mmm-yoso!!!

Los Angeles - Kinjiro and Karayama

While we were enjoying Little Tokyo, we knew exactly where we were headed for dinner. I'd been reading about Kinjiro for several years now. And knowing of the Missus's love of Izakaya's, I thought the somewhat modern elevated izakaya type dishes would please Her.

So, I made reservations about a month in advance. My emails were quickly replied to and the process was a breeze. Good thing too....this shop next to the always busy Sushi Gen in Honda Plaza is reservation only.

We were the first customers of the night and were quickly seated by the very efficient, friendly, and knowledgeable young man working the front of house.

It was pretty easy determining what we wanted to eat, starting with the Squid Ink Shiokara ($7)….to think of the days when the Missus wouldn't touch this stuff; but now with Her love of fermented foods (ah those "chinmi" foods) and our visits to Japan and especially Hokkaido, Her tune has really changed.

The wonderful salty-cheesy-funky-oceany-savory and oddly sweet flavors goes so well with sake. We tried several over the course of the evening; our favorite being the Kokuryu “Black Dragon” Junmai Ginjo, smooth, not overly sweet, and so balanced. The squid fermented in guts had the perfect amount of toothsomeness. This was quite good.

Next up was the Uni, Scallop, and Blue Crab in Ponzu Jelly ($25). This was a nice refreshing turn after the shiokara.

On this evening it was Santa Barbara Uni, decent quality, meaty, slightly sweet, mildly astringent. We both loved the tender scallop....talk about sweet and tender. There was quite a bit of tasty, moist crab meat at the bottom of the cup. Perhaps not the best quality, but still quite good. The ponzu jelly helped to create a nice balance in flavors and tie the dish together.

Next up was the Homemade Agedashi Tofu with Mushroom Ankake Sauce $16).

My least favorite dish of the evening. The typical gooey-starchy ankake sauce lacked the woodsy-earthy flavor I enjoy from mushrooms. Even with the dashi backbone it was still quite bland. The tofu was a bit more firm than I enjoy in this type of dish as well.

The Missus's least favorite dish of the night; the Bone Marrow Dengaku ($12).

Deeply beefy in flavor it was just too much for the Missus; but I loved it. The miso wasn't over-powering and paired well with the buttery-rich bone marrow.

The Missus absolutely adored the Seared Uni ($30).

Initially we thought this was going to be a mushy mess; but the uni had kept it's shape well and was very sweet. It went well with the texture of the wakame; which added some crunch and made the actual nori strips somewhat superfluous. I let the Missus have most of this as She loved it so much.

We both thoroughly enjoyed the Tendon, Tongue, Sinew, and Tripe Stew ($18).

This was wonderfully beefy and savory; with just the right amount of savory (read - miso/soy sauce), tanginess (tomato), sweetness (probably mirin/sake)….we were begging for rice! The tendon and tripe were so tender; the tongue had a wonderful beefiness......that dried pesto toast was a travesty to a dish that truly deserved rice! This was wonderful; the flavors taking me back to Nagoya for some reason.

We decided to end the meal here. It was quite nice and I'm sure we'll return. Service was excellent. Again, reservation only, as several parties were turned away.

Kinjiro
424 E 2nd St. (In Honda Plaza)
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Since we had eaten dinner early, we decided to stroll around Little Tokyo a bit more. It was nice to see that an old favorite of the Missus was still going strong.

Though I wondered how much She'd still enjoy it here all these years later?

There's always something interesting to see around here.

At the stage in Japanese Village Plaza brave souls were trying their hand at karaoke.

We hung around a bit to cheer them on!

Wandering around a bit more; I noticed a shop, Karayama a fried chicken chain from Japan had opened in the area. I suddenly had a bit more capacity. At least enough for five pieces of Karaage. So while I waited for my five pieces to go.....

The Missus waited outside checking messages and such.

Sorry to say there's not a whole lot of photos on this one.....

We destroyed the hot, crisp, moist, tasty-but-not-salty pieces of chicken before the end of the block....we'll definitely have to return here!

Karayama
136 S Central Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Open Daily - 11am - 930pm

We got back to the hotel and got ready or bed. Our shuttle to the airport would be picking us up at 5am the next morning, so we needed to get to sleep early.

Still; I couldn't help but take a peek out the window to see if there was still a line outside Daikokuya…...

Modena - Osteria Francescana

You could say that even though I as surrounded by great works of art at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam I was distracted. You see, while we had planned on visiting Florence, I had really wanted to check out Emilia-Romagna. And so we made plans; but one of the key elements to this was trying to get reservations to the restaurant proclaimed to be "the Best Restaurant in the World", Osteria Francescana, which in fact has now won that title more than once. So there I was, on my smartphone, surrounded by the works of Van Gogh, on the first day on the month at 10am trying to get reservations. I managed to get us dinner reservations; not on the exact day I desired, but a day later. It kind of messed up my planning a bit, which turned out to be a blessing since I tweaked my plans to include Ferrara for a night which we really enjoyed.

And so, after having already had an enjoyable time in Modena, we headed off to dinner at Osteria Francescana.

Things start off when you walk up to the colorful, but discreet doorway to the restaurant....and ring the doorbell?

And are greeted by....a Security Guard? Actually a fake security guard, a life-sized, and quite real looking statue.

Let me just say; the service was flawless, just the right balance of professional, yet amiable, there's nothing stuffy about the place. Dishes were brought out perfectly timed, yet you felt relaxed. The wine pairing we had with our tasting menu was excellent according to the Missus; yet only one of them was from Italy.

There's also something I like about the austere, yet tasteful dining room; well spaced, lighting sets a good mood. Yes, you can tell, Osteria Francescana has three Michelin Stars.

The bread was interesting as it had a really nice texture, but was quite plain in flavor.

Ah, this was really traditional bread, no salt added, which went nicely with the olive oil.

Soon after; the dishes started arriving.

