Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 441

November 10, 2013: Tokyo Day #5! Shaky shaky! Pork and promenades! Dinner at L’Effervesence!

Roppongi toilet art

We sure are experiencing a lot of turbulence, I thought to myself in my sleep-addled state.  Suddenly, I stopped brushing.  Wait a minute.  I’m in my hotel room.

“Did you feel the earthquake?”asked Akemi as I stepped out of the bathroom.  The national news was already reporting on the 4.0 quake, a relatively minor that, to me, felt a little more significant.  But business as usual here I suppose.

Eggplant so purple they’re black. Or maybe just black eggplant.

Yesterday, Akemi and I headed over to Roppongi for a little pre-lunch stroll through Roppongi (it of the giant spider art, Das).  The plan was to check out Le Chocolat H but, alas, our favorite Japanese chocolatier had packed up and moved to Shibuya.  So, instead, we walked back to Mori Hills and checked out a two-day farmer’s market.  It was just like back home complete with food trucks and guys dressed up like giant vegetables.  I am a sucker for samples and try to avoid them as much as possible, especially here in Japan where everything is delicious.  On this occasion, I didn’t – and ended up buying a bag of oranges to take back to the hotel with me.

Not a lot of trunk space in this baby.

Eggplant and turnip = BFF

Oranges in tow, we made the fifteen walk over to Nishi-Azabu where we were meeting Akemi’s family for lunch at Butagumi, my favorite tonkatsu restaurant.  Situated in a quaint old building in a back alley, Butagumi specializes in crispy, almost ethereal, fried pork cutlets from all over Japan – and beyond.  On this day, we enjoyed three different varieties along with the traditional slaw, pickles, rice – and one of my very favorite dishes: the braised pork appetizer.

Butagumi, where pork is king!

I would come to Tokyo for this dish alone: the braised pork appetizer at Butagmi.

Crispy pork tonkatsu

The talk of the table was, of course, Akemi sister’s, Hiromi’s, upcoming wedding.  The ceremony will be steeped in tradition.  Everything will be exact, from the exchanging of the vows to the specific envelope in which the money gift is presented.  Unfortunately, Akemi hadn’t a clue which of the dozens of money envelopes on display at the local Ito-ya would work, so she had her sister and mother pick one up for us. Elaborate, no?

The personalized wedding envelopes Akemi’s family prepared for the wedding. is this a subtle hint?

After lunch, we sent Akemi’s family off with some oranges, then Akemi and I headed back the way we came, making our way over to Tokyo Midtown…

Jean-Paul Hevin chocolate art

I was in the mood for a little dessert but, it being the weekend, the place was so crowded I gave up in favor of some chocolate-covered waffles at the little stand-up shop in Ginza.  Which also had a line-up, so we returned to the hotel where I ate a couple of oranges.

But not before taking a stroll up Ginza dori that is shut down to car traffic on weekends.  Here I snap a picture of a crowd snapping pictures.  What’s so interesting?

This family of cats hanging around.

For dinner last night, I paid a return visit to one of Tokyo’s most dynamic restaurants, headed by one of its most creative chefs: L’Effervesence.  It’s a bit of a walk from Omotesando, tucked away in a little alleyway – but if you can find it, it’s well worth the trip!

Yep, keep going, right past the cemetery.

I met up with my good friend, Tomomi. who introduced me to the place last year.  And, like last year, the meal was nothing short of spectacular.  Some of the highlights included:

This McDonald’s apple pie-inspired appetizer comprised of oxtail, taro and rosemary – that, nevertheless, possessed flavors surprisingly similar to the original.

Pan-fried scales-on tilefish “Amadai” and mussel from Mont SaintMichel, kohlrabi, Manganji pepper, chanterelle, and kabosu. The fish was crisp and tender, the broth subtly sublime, but those mushrooms stole the show.  

Other standouts included an appetizer mousse made up of Hog’s head cheese and Japanese sweet potato, the restaurant’s signature whole cooked turnip (slow-cooked for four hours before being simmered in butter and served, incredibly flavorful and, amazingly, still firm), roast Hokkaido venison served with a fig and red wine reduction, chanterelle mushrooms, and yarrow leaves and -

Pictured above, the house signature salad that includes 50 different salad, fruit, vegetables, and herbs.

