Life In Da Burbs

J and I had a craving for Korean ChapChae noodles so I attempted to make it tonight. All things considered (for one: having only had it twice in my life), it came out darn good.

J and I met up Ayano and Devin for brunch today at Artisanal Bistro . This is the sister restaurant of Picholine . Yes, the same Picholine that is credited bringing back the cheese cart to fine dining in Manhattan. Any who, brunch was great. We all ordered the Prix Fixe. Here are some pictures we took during the meal. Click here for more pics Oh, we also got to sit in "La Cave" which was a treat in itself.

to the left: Gundam RX-78 to the right: Gundam RX-178 mkII Recently, Bandai (Japanese toy company, along with ShonenJump , are responsible for most of the anime series in the 80s and 90s) unveiled a joint collaboration with Ginza Tanaka (high end jeweler in Tokyo), a pure platinum replica of the original Mobile Suit RX-78 Gundam. It's supposedly worth around $250,000 and will be on tour as a public relations campaign to promote and celebrate the 20 odd years of the launch of this anime series. People who grew up in Japan know what I'm talking about. I guess it's kinda like the Transformers of the Far East. Except it's way more detailed and the story line is like 20 times larger. Think Star Trek (in terms of magnitude) but for kids, and in anime form.

With the second Salmon head I bought, I made Miso Soup.

I have to head out tonight for a meeting so I made J a variation of a Japanese fish stew I once had in Kumamoto. I got these salmon heads from ShopRite for $2.70. Although I had to de-gill the suckers, they are huge and still have plenty of meat on the collars. What a bargain! Hope J enjoys the dish. Quick recipe : Salmon head, carrots, potato, soy sauce, sake, mirin, water, hondashi, ginger and sugar.

Looking for something to eat tonight, I threw together an impromptu Kimchi Chige. Kimchi, Clams and Harusame. J and I wolfed it down in no time... but then realized the whole apartment smelled like kimchi so we spent the next hour aerating the place. Pros and Cons I guess.

One more year till the big "3" "0". 

Here's something I borrowed from a friend's blog. The Alarm-Bomb Clock. It's a fake FBI bombs unit play kit / alarm clock all in one. 1. Let's say you set your alarm for 8AM. 2. At 7:57AM, a recorded voice pipes up: "Three minutes left..." Then starts counting down to zero. 3. In the next few moments, one of the lamps on the left will flash at random. You must diffuse the same-colored wire in order to stop the bomb from ticking. 4. If you fail to do so, the explosion WILL go off. When the timer reaches zero, the speakers on this thing will emit a loud BANG, signifying your failure. If this was real life, the girl would be dead by now. courtesy: TokyoMango

J and I munched through a box of these Japanese treats yesterday. Our friend Misato san came to NY on business and he brought these for us as Omiage. Oishikatta! Taiyaki ( 鯛焼き , Taiyaki ) literally "baked sea bream ," is a Japanese fish -shaped cake . The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans . Other common fillings are custard , chocolate , and cheese . Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki or a sausage inside. Taiyaki is made using taiyaki or regular pancake or waffle batter . The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown. Taiyaki can be found all over Japan especially at matsuri ( 祭 ) (Japanese festivals). This is similar to obanyaki ( 大判焼き , obanyaki ) , which is a thick round cake also filled with sweet azuki bean paste or custard .

We had lunch in Chinatown today with some friends. YamCha (or DimSum) is great when you have a nice big group to share dishes with. Followed by some Bubble Tea.

J and I met up with Misato san and his collegues at Payard and had this feast. Foie Gras Terrine, Maine Crab Salad, Black Sea Bass, Veal Cheak and Tongue, Roasted Squab, Beef Duo, and a Plethora of Desserts. Not to mention a bottle of Puligny-Montrachet Burgundy White, and an Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Red. More pictures here... My Review of Payard here...