Starting with the Aula in carpione, "re-imagined fish and chips" (above). A crisp enrobes a small fish topped with a fish flavored ice cream. Nice umami tones; for some reason this really reminded me of the flavor of various Japanese snacks.....so perhaps that's why we weren't really blown away by the flavors.

Next up were the Cuttlefish and Caper puff topped with a very tasty tomato powder.

The macarons were really mild in flavor and seemed to be a case of perhaps getting a bit too out there. The parmesan crisp added a much needed milky-saltiness to things.

Talking about reminding me of Japanese drinking snacks; the "Sardine that is not a Sardine", eel cream inside a fish skin bread, really tasted like Japanese fried fish skin snacks.

Which kind of made us crack up.

The "Tribute to Normandy" was an interesting play on a place and a theme. There's an interesting, yet clean and refreshing flavor to this "oyster" which is topped with a nice apple granita. The texture is interesting as well. According to the story, Massimo Bottura first had an oyster when he was a teenager in Normandy. Along with the oysters, he had lamb and cider. So this is a dish that celebrates that time; the granita is apple (cider), the foam, which was a bit too salty, is oyster water, and the oyster...is not an oyster, but lamb tartare.

Next up was an interesting dish....I mean literally, the plate looked charred as did the "paper" that topped the sole prepared three ways.

The edible "paper" was made out of dehydrated sea water, then scortched...it made for a dramatic affect and the fish was perfectly cooked, but the dish proved to be much too salty for us.

One of Massimo's signature dishes; "An Eel Swimming up the River Po".

I can sum up the flavor of the Eel in one word; "anago"....it tasted totally like anago. I did enjoy the polenta cream flavored with onion, but the apple jam really clashed with the sweetness of the eel.

"Green over Brown, over Black: camouflage rice". Basically three risottos in one, a porcini (brown), vegetable (green), and oyster (black).

We fond the risotto to be too hard for us and though on occasion you'd get a nice bite of all three working in harmony, it was just a bit too much going on.

"From Cervia to Modena - Leeks, Shallots, and Black Truffle".

Wonderful combination of pungent-sweet and earthy flavors. Great "nose" on this dish as well.

The "Crunchy Part of the Lasagne".

Think of it as a fried noodle cracker on top of Ragu Bolognese, which nice a velvety.

"Suckling Pig, Tender and Crunchy".

Like the sauce stenciled piggies? The pork was fabulous; skin perfect, meat tender, nicely seasoned. The sauces ruined the wonderful pure taste of the swine. Bad thing was; you get three pieces, so don't make too many mistakes with sauces!

About this time, the Chef came out to chat and take a zillion selfies with customers. He is quite energetic, friendly, and really knows how to work the house.

Much like our experience at Azurmendi, we were kind of at a loss when the chef came to our table...….so we chatted about, well, what else...food! I mentioned how amazed we were at the Emilia-Romagna's bounty, it was more then we expected. When Massimo asked me what I was most impressed with....I'm sure he expected something like Balsamico, Prosciutto, or Parmesano-Reggiano. So when I said that culatello had been a revelation to me; he smiled widely, patted me on the shoulder, and said something to one of the Servers. He walked into the kitchen and brought this out to the table himself.

"It is our own Culatello...aged 46 months" he said. He smiled tapped me on the shoulder and said, "enjoy"...… Man, it looked really lean, but it had such a deep, cheesy-porky flavor, and just melted in my mouth that I almost uttered a profanity. So, I now have a story...… the cranky old man can now say, "did you hear the one about when Massimo Bottura served me salumi?"

I have an even better one. "Did I tell you about the time we spent a grand for dinner and the best bite I had was a salad?" Yes indeedy. This is called the "Caesar Salad in Bloom". It is amazing layer of various crunchy textures, flavored powders, various herbs and edible flowers, mounted on a leaf of lettuce.

It is to be eaten in two wonderful bites....I have a thing about textures; this was a symphony of varying degrees of crunchiness, along with bitter-sweet-sour-pungent.... We were amazed at the complex mélange of tastes on a singe leaf of lettuce. By far our favorite item of the evening. (of course for me it was the culatello….but that wasn't on the menu).

Did I mention that Osteria Francescana serves "popcorn" for dessert?

And of course more dessert for the Missus.

So, was it worth almost a thousand bucks for dinner? I often say that at this level it can sometimes be more about the experience. The presentation are like works of art; there is playfulness, transformation, and creativity. Whether that makes for an amazing meal is truly a personal opinion. The service was among the best we've had. The personal touch was amazing. So, while I don't think we'd do this again; I'm glad we did.

Do you really need the address of Osteria Francescana? Ok, here it is..... And no; I haven't seen "A Chef's Table"....

Osteria Francescana
Via Stella 22
41121, Modena, Italy

And yes; Modena is stunning at night......

Paris - Tomy & Co

We had done a good bit of walking during our first day back in Paris and I was ready for a nice meal. Luckily, I had made reservations for dinner for this evening and it was less than two blocks away from the apartment where we were staying.

But first, the Missus wanted to take a walk! Yikes.....so we headed across the Seine for a pre-dinner stroll. It was a lovely evening and the "City of Lights" was indeed that.

By the time we got to Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, I knew it was time to scurry on over to the restaurant.

After all, the place I'd made reservations at emailed me two confirmations and two reminders about dinner. They really wanted to make sure we'd keep are reservations. And with good reason; since Tomy & Co opened in the fall of 2016, it's been receiving lots of great reviews, some from food blogs I link to. Paris by Mouth ranks Tomy & Co as #1 on their list of list of favorite Modern & Creative Restaurants in Paris. The namesake of the restaurant, French-Cambodian Tomy Gousset has made quite a name for himself in Paris and now has two very popular restaurants in Paris.

I had put in the mileage on this day...…..

