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October 2, 2009

Kreaming My Pants at Krispy Kreme (TYO)

by Anders Arhoj

It’s so hard not being tempted by the Japanese advertising machine. When this monster from a distant shore shifts up its gears, there is no mercy for your soul – or belly. Paired up with a genuine American product like the donut, a huge chunk of Japanese consumers seem to have caved in and lined […]

September 28, 2009

The Golden State BEER FLOAT (LA)

by Kayoko Akabori

Just got back from LaLaLand for the last in a never ending series of weddings this year (uhhh, SEVEN). Jon Sublet got hitched!!! It was quite the wedding for the ages- the dessert table consisted of Persian sweets, fresh figs and these beautiful petite WHOLE CUCUMBERS. Of course I shamelessly had like five of them, […]

September 27, 2009

Babble about Babbo (NYC)

by Kayoko Akabori

Babbo lives on Waverly Place, nestled unassuminly in the West Village, tasteful in terms of blending in with the rest of the street. It’s funny how I work in the area, yet had no idea the famed place was within such close proximity. A colleague of mine visited New York City with a “bucket list” […]

September 21, 2009

Duarte’s Tavern (Bay Area)

by Kayoko Akabori

Since moving back to California, I’m trying to branch out more and find new places to eat all over the Bay Area. A few weekends ago my parents and I took a nice drive out to Pescadero, a quaint little town out on the coast, just south of San Francisco. We had an awesome Umamiventure […]

September 18, 2009

Golden Egg Eggplants

by Kayoko Akabori

Got these adorable little eggplants the other day at the farmer’s market. They are about as long as the iPhone (per Yamahomo’s consistent size proportionalizer), and look like cute chubby nubs. The color is, as its namesake describes, golden with dark brown streaks running up its skin. I have found little about them on the […]

September 16, 2009

The Umami Reader, vol. 070

by Kayoko Akabori

Take note:– Michelle Obama, KICKS ASS, as usual.– Sam Kass, the White House chef, is HOT. (It’s true, I have a penchant for bald men).– The fact that it’s named “Victory Garden” after WWII is kinda creepy.– Check out the comments- racist slander, mudslinging and conspiracy theories abound.– I know some of you may have […]

September 15, 2009

YH Restaurant Report: Moo (Barcelona)

by Moto Yamamoto

Barcelona was interesting. The Gaudi architecture was totally worthwhile, and we walked around everywhere. La Boqueria smelled like ham, and was a complete tourist trap. Saffron at the market was uber-pricey. Although I would have loved to get a leg of Jamon iberico, those were not cheap either (I bought a 100 gram pack at […]

September 14, 2009

The Good: Ode to JG’s Molten Chocolate Cake, Pt. 1

by Veronica Brooks

Part I: THE GOOD @Nougatine, NYC There are only a couple of desserts in the world that I could devote a series of posts to- molten chocolate cake (aka Lava, Warm, Flourless) is one of the chosen few. When it comes to dinner, I could easily spend a half an hour deliberating my entree choices; […]

September 11, 2009

MYOGA! (With Cold Udon)

by Kayoko Akabori

While rummaging through my fridge the other day (fine, fine, my parent’s fridge) I was delighted to find a hefty package of myoga. SCORE! It’s so difficult to describe, this myoga. Vegetable? Herb? Spice?? They grow in the ground, so maybe it’s just simply a bulb?? Colors: A gorgeous spectrum that moves from bone-white to […]

September 8, 2009

Hokkaido JUNKtion: Breakfast in the Company of No One

by Yoko Kumano

Hakodate is a pretty lonely town. When you walk through the morning market or ichiba (Hakodate’s version of Tsukiji), shopsellers show their desperation as they shove sample pieces of melon and corn in your face. It’s hard to say “no” to their persistence, but just saying no was the only option, if we wanted to […]