Out Last Night

Tonkatsu Kiyoshi @ 7780 S Jones Blvd, Las Vegas

2014-05-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month, with two Japanese restaurants in the area that I haven't tried yet, I am thrilled and filled at the same time....

I can always have Tonkatsu for any meal; it's comfort food for me and if you go to Japan, they make it so light and crunchy, you almost can't believe that its fried. Almost...

But alas, we're not in Japan, and for the most part, Tonkatsu here is a heavier, oilier version of the original, and if you're lucky, the Pork doesn't taste like your belt.. or is as thin...

And then Tonkatsu Kiyoshi come into town, and all is good. Located in an area that no matter where you live, takes a butt long time to get to, since it's in a residential-ish area with rudimentary access (Vegas, could you hurry up and upgrade the road conditions already)? I was a little trepidatious at first, I really didn't want to go if it was just another L&L BBQ or Ross J's... (no offense)...

The venue is not big, under 40 seats total with a great counter for single dining; the interior is pretty bare bones, but understandable considering its location and casual service.

Its always a good sign to see Sesame and Tonkatsu sauce on the table with your own mini mortar and pestle. You grind the Sesame seeds and then pour the tart sauce over to create a goopy concoction to dip your flaky fried Tonkatsu, I prefer to add a little hot mustard to give it a kick!

As mini starters, we ordered the Crab and Cucumber Salad and the House made Potato Salad. I loved how the dishes came in ceramics authentic to a Japanese Tonkatsu House, and looked forward how the dishes would taste.

The House Potato Salad had Cucumber, Apple and Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie). Although it was good, It was a little watered down and not as creamy as I was expecting. But then again, with all the fried food that was about to be consumed, maybe creamy was overkill...

So the next dish we ordered was the Crab Cucumber Salad.... which to my disappointment, was not with real Crab but with Crab Sticks or 'Kamaboko' - basically imitation crab made from white fish meat. But, for $3.50, I should have realized that the fact that this wan't going to be a real Crab dish.

Oddly enough, there was a disproportionate amount of Crabstick in comparison to Cucumber. It was an odd dish for sure.

As for the Tonkatsu, I got the combination set with two pieces of
Tenderloin (Hire) and two Fried Shrimp. You have two types of cuts to choose from: Hire and Rosu (Thick cut Pork Loin). Usually I get the Hire; it's a softer cut that comes installer, thinner pieces. If I'm really hungry, I'll get the Rosu which is thicker and bigger but a little tougher to chew.

I was thoroughly amazed at how soft the Tonkutsu was, it was fried perfectly too, not greasy in the least, it was very light and easy to eat. It was a authentic as I could ever have imagined, like being back in Japan. The Miso Soup was the real thing as well, and the Rice was spot on (yes, you can fuck up Rice...)

The Fried Shimp was ok, again fried to perfection but I wasn't sure about the freshness of the Shrimp. I would get it again.

But all in all, its definitely worth going back to for the Hire Katsu. And with a couple of combinations you can get as well as Katsu Curry, It's a place I can back again and again!

Ratings (Out of Five Stars)
Food: 4
Ambience: Ummm
Service: 4.75

Red Farm @ 2170 Broadway, New York

2014-04-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

So short and yet to the point: there was talk about Red Farm, a reinvented Chinese restaurant that looked from the outside, anything but Chinese. Luckily, I was staying on the same block on the Upper West Side, so I was able to get in a grab a bite to eat.

Practically at the footstep of my hotel was Red Farm, a modern interpretation on Amer-Chinese cuisine. Most notable was this one appetizer which I recommend anyone in the vicinity go right now and order: Katz's Pastrami Eggroll. Seriously, a cosmic revelation of two decadent items from vastly different regions and styles rolled (literally) into one dish, I kid you not, this should be copied and distributed as the next best trend in Chibrew cuisine.

$2,000 Tasting Menu in Spain....

2014-04-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Sublimotion Eng from Sublimotion on Vimeo.

Restaurant with photobooth for food?!?!

2014-04-18T10:58:00.002-07:00

Cook @ 1310 Main Street, Saint Helena

2014-04-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

SO during the wedding weekend extravaganza, there was wine tasting, wine making and general whining on the part of yours truly that there was no scheduling for fine dining.... (for a non drinker such as myself, Napa can be a bit isolating...)

