– Catch It Keep It‘s Mike Senese shows us how to make our very own pizza paddle, er, peel. Someone please carve me one for Jesus’ bday. COME ON! There’s still time! (mikesenese.com; via @fauxbrizio). – Apropos: Senese also gives a DIY session of how to build your VERY OWN temporary wood-fired brick pizza oven. […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
Packaging Whore: Fool-Proof Pasta (Thx, JPN!)
Dear De Cecco, Barilla, and all other major pasta producers of the world: you should be ashamed of yourself, letting Japan come up with the smartest packaging for pasta EVER. This one is “Mama” brand that my own mama Hideko picked up at the Japanese grocery store. Kinda ironic that she would even consider buying […]
December 14, 2009
Postcards from Japan, XI: Unnecessarily Large Bowl of Udon
Kumiko and I walked into a relatively fancy-looking noodle shop off of Dotonbori in Osaka. We ordered; the food arrived; we were stunned. Were they for real??? The bowl was literally wider than her torso– this is NOT an optical illusion. She looked this awkward the entire time she slurped her noodles. It was all […]
December 11, 2009
Postcards from Japan, X: Persimmon Tempura
A soba shop in the backroads of Katsuura, Chiba, Japan.
December 10, 2009
El Barrio Love: Las Cuatro Milpas (SD)
The day after the epic Fish Taco Crawl, Nate asked me, “Do you want to get lunch at one of the best Mexican joints in San Diego?” Uhhhh… I was still stuffed to the chin from the holy trinity of fried fish, cabbage, and tortillas, and had absolutely no plans to consume a bite of […]
December 9, 2009
Packaging Whore: Roman Honey
Look what Alice brought back for me all the way from glorious Roma– a huge glass jar of organic, orange-flavored honey!!! It’s so heckaheavy, she’s out of her mind for even thinking of lugging this back to SF in her luggage. Her devotion for me is like no other. Alice is just as much, if […]
December 8, 2009
El Barrio Love: Patty’s Fruitland (SD)
Nate took me to the Barrio Logan section of San Diego, which I adored. Colorful houses and storefronts dotted the streets, signs were in Spanish, and grocery shops boasted three avocados for a $1. BARGAINTIME. It’s that sort of neighborhood– still predominantly catering to the Mexican community (it’s dubbed El Barrio for chrissake) and won’t […]
December 7, 2009
Postcards from Japan, IX: Buffet for the Civilized
Apparently, this is how civilized people eat at buffets in Japan. Who needs plates when we can all just eat out of little glass cups and ramekins??? What a difference from the way we pigged out at the Wynn in Vegas earlier this year. Come on, America! Get it together!!!
Umamiventure #21: SD Fish Taco Crawl, Last Stop (Small Bar)
PREFACEStop #1: South Beach Bar & Grille (Ocean Beach)Stop #2: Tin Fish (Gaslamp Quarter)Stop #3: Mariscos German Taco Truck (Normal Heights)Stop #4: El Zarape (University Heights) There’s something about walking into a bar and having a dozen beer taps against a wall that excites me. It’s doubly thrilling when I’ve never heard of half the […]
December 4, 2009
Postcards from Japan, VIII: Push My Ramen Button
Will it be shoyu? Miso? Tonkotsu? 大もり= Oomori = Super Size Me? Side of fried rice? Gyoza? An extra egg? Extra slices of roast pork? Choose button carefully– there’s no turning back! Drop your yen into the machine and the ticket will print with your order. Take ticket to the dude behind the counter, who […]