Umami Mart

INGREDIENTS 1 pound Manila clams (I used fresh ones from the Farmer’s Market) 1/4 yellow onion, diced small 2 Santa Fe peppers or jalepenos, de-seeded, diced small 2 stalks of lemongrass, cut bottom part off, diced small 1 cup white wine 1/2 stick unsalted butter 5 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 tblsps live oil 8 […]

By Vanessa Lee Jeju is a volcanic island approximately 240 miles south of Seoul. It is otherwise known as the Hawaii of Korea, as well as Korea’s capital for unusual theme parks — including Love Land, which closely resembled a Good Vibrations shop on steroids. It is considered a destination of choice for Korean honeymooners, […]

I am really into pulverizing food lately. In addition to my daily dose of fruit smoothie in the morning, I’ve also been experimenting with finely chopped foods. Chopping things can only be a pleasure if you have a really sharp knife, which is why I’ve been religiously sharpening my knifes this past month. If you don’t […]

*Kid Skwid is a sous chef at Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills. On his rare days off, he enjoys riding his bike around LA and going to the beach. Follow him on Instagram (@kidskwid5) to see his gourmet breakfasts at Casa de Kei. 

When selecting a mid-March cocktail for this article, I was tempted to go the easy route with a St. Patrick’s Day whiskey drink. Then this weekend, I had the fortune to dine at Magasin Wells (aka M.Wells), the critically acclaimed Québécois-American diner in Long Island City, Queens. M.Wells’ haute comfort food menu and greasy spoon […]

Got these clams from a roadside seafood guy that Naoko always goes to in Katsuura, Chiba. I remember he worked out of a ramshakle space, dotted with random trinkets for tourists and framed dust-covered posters from the 70’s. You would never think this were a place to get the freshest, top-of-the-line seafood. He must sell […]