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April 11, 2017
Here’s the Menu for our 2nd Annual Sake Dinner at Camino!
Our Second Annual Sake Dinner at Camino is happening this Thursday and we can finally share the menu with you. Here are the details! Hope you can join us. Buy your tickets on Eventbrite.
February 27, 2017
10 Years of the Umami Mart Blog
We are celebrating 10 years of Umami Mart’s blog this year. I get verklempt thinking about it. People often ask, “Did you ever expect that Umami Mart would become what it is today?” Some people think it was all in the plan from the beginning. HA! We started, and continued, the blog for pure FUN. We […]
February 14, 2017
There’s a Tiny Tearoom in Berkeley for Japanese Tea Ceremonies
Recently, I visited Blue Willow Teaspot in West Berkeley, a new tea cafe that has a tiny Japanese tearoom tucked in the back, where visitors can experience chado, or the ceremonial preparation of matcha. Blue Willow Teaspot opened in October 2016. Originally, Blue Willow was solely a wholesale business. Its current owner, Ali Roth was an employee at the company under previous […]
December 7, 2016
Go Here Now: Onsen, a Japanese Bathhouse in San Francisco
A labor of love has finally been realized after nearly two years in the making: a Japanese-style bathhouse and restaurant in San Francisco! Opened in the Tenderloin neighborhood by husband and wife team Sunny Simmons and Caroline Smith, Onsen is a relaxing oasis in the middle of the city, in a location that was once an […]
November 25, 2016
Seasonal Inspiration: The Umami Mart Holiday Gift Guide
Hooray, you survived Thanksgiving! Now, it’s time for the rest of the holidays and all the shopping that comes with the season of giving. This year, we’ve put together the Umami Mart Holiday Gift Guide that we hope will inspire you to find the perfect presents for everyone on your list. And if you start […]
November 22, 2016
A Visit to Kitaya Brewery in Kyushu
As we celebrate Scorpios this month in Sake Gumi, our sake club selections are centered around yamahai and kimoto-style sakes. One Sake Gumi offering is by Kitaya Brewery called Souden, an earthy, yogurty brew that is a current staff favorite. Yoko and I (along with Johnny, Anders, and TB) were fortunate to visit Kitaya on […]
November 18, 2016
Do Nabe in a Donabe
If you’re stumped about what to make for your next dinner party, we have a suggestion for you: Do nabe in a donabe! Donabe is a Japanese clay cooking pot used to prepare one-pot meals called nabemono (think sukiyaki, oden, and yosenabe). Made to be placed directly over a flame or in the oven, donabe are also meant for serving meals right out of the pot. […]
November 16, 2016
Eat This Now: Japanese-Style Hot Dogs in Alameda
Japanese-style hot dogs are not new. In fact, they’ve been around for at least a decade, long enough that they fall under the “Asian fusion” umbrella (a food phrase that fortunately is falling out of favor these days. It seriously gives me the heebie-jeebies). The marriage of Japanese toppings – like Kewpie mayo, takuan (pickled daikon radish), and nori […]
November 8, 2016
Sake Caliente Pop-Up at Azasu NYC
The sake scene in New York City is dynamic. When I lived there from 2002-2008, the sake trend was definitely in development, and as a worker-bee in Midtown Manhattan, I was fortunate enough to spend many a late-nights at Sakagura, one of NY’s famed sake bars and other Japanese watering holes in the area. There were […]