Mothers turning 'bento' into high art Beyond just nutrition, boxed-lunch creativity becoming source of pride By CHISAKI WATANABE (courtesy Japan Times) ICHIHARA, Chiba Pref. (AP) Kazumi Shimomura's kitchen table is cluttered with tools not usually associated with cooking: A pair of tweezers, a box-cutter and a digital camera. News photo This photo released by housewife Junko Terashima shows an edible likeness of Mozart in a boxed lunch she prepared last May 25. AP PHOTO Her culinary style is just as unique. She sculpts rice colored with egg yolks into the shape of a dinosaur, fashions its eye with sliced cheese and strips of seaweed. Star-shaped pieces of okra adorn the belly. "I just wanted my son to have fun when he goes to day-care on Saturdays," explained Shimomura as she uses tweezers to place tiny teeth-shaped bits of cheese in the dinosaur's mouth. Spending hours meticulously perfecting a meal that will be gobbled down in a school cafeteria by her 6-yea...

Brunch : Rice, Salad, and Sausages. Dinner : Kurobuta Java Curry with Fukujinzuke

The #9 Men's Basketball team at Michigan State fell short last night to a deep benched #1 seed North Carolina. Boy are the Tar Heels good. They kept sending in fresh legs to challenge our season weathered players and through out the course of the game, just wore the Spartans down. Not to discredit the amazing talent displayed by #50 Hansbrough who in no doubt in my mind, was the last night's hero for the Tar Heels. After a grueling season, the Spartans proved themselves worthy and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament, making it 10 consecutive years for Coach Izzo and the MSU Men's BB Program. The Spartans did not receive much acknowledgment during pre-season and nor should they. They had lost some veterans the year before and were regrouping. People were skeptic and a tournament bid did not look favorable until consecutive wins over Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana came in mid to late February. These boys deserve a standing ovation for what they have accomplished ...

I don't know who the genius PR person responsible for this is, but don't you think it's a bit much? Ditsy, busty girls in tank tops tossing a big leather ball around with a bald old man. The youth of our country deserves a higher moral standard. First of all, Hooters claims to be a "family restaurant", which is like saying guns don't kill people, people kill people. Dick Vitale is now promoting Hooters with the NCAA Tournament. commercial here Corporate America, this is totally inappropriate and you should be ashamed of yourself. Yes, I like the rest of the millions of American males find this amusing, but there are some institutions you should not bastardize. Your demographic isn't just 18 to 65 year old men. Plenty of little kids watching as well. And it's not only the amount of sex on TV that annoys me, it's the money that comes with it. I remember when the Olympics used to be this great spectacle event to watch. When it was only amateur at...

Phew. So we made it to Round 2 of the NCAA Tourney. With a 61-49 victory over Marquette, we now face the #1 seed UNC Tar Heels. Saturday 8:15pm on CBS. Go State!

After a hot bath or shower, most guys ask for a cold crisp beer. Not I. I prefer the taste of a Yakult . The yogurtish drink (with 8 billion active Lactobacillus casei Shirota) all asian kids grew up with. Damn, it's refreshing!

Have any of you picked up Akon (aka Konvict) on your local radio stations? He's like a combo of LL Cool J, Barry White and Jamaica all in one. His brash lyrics but smooth tones makes for great entertainment. Some of his Billboard Hits : 1. Belly Dancer 2. I Wanna Love You 3. Smack That 4. Lonely 5. Don't Matter

Kelly Ripa. Spotted at the Time Warner Building with her little kid. Mom and daughter seemed to be in a rush. But more importantly, YES, she's really hot in person.

www.e-bento.com special thanks to Tokyomango for the find. just goes to show what a food obsessed society Japan is. i love it!

Fun day with the Atones. List of activities: Pick up at the Sheraton. Got bagels for breakfast. Drove to the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Went to Columbia University and walked around. Drove by Lincoln Center then Central Park. Took a carriage ride through the park. Walked 5th Avenue. Went down to Washington Square. Then Meatpacking. Walked around Soho. Had lunch at Balthazar. Visited a few art galleries in Soho. Drove down to Ground Zero. Checked out Century 21. Had tea at the Hilton Millenium. Dropped them off at the Sheraton Midtown. It was still only 5pm. J and I met up Ed & M and had dinner at Better Burger.

