What images does the name Tsukiji Market evoke? Likely, the giant bodies of fresh and frozen tuna caught in the early morning waters at auction. Or perhaps a fatty sliver of that tuna belly served over vinegared rice. For most, the fish is where the […]
Kissaten YOU
Westernized Japanese food, or Japanified Western food? There’s no good answer to this seemingly odd question. But, whatever the answer, the food that’s typically served at old school Japanese kissaten, or coffee shops, has become a distinct cuisine unto its own in Japanese culture. There […]
Gen Yamamoto, A Cocktail Tasting
Gen Yamamoto is not your typical cocktail bar. Margarita on the rocks? Vodka martini? Forget it. This is not where you go to get your drink on on a Friday night while swiping through Tinder. Nor is it a fancy craft cocktail place with the […]
Shake Shack Tokyo
Happy 2016 folks! 2015 went by in a blink. Although it felt short-lived, it was filled with life altering changes for us, and plenty of adventures in eating. What better way to send off the year (before ringing in the new one with healthy eating […]
Osechi Ryori (New Year’s Foods)
This year will be our first new years spent in Tokyo. It’s pretty unheard of that this city, always buzzing with lights, retail, and nightlife, will turn into a ghost town for a few days over the holiday. In fact, it already feels like that […]
Ett Hem (Stockholm)
At home. Simply named, Ett Hem–a luxury boutique hotel and kitchen–has the feel of just that: being in the serenity of one’s own home. If, might I add, that home were incredibly well-appointed with an immaculately trimmed garden, and a world-class chef preparing every meal […]
Best Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar) in Stockholm
It’s unfortunate that Swedish meatballs, which has now come to represent Swedish food in general to everyone outside of Sweden, is viewed as a cheap, lowbrow dish that’s more about heft and less about taste. Certainly not helped by the likes of IKEA which markets […]
Pony (Copenhagen)
It’s one thing when the expectedly good turns out as such, but entirely another when the unexpected turns out to be exceedingly good. Following a superb dinner at Relæ, the next night, we dined at Pony, a relatively lesser known restaurant in the western part of Copenhagen […]
Relæ (Copenhagen/København)
It’s day 2 of our belated honeymoon in Copenhagen, and as expected, the food situation is outstanding. Perhaps the consistent predominance of umami flavors in Japanese cuisine has been getting to us, but this change in flavor profile of Scandinavian cuisine has been nothing short […]
New York Style Bagels at Maruichi Bagel (Shirokane)
I was introduced to my first true New York bagel when I was about seven or eight by a family friend, who, although not Jewish, had lived in NYC long enough to have earned her New Yorker badge. For breakfast one day, she had put together a platter of […]
Sushi Bar Yasuda (Minami Aoyama)
Omakase sushi is the dream meal for someone with attention deficit disorder. This particular thought kept running through my head, as piece after piece of sushi, each unique and enthralling, was placed before me by the hands of a master, and self-proclaimed “sushi mensch,” Chef Naomichi […]
UPDATE: Tartine Bakery Not Opening in Daikanyama
In May, I reported about the impending opening of San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery at Log Road in Daikanyama. After much drawn-out delay, it seems for certain now that Tartine will not be opening in this location. But fear not, folks. This parting of ways will […]
Taco Rice タコライス (Recipe)
When Mr. S and I first move to Tokyo, we ate out almost every day because we had none of our pots, pans, and cooking utensils. Although we had some rental kitchen items, we were seriously tempted by the thought of exploring our new neighborhood, and […]
Authentic Thai in Roppongi
Eating good, authentic Thai food is like tasting an artist’s palette of colors. There are layers and layers of flavors: bright, sweet, sour, bracing, bitter, fishy, salty, rich, fiery, aromatic… the combination of which is so compelling that it blows away any assumptions about Asian […]
Steamed Crabs on the Maryland Eastern Shore
“Sorry, no more crabs tonight.” Our server could not have uttered more profane words than these. On a Sunday evening at seven o’clock, my mom and I had walked into a local Cambridge, Maryland crabhouse, ready to get down and dirty with some steamed crabs […]
Arlington Farmers Market (Northern VA)
Currently, I’m home in Northern VA/DC for a few weeks visiting family. Mostly a homebody here, I venture out on the rare occasion, mostly in search of food. This month has been humid and rainy here, so going out is not at the top of […]
Soft Serve at Dominique Ansel Kitchen (West Village)
Perhaps best known as the Cronut Guy, Dominique Ansel is tremendously well diversified in his culinary talents, from pastry (including laminated doughs, short crusts, puff, and choux pastries), cakes, yeasted breads, savory sandwiches and salads, and egg dishes, to frozen desserts. You only have to […]
Massimottavio: Neopolitan Pizza in Eifukucho
2 Exceptional Pizzas at Massimottavio The Japanese may be known for topping their pizza with potatoes, corn, and mayonnaise, but a deference to traditional Italian ingredients and ways of cooking has also permeated Japanese tastes. The adherence to the vera cucina italiana way of making pizza […]
CURIOUSLY RAVENOUS 