Eat, Drink, Man... A Food Journal.

Kentucky in pictures

2011-06-05T23:07:00.004-04:00

Still alive. Here are some pictures from a wintry trip out to Kentucky. And yes, I realize it's June now...

Peter Chang the enigmatic chef

2010-12-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

Some of you demanded to know what was going on with the elusive chef Peter Chang ever since we posted this weekend’s event notification of his new restaurant venture, Peter Chang’s. Currently parked at the new digs getting it all ready and firing, Chang and company are finally slated to open his namesake eatery off Powers Ferry Road. But some of you are skeptical about this restaurant actually being his place (at least for the long term), and naturally I don’t blame you.

Continue to read the story by clicking here...

Attempting shrimp tempura

2010-12-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last night, I pulled some uncooked shrimp out of the refrigerator for dinner and had no idea what to do with it. I ran through a medley of ideas that I thought would be relatively fun. Shrimp and grits came to my mind, but I lacked ingredients at home that would have comprised my ideal version. It was also chilly outside here in Atlanta, and I had no desire to run to the store.

Continue to read the story by clicking here...

Tofu Village Dining Review

2010-11-27T16:04:00.003-05:00

(Yukgaejang, spicy beef soup - image by Becky Stein, for the AJC)

Drive to Buford Highway or farther north to the Duluth-Suwanee corridor, and you’ll find a world of Korean restaurants. But along the eastern corridor of Cobb County, just off I-75, there sits Tofu Village, a lonely little outpost of Korean dining sharing space with a liquor and cigar store in a drab strip mall.

But inside, the setting resembles a restaurant one might find in rural South Korea. On the fringes are shiny metallic barbecue tables, and a flat-screen television is positioned front and center, broadcasting KBS, a Korean channel. With no alternative Korean restaurant nearby, it seems that Tofu Village could easily rest on its laurels. But it is pumping out some of the most consistent Korean food in metro Atlanta.

Continue reading about Tofu Village by clicking here..

Sampling sweet paan

2010-11-27T16:01:00.001-05:00

After a recent lunch outing at Swapna Indian Cuisine off of Cobb Parkway, I decided to try one of their triangles of sweet paan ($2.50) sitting by the cashier. Paan was a tough subject to research. Mainly because I couldn’t figure out the majority of the ingredients in Swapna’s version other than coconut shavings, which were pretty obvious.

Secondly, a lot of the ingredient names that I found in leads were in romanized Hindi. When I would try to pull up the images in google to verify matches, I’d sometimes get images returned of Indian couples that were of the erotic variety. So there I was sitting in a crowded coffee house full of children running around, and I’ve got Indian porn unabashedly displaying on my laptop.

Continue reading about sweet paan by clicking here..

Mena: New Ethiopian restaurant off Buford Highway

2010-11-27T15:58:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine recently took me to this new Ethiopian restaurant located off of Clairmont Road and Buford Highway, and in the back of a developing deli/market called Bethlehem Market Place. I say “developing” because dear Mother Hubbard, their cupboards are bare.

Continue reading about Mena by clicking here..

Oodles of Noodles

2010-11-12T16:37:00.004-05:00

Let me go ahead and establish something with you all: I LOVE noodles.

As a kid, my love affair started with cheap packets of instant ramen full of MSG. Then my mom introduced me to thick, chewy strands of udon sitting in scalding dashi broth topped withgochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) and diced scallions.

Continue reading the Oodles of Noodles story here...

Havana South, Dining Review for the AJC

2010-11-05T18:57:00.006-04:00

(image courtesy of Becky Stein for the AJC)

Cuban cigar boxes and faded photographs of rustic Caribbean settings hang on the walls of the dimly lit dining room at Havana South. Salsa music drifts from ceiling speakers as smiling waitresses transport pretty plates of food to diners. The vibe promises an authentic Cuban experience. And if it weren’t for the entrees, it would deliver on that promise because the best meal at Havana South can be found in its sides, starters and sandwiches.