And was ready to eat. We arrived on time at this little eatery on Rue Surcouf, which incidentally was right up the street from a place we ate at back in the fall of 2016; Restaurant David Toutain. The place was relaxed, but very professional, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We started with a white from Monthélie in Burgundy which the Missus enjoyed.

We decided to forgo the tasting menu and ordering dessert and instead went with 3 starters and 2 mains; which worked out perfectly.

We loved the amuse bouche; a chickpea concoction that was like the best falafel you ever had in terms of flavor, crisp, yet moist, with just enough salt.

Things started off with the Beef Tongue Tartelette with fresh Burgundy Truffle.

To be perfectly honest; the wonderfully refreshing sauce gribiche and the thin slices of turnips that made this dish for us. It was beefy so the pungent and pleasantly sour-acidic tones really balanced things out. The truffle was a bit disappointing as it wasn't very fragrant, nor did it have that wonderful earthy-savory tones we love in truffle.

The Gnocchi, Guanciale, Truffle, and Parmesan Cheese was a nice balanced dish.

The gnocchi was solidly prepared, fairly light, and not overly chewy. The truffle was again very mild, living in the shadows of the Parmesan and guanciale. The zucchini really impressed us as we could still make out the flavor with all the salty-rich flavors. Great acidity and textures.

Of course we had to have the Egg, Chestnut, Bresaola, Cauliflower Puree, and Fried Onions.

The wonderfully rich egg yolk was the prize in the center of this dish. The fried onions added sweetness as did the cauliflower puree, in a mild way. Loved the greens and the salty and almost cheesy bresaola. This was a lovely dish.

The first main was the Wild Duck "Apicius", Confit Beet Root, with Honey and Date Chutney.

Since Apicius sauce/glaze was going to be used, I expected this to be on the sweet side. But the duck had been studded with fragrant, anise like coriander seed, it was crunchy and added quite a bit of oomph to the dish, giving it almost a Middle Eastern flavor. It also really toned down the gaminess of the wild duck. I'm not sure that was a good thing as I enjoy that flavor. The duck was toothsome as expected. What was not expected was how wonderful the confit beets were....they still held a light crunch; but were wonderfully sweet.

The Stuffed Hare Confit and Foie Gras in Brioche with Fresh Burgundy Truffle was a bit too much.

First off, that sauce was too thick for my liking, as before the truffle just wasn't fragrant enough. The brioche hadn't held up well and had a cardboard like texture. We really couldn't make out foie gras other than it being a bit oily. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

As I mentioned earlier; service was very professional and yet still relaxed. The folks here smiled often and made us feel very comfortable. I can understand the allure of this place; the ingredients and flavors run the gamut, it's modern, yet uses an array of techniques with products that are interesting. The dishes are well presented. We'd gladly eat here again.

Tomy & Co
22 rue Surcouf
75007 Paris, France

We headed back to the apartment, bellies full, and quite happy......

In the "City of Lights"...…..

Paris - Restaurant Alliance

We got back into Paris at around 330pm. The Paris metro system is fairly easy to navigate and we got to what I consider to be one of my favorite hotels; the Hotel Monge in the Latin Quarter by 4pm. Check-in, as always with the folks here is a breeze. Hotel rooms are fairly small in Paris and I've learned to get the Deluxe Double Room. Which at first worried me because it over-looked the street, but the windows do a good job of muffling out the noise.

We aim for one blow-out meal when visiting Paris; the first time around it was David Toutain, the last time at Sola. Because the Missus loved Sola, I tried to make reservations for a revisit; but they were closed during this time. There was something about French cuisine with Japanese touches and sensibilities that really got to us. And I think many other folks as well as there seems to be a revolution going on where Japanese Chefs are running Michelin Star level restaurants in France. After doing a bit of research; I settled on Restaurant Alliance which is located a short walk from where we were staying.

We took in the holiday season sights at Notre-Dame de Paris, before crossing back to the very discreet location of Restaurant Alliance on Rue de Poissy.

There are only 9 tables in this discreet restaurant; only one of which was filled when we arrived.

The simple décor belies the nice spacing; comfortable seating, the sound dimming qualities of the place. As for the staff; they were amazing, not obtrusive, very genial, professional, and most of all they really knew their stuff. They Missus and I got the tasting menu, with one tasting, and the Sommolier, Shawn Joyuex, one of the partners, really made the Missus happy with our pairings.

We loved the pacing on the dishes; each looking pristine, not overly done, and to the point.

Starting with the Anchovy and Tomato. This amuse was wonderful; the savory-salty anchovy perfectly balanced with the sweet-tangy-acidic tomato paste.

The Brioche with Fennel Cream doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy; but the light, mildly sweet, buttery brioche found a wonderful dancing partner, one with a rich little anise kick to keep things moving along.

One of my favorite items of the meal was the Beignet Seafood. This was basically a Karaage, a pristine, perfectly fried, perfectly seasoned, karaage, the lieks of which I'd never had before.

A lovely crunch, nice seasoning, savory-sweet, with a very mild smokey spice, and I believe there was a light touch of shio koji or something similar going on. This was just amazing.

Caviar with Champagne was fine. A bit austere, but perhaps with something like this, simpler is easier.

Uni with Kampari Foam and Sea Asparagus was another amazing dish with flavors I would have never though would have gone together well.

I'm not the biggest fan of foams; but this light, tangy-acidic-fruity foam did so well with the rich, oceany uni. Really creative combination.

The Beets with Dulse was a good dish to bring us back to earth after the uni.

The almost salty "bacon of the sea" flavor of dulse was nice in really balancing out the earthy sweetness of the beets.

When we were seated; one of the Servers came around with a glass container....as soon as he opened it the entire room was filled with the fragrance of white truffle. So, being on vacation, how could we not order it? The container would make it to every table and we'd be assaulted with the intoxicating aroma of truffle. There was a table of four across the room, one of the young men seemed to be a regular. Everyone knew him and chatted with him. When the glass container started making its way to his table; he raised both hands in surrender and said "c'est bonne...c'est bonne"!