Thanks G (actually G's mom) for the inspiration. Chou oishikatta.

J with Lina and baby Selena. Kawaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Ladies and Gents, if you've ever wondered what all the hokus pokus was about "Kobe" beef, you now have the opportunity to try the real stuff here in Manhattan. (and pretty soon nationwide) 3 importers here in the states bring the stuff in straight from Japan. For the most part, these are Kagoshima (a prefecture in Kyushu, Japan) Kuroge Wagyu. But I have received verification we are now also seeing some Gunma and Tochigi Prefecture beef as well. In addition, shortly to arrive are the Ohmi and Tajima beef lines. Each prefecture boasts their specialty in beef raising. The marbling and balance between beef meat and fat is different from each farm. Depending on feed, climate, and raising method, quality of beef varies quite a bit. I recently had the pleasure of trying some A-5 Wagyu at the NY Restaurant Show and it blew my mind. It was Heavenly. A-5 level Wagyu is like the Ferrari Testarossa (am I dating myself?) of beef. It does not get any better than that. Language Les...

Clearly these corporate giants see a need to hook more consumers to their already cash cow drug. (me being one of them) "now if we can only get some health nuts to start drinking our stuff... woohahahahaha!" Well folks, I think they've done it. I would just recommend one thing to the marketing department. Forget the giant "Diet Coke" logo on the front and just market it as Vitamins A thru Zinc. I mean, you're already borrowing the colors from the Centrum people. Let's see this one all the way through.

(thanks R for the quick notification) It seems there's no defense that can stop Tom Brady — on or off the field. Mere weeks after it became public that actress Bridget Moynahan, the ex-girlfriend of the Patriots' quarterback, is pregnant with his child, a Brazilian web site reports that Gisele Bundchen, a supermodel and Brady's current girlfriend, may also be pregnant with Brady's child. According to the celebrity web site Glamurama.com.br, Bundchen would be no more than two months pregnant. Brady, 29, dated Moynahan, 36, for several years before the couple split late last year. The former Michigan quarterback began dating Bundchen, 26, shortly thereafter. Bundchen told Vanity Fair in a recent article that she would like to have children, but that she was in no particular hurry to do so. "I'd be lying if I said (I didn't want a family)," Bundchen was quoted as saying. "My parents have been married for 35 years and have six children. Thing is, I...

"Pam-1" is gone. They came and took my baby away. Ever since moving to JC, my commute into the city is a quick Path ride so I seldom drive. Seldom will I need to drive and go to Mitsuwa or whatever, so having two cars just didn't make much sense. In hindsight, Pamela was fast, beautiful, sexy, and fun to drive, but she was just an extra expense I didn't need to have. Therefore, I had to let her go.

Frank tries the meat at Robert's. NY Times Article on Robert's Steakhouse Bruni on Steakhouses Bruni again on Beef The Bruni Digest

The current food feud between New York Times food critic Frank Bruni and restauranteur extraordinare Jeffrey Chodorow is quite, for lack of a better word.... AWESOME. Two men with huge egos and neither one can stand the other. Mutual dislike stemming from snubs behind the scenes (at private functions etc...), and just only recently surfacing to the public's attention. lowdown: Frank basically went to Jeffrey's brand new place in midtown, Kobe Club last week and said very publicly, it was shit. His New York Times weekly article awarded the Kobe Club zero stars. quick star rating explanation : * Good (i.e. Les Halles, Alfama) ** Very good (i.e. Aureole, Payard, Kai) *** Excellent (i.e. Gotham, Aquavit, Bouley) **** Extraordinary (i.e. Perse, Daniel, Le Bernardin) Kobe Club is a steakhouse in Manhattan that serves all sorts of Beef. They showcase the Japanese "Wagyu" Beef as their top of the line. Now I understand a restaurant needs to sell a concept with cool them...