For dessert, a ginger milk mousse with Darjeeling tea ice cream, apple jelly, lemon preserve, and this favorite:

Fragments of chestnut creme brulee, rum raising ice cream, wild grape jelly, and olive oil steamed buns.  

And, to end things:

Pop rock chocolate pops, macarons, and a lemon meringue dessert you assemble yourself by squeezing the lemon custard out of a tiny tube and into a tiny pie shell.

After dinner, the ever-humble Chef Shinobu Namae stopped by the table for a quick chat before heading back to the kitchen to complete the evening service.  It turns out Chef Shinobu will be heading to our North American neighborhood to take part in the Culinary Institute of America’s World’s of Flavor conference alongside the world’s culinary elite: http://www.worldsofflavor.com/schedule/presenters.  Now THAT sounds like fun.

http://leffervescence.jp/en/

Alright, time to get ready.  I have a Japanese wedding to attend. Apparently, I’m going to be asked to sign my name name in hiragana today.  With a calligraphy brush no less!  So, let’s practice…

Fish hook with eyes, small L wearing a sun visor, bent t.v. antenna, big-nosed 3, and fish hook with eyes.

Tagged: Butagumi, Butagumi Tokyo, Japan, Japan travel, L'Effervescence, Tokyo, Tokyo food, Tokyo travel, tonkatsu, travel

November 9, 2013: Tokyo Day #4! Japanese convenience store breakfast! Kaiseki at Kurogi! Rustic and Raucous at Kabuto! Eel-gutting 101!

Yesterday, Akemi and I did breakfast Tokyo Convenience Style, sitting down to a lovely spread: spicy orange-hued chicken nuggets devoid of any real chicken taste or texture, a soggy pork bun, another much better barbecued pork bun we received instead of the actual pizza bun we had ordered, an alarmingly runny aloe yogurt (with the fruit plant at the bottom) and, to wash it all down, a bottle of milk soda.  The verdict?  I was pleasantly surprised by the milk soda that tasted like Japan’s famed Calpis soda.  As for the rest….Well…

With our breakfast sitting in our stomachs like quick-drying cement, we headed to the Yushima neighborhood for lunch at Kurogi, a popular kaiseki restaurant.  Having never visited Kurogi, or the area, before, we decided to get there a little early and walk around…

The Men’s Slope and the Women’s Slope

A map of the area showed what appear to be two stairways, one named The Men’s Slope, the other The Women’s Slope.  Not sure whether there are any hard and fast rules about men walking up the women’s slope (and vice-versa) but, according to Akemi, word has it that anyone who fall while climbing up either will die in three years – or lose three years off their lifespan.  ”Where’d you hear this rumor?”I asked her. “Not rumor,”she informed me.  ”It common sense.”

The cool-looking Hotel Pine Hill.  Maybe next stay.

The streets of Yushima.

All the rage here: elaborate French toast.  I don’t get it.

As we continued our walkabout, I noticed Akemi slowing down.  It turned out her feet were killing her.  Her boots were NOT made for walking.  And so, we ended up stopping off at a discount shoe store where Akemi bought this – er – stylish pair…

Sprinkled with actual stardust

Ultimately, she wasn’t that worried about how they looked so long as they were comfortable.

Well, they were comfortable for about a half an hour – after which she had to purchase some band-aids to keep the inside of the shoes from chafing her heel.  That helped.  For maybe fifteen minutes and, soon, Akemi was back to strolling in her original boots.

Yeah!  Party ’til you yak at the Yak Bar!

KISS spicy fried chicken.  While quantities last!

We wound our way around the small side streets and alleys, brimming with character and tiny restaurants.  I stopped to help a middle-aged woman who had slipped and fallen and couldn’t get up.  She thanked my while her friends remarked what a gentleman I was.  Oh, tondemonai!

We finally arrived at our lunch reservation and discovered other diners awaiting the 12:30 seating…

Tickets?  Tickets?  Anybody need tickets?

We filed in at a little after 12:30 and were seated at the main counter where we were presented with our lunch.  No ordering.  It’s an omakase (chef’s choice) set lunch comprised of snapper in a sesame-based sauce, pickles, salmon roe, miso soup, and rice.  And we were informed we could have as much rice and sashimi as we liked.  Akemi had a second bowl of rice.  I did both rice and sashimi.  The two older women seated to my right had three bowls of the sashimi.