Not the biggest fan of the pasta per se; but you could have given me shoe leather and I'd have gladly consumed it with the truffle and that perfect funghi based sauce.

The Scallops, kaffir lime, and coconut milk was a symphony of familiar flavors that worked well together.

The scallops were as to be expected in a place like Alliance. Perfectly seared, perfectly rare, perfectly sweet and mildly briny.

The wonderful buttery texture and mild sweetness of the lobster was the star of the Lobster, kumquat, and spinach, in red wine sauce.

The dish could have used a bit more tannic-bitter flavors as it approached being perhaps a bit too sweet.

The desserts? Well, that's the Missus's department. I will say that I really enjoyed the Vanilla Mousses that was served with black olives, where the saltiness of the olives just balanced out the sweetness off the vanilla. The Missus loved the chocolates with jellies in the center.

This was a wonderful meal; perhaps the best we've had in Paris thus far. The Missus is still talking about this meal; not just in terms of single dishes; but mentioning the pace, the staff, and of course, the wine!

It's going to be hard to top this one!

Alliance
5 rue de Poissy
75005 Paris, France

San Francisco - Mourad

Much like our trip to Portland in 2015, part of reason was just to rest in air conditioned goodness....which is what we did after lunch at China Live. We awoke refreshed and decided on a short stroll before dinner. We decided to just take a stroll down Market to the Ferry Building.

It was a nice stroll, past the hustle and bustle, the street merchants were just closing up for the day.

We walked through the Ferry Building, giving the Missus a chance to check out various places as possibilities for tomorrow's lunch.

We  walked through and past various shops.....most were closed or closing for the day. And then headed out back to the Ferry Terminals and just basically sat and watched.

I guess this must seem just routine to folks who live in the Bay Area; but for us, it was just relaxing and fun.

A short time later we decided to head to our dinner destination. Our good friend Candice had recommended Mourad, a Michelin Star restaurant that serves Moroccan inspired cuisine with local ingredients and modern techniques. The location was a few blocks from our hotel on New Montgomery Street. We were a bit early for our reservation, so we had a seat at the bar. Our mixologist was quite the showman and very knowledgeable. I had, what might be the best and one of the most expensive ($24) cocktails I've had in recent memory. A magical concoction called "Legend of the Brave".

A blend of Scotch, ciociaro, jalapeno-pineapple shrub syrup, "Scotch mist", and blood orange, this had that nice combination of smokey-savory-bitter and not-too-sweet flavors I enjoy in a cocktail. The Missus had some Scotch and is now somewhat enamored with it.

Soon enough, we were notified that our table was ready. It was in the upstairs portion of the restaurant.

Mourad does have a tasting menu and what they call "la'acha" family sized meals....which based on what we saw on two other tables would be just too much for the Missus and I. We ordered a couple of dinner items and two sides, which turned out to be more than enough for us.

The first three dishes were brought out together.

Things started off with the Lamb Tartare ($18), which was topped with sliced green apple.

The tangy green apple added a nice crunch but really didn't add much to the overly salty tartare. Ditto the wheatberry. The sodium level just wiped out any flavor the tender lamb would have.

Next up; what they simply call "Eggplant" ($18) on the menu.

This dish featured a wonderful range of textures and flavors. From the tender earthy eggplant and oregano, the brightness of za'atar, the crunchy, very clean-brininess of the cucumber. On occasion you'd have the distinct, nutty, resinous of pine nuts mixed in. The bread was hot and wonderful. The puree was slightly smokey, mildly sweet, but also on the salty side. It was best used as a spread for the bread.

When the Foie Gras ($26) arrived....well, we weren't too sure about it. Wrapped with shredded and from what we could taste, pickled green papaya and topped with freeze dried strawberries (??), this was very good!

The crunch, mild sourness of the green papaya and the light sweetness of that trendy freeze dried strawberries to complement the richness of the creamy foie gras was nothing short of amazing. We could detect the slight fragrance of rose water as well. Add to that crisp, buttery, and slightly sweet brioche toast and this was easily my favorite dish of the evening.

In a display of almost flawless timing, our last dish and two sides were brought out seconds after we had finished our first three dishes and our table cleared. We both thought the service at Mourad was very professional and pleasant.

The Duck Basteeya ($25) was presented to us as Chef Lahlou's signature dish.

You really couldn't fault the presentation. The filo dough around the eggroll-chimichanga-ish basteeya was light and crisp; it had been put together perfectly. Unfortunately, while the duck confit was lovingly, we found this to be much too sweet for our taste.

I enjoyed the Heirloom Bean Shakshuka ($10); topped with a "ying-yang" of  bread crumbs and what tasted like a feta cream.

The beans had a wonderful texture; just enough of a bite and I enjoyed the blend of flavors in this one.

The Missus really loved the Kale ($10).

This was a wonderful braised kale dish; the Harissa, something I use quite often in my cooking adding some zip. It was a wonderful, hearty dish.

Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Mourad; there were some nice surprises and the meal ended with two comforting dishes. The service was excellent. And that cocktail! I think we'll be back...probably to eat at the bar.....some foie gras, eggplant, kale, and beans......and a couple of those cocktails!

Mourad Restaurant
140 New Montgomery St. #1
San Francisco, CA 94105
Hours:
Mon - Fri 1130am - 10pm
Sat - Sun 5pm - 10pm

 

Clearing Out the Memory Card - Still Our Favorite Restaurant. Suzunari (Tokyo)

While we were a bit sad to leave Kyoto, which is one of Missus's favorite cities. We were excited to be back in Tokyo.

Beyond the rather overwhelming, sensory overload of the city; we loved the various neighborhoods, the order, the streets packed with wonderful surprises at every turn. We'd gotten used to the rhythm of this city of over 13 million people.