Continue reading the Havana South dining review..

Black Eyed Peas, an Indian Version

2010-11-05T18:51:00.005-04:00

Regarding recipes that are not my own, I always tend to tweak it a little here and there to give it a personal touch. Sometimes chunks of smoked pork or a splash of wine can add another dimension of flavor to a dish.

But every now and then I taste something that is perfect as is. Last New Year’s, my friend Jonny served me a black eyed pea dish that wowed me from the very first bite.

Continue reading the story here..

A Tale of Two Hot Pots

2010-10-29T15:44:00.004-04:00

Last week, I went to a relatively new Sichuan (also spelled Szechuan) Chinese restaurant located off of Buford Highway. It sits in the corner of a large deserted shopping center that once was home to a Value City department store. For the sake of this post I’ll call it Hot Pot as advertised on their sign outside. Although the restaurant’s take-out menu, my debit card receipt and a hidden sign out front makes references to the place calling themselves “Chong Qing Hot Pot.”

Continue reading the story of A Tale of Two Hot Pots...

Bone's Steakhouse, in Pictures..

2010-10-25T14:32:00.008-04:00

Sometimes a man just needs a big ol' hunk of USDA Prime beef.

On my first and only trip to Bone's Steakhouse here in Atlanta, I treated myself to a 20 oz Dry Aged bone-in ribeye cooked medium.

I'm usually a medium-rare kind of guy, but I like a more marbled cut like this to cook a little longer.

And a quick round up of other things I had...

Spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. All fresh ingredients topped with chopped hard boiled egg. The dressing was a bit too sweet for my tastes.

Tuna loin appetizer-high quality tuna lightly seared on the outside and served with a mild chili oil and fried capers.

Mustard greens stewed in smoked pork.

Truffle butter mashed potatoes. Boo ya.

America.

Freaking Stroke of Luck..

2010-10-19T22:40:00.009-04:00

Mmm, first interview out of the gate for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Anthony effing Bourdain.

Read my story here...

Cat Out of the Bag

2010-10-18T20:38:00.006-04:00

Sooooo... You may or may not have heard that I got a new gig..

Let me just first say that it has been a wild and fun ride since I started this blog over two years ago. I've met so many outstanding people along the way, and received a lot of support from this great community of food bloggers and writers.

And from what I understand, I was in the running for the ethnic dining beat with a handful of talented individuals who are more than capable in doing the job and doing it well. I'm honored to have been considered alongside with them and I hope I won't let them down.

Anyways, so the AJC created and ran a caricature of the dining team as you can see below. I'm pictured second from the left.

(image from accessatlanta.com)

My only beef so far is that their depiction of me was completely off. I mean, how did they get that when I really look like this?

See you all on the flip side.

The 6th Annual Rice Festival

2010-10-06T14:06:00.005-04:00

(image provided by the Asian American Resource Center)

I received information from the Asian American Resource Center here in the Atlanta area that the 6th Annual Rice Festival will take place this Saturday at Stone Mountain Park's Memorial Lawn from 11am to 5pm.

From an email:

The Rice Festival will feature food vendors from local businesses such as Taste of Malaysia and Saigon Group. Taste of Korea booths will be at the event, showcasing Korean food. These booths are made possible through a partnership with the South Korean Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to support the South Korean government's campaign for Hansik globalization. These are the first campaign efforts in the Southeast.

For more details, go to the AARC website or follow this link as well.

Matsutake Dobin Mushi

2010-10-03T15:51:00.011-04:00

Fall undoubtedly is my favorite time of the year. The weather is perfect, the trees are gorgeous and the dishes common to this season are the ones I enjoy the most.

Last year around this time I had matsutake (pine) mushrooms for the first time ever at one of my favorite sushi restaurants in town. One evening after work I popped in and my waitress suggested I try their matsutake dobin mushi as these mushrooms were in season.

Matsutake mushrooms are revered in Japan and Korea, and are held in just as high esteem as truffles are in European based cuisine. According to the wiki entry on these mushrooms, the highest grade can fetch up to $2,000 per kilogram where the average grade are valued around $90 per kilogram.