While we ate, we watched the chef’s prep for the more elaborate dinner service.  Here a chef prepares the delicacy Bottarga, the salted and cured roe of the mullet fish:

He uses a special instrument to prick it full of holes.  This bleeds it, releasing any unpleasant flavors, and facilitates the salting and curing process.

A quick and casual kaiseki meal but no less delicious.  And one of the most economical I’ve ever had at roughly $10 per person.  Dinner is roughly double the price – but an equal bargain considering the expanded menu.  If you’re in town and want to try kaiseki (traditional Japanese meal) without breaking the bank, be sure to make a reservation: http://www.kurogi.co.jp/pg14.html

Well, I haven’t tracked down that Neon Genesis Evangelion cover for my new iPhone, but I did find THIS equally cool substitute:

Attack on Titan

We unwound back at the hotel, then walked over to the Matsuya department store for a snack at La Maison de Chocolat.  A couple of hot chocolates, a chocolate-pistachio macaron, and -

A milk chocolate tart.

Department store forest denizen.  I think.

Akemi hits it off with the ramen-ya mascot.

I was especially looking forward to dinner because the place we were headed – in the city’s rougher, working man’s section of Ikkebukuro – was a far cry from most of the high-end eateries I’ve visited over my many trips to Tokyo.  We were going to Kabuto, a tiny, family-run restaurant specializing in grilled eel.

The place was even tinier than I expected, comprised of two tiny tables and a long counter.  The customers sat on one side, offering about two feet of clearance behind them for people to negotiate the room, single file.  On the other side, the unagi master ran the show while (I assumed) his wife and son, did the honors: taking our orders [you have a choice between the small (one eels), medium (one and a half eels), and large (two eels) meals], pouring the sake, plating the food and, in son’s case, gutting and cleaning the eel that were kept in a bucket below the counter.  He would pull one up, kill it by severing its spinal cord with a quick slash, then nail its head to a designated area.  Thus secured, he would use his knife to slice it neatly in half, remove its spine in another expert stroke, trim off any inedible parts, and then skewer the meat, ready for eating.  Oh, he also demonstrated his knife skills by divesting the eel of its heart which is served raw and still beating.  But don’t take my word for it.  Check out the videos below.

Meanwhile, the unagi master, the star of the chef, grilled the eel, fanning the morsels.  Our fellow diners were positively raucous – and super friendly.  It was like one giant friends and family dinner.

This is the customary sake pour – filled to the brim and literally overflowing.

Grilled eel head – crunchier than…

My favorite – the eel tail.

I sample a unique sake that, I was told, was actually very good for me.  It was likened to yogurt and did possess a disquieting sourness.  Not my good-to drink.

Eel-gutting 101:

Akemi has a heart:

Shirayaki-style: simply grilled.

Kabayaki-style: grilled with sauce.

Rustic, raucous, and utterly delicious.  By night’s end, I was thoroughly stuffed – and a little tipsy.  I bought a round for the two boisterous salarymen we had befriended (“From Canada,”the woman who took my order informed them), then paid the bill (cash only) and headed back to the hotel for my first blissfully deep and interrupted sleep in days. Restaurant Report – Unagi Kabuto in Tokyo – NYTimes.com

Tagged: eel, eel restaurant, Japan, Japan food, Japan travel, Kabuto, Kabuto Tokyo, Kabuto unagi, kaiseki, Kurogi, Kurogi Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo food, Tokyo travel, unagi-ya

November 9, 2013: Japanese convenience store breakfast! Kaiseki at Kurogi! Rustic and Raucous at Kabuto! Eel-gutting 101!