The Missus had gotten really fond of the Yotsuya neighborhood, which is where we decided to stay on our return to Tokyo. There's something less touristy and more "real" about this neighborhood; at least to us. And while we have yet to find Hattori Hanzo's (the real one) grave or have yet to see obake in the neighborhood, we love walking the back streets and exploring.

Plus, the view from our hotel wasn't too shabby at all.

Another reason for staying in the neighborhood; is that our favorite restaurant, perhaps in the world, resides down one of the narrow streets of Arakicho. Yes, even after visiting Osteria Francescana on our recent trip to Italy; or Azurmendi, Disfrutar, David Toutain, Alliance (post coming up), or any number of other places, even from my pre-blogging days (The French Laundry/Gary Danko, etc). Suzunari remains our favorite.

Honest, seasonal, perfectly prepared Kaiseki for non-tourists......it just resonates with us. Business must be good, Chef Murata now has two assistants. And like our previous meal; our good friend Reiko joined us. Once we told her we'd be returning to Tokyo and Suzunari, she was quite excited, and rightfully so.

I'll spare you the 10,000 words here; since I've posted on this place several times before.

From the stuffed sakura leaves to the Hassun….everything tasted as good as....and even better than, it looked.

The Missus still calls the simple, broiled rockfish (kinki) we had on this evening, the most perfect fish in terms of texture She has ever had.

I loved the abalone on bamboo shoots....and the abalone liver even more!

Reiko is allergic to shellfish and some forms of seafood; so instead of the usual kamameshi; they made us a version with takenoko (bamboo shoots), and provided lovely, savory dried shrimp for the Missus and I.

There's something about this place that just resonates with us.

We gotta get back to Japan (and Suzunari) again soon.

Suzunari 
7-9 Arakicho, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo

Returning to the room; I opened a "cold one".

And looked off into the night......

Thinking about how blessed we are to able to travel as much as we do.....and to be able to say; "yes, our favorite restaurant is in Tokyo."

Thanks for stopping by!

Arriving in Alaska, Girdwood, and Dinner at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant

It was nearing the end of May; the usual time the Missus and I head off on a trip. This year, we had only a week or so and nothing else until the end of the year. The Missus wanted to scratch something off Her bucket list, so we headed off to Alaska to see if we could get it done.

Landing in Anchorage and picking up a cup of coffee on the way out of town....well, it seemed like just another city in the states.

I was shocked to see that I could get an Ethiopian pour over for $3.50!

Not a great cup, but with the typical acidic-sweet-floral tones of African beans, pretty good. The place seemed pretty popular with hipsters and folks on their laptops and such.

Black Cup
341 E Benson Blvd
Anchorage, AK 99503

A few minutes down the road and we realized that we were definitely not down in the "Lower 48" as the locals call it, anymore.

Even though the weather was quite gloomy and there was a slight chill in the air, we couldn't help but keep stopping at places like Beluga Point along the way.

We'd often stop and other folks would start talking to us. Asking us where we were from, where we were headed, all quite friendly. It's definitely something we aren't used to here in SoCal. We also ran into a transplanted Californian, one of many we'd meet along the way. He was a very cheerful person, I ended up volunteering to take a photo of him and visiting family.....I guess I was getting into that mode as well.

At milepost 90....those green milepost signs are how you find many of the directions in the 49th state, I took a left and headed toward, then past, the town of Girdwood and up the road, finally taking a left on Arlberg Avenue and arriving at the Alyeska Resort. The Missus had recently had a birthday and I wanted to make our first night in Alaska a nice one. So I chose the Alyeska Resort because of the well regarded location, accommodations, and restaurant. Indeed, check-in was friendly, professional, and smooth. We had a Junior Suite, which was comfortable and huge, and the Missus's favorite room of the entire trip. Oh, and the really nice young man who worked the front desk was from....you guessed it, California! The view from our room wasn't too shabby either.

Of course, once we checked in, the Missus was just rarin' to go. So off we went, making the two plus change mile walk to the town of Girdwood. Even though it drizzled off and on during our walk the scenery was lovely.

The view while crossing over the river was amazing.

While Girdwood is described as a resort town......it bore no resemblance to the mental picture I had of a resort village. It looked like a charming little town with a single street with a general store on the corner.

There are a couple of restaurants/bars, a post office, what looked like a yoga place, and other services along the single street.

We stopped for a caffeine fix at a coffee shop cum curio store called The Grind.

The collection was indeed "eclectic"......I was sorely tempted to get that "Freeloader Fork"...but settled for an Americano instead.

We sat on the porch of the coffee shop and watch time slowly flow by the quiet street. On occasion someone on a bike would pass....you'd see a couple of dogs frolicking in the park; folks dropping the Post Office to pick up their mail.

The Grind
236 Hightower Rd
Girdwood, AK 99587

We headed on back to the resort and took the trail alongside Arlberg Avenue back.

And noticed a few things we had missed on the walk down.

We also took some time to walk around the grounds of the resort as well.

I'd made dinner reservations at the resorts Seven Glaciers Restaurant. We got ready and decided to head up to the restaurant. And I do mean "head up". You see, the restaurant is located at the top of Mount Alyeska.

And the only way to get there is by tram.

You can pick up your complimentary tram tickets an hour before your reservations. We went up about a half hour before. We had the entire tram to ourselves and our tram operator was from....you guessed it; California....the Bay Area to be precise. He was a friendly, chatty fellow and described the surrounding area like a tour guide. The restaurant is named for the Seven Glaciers you can view from the place. The crazy steep slopes are Black Diamond rated and the view, well, that's priceless.

Funny coincidence, the young man lived in Girdwood and had actually seen us having our coffee on the porch of The Grind earlier in the day. He was one of the fellows who rode past us on a bike.

At the top there's a shop, a bar, the restaurant, and ski runs. Even though it was mid-May, it was still snowing in Denali and had just snowed here a few days earlier.

After having a bit of fun in the snow and ice we headed into the restaurant which was quite well done. What struck us the most; other than the million dollar view was how well the tables were spaced and placed to maximize the view while dining.