They grow on the roots of different varieties of pine trees and are commonly found in Japan, Korea, Sweden and the Pacific-Northwest.

The dobin mushi I had last year at Sushi Huku haunted me. The presentation of the specialized teapot and simple, elegant flavor of the dobin mushi dish were enchanting. And the aroma of pine and wondrous taste of earth from the matsutakes were memorably enticing.

To enjoy this tea/soup, you start out by pouring the hot salted broth of dashi in the provided cup and sprinkle with citrus. Then eventually you open the lid and pick out the bits of fish, ginkgo nuts, and matsutake slices with chopsticks. Don't let the matsutakes steep for too long, the redolent pine flavor will eventually lose its luster.

I ~~wanted~~ needed my very own matsutakes. But I missed my chance during the short season last year so I purchased a dobin mushi teapot and made a mental reminder to acquire some matsutakes this season.

Last weekend I was at the Super H Mart in Duluth (Pleasant Hill Rd location) and saw a trove of fresh "pine mushrooms" in the produce section for $25 a pound. Cha ching. I bought a half pound and went home and dove in.

The recipe took some tweaking. I did google searches and perused my Japanese cookbooks but after initial attempts that didn't quite do it for me, I realized that I just needed to simplify what I was trying to do. That is the essence of this dish that I enjoy—simplicity.

Recipe (Serves 1):

1 medium size matsutake mushroom, gently cleaned with a soft damp cloth ( you do not want to rub the skin off the mushroom)
2 ginkgo nuts shelled and blanched in dashi for 3 minutes
3-4 small thin slices of snapper or sea bream
2-3 thin slices of carrot
1 cup of hot primary (ichiban) dashi
1 slice/wedge of lime
1 tbsp Sake
Salt to taste

1) Soak raw snapper or sea bream in sake for 10 minutes and sprinkle with salt
2) Slice the matsutake mushroom in 1/4 inch slices
3) With chopsticks, gently lay the mushrooms, blanched ginkgo nuts, fish and carrots in the dobin mushi teapot
4) Create a rack in a wok with 1-1/2 inches of water and place on medium-high heat. See this post for assistance on steaming.
5) When the water begins to steam, pour the dashi fully into the teapot and place it on the rack and cover the wok
6) Steam the dobin mushi for 7 minutes
7) Add salt to the dobin mushi (I like about 1/4 tsp) and serve with lime or a lemon wedge for sprinkling

* I realize it may be difficult to obtain these ingredients and/or teapot so check out local restaurants in the Atlanta metro area below where I have seen this being offered on the menu. Hurry before the season is over!

Shoya Izakaya
Bishoku
Sushi Huku
Nakato

Birmingham, Alabama

2010-09-08T16:15:00.010-04:00

My wife and I took a weekend trip out to Birmingham recently where I cooked a Korean feast for my friend Ashley Hal l and her family and friends. Actually, just being able to cook in James Abele's (Ashley's stepfather) kitchen pictured above was more of a gift to me then my dinner for them.

First thing's first—house cocktails were in order as soon as we got there that Friday afternoon. I also made a batch of baechu kimchi and kkakdugi specially for this dinner that our host was pretty excited about.

My wife picked up some Boston lettuce for ssam that we were going to use for Korean bbq wraps.

Unfortunately, the majority of the remaining pictures of that evening didn't make the cut but we all had a great time. It was some of the guests first time eating Korean food and they all seem to have enjoyed it.

The next day was an epic tour of eateries around "The Ham." We started off at a local watering hole called The Garage where most all beers here are chilled daily in long coolers of ice.

Then off to Frank Stitt's Highlands Bar & Grill restaurant where we noshed on some snacks such as this seafood medley of oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail and marinated crab claws.

We also got some lovely seared medallions of wahoo and a plate of fresh figs wrapped in some crispy prosciutto.