Yesterday, Akemi and I did breakfast Tokyo Convenience Style, sitting down to a lovely spread: spicy orange-hued chicken nuggets devoid of any real chicken taste or texture, a soggy pork bun, another much better barbecued pork bun we received instead of the actual pizza bun we had ordered, an alarmingly runny aloe yogurt (with the fruit plant at the bottom) and, to wash it all down, a bottle of milk soda.  The verdict?  I was pleasantly surprised by the milk soda that tasted like Japan’s famed Calpis soda.  As for the rest….Well…

With our breakfast sitting in our stomachs like quick-drying cement, we headed to the Yushima neighborhood for lunch at Kurogi, a popular kaiseki restaurant.  Having never visited Kurogi, or the area, before, we decided to get there a little early and walk around…

The Men’s Slope and the Women’s Slope

A map of the area showed what appear to be two stairways, one named The Men’s Slope, the other The Women’s Slope.  Not sure whether there are any hard and fast rules about men walking up the women’s slope (and vice-versa) but, according to Akemi, word has it that anyone who fall while climbing up either will die in three years – or lose three years off their lifespan.  ”Where’d you hear this rumor?”I asked her. “Not rumor,”she informed me.  ”It common sense.”

The cool-looking Hotel Pine Hill.  Maybe next stay.

The streets of Yushima.

All the rage here: elaborate French toast.  I don’t get it.

As we continued our walkabout, I noticed Akemi slowing down.  It turned out her feet were killing her.  Her boots were NOT made for walking.  And so, we ended up stopping off at a discount shoe store where Akemi bought this – er – stylish pair…

Sprinkled with actual stardust

Ultimately, she wasn’t that worried about how they looked so long as they were comfortable.

Well, they were comfortable for about a half an hour – after which she had to purchase some band-aids to keep the inside of the shoes from chafing her heel.  That helped.  For maybe fifteen minutes and, soon, Akemi was back to strolling in her original boots.

Yeah!  Party ’til you yak at the Yak Bar!

KISS spicy fried chicken.  While quantities last!

We wound our way around the small side streets and alleys, brimming with character and tiny restaurants.  I stopped to help a middle-aged woman who had slipped and fallen and couldn’t get up.  She thanked my while her friends remarked what a gentleman I was.  Oh, tondemonai!

We finally arrived at our lunch reservation and discovered other diners awaiting the 12:30 seating…

Tickets?  Tickets?  Anybody need tickets?

We filed in at a little after 12:30 and were seated at the main counter where we were presented with our lunch.  No ordering.  It’s an omakase (chef’s choice) set lunch comprised of snapper in a sesame-based sauce, pickles, salmon roe, miso soup, and rice.  And we were informed we could have as much rice and sashimi as we liked.  Akemi had a second bowl of rice.  I did both rice and sashimi.  The two older women seated to my right had three bowls of the sashimi.

While we ate, we watched the chef’s prep for the more elaborate dinner service.  Here a chef prepares the delicacy Bottarga, the salted and cured roe of the mullet fish:

He uses a special instrument to prick it full of holes.  This bleeds it, releasing any unpleasant flavors, and facilitates the salting and curing process.

A quick and casual kaiseki meal but no less delicious.  And one of the most economical I’ve ever had at roughly $10 per person.  Dinner is roughly double the price – but an equal bargain considering the expanded menu.  If you’re in town and want to try kaiseki (traditional Japanese meal) without breaking the bank, be sure to make a reservation: http://www.kurogi.co.jp/pg14.html

Well, I haven’t tracked down that Neon Genesis Evangelion cover for my new iPhone, but I did find THIS equally cool substitute:

Attack on Titan

We unwound back at the hotel, then walked over to the Matsuya department store for a snack at La Maison de Chocolat.  A couple of hot chocolates, a chocolate-pistachio macaron, and -

A milk chocolate tart.

Department store forest denizen.  I think.

Akemi hits it off with the ramen-ya mascot.

I was especially looking forward to dinner because the place we were headed – in the city’s rougher, working man’s section of Ikkebukuro – was a far cry from most of the high-end eateries I’ve visited over my many trips to Tokyo.  We were going to Kabuto, a tiny, family-run restaurant specializing in grilled eel.

The place was even tinier than I expected, comprised of two tiny tables and a long counter.  The customers sat on one side, offering about two feet of clearance behind them for people to negotiate the room, single file.  On the other side, the unagi master ran the show while (I assumed) his wife and son, did the honors: taking our orders [you have a choice between the small (one eels), medium (one and a half eels), and large (two eels) meals], pouring the sake, plating the food and, in son’s case, gutting and cleaning the eel that were kept in a bucket below the counter.  He would pull one up, kill it by severing its spinal cord with a quick slash, then nail its head to a designated area.  Thus secured, he would use his knife to slice it neatly in half, remove its spine in another expert stroke, trim off any inedible parts, and then skewer the meat, ready for eating.  Oh, he also demonstrated his knife skills by divesting the eel of its heart which is served raw and still beating.  But don’t take my word for it.  Check out the videos below.

