March 17, 2010
Two long tables that seat about 40 guests Harry Potter-style, line the walls of Camino in Oakland. These dramatic slabs of wood sum up the restaurant itself – friendly and warm. Adding to the drama are two stone grills at the back of the restaurant in full view of the guests and four huge chandaliers […]
March 12, 2010
One of my obsessions since moving to Berkeley is to find good Vietnamese food in the East Bay. I made my rounds in Downtown Berkeley with no luck whatsoever. Establishments including Pho Hoa, Saigon Express and Le Regal shamelessly use powdered broth as their soup base (at least it tastes like it) leaving my mouth […]
February 18, 2010
Natto is the one of those foods that elicits strong reactions. I get overwhelmed with a sense of joy and excitement, but the response I hear from most people (who aren’t from or aren’t descendants of the eastern regions of Japan) is pure disgust. I remember how clueless I was junior year in college when […]
February 15, 2010
I finally ate my first torta two weeks ago – on Superbowl Sunday. My friend Kishi, who lives in San Francisco, took me to Tortas Los Picudos on 24th Street between Alabama and Harrison. I guess it took me this long to actually try a torta because of my intense love for burritos. If both […]
February 12, 2010
I love chicken livers, but battered in panko and fried???? HOLY HOTCAKES! I could not stop– I think I ate this entire plate all by my lonesome. No sharing, sorry! The nuttiness of the livers were totally enhanced by the hot crunch of the outer layer– that unmistakable flavor of fried food. Look at how […]
PREQUEL Umamiventure #22: St. George Spirits & Hangar One Vodka (SF Bay Area) What’s the best accompaniment to whiskey? BBQ all the way! As I’ve already told you, the very first time I tasted St. George whiskey was at Fette Sau, a barbecue joint in Brooklyn. So it was only appropriate that we complet the […]
February 9, 2010
Photos by Mike Brandeberry and Kayoko Akabori. ‘Tis true: there lives a kickass distillery named St. George Spirits, just east of San Francisco, right across the Bay Bridge, in a little town that bleeds into Oakland, called Alameda, in California. A group of us went a few weeks ago and experienced it in all its […]
February 5, 2010
Dear SFers, Yoko (Tokyo JUNKtion), CJ (Tap This) and I (UM Event Planner) will be at Magnolia Pub on Monday at 7pm to celebrate the relaunch over beers. But not just any beers. We’re talking STRONG BEERS. That’s right, it’s that time of year again in San Francisco: STRONG BEER MONTH. We went last year […]
February 3, 2010
After a 4-year, 4-month hiatus, I am back in Berkeley. Robotland (a.k.a. Tokyo) was good to me, but finding myself shuffled in line at the Berkeley Bowl between one of these, and Zack de la Rocha‘s doppelganger on a weekly basis has got me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Not only is it great […]
Let’s talk today on the subject of one of my favorite foods in the world: pho. But this is not just any kind of pho. I’m talkin’ FRIED PHO. No joke, I crave this every single day and have been dying to share this discovery with you. It’s my ideal debut post for this sparkling […]