Last week, Urban Sake‘s Timothy Sullivan was kind enough to invite me to his ongoing sake tasting course, “The Elements of Sake” at the Astor Wine and Liquor Shop’s very new and swanky Astor Center (just around the corner from the shop). It was the second class ever to take place in the gleaming space– […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
January 24, 2008
The Umami Reader, vol.010
Noteworthy readings and eatings: Kimchi Family video- complete with beatboxing! (Youtube, via Ayagwa) NYC Quickie Lunchtime Dating Service (It’s Just Lunch, Matt) “Protect your family! Mercury in Sushi!!!” Why are people so lame??? (NYT, Fumiko) The BaconFall (I Believe in Advertising, Matt) Hamster curry: lost in translation? (Divine Caroline, Judson) The bacon cookie (Never Bashful […]
January 23, 2008
Dessert at Craft
By now, you must know that I’m a Restaurant Week (RW) fanatic- I try to go to at least one fancy place that I haven’t been to during RW (the nicer places only offer the lunch deal, which at $25, is a much better deal than dinner’s $35). This again defies my rule of blogging […]
January 18, 2008
Pies ‘n Thighs Manifesto: A Response
To respond to a few heated DOH supporting comments in the PnT post, I just want to address a few things. I don’t think that it’s wrong to want a clean environment for your food. However, I think that there is a grave misconception by the DOH and the DOH supporters in general, which is […]
January 17, 2008
Greek Gods Yogurt
Ok, this may be the best yogurt I’ve ever had in the US- I like to think of myself as a bit of a yogurt connoisseur, and I’ve been through many favorites in the past few years (Stoneyfield Farms, Brown Cow, Fage). The Greek Gods line is from Washington, and is thick and creamy yet […]
January 15, 2008
Pies ‘n Thighs Manifesto
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 […]
Lemongrass Tea
Fumi’s parents just got back from Cambodia and sent her lemongrass tea leaves as a gift (despite the Japanese type, it is “Made in Cambodia”). The tea is citrusy and refreshing, but also very calming. I read that it is good for digestion, and muscle pain (arthritis), balances oily skin, and is used as an […]
January 12, 2008
A Night Out at Babbo
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 […]
January 8, 2008
Sakaya: First Sake Shop in NYC
Irwin tipped us onto a new sake shop in the East Village called Sakaya— the very first sake shop in NYC! Husband-and-wife team Rick and Hiroko opened it in early December, and it is quite a jem of a spot. Sakaya is located in a small intimate space on East 9th Street- track lighting, wood […]
December 24, 2007
Top 5 Food Moments of 2007
Manolha Dargis says (in her own top 10 list of films of the year), “Top 10 lists are artificial exercizes, assertions of critical ego, capricious and necssarily imperfect.” Well, how about a Top 5? Can that be any more meaningful? Sure, why not– I think that Top lists are a fun way to exercize your […]