Meanwhile, the unagi master, the star of the chef, grilled the eel, fanning the morsels.  Our fellow diners were positively raucous – and super friendly.  It was like one giant friends and family dinner.

This is the customary sake pour – filled to the brim and literally overflowing.

Grilled eel head – crunchier than…

My favorite – the eel tail.

I sample a unique sake that, I was told, was actually very good for me.  It was likened to yogurt and did possess a disquieting sourness.  Not my good-to drink.

Eel-gutting 101:

Akemi has a heart:

Shirayaki-style: simply grilled.

Kabayaki-style: grilled with sauce.

Rustic, raucous, and utterly delicious.  By night’s end, I was thoroughly stuffed – and a little tipsy.  I bought a round for the two boisterous salarymen we had befriended (“From Canada,”the woman who took my order informed them), then paid the bill (cash only) and headed back to the hotel for my first blissfully deep and interrupted sleep in days. Restaurant Report – Unagi Kabuto in Tokyo – NYTimes.com

Tagged: eel, eel restaurant, Japan, Japan food, Japan travel, Kabuto, Kabuto Tokyo, Kabuto unagi, kaiseki, Kurogi, Kurogi Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo food, Tokyo travel, unagi-ya

November 8, 2013: Tokyo Day #2! Quest for the elusive Lawsons fried chicken! The Tokyo underground! Sushi Sawada! And more!

I could have saved me money and enjoyed this weather in Vancouver.

Our Tokyo trip got off to a rainy start.  But that didn’t temper our enthusiasm.  We were up and out at 8:30 a.m., on a quest to track down some convenience store heat lamp spicy chicken nuggets for my breakfast.  We were in search of the ubiquitous Lawsons, the one stop shop for everything from whisky to fruit sandwiches.  Sadly, a Lawsons proved much harder to find than we expected.  Instead, we came across a couple of Natural Lawsons (a weird, bizarro version of the original that didn’t carry any fried foods) and a host of less-impressive Family Mart.

In the end, we decided to table our quest and head underground to kill some time before the stores opened.

This is awesome.  The entire Tokyo subway system offers free wireless.

Subway poster outlining the perils of cell phone use.

Beware the rude caucasian girl annoying the Japanese salaryman.

We resurfaced to check out another area.  Alas, no fried chicken nuggets – but plenty of everything else:

I’m constantly amazed by not just the quality of the food in Tokyo but the variety as well.

Seriously.  How many varieties of canned coffee can the market support?

Uh, what the hell is he putting on that rice?

A convenience machine selling apples. Not whole, but sliced, skinless, with a side of caramel dipping sauce.  Only in Japan!

Always innovating.  Refrigerated lockers in the food section of the Matsuya department store.  Buy your produce, stow it away, and continue your shopping without worry. 

The team up you’ve been waiting for!  Lupin 3 and Conan Boy Detective together on the big screen!  But not until after I leave Japan!

We had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo: Sawada.  The sushi was, as always, spectacular.  Alas, the restaurant doesn’t allow photography so you’ll have to take my word for it.  Akemi spent much of the meal chatting with the surprisingly humorous Sawada-san who talked about his days as a student athlete, training, and philosophy and passion for sushi.  We also discussed the new restaurant trend taking Tokyo by storm: standing eateries that see greater profits because of the quick turnover in client.  Great if you’re in a rush I suppose – which most everyone seems to be.

For dessert we headed over to Dalloyau.  Akemi was stuffed, so I had to eat for both of us.  But I drew the line at the apricot ice cream.  The hazelnut cake, on the other hand, was great.

An okay chocolate tart.

And, to wash it down, a nice tall glass of chocolate.

While Akemi headed off to Naka-Meguro to get her eyelashes fine-tuned, I went to Akihabara in search of a cover for my new cell phone. I came up empty on that front, but did make these fantastic purchases:

A new Gintama shirt.

Neon Genesis Evangelion cufflinks!  

And assorted whisky and rum chocolates from Pierre Marcolini.  

