sandwiched between two slices of the Taiwanese fish roe. Karasumi is salty, flavorful, and very rich in flavor. The idea of sandwiching otoro in the middle was quite new to me. The entire bite was rich, salty, and very satisfying. I could imagine it going down really well with sake or beer!

9. Uni + Rice + Ikura Sauce
Mitani-san was quite particular in teaching me how to eat this next dish. First mix up the ikura sauce (bright orange liquid made from mashed salmon roe) with the rice. Enjoy half of each portion separately. Then mix in the uni (sea urchin) with the rice and taste the entire mixture together.

Wow.

I was floored by how delicious the ikura sauce tasted. I asked Mitani-san whether he had added hints of orange or some other bright citrus flavoring, and he strongly said "noooooo . . . only a bit of soy sauce!" The beauty of the ikura flavor alone was undeniable. It was delicious with the rice, and also interesting with the addition of uni (the second "part" of the dining experience). Again, this top notch ikura hails from Hokkaido, the northern part of Japan.

The Sushi

The first part of the tasting had ended, and now the big tub of rice came out. Mitani-san was about to start making sushi. I guess you never know what kind of sushi you're going to get if you're coming as a visitor for the first time. Unlike a true omakase, where the sushi chef knows you and can make things according to your liking, here he just gave me whatever he fancied.

This meal turned out to focus quite heavily on edomae sushi, the traditional Tokyo-style sushi that emerged in the late 1800's in Japan. Edomae literally means "in front of Edo", which refers to fish that come from Tokyo Bay. In the olden days, Tokyo was called "Edo," and raw fish over vinegared rice became a popular item sold on the streets near the fish market in Tokyo. Because of the lack of refrigeration back then, raw fish was sometimes cured with soy sauce or vinegar in order for it to keep longer.

10. Sardine
This first sardine was definitely cured in some sort of edomae fashion. It was very rich and fatty in that melt-in-your-mouth kind of way. I found it to be just a tad salty, but overall it was quite good.

11. Maguro akami zuke
Similarly, this fiery red piece of tuna (the lean cut, akami) was again cured with soy sauce or something salty in the edomae tradition (zuke style).Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this piece much, thinking it way too salty.

12. Hirame (not pictured)
This white fish (fluke) had been pressed between two layers of kombu. The fish was tougher, and (again) cured. Thought not one of my favorites, I still thought it was quite good.

13. Kohada
This fish (gizzard shad) is also slightly vinegared. The rice sort of falls apart and you have to work hard to eat it. Mitani-san makes you eat with your hands. I asked him why the rice was brownish. "Is there soy sauce in the rice?

"No," he replied, "I use red vinegar in the rice instead."

Naruhodo! (I see!)

14. Toyama (white shrimp)
The next course (not pictured) was a raw, white shrimp known as toyama. I found it to be creamy, flavorful, and quite good, but (again) too salty! (Do you see a trend here? Maybe I'm thankful for the invention of refrigeration, which allows us to eat raw but not too salty fish!)

15. Chutoro
Fatty tuna belly is one of my favorite things to eat in the world, and I was so excited when I saw him take it out. Though this piece was not too salty, I found that it had just a tad of "stringyness", which you usually don't experience at top-notch sushi places. He also added a strong wasabi component, probably to offset the fattiness of the fish.

16. Ika (squid) (not pictured)
Although I don't typically like squid sushi in the U.S., I love it in Japan. This particular piece was creamy, reasonably good, but (again) just a bit too salty. I didn't think it was as good as the one from Daisan Harumi (which was excellent). Compared to others we've had in Japan, it was quite average (though it still beats US versions hands down).

17. Shako
Shako, known as mantis shrimp in English, are actually not shrimp at all. Instead, they are sea crustaceans that are named "mantis shrimp" because the look like a cross between a shrimp and a praying mantis. When cooked, they look grayish and taste sort of rubbery. This interesting edomae rendition is cured in salt and filled with roe! It's also presented dramatically, served split in half to show off the bright, orange roe.

18. Anago Sushi
Unlike unagi, which is freshwater eel, anago is the salt water cousin. This particular piece was rich, tender, and piping hot! Though the hot, flaky eel had great flavor, the pieces were unevenly salted. In general, I wished for a greater rice to eel ratio. Although the anago was excellent quality, overall, I felt that Daisan Harumi makes a superior version of this one.

19. Kampio Inarizushi and Maki
Near the end of these omakase meals, it's not uncommon to end with some sort of maki "filler." Wrapping a normal maki with the tofu skins typically used in inarizushi was an interesting twist and worked quite well.

20. Ume (dessert)
Although I am typically not a huge fan of Japanese plum (ume), this was the best ume I had ever eaten! Unlike most pickled ume I've had, this one was not uncomfortably sour. It just had a slight tartness and was actually quite sweet and full of lovely fruit flavors. If all ume tasted like this, I would love ume!

21. Tamago
Some say you can judge how good a sushi chef is by the quality of his tamago (sweet, steamed egg). This egg omelet was steaming hot, creamy, slightly sweet, and had several beautiful layers. I thought it was better than the one at Daisun Harumi but not as good as the epic one from Sushi Kanesaka.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable meal. I was more impressed with the first half of the meal, where creative combinations, unusual yet incredible soups, and high quality ingredients stood out to me. Although the edomae inspired second half was also good, I generally found the cured fish to be a bit too salty for my tastes.

In general, however, there were definitely some aspects of this meal that I thought were outstanding. My favorite courses (the ones I still think about to this day) would be the matsutake soup, the uni + ikura + rice, and the uni soup.

Prices are not cheap. My entire meal (which was just lunch!) was somewhere between $150 and $200 USD (all inclusive). I guess for 21 courses maybe it's not horrendous, but it's definitely a splurge type meal. I basically had to tell him to stop when I got to the point where I felt like I was about to explode. You can always tell him you want to stop earlier!

Related Posts
Post Quake Japan
Kago
Daisan Harumi
Tempura Kondo