Fortunately, having been to the region on several occasions, I knew of a local place that served the most excellent Pasta dishes, which in the midst of a drunken stupor, is terribly satisfying, if not falsely sobering.

Cook is a gem of a restaurant; in the midst of all the hob snobbery and high end restaurants, this place has got all of the local vibe with a sense of humbleness that permeates throughout the restaurant and the food.

It seems like Octopus is on every friggin menu, but I'm not complaining... Grilled Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes, Grapefruit, Red Onions and a saffron Vanilla Bean Aoili. Octopus cooked to perfection; with the right balance of acid and sweetness. The Aoli was very subtle, wouldn't have known that it had Vanilla Bean unless someone specifically told me.

I ordered a Risotto for the table; which came with a glorious Fried Egg on top: Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Tallegio, Frisee and Fried Egg. Great flavor, but the Rice was just a little overcooked to the point of mushy consistency. Not Asian rice gruel consistency, but sorta.

I am a big time fan of Cook's Pasta: with hand made noodles and in house ingredients, it's the subtle version of 'locally sourced'; humble yet sophisticated. This was a hand made Fettucinne with house made Fennel Sausage, Red Peppers in a Chicken Broth with Shaved Parmesean. Sprinkle a little Red Pepper Flakes and it's super yummy.

The heaviest dish was the Cavatelli with Rabbit Porcini Sugo and Shaved Parmesan. A perfect bite of starch with wild game protein and savory tomato sauce, it was a relief to sooth the gastro-intestinal lining after all the vino we had consumed.

I highly recommend Cook for a light (or not so light) meal. It's easy to find- right on Main Street in St. Helena; you will easily spot it by the large White Carrera Marble Counter visible through the vitine and I highly recommend sitting there for a casual repast.

Cook
Ambience: 4.9
Food: 5.0
Service: 4.5

Restaurant Etiquette

2014-03-19T08:28:00.003-07:00

60 Second Tasting Menu - The Elm

2014-03-12T08:24:00.001-07:00

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Tasting Menu in 60 Seconds

2014-02-10T09:44:00.003-08:00

'How to Eat a Hamburger' a scientific approach (by Japanese scientists)

2014-02-05T10:18:00.001-08:00

Movie Trailer: 'The Lunchbox'

2014-01-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

Starbucks Mugs: Taipei

2014-01-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

'Sturgeon Queens' - Russ & Daughters

2014-01-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Starbucks Mug: Muan Jai Thailand

2014-01-22T13:09:00.001-08:00

At the Six Senses Spa and Resort, Koh Samui

Starbucks Mug: Year of the Horse 2014

2014-01-20T23:56:00.000-08:00

Starbucks Mug: Taipei Christmas

2014-01-19T14:09:00.002-08:00

.....this background has nuttin to do wit Xmas, but that's how Taipei looks in Decembrrrrr!

Starbucks Bearista Photo 12: Happy New Year's! Year of the Horse 2014

2014-01-18T14:08:00.001-08:00

Starbucks Bearista Photo 11: Christmas Holiday Bearista Asia '13

2014-01-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Fukuoka!

Starbucks Bearista Photo 10: Christmas Bearista America 13'

2014-01-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Movie Trailer: 'Foodies'

2013-11-20T05:27:00.004-08:00

Sage: Braised Veal Cheeks

2013-11-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Braised Veal Cheeks with Blue Corn Hominy Succotash, Pickled Sweet Corn and Black Garlic Glaze

Starbucks Bearista Photo 9: Happy Halloween!!

2013-10-31T07:41:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone!

Please stand by....

2013-10-30T09:18:00.004-07:00

We are working on new posts, thank you for your patience!!

'The Walking Fed': A Week of Decadence -Day 1 Dinner

2013-10-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

For the evening of my first day in Denver, the evening repast was relatively light; which would be the only one of the entire trip. This was just fine with me, as long as there's dessert, I'm a happy camper.

The dish prepared this evening was Clams Thai style. For me, throw 'Thai' in front of anything and I'm good to go.. Apparently, I thought taking pictures of Clams boiling in a pot of water was 'artistic'....clearly there was wine involved.