While waiting for our table we both had cocktails....which were really low on the booze and way too sweet.

Just as we took the first sips of our drinks, our table was ready and we were seated. The view was fantastic.

One of the reasons I chose Seven Glaciers is that the menu; while priced on the high end, is locally focused. Our Server was great; genial, yet a total pro, and did a good job of describing each dish.

The butter, so creamy and milky was fantastic, the bread not so much, as the marbled rye was dry and crumbly and the lavash just passable.

The amuse was a "ceviche", very nice seafood, a delicious cilantro cream (I need to make this), and a very "corny" flavored "tortilla".

I'd read some good things about the Scallop Bisque ($12) so we started with that; our Server totally got the idea that we'd be dining "family style" and was awesome at setting up the dishes and setting for us.

The wonderfully mildly sweet-oceany flavor of the bisque was good, though it was on the thin side for my tastes and lacking that nice tongue coating texture I enjoy. The chive oil, while on the mild side in flavor was a nice accompaniment. But that scallop, the most amazingly sweet scallop, seared perfectly, the interior rare, just melted away on your tongue......it was fantastic.

The "Tartare of the Day" ($18) was Yak. And let me tell you, it was also delicious.

Very tender, clean tasting, not overly seasoned or gamey, this was nicely put together. The pickled onions were perfect; just sour enough, with distinct clove-herbal tones.

The Missus has never enjoyed King Crab, saying that it "lacked the deep crab flavor" and isn't a big fan of drawn butter either. I did mention that Bering Sea Red King Crab was supposedly the best so why not try it here (1/2 pound $35). I was shocked at how much crab this was.

Well, while meaty, and without an overly brined flavor, this still wasn't the Missus's cup of tea. Not sweet enough, too dry, on the bland side is how She described it. No regrets in trying it here though.

Our entrée, the special of the day is without doubt the best thing we had on the entire trip. It was something both that Missus and I are familiar with; black chicken, but served in a totally different manner; roasted. Traditionally served in a medicinal soup in Asia; I've found it to be terribly tough and while the Missus loves it, I'm not a fan...though it's mostly because of the medicinal flavor of the broth. Seeing Black Silkie Chicken on the menu ($42), we just had to try it.

Along with some very tasty fried artichokes, local asparagus, and tender fiddlehead ferns, on top of a nicely prepared barley risotto, perhaps the best version I've had, the chicken was so good. While toothsome and bony...hey this is free-range black chicken here, nothing out of the ordinary there; the deep poultry flavor was amazing. This is what chicken tasted like when I was a kid! It reminded me of the chicken that my grandparents raised. Sadly, I think folks aren't used to the flavor as the folks on the table next to us sent theirs back saying it was too "tough and gamey" for their liking. We on the other hand just loved this dish.

We also enjoyed the seasonal roasted vegetables ($8). The Missus loves broccolini and asparagus anyway.

The gig surprise was the roasted kale stems which had a nice acidic touch to it. It was surprisingly tender, something you don't associate with kale stems.

While we were rather stuffed, the Missus decided to order the restaurant's signature dessert; the Baked Alyeska, the classic browned meringue topped ice cream and cake.

I went with an Alaskan Brewery White Ale.

Man, that dessert was so rich and dense....I had one bite and went "no mas"...…..the Missus did finish it off.

Boy, this was some meal.

The service was excellent and the food quite good.

It wasn't cheap by any means, but a wonderful special occasion meal.

It was a nice way to celebrate both the Missus's Birthday and our first night in Alaska.

Seven Glaciers Restaurant
(In the Alyeska Resort - sort of. It's on top of a mountain)
1000 Arlberg Ave
Girdwood, AK 99587

We enjoyed the ride down in the tram.

On the good side; this was a great first meal and the best meal we had on our trip.

On the bad side, this was the best meal of our trip and we had 7 more nights to go.....

Thanks for stopping by!

A Walk Around Amsterdam and Dinner at Restaurant Daalder

It was an overcast as we headed out after our morning coffee. We had two full days in Amsterdam and since we had leftovers from our previous night's meal we didn't need to stop anywhere. We decided to take on a good chunk of the city during the morning.

One has to keep alert when walking the streets in this lovely city and not get sucked in by the lovely canals or the lovely houses that line them, all crowned with distinctive Dutch gables. You see, Amsterdam claims to be the most bicycle friendly capital city in the world, there are over a million bikes in the city. Most glide along quietly, so you should be aware. It's also easy to get distracted by various interesting sights as well.

Some of which are quite humorous......

We walked along the canals, making our was back along the path we took the previous night. It looked quite different during the day.

We made our way back to Amsterdam Centraal Station. The Missus wanted to take the walk outlines in Rick Steves pocket guide to Amsterdam. So we headed down Damrak. It's a bustling and busy street. Lots of tourist shops and other places.

One of the things I wanted to try in Amsterdam was Gouda cheese. We've never particularly enjoyed Gouda in the states, so we wanted to try some here. One of the first shops we came across is this location of the Amsterdam Cheese Company.

There weren't any customers in the store when we arrived....it was rather early in the morning. The young lady working here was amazing! She was quite knowledgeable, had us taste Gouda aged for different periods of time, and was just a joy. So, of course we ended up buying some Gouda. We would enjoy it in Paris.

After a brief stop for some coffee, we arrived at Dam Square. In the 13th century, a dam was built across the Amstel River to link together settlements on both sides of the river and create a village named.....you guessed it "Amstel-dam".

There's quite a bit to see here including the National Monument(above). This World War II monument is an obelisk like structure which has sculptures representing the suffering of war - there are two weeping dogs, representing suffering and loyalty. All topped with a sculpture of a woman with a child in her arms and doves flying around her representing victory, peace, and new life.

Across the way is the Royal Palace, which was once the Town Hall. The structure became the "Royal Palace" when Napolean installed his brother as King.

