Umami Mart

Okay, it’s our last night here in Barcelona, and while we’ve had some great personal advice from Kayo and some old friends who have spent some time here, I must admit that much of my research on where to eat has taken the form of Googling Chowhound. It took about a half a day spent […]

Last week’s Umamiventure was to Jordan’s Lobster Dock, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. My friend Christine had told me about Jordan’s on Long Island, and after some vigorous online research, I found that the original Jordan’s had been in Sheepshead Bay since 1938. What’s fascinating is the lobster rolls are a very regionally specific creation. As […]

I ate it. Yashigani or coconut crabs live in the Indian and Central Pacific regions. I have never seen one in Tokyo, therefore, although it’s quite pricey (4000yen for a small one at 500 grams), I knew I had to try it. They are terrestrial and have fluffier meat than their aquatic counterparts. The body […]

Went out to the Brooklyn pizza institution, Di Fara the other day with Jorge. I don’t want to go on and on about this (since there’s been so much written on the place), but seriously, it’s the best pizza I’ve ever had in the States, hands down. Frankly, it even beats out pizzas I’ve had […]

UMAMIVENTURE #12Jordan’s Lobster DockSheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NYSunday 9/21 Jordan’s has been around since 1938! Come out on Sunday for lobster rolls, steamed lobsters, raw and fried oysters, clam chowder and fried zucchini. You’re not going to make me eat alone, are you??? Lobster season is dwindling, so this is your last chance- please join me! […]

My third blog entry on my trip to Ishigaki Island in Okinawa is about beef. Since moving to Japan, I realize just how beef-obsessed the Japanese are. Yakiniku is huge, guaranteeing for really stinky salarymen on packed trains every Friday night. Luckily on Ishigaki Island, there are no salarymen. Ishigaki-gyu (cow) is probably what Ishigaki […]

Sorry, a boring post without photos. Sucks, I know. Recently I got into a discussion with Kayoko about Yelp.com. I was surprised that she wasn’t an avid Yelper. I had recently been scouring through Yelp looking for out of town recommendations– where was the most popular taqueria in San Jose open past 10pm; is there […]

Halfway through our lunch at Interlude, Jack turned to me and said, “I think this may be the best meal I’ve ever had”. I had to agree. We both said that our meal at The Core Club in NYC last year was right up there, but this was AMAZING. There’s no doubt about it…Interlude is […]

Met up with V’s good friend Esther for lunch at Tu Lan, a kick ass, grubby hole in the wall Vietnamese joint in the Tenderloin (TL) area of San Francisco. This place is RAD, it must be an SF institution- there was a line out the door by 12:05. Sweet. And look at that sign! […]

I was recently in Australia and had the pleasure of shooting at Becco, a classy Italian restaurant in downtown Melbourne. They say their menu is designed to recreate the old style of 1950’s Italian fine dining. The interior is chic, simple and comfortable and it’s always fun to be able to see into an exposed […]