Then we popped in next door and ate at Stitt's French bistro style restaurant Chez Fonfon. This place was wonderful. I haven't found solid Franco bistro fare here in the South and this hit the mark with me. I wouldn't say this place is purely French as there are hints of the American South in the cooking.

We got a order of their goat cheese and tapenade tartine.

And an order of their croque madame which was different from the French style I'm used to—no béchamel and egg was tucked inside rather than laid on top—but it was wonderful. Every layering of egg, ham, cheese and even the bread all perfectly dissolved with each bite.

I'm a sucker for good fries and theirs served with the croque madame were scrumptious.

We got a couple of other things too but I was really trying to save some stomach space for Neapolitan style pizza from Bettola.

The chef at Bettola purportedly staged at one of the top rated pizzerias in Naples and also under Dario Cecchini, the "Dante quoting butcher" made famous by Bill Buford in his book Heat. So everything here is done from scratch including the charcuterie.

I have to admit that my allergies were getting the better of me by the time we got to Bettola. My sense of smell and resultingly taste, were getting fainter by the minute. Part of the things I enjoy about pizza, especially this Old World style, is the odorous medley of basil, cheese, sauce and crust.

Right before that first slice reaches my mouth, I like to take in the smells which I feel heightens my experience. Basically, it all seems alive to me.

Sadly, I could only sense the crust. It was chewy, perfectly yeasty and resilient to the sauce and melted mozzarella without being too dense.

But somehow I was able to taste how awesome this hand-rolled maccaronara pasta dish pictured above was. It was served with a rustic cinghiale (wild boar) ragú and captured the slow-cooked and comforting essence of Italian food that I love so much.

Birmingham is another regional city I'm adding to my list for solid food and fun restaurants. And since it's not too bad of a drive from Atlanta, I can't imagine there's anything keeping me away from future visits.

This post is dedicated to the memory of John Charles "Jack" Beck. Father of Livy Abele and Grandfather of Ashley Hall. He resided in Birmingham and passed away shortly before my wife and I spent this recent weekend there. I am certain that he realized long ago how fine of a family he has. Rest in peace Jack.

Oishinbo, Food Manga

2010-08-18T23:00:00.003-04:00

I've been reading these entertaining manga (Japanese print cartoons) books called Oishinbo that were released in English about a year and a half ago. The original series began in the early 1980's and have spawned a worldwide following including a hit television show. The name of the series are taken from the Japanese words oishii which means delicious, and kuishinbo which is a person who loves to eat.

The premise of Oishinbo involves two rival Tokyo newspapers aiming to devise "the ultimate Japanese menu." At one newspaper company, a lazy young reporter name Yamaoka with extensive Japanese food knowledge is in charge of producing the menu. At the other newspaper, his father Kaibara-sensei who is considered the ultimate gourmand and the head of a elitist food club is in charge of their retaliatory "supreme" menu.

Did I mention they hate each other?

I've read about three of the series so far as one of them can be finished in a single sitting. The only semi-complicated thing about them is that in true manga form, they are read from what we would think of as back cover to front and from top right to bottom left. But this really only takes two minutes to get used to and soon you'll be reading manga like a pro.

While reading these you may began to understand why passion for food, particularly of high quality, runs deep in Japanese people. Dishes and ingredients are not fictionalized and actual recipes for a dish highlighted at some point in a story is included at the beginning of each of the 7 English published books.

In Japanese Cuisine the first book of the series, there's one scene where Yamaoka-san and Kaibara-sensei are having a contest to see who can make the best rice dish. The older Kaibara wins because one of the things his cook did was remove any singular grains of rice that were broken, dark or cracked (picks them out against a black background to spot them easier) so the rice cooks more uniformly.

Why would one go to those painstaking details for cooking something especially when generally it would be marginally detectable? Because as the surly father proclaims "The most important thing in raising food to the level of an art form is to touch the hearts of those who eat it.. And the only thing that can touch a person's heart is another person's heart..."

That is the soul and spirit of Japan and the backbone of its cooking that has been most infectious with me.