Akemi was still full from lunch when dinner rolled around and, while I wasn’t all that hungry, I couldn’t miss out on a meal opportunity.  So, we compromised and headed over to one of the mini malls for some casual Korean…

Fried garlic chicken

And this amazing yuzu soda.

I figured we’d head over to Star Bar for a night cap but, on the way, we were contacted by Akemi’s mother who had arrived in Tokyo (from Osaka) for her daughters wedding.  Whoa, there.  Her OTHER daughter, Hiromi.  And so, we tabled our Star Bar visit and headed over to Nihombashi…

Hey!  It’s already Christmas here!

Akemi says: “Yeah!”

I thought this was cool.  Complimentary umbrellas at the Nihombashi Mitsukoshi department store.  The idea is you take one, use it, then presumably drop it off at the Mitsukoshi nearest your destination – or return it.  Eventually.

We met up with Akemi’s mother and sister who were staying at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel…

Some would consider this view breath taking.  I call it terrifying. 

Hiromi, mom, and Akemi.

By the time we got back to our hotel, I was exhausted.  I was in bed by 11:00 and slept, more or less, through until 7:30 a.m.

Woke up this morning to some emails, including a couple from my “point person” on that super-secret project.  Very exciting stuff.  I just hate the fact that we have to wait until January for the big reveal…

Tagged: Dalloyau, food, Japan, Japan travel, Sawada, sushi, Tokyo, Tokyo food, Tokyo travel, travel

November 7, 2013: Tokyo Day #1! Arrival! Sans Applause! Robot Girlfriend!

[image error]

Uh, shouldn’t that read: “Litewature Stowage Only”?

Hello, from the future!  November 7th here in Tokyo; November 6th back home for most of you.  Having advance knowledge of the day ahead, I wish I could tell you all what is in store for you but, alas, like most travelers to Asia, I had to sign a non-disclosure form while going through customs here.  Suffice it to say, some interesting things await. Without, hopefully, being overly-cryptic, let me just offer the following hints: blue, 17, and clydesdale.

Well, once the 11 hour flight touched down and we finally caught the airport shuttle from Narita to the hotel that dropped us off at the Imperial 90 minutes later, and we finally checked in and dropped off our luggage, we were sitting down to dinner at a very respectable 7:00 p.m. local time – and most disrespectful 2:00 a.m. local time.  Akemi was exhausted so, rather than venture out, we just followed tradition and grabbed a bite at one of the hotel restaurants, Sans Applause…

Another Tokyo first night tradition: bonjiri (grilled chicken butts!), here served alongside grilled shitake mushrooms.  Delicious, both!

The sea urchin gelee is served with a creamy sea urchin custard and topped with fresh uni.

It’s called fried white bait (shirasu) on the menu but our waiter called it shirauo.  They’re, apparently, two completely different fish.  Ethereal and crispy.  Check out the little eyes.

This one was a pleasant surprise: crab risotto with crispy cheese.

We forced ourselves to stay up into the wee hours last night, not going to bed until 10:00 p.m. (9:54 p.m. for Akemi who couldn’t hold out) and slept in until 7:30 a.m.  So lazy!  I wanted to head down to the Tsukiji Market for some breakfast sushi but Akemi wants to wait until lunch as we’re headed to Sawada for the world’s best sushi meal.  So, instead, we’re updating our respective blogs now after which we’ll head off for some early shopping – and maybe a snack for me at the local Lawsons convenience store.  Their heat lamp fried chicken looks might inviting!

Other than the lunch reservation, our day is wide open.  Akemi wants to check out the Mitsukoshi department store while I, of course, want to hit Akihabara in search of a cool anime-themed cover for my new cellphone.  At some point in the next couple of days, I also want to head over to Tokyo Big Sight which is hosting the International Robot Exhibition (http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/irex/english/general.html). Remember the time I attended the 2009 Exhibition?  Of course you do: November 28, 2009: Tokyo Travel Day #4 – Dai San Harumi, Tokyo Big Sight, Les Creations de Narisawa! Now With 60% More Robots!  While we’re on the subject –  Akemi’s neck is so incredibly sore from the flight that she actually moves like a robot, stiffly, unable to turn her head without moving her entire upper torso.  I fear that the locals will see us walking around and assume I’ve purchased one of those state-of-the-art robot girlfriends.

