Umami Mart

Wednesday night is the last night for Pies ‘n Thighs, a little hole in the wall (literally) southern eatery under the Williamsburg Bridge, consisting of a kitchen, a cash register, and an empty lot next door that is set up with picnic tables during the summertime. The Department of Health is ordering its demise in […]

This post is dedicated to my lady Christi. So this post defies my rule of “not writing about a restaurant unless I’ve been to it at least twice” (traveling not included), but this reservation was too hard to get, and this place being so acclaimed and all, I figure that this meal can be exempt […]

Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, The Great Wall. Got ripped off at an antique store, almost got killed by a car when crossing the streets… Yes, I did all the things I was supposed to do in Beijing. Last and the most important thing to do was to go eat Peking Duck. Remember my post on […]

China was interesting. As you might know, the air is unbelievably dirty, and everyday when I woke up I appreciated and longed for clean air more and more. It’s hard to explain but my friend in China said, it’s basically smoking 10 packs of cigarettes without smoking it. It was so true. No cigarette smell, […]

You have until Tuesday to get your ass down to the Dumpling House in the Lower East Side for the best bang for your buck (literally) in town. This place is a downtown institution– there was a line out the door when we went at 5pm tonight. It’s closing for a month or so to […]

Friday was Astoria exploration day. After hitting P.S. 1 for a rooftop performance by Min Tanaka (which was more about the 4 or 5 photographers who were making so much noise throughout) Ryo guided us into her ‘hood. It was already nighttime dark at 6pm, and very chilly, so I was hugely relieved when we […]

When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie That’s amore When the world seems to shine like you’ve had too much wine That’s amore Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling And you’ll sing “Vita bella” Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay Like a gay tarantella— Dean Martin Ta-da! Now for the most important part […]

UmamiVenture Archives:Taste of Jackson Heights – 10/07Red Hook Ball Fields – 06/07Ocean Jewel Restaurant – 06/07

Stopped off in Madrid for one night to see my dear friends Marta and Jose. Marta and I lived together in Padova, and she’s like a sister to me. But first, let’s talk airplane food. I took Iberia both back and forth from NY, and here are just some few points of why non-US airlines […]

I was taken to Queens last night. I haven’t left the island since I moved back, so it was quite an excursion. Subway ride to Elmhurst, and Minangasli restaurant was right there. I went there with my friend Tonny, who is from Bali, and he insisted we had to go there to experience true Indonesian […]