There's a shopping street which parallels the main avenue named Kalverstraat.....it's truly pedestrian.....folks need to walk their bicycles on this street.

Ducking down a side gate we came across what might be our favorite stop of the day; the Begijnhof. This wonderful Hofje ("Courtyard") dates back to the 14th century when it was built as living quarters for the pious Begijntjes a Catholic sisterhood, who lived a semi-monastic life dedicated to God, even though they took no vows like Nuns.

This beautiful and quiet courtyard is rung by lovely homes that still houses older single women, though the last Beguine died in 1971.

Off to the left we saw a simple black door. This is the entrance to Begjinhof Chapel. Often called the "Clandestine Church" this was built in 1680 by combining two residences. When Catholicism was banned in the 16th century all the churches had to be given up....which is what was done with the brick church across the way. Catholics had to worship in the privacy of their own homes. Eventually, the Protestant city council approved the building of this church....as long as the building did not look like a church.

The interior is Spartan and quiet. One could imagine needing to worship in silence in fear of prosecution.

Across the way is the former Catholic Church that became the English Reformed Church.

This church was built in 1420 for the Beguine to worship. It was converted during the Reformation.

It is said that many of the Pilgrim Fathers fleeing persecution in England made their way here before leaving to form a separate congregation in Leiden and eventually sailing to the New World in 1620. The only stained glass window in the church depicts the Pilgrims praying before boarding the Mayflower. It was a gift from Edward William Bok to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the departure of the Pilgrims.

The bible on the altar dates back to 1763.

We really enjoyed the quiet, which gave us time to really take in both churches.

We exited Begjinhof and headed right, to an area known as Spui.

We did a bit of window shopping.....some of the displays are quite amusing. I believe this one is from a Cheese/Gourmet Shop named De Mannen van Kaas.

Eventually we wandered our way to the Flower Market.

Full of bright colors.

And then a bit further, the very popular area known as Leidseplein.

We decided to head back to the apartment, have our leftovers for lunch....then it would be nap time.

We wove our way through the shopping area known as De 9 Straatjes (Nine little streets).

We stopped by several shops, people watched, and enjoyed some of the more entertaining window displays.....like this one....notice the mannequin giving you the one finger salute?

We stopped by the Marqt on Wolvenstraat; sort of like a cross between Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole Foods and picked up some drinks and more Stroopwafels for the Missus.

After a filling lunch we had a nice restful nap and got up in time for....well, dinner of course!

I'd made reservations at a popular place that I'd read about named Restaurant Daalder. It was located just a few blocks away and the food seemed an interesting pseudo Modern Dutch cuisine.

We both liked the cozy, under-stated, unpretentious, almost bistro-like interior of the restaurant.

We went full speed ahead; the "Daalder" course tasting menu with one wine pairing (we've learned our lessons) and the foie gras supplement (of course). This came out to about 100 € each, very reasonable. Especially since we'd just come from Scandinavia!

The Amuse started with jamon in a roll made of airy-light meringue. The "rolls" were slightly sweet and savory and melted in your mouth.

Along with a foamy, almost yogurt, fruit compote. The lemon foam was quite good.

The first course was a Tuna Tartare, which totally reminded me of poke.

Topped with avocado and watermelon; this would have been passable if not for the bitter-salty-tar like kombu reduction which just killed the poor fish dish.

The next dish was interesting; a poached egg enrobed in cauliflower puree. There was a dusting of coffee powder on the dish which really blended in nicely; adding a layer of pleasant savory-bitterness to the dish. The egg was poached perfectly and there were tiny pieces of crouton on the bottom of the bowl to add a nice textural contrast.

The scallops were good; crisp exterior, cooked perfectly, nice and sweet.

The turbot was cooked perfectly, but the dish was again marred by that kombu "tar".

The duck was quite good; though not as tender and gamey as what we had at Arakataka.

We both enjoyed the pistachio crust and the earthy, but slightly sweet jus really did well paired with the duck.

We were glad to have the foie gras supplement. The duck livers on toast were quite good. Caramelized onions just goes so well with duck livers.

Our favorite item of the night was the foie gras. It was seared so perfectly, slightly crisp, with a creamy interior. The tart, yet slightly sweet lychee just went so well with this little morsel.

And the Missus got Her dessert.

Service was relaxed, yet professional. We enjoyed the wine pairings. 

Though I could tell the Missus had gotten Her fill of "tasting menus" for a while.

Still, a nice meal.

Restaurant Daalder
Lindengracht 90
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

We rolled on back to the apartment.

Good thing we had a bit of walking planned the next day.

Thanks for reading!

Tromsø - Dinner at Mathallen

We'd had a fun day exploring Tromsø. It was so different from San Diego. Polar night is fascinating and a bit disorienting as noon seems like dusk and by 2pm it looks like had fallen. We really only had time for one dinner in Tromsø since the previous evening we'd been "Chasing the Aurora". We had decided to stay close to the apartment, just kind of chill and relax, and had made dinner reservations at the highly regarded Mathallen. Locally sourced ingredients and they had something on the menu I wanted to try....and no, it's not reindeer.

We had early reservations, which really didn't matter, since it already was so dark it felt like 9pm.

The menu was really small, with only four starters and three mains.

And like almost every other restaurant we had dinner at in Norway, they had an open kitchen.

We love the bread in Scandanavia and Mathallen was no exception. Also, I had wanted to visit Mack Brewery, founded in 1877, it is the northernmost brewery in the world. But we had run out of time, so I settled for a Mack Pilsner at Mathallen. Not very distinctive in flavor; very light and easy to drink.

The Missus started with the King Crab Soup (185 NOK - about $22/US). Yes, that's right, this bowl of soup was over twenty bucks.

Not too much crab, but the soup was nice and rich and obviously made with a very good seafood stock. Loved the texture which coated the tongue quite nicely.

We just couldn't seem to get enough pickled herring, so I ordered the Christmas Herring (155 NOK - $18.50/US).