Sad rabbit

Finally, thanks to archersangel and the rest of you for all the recommendations.  The Weird Food Purchase of the Day video will definitely be making a return appearance on this blog very soon.

Tagged: food, Imperial Hotel, Sans Applause, Tokyo, Tokyo food, Tokyo travel, travel

November 5, 2013: Things I’m most looking forward to on this Tokyo Trip!

Bubba wants to come with us to Tokyo!

Lulu’s coming too. And she’s bringing her ducky.

Picked up my sister at the airport last night and was treated to this wondrous sight:

Isn’t it a little early for a Christmas sweater?

And this was the surprise Akemi had waiting for my sister upon her arrival:

Mmmmm. Dried kimchi.

Well, off today.  We’re flying Japan Airlines and will be getting in at 4:30 p.m. Tokyo time – following an 11 hour flight and 90 minute shuttle bus ride from Narita airport.  I’ll no doubt be exhausted – but raring to go!

Here are  a few of the things I’m looking forward to on this Tokyo Trip…

Visiting Star Bar and seeing my old friends Master Kishi-san and Yamazaki-san.

Getting together with my friend, Moro-san

Chef Lionel Beccat’s cuisine at Esquisse.

Fresh unagi

Chef Namae’s creative dishes at L’Effervesence.

Seeing my friend, Tomomi

A day trip to Yokohama

The braised pork appetizer and varied pork tonkatsu at Butagumi

The sights and shopping of Akihabara

Wagyu

Hattendo cream buns

The mouth meltingly delicious aburi toro and other marvels at Sushi Sawada

The decadent chocolate offerings at Jean-Paul Hevin

Lunch at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

An afternoon walk through Roppongi

Tsukiji breakfast

The Mori Art Museum

Ginza at night

Alright!  Ready?!  Let’s go!!!

Tagged: Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo travel, travel

November 4, 2013: Prepping for Japan! The post-Tokyo post!

What do you mean you’re leaving?!

Tomorrow, Akemi and I leave for two glorious weeks in the culinary capital of the world: Tokyo, Japan.  I will, of course, be continuing to update this blog with a blow by blowfish account of my trip – so fear not.  It’ll be like you’re coming on vacation with me!

My sister was kind enough to volunteer to take care of the dogs in my absence.  She flies in late tonight and will be settling in for what will hopefully be a nice, quiet, pleasantly uneventful stay here in Vancouver.  I’ve stocked the pantry and the refrigerator with all sorts of goodies including kimchi chips, papaya, and a nice Berkshire pork chop for tomorrow night’s dinner.  She’ll have free rein of the liquor bar, SUV, and the home theater – providing she can figure out how to operate it.

In addition to running around town shopping for food, I also spent a good couple of hours running around the office – and my various email accounts – looking for an old script that has suddenly garnered some fresh interest.  Eventually found it and sent it off.  In the meantime…

Even though I’ll be away, work will (hopefully) continue on other fronts: the show based on that SF novel (the pitch packages went out last week and, if there’s any interest, we’ll be moving on to development), that Southern Gothic pilot (I’ll be writing the script on the plane), that action feature we’ve been hired to write, and the show we’re presently developing for a broadcaster (we delivered the outline last week and are awaiting notes).

Oh, and there’s that super secret project I was telling you about.  Apparently, the final piece has fallen into place and we’re good to go.  Now it’s just a matter of working out the details.  Sadly, we won’t get an official announcement until January – but, as always, you’ll be the first to know!

Today, I leave you with:

6 Mind-Blowing Easter Eggs Hidden in Famous Movies Viral

The 9 Least Incredible Adventures the Incredible Hulk Ever Had  Go Circus Hulk!

Elephants Can’t Deal With Death Sad.

And sad.  ish.

November 2, 2013: Porchetta, Snow Monkeys, Brunch, and Presents!

Oven-roasted porchetta

Look at what Akemi made!  Yesterday, she stuffed, seasoned, rolled, and trussed a pork belly.  Then, this morning, she woke up at 6:00 a.m. to slow-roast it for five and a half hours before finishing it off with a 30 minute broil to render the skin extra crispy.  She served it for lunch with her home made chimichurri sauce and a side salad.