The broth was made with Crab Oil, Lemongrass, Thai Basil and whole lotta other lumpy things that I couldn't for the life of me, be able to identify to you other than the taste was fabulous! There was Palm Sugar for sure for sweetness, Fish Sauce for tanginess and Chili Peppers for nuclearness.

The prefinished product: Clams with Thai Basil Leaves, Lemongrass and Ginger.

The Finished Product: With Thai Style Sauce

Well, as amazing and satisfying as the dish was, it would prove hard to fulfill the gullet of this growing boy; and luckily, I had peeked in refrigerator earlier and found a baking tin tucked away up on the high shelf, (note to everyone: I do not give a flying fig what's in you medicine cabinet, however, I will raid your fridge mercilessly...you have been warned) and guessing that it was a dessert of the chocolate variety, I demanded privy to the spoils of my snoopiness and un-guest like behavior.

Flourless Chocolate Cake: perfectly baked with a dense richness that screams decadence, the childhood favorite, 'Brownie' that has grown up and become a voluptuous adult(xxx).

Being the lightweight that I am, I detected some liquor inside the cake, perhaps a minuscule amount, but for me, enough to put me over the edge into another dimension, (we had been drinking wine earlier).

I asked my hosts if they detected any alcohol; lushes that they are, were oblivious to what I surmise was a welcome addition to surplus their inebriated buzz and proceeded to lie and tell me I was cray. (It was only until days after when we had the Cake again, this time without a cask of wine, that everyone choked on the fumes of Bourbon emanating from eat bite- vindication was mine!!!).

In any case, it was an incredibly rich and extremely satisfying, the excess sugar managed to curtail my appetite and the alcohol managed to make my first night in Denver a restful and peaceful slumber (barring that dream I had of angry raspberries chasing me down the street with pitchforks made of mint carrying bottles of Bourbon).

'The Walking Fed': A Week of Decadence -Day 1 Lunch

2013-10-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

I spent a week in Denver with my college friend Pi, who is a renown Chef in the Denver/Boulder area. His restaurant was called The Elephant Hut; currently, he is in the midst of building a new restaurant in the heart of Denver. In the meantime, he had invited me to come over and had planned a truly glorious (gluttonous) feast of which I am still recovering from to this day. I'm posting the highlights of this culinary journey (*burp*) with the hope of conveying to you my most memorable foodie trip of the year.

As I arrived just in time for a light Lunch, Pi had prepared a Green and Red Papaya Salad...with only one Chili, (just for me cuz seriously, in Thai Cuisine the prevailing preference is 'nuclear'...please pronounce it a la former President Bush - 'newkular'). Normally I shy away from this dish; it just does't come in 'mild'. But with Pi at the helm, this Chef is spoiling me to the point of no return.

With the crunch of thinly shaved Papaya, the citrus acid notes, the sweetness of Palm Sugar and the sharp bite of Bird Pepper Chili, this salad incorporates every taste sensation in each bite. Full of refreshing yet almost hearty flavors, it was at that moment that I decided that I would build my tolerance for the spicier foods in order to open the door to wider range of dishes. Which also means I'll bringing a towel with me wherever I eat...whatever, who said you had to look pretty while you eat (*belch*). Yeah...definitely not me.

Bu I've gotten ahead of myself as the Papaya Salad was only one of three highlights; a beautifully seared Black Pepper Ahi Tuna Steak, sliced and arranged in a rosebud was served as the protein for the trio dish and the finish, a Micro Green Salad.

I would have eaten several of these dishes in a second, the Tuna was the perfect ratio of sear to raw, (as good quality Tuna should always be served Sashimi style) and the sauce paired perfectly with its protein; a light Soy Citrus blend that adds a robustness to the dish rather than trying to mask its 'piscine' essence.

It was a melodic foray into what would be five days of non-stop foodie madness. Oddly, I have never consumed so much Seafood in such a short time period, (in Denver no less) but leave it to Pi to have the best in town. There's a lot of Meat too so look out for the series, 'The Walking Fed'!

F&B Documentary: 'Spinning Plates'

2013-09-20T08:54:00.000-07:00