This was delici-yoso!!! Just a couple of bites, but man, the herring melted in your mouth. It wasn't fishy in the least; very savory, and I'm thinking the Aquavit really added a nice touch of sweetness.

The Missus went with the "Catch of the Day", Cod (320 NOK - about $39/US).

She enjoyed it and said it was nicely cooked.

Since we were in Norway, I really wanted to try Lutefisk, which is made by air-drying fish, usually cod. A few weeks (yes weeks) before serving it is soaked in water for a week, then in lye (!!!) for two days. At which time it's pretty much poisonous. It is then soaked in water for another ten days to make edible.

I ordered the Lutefisk (575 NOK - $70/US). Yep, about seventy bucks US.....yikes!

The process gives the fish a jelly like texture, which was a bit odd. At least you can't complain about dry fish here, eh? Apparently, during the last set of soaking, the fish becomes so hydrated that you don't need to add any liquid to "boil" the fish! It also has a fairly strong smell; but not too bad. The flavor is fairly mild, on the briny salty side. It definitely needed the lardons and mustard sauce for flavor. Those brown shavings are Brunost, a brown "cheese" that is made from milk, cream, and whey. It has a very interesting slightly sweet and yeasty flavor. The mashed peas were very bland, the potatoes, simply done were delicious.

It was an interesting meal, the service was fine, not as friendly as at other places in Scandanavia. And heck, I'm not opposed to having lutefisk again.......

Mathallen
Grønnegata 58-60
Tromsø, Norway
Hours:
Tues - Sat 1130am - 11pm

We took the short walk back to the apartment and relaxed. I just sat at the window and watched the snow flurries come in.

Our flight from Tromsø was scheduled for 1030 am. We got up, packed and walked over to the stop for the airport bus.

It was 8am in the morning......

And it looked like midnight. We watched these guys working on the roof of a building across from the stop. Man, I sure wouldn't want to be doing that during the winter.

The airport in Tromsø is fairly small.

But SAS actually has a small lounge.

Where we were able to grab breakfast.

While staring off into the snow......

I'm not sure we'll ever be back in Tromsø, but we really enjoyed our time here. It was a great experience, but we were now looking ahead.

Next stop.....Amsterdam.

Oslo - Dinner at Arakataka

We'd done a good amount of walking in Oslo, so we settled in for a nice nap. I awoke to the sound of a ships horn. I looked out the window, it was already getting dark at 430pm, and I saw the cruise ship we'd arrived on leaving the harbor.

It was time to wake up. We had dinner reservations at...surprise, a place the Missus picked out. I managed to get reservations at Arakataka which seemed a bit off the beaten path, though it was only a half mile away. The darkness probably had something to do with it.

The restaurant was rather small with an even smaller open kitchen.

The bar area was a bit larger, but the place was still not very large. The Hostess and our Server were amazing. Very knowledgeable, amiable, and just so nice. I mentioned being told to try the Aquavit in Norway; specifically Aquavit Linie. Man, this stuff is good. I ended up bringing back a couple of bottles. I'll tell more about it in a future post.

Most folks were getting the tasting menu, but having a bunch of tasting menu meals coming, we decided to order from the menu. And it turned out to be the perfect thing to do.

The weakest item of the night was the Potato Bread and Smoked Artic Char.

The potato bread was on the soggy side, the flavor of the char very mild and lost under all those greens and herbs.

Things turned around with the rather interesting Rutabaga, Porcini, and Pecorino. Which looked nothing like what I had imagined it would.

Thinly sliced and made pliable; the rutabaga had a nice crunch, the fragrance of porcini danced around the plate, and the pecorino added a nice milky-saltiness which really elevated this dish.

The Reindeer Tartare, Beetroot, and Juniper was another nice combination.

The mild, clean flavor of the reindeer, matched with the sweetness of the beets, and the tartness of the juniper was a surprisingly nice combination!

The Dry Aged Pork was nice and tender....and yes, it medium rare, making it ever so moist.

But the real winner was the combination of shaved black truffle and kale. Another interesting and rather delicious combination of earthy flavors with the crunch and bitterness of the kale.

The Skate was so buttery and mildly sweet. A wonderful piece of fish....the Missus claims one of the best She's had.

But I really enjoyed the pungent-mildly garlicky ramps and the savory and almost briney flavor of the salsify. We were both enjoying vegetables that we really don't get much back home in San Diego.

Of course we had to order the Duck, Cabbage, and Lingonberries, which looked quite lovely.

 A nice sliced duck breast on the right. Nice and gamey. Slices of duck confit under roasted wild cabbage, lingonberries, with black garlic. This looked and tasted wonderful itself. But then another bowl arrived and was poured on the dish.

A espuma of duck confit, hearts, skin and barley......

Good lord! This was like being invited into duck heaven! The texture of the duck hearts were especially satisfying.

We were wiped out after this hefty dish and had no room for dessert. Another glass of Aquavit....well, one does need a digestif, right?

This was probably our favorite meal in Scandinavia. It had the right combination of comfort, flavor, and interesting, yet tasty dishes that were nicely seasoned and kept our attention. While the combinations were interesting, nothing was so over-the-top to be strange. And like all the places we ate at in Scandinavia, service was so friendly.

Arakataka
Mariboes Gate 7
Oslo, Norway

As we were finishing up dinner, we noticed a large queue lining up one block over. The Missus was curious. So we walked over after dinner and asked what was going on. We were told that there was a concert going on....and then in the typical Norweigan way, we were told that there were "still tickets available....so please, if you're interested we'll be happy to have you...." Such nice folks!

It was pretty chilly as we walked back to the hotel.

And yet Oslo was so relaxed.....it definitely had an affect on you.

We headed back and got to sleep early. Tomorrow, we'd be flying to a city 250 miles above the Artic Circle. It was going to be an interesting day for a kid from Hawaii.....

Thanks for reading!