 

And while we were eating, my Snow Monkeys were winning!  They’ve improved to a less-than-impressive 3-6 in Stargate League Play but a very impressive record of 6-3 in my Original League.  I will, of course, be managing my team from Japan for the next two weekends – so wish my Snow Monkeys luck!  A double playoff appearance is going to be a hard trick to pull off.

Yesterday, Akemi and I met up with our friends, Jeff and Barb, who are in town, visiting from Chicago.  We hit Campagnolo for lunch and enjoyed some brunch, pizza…and some unexpected belated birthday gifts.

Barb and Jeff from Chicago, home of the deep dish pizza. But I don’t hold that against them.

Surprise!  Belated birthday presents!  Or, in Akemi’s case, EARLY birthday presents!

Southern cook books for Akemi (and, indirectly, me!)  We were up all night deciding what we wanted to make.  Conclusion = everything!

Souther horror fiction for me.  A little research to get me in the mood for the new pilot.

Crispy ceci.  A house speciality!

Sausage, arugula and chiil pizza

And a side of thick cut pancetta

Tagged: Porchetta

November 2, 2013: Getting to know me…getting to know all about meeeeee…Okay, maybe not all!

1. My favorite pizza topping is…Green peppers.  My writing partner says he hates them.  How can somebody hate green peppers?

2. My most despised celebrity is…Donald Trump.

3. Because…He’s petty, small, vindictive, and completely humorless.

4. The best book I last read…was The Postmortal by Drew Magary.  Clever, engaging, thought-provoking.

5. The worst book I last read…was Bait by J. Kent Messum.  Ridiculous.

6. My hidden useless talent is…my ability to instantly give you the numerical equivalent of any letter in the alphabet (A to B, 1 to 26).

7. The weirdest thing I ever ate was…shirako – cod sperm – in Japan, of course.

8. My favorite crappy chocolate is…Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

9. If I could live through any Stargate episode, it would be…Rising I and II.

10. If I could have anyone’s job, it would be…Broadcast programmer.  I would revolutionize the industry by basing my selection on solid writing over catchy hooks or “who’s attached?”, resulting in a slate of shows people actually watch.

11. My favorite household chore is…loading the dishwasher.  It’s an art form.

12. The last thing I dressed up as was as…a nerd.  My accessories included books from personal library including The Dungeon Master’s Guide and Player’s Handbook.

13. The worst customer service moment of the past month was…just the other day.  The waitress was serving Akemi her salad when three accompanying pickles fell off the plate and onto the table.  She quickly picked them up with her fingers, put them back on the plate, and informed us: “They’re just for show anyway.”

14. The last thing I saw on t.v. that made me go WTF? was…guest judge Jason Bentley (Music Director of KCRW Radio) on Top Chef Masters complaining that mussels were “too much work”.  Seriously, Jason, does your mom chew your food for you too?

15. My biggest pet peeve is…lazy writing.

16. My last recipe disaster was the time I tried to make…stuffed squid.  Gummy.

17. If I could afford it, I’d have a second home in…Tokyo.  Of course.

18. I really regret that time I…got into that last relationship.

19. The last movie I walked out on was…Six Degrees of Separation.  I actually walked out about a half dozen times, pacing the halls before returning to join my date. Unbearably pretentious.

20. It may shock you to know about…that new super secret project I’m in discussions on.  Alas, no, not a new/returning Stargate television series or movie.  But when you find out…

Keep YOUR answers coming!

November 1, 2013: Getting to know you…getting to know all about yooooou….Okay, maybe not all!

Please complete the following:

1. My favorite pizza topping is…

2. My most despised celebrity is…

3. Because…

4. The best book I last read…

5. The worst book I last read…

6. My hidden useless talent is…

7. The weirdest thing I ever ate was…

8. My favorite crappy chocolate is…

9. If I could live through any Stargate episode, it would be…

10. If I could have anyone’s job, it would be…

11. My favorite household chore is…

12. The last thing I dressed up as was as…

13. The worst customer service moment of the past month was…

14. The last thing I saw on t.v. that made me go WTF? was…

15. My biggest pet peeve is…

16. My last recipe disaster was the time I tried to make…

17. If I could afford it, I’d have a second home in…

18. I really regret that time I…

19. The last movie I walked out on was…

20. It may shock you to know that…

Your answers today.  My answers tomorrow.