ODing as a kid

I seriously believe I OD’d (Over Did, as opposed to Over Dose) on two things as a kid. One being white rice, the other fish.
White rice was served with 99% of dinners my mom cooked. White rice was the Japanese version of a side of carbs, taking the place of bread, potatoes or [...]

getting a head

My first foray into good sushi, no wait, I mean, REALLY good sushi, uh, nix that – SUBLIME sushi, was an out-of-the-way sushi bar called The Hump, on the third (and top) floor of the restaurant Typhoon in the Santa Monica Airport. Great view of the planes taking off and landing, and if you [...]

tease: \ˈtēz\

to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it.

“Guess where I am,” Jim texted me today.

tassles not included

Sunday nights have traditionally been burger night with my friend Bruce and I. We generally save up our red meat eating tendencies for this one night a week at our favorite burger joint – Bill’s Place in the Richmond. Bill’s is a wonderful family-run soda fountain/diner that’s been flipping burgers since 1959, a [...]

a spoonful of happiness

Sitting at my favorite the sushi bar on a packed Friday night, watching the sushi chef select, slice, dice, and season my fish, makes me happy. Giddy, in fact. It is entertainment – I am a willing participant in a dinner theatre of sorts. It is interactive – I am engaging all [...]

a bite of heaven

Whenever I’ve journeyed to New York, I generally make sure to do two things:
1. Go to The Met
2. Have a pastrami sandwich at Katz’s Delicatessen.
Since my favorite exhibits at the museum are closed for renovation UNTIL 2009 (yes, I just screamed), that leaves me with Katz’s as a must-do. Happily, of course. [...]

Found: one silk purse

It was only a few weeks ago that I re-read Michael Ruhlman’s The Soul of a Chef, where Thomas Keller extolled the gastro-virtues of all parts pig. While I’m a huge fan of bacon, I never quite happily immersed myself in other parts swine outside of the crispy breakfast strips. I grew up [...]