Umami Mart

I loooove onions that are slow cooked with balsamic vinegar. Red or white onions work. Cook them at a medium/low temperature for a long time, at least 20 minutes, until all the liquid is gone and they start to get very soft and a little golden/caramelized. If they need more time, you can always add […]

I spent my summer of 2012 in California, my favourite place in the world — after my couch (ok, maybe Japan comes in as a close second). It was a pure blast, from the moment I landed, designed and help build out the Umami Mart shop, just to get on the plane again a month […]

Remember when I said I started making my own pizza because I hadn’t found any in Los Angeles that really fit the bill? Well I am happy to report that this is no longer the case. Not only does it seem like the urban food movement is making its way through a wood-fired revival, but […]

I think it’s safe to say that I have officially become a pizzahead. After moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles and trying a few different wood-fired pizza places out, along with being given some pretty ridiculous suggestions on par with the bowling alley pizza party fare I had as a child, I had come […]

It’s Monday morning, and by “morning” I mean 12:30pm. Monday is the first day of the service industry weekend. I’m coming down from two double shifts and a closing shift at the slow food pizza duo Pizzaiolo and Boot and Shoe Service. My girlfriend won’t wake up, and we are out of coffee. After navigating […]

The afternoon I took this picture in Hell’s Kitchen was one of the steamiest days this summer, but that didn’t stop New Yorkers from loving HOT 99¢ slices. I have a feeling I might look back at this picture in 20 years and be shocked at how cheap a slice was (I’m even a little […]

Seeing an old friend after some time is like nothing else. You catch up, see how they are doing, and talk about old times. I made my way to Okinawa a while back to check old the old island and made it my first priority to see Daisuke and his newly opened pizzeria, Bacar. I […]

Pizzeria Bruno was the one place I wanted to go during my visit to San Diego earlier this month. Mike Senese, television personality and hardcore pizzahead, had mentioned that it was, “easily the best pizza I’ve found in Southern California,” so of course I had to try it. I walked in and the first thing […]

When Jade’s comes into town, it usually means trouble. Trouble in the form of drinking too much, going out for extravagant meals, and not remembering where all your money went the next morning. She’s the ultimate enabler. So… Jade’s in town. Mix that with Yoko and Washi right up the street, and I’ve got a […]

To celebrate our birthdays, my great pal Matt and I met up in Chicago for a weekend of eating and drinking. Followed by more eating and drinking. And drinking. Then, eating. Ad infinitum. It’s just how we roll. Matt had just gone to Chicago in 2009, when he dined in the Holy House of Grant […]