Phở Xe Lửa

2010-08-09T09:30:00.009-04:00

I've been reading Anthony Bourdain's new book Medium Raw, and in one of the chapters he proclaims that the best way to see the city of Hanoi in North Vietnam is on the back of a scooter.

That way you can easily access the "good stuff", or what I presume to be pho stands and other bejeweled food outposts that are wedged in narrow street alleys and inaccessible by automobiles.

I like to envisage that when I eat at Pho Xe Lua in the Hong Kong Asian Market in Norcross, I just hopped off the back of a scooter and pulled up to one such place.

Of course the physical reality of Pho Xe Lua is far from my romanticized back-alley version but more like a food stall you would find in a H-Mart, complete with air conditioning and roof overhead.

But the point is, when I nosh and slurp on their pho full of vibrant greens, thin sliced onions and balanced broth flavor; I feel transported to a street stall in Hanoi on a summer afternoon.

On my first visit, I dived into a bowl of their pho tai nam gan sach (rare steak, flank, tendon and tripe) and with audible Southeast Asian chatter nearby, I could almost smell motorbike carbon dioxide mixed with sweat on my clothes.

The garnishes that come with the pho are a bowl of sliced jalapenos and lime wedges, and then a separate plate of jagged shaped culantro leaves, Asian basil and cumin flavored sprigs of ngo om (rice paddy herb) topped on a cool bed of firm bean sprouts—always fresh and of great quality helped by Hong Kong Market's constant rotation of produce, I'm sure.

On another trip, I saw some patrons with a side order of rare beef that they were dunking and adding to their large bowls. I gave it a shot too but found it to be a bit overkill as there were already enough meat parts in the soup for my taste.

The broth here has been my favorite of all the versions of pho I've had in the metro area. Why? Because as I wrote earlier, it tastes balanced. There is no overuse of star anise, not too salty nor under flavored, and just the right amount of rendered fat globules.

Complemented with consistently high quality of garnishes and meat, the pho here may very well be some of the best bowls of noodles I've had in Atlanta altogether.

Huevos Rancheros

2010-08-02T14:30:00.003-04:00

I've been wanting to make huevos rancheros for a while. I love it's simplicity and combination of flavors and my desire to dive into a recipe augmented when I had a wonderful version of it on my last trip to Charleston's Gene's Haufbrau.

The problem was that I've never made them before and I've never had a standardized style that was consistent. But I knew the bits and pieces that I liked and converted it to an adaptation that I enjoyed.

Ok, so the first I did was set out and find a recipe—I ended up using this is my base. The second was that I had no idea on how I was going to layer or plate the whole thing so I did an image search on this dish and came up with this databank of styles and recipes.

I have had the stew-y version popular at the El Charro/Amigo/Fundido at times but did not want a gloppy mess. I do like its flavor but it's just a bit too soupy for me. This looked great, but more Californian than I tend to enjoy.

On my first attempt over the weekend, I noticed that what really grabbed me about the dish was the sauce or warm salsa that is used in some versions. Staying close to the base recipe, that version of the sauce didn't connect with me at all.

So what I did was added more heat and spices: fresh jalapenos, black pepper and crushed red pepper. I also added some cumin and chili powder. Now I got the sauce right where I wanted it.

Everything else thereafter was layering. I like the addition of fresh avocado. I experimented with layering it on top or underneath the fried egg. I then topped them with chopped cilantro and cotija cheese.

This version was a nice compromise between savoriness and California fresh. It's a keeper.

Recipe -makes 2 (adapted from SimplyRecipes.com):
1 tsp olive oil
2 corn tortillas
2 fresh farm eggs
5-6 thin slices of fresh avocado
Butter
1/2 cup of refried beans, heated
Cotija cheese
Cilantro, chopped or pulled from bunch
Salt & pepper for taste

Sauce (adjust to your level of spice threshold):
1 Tbsp olive oil
14.5 oz can of whole/diced/crushed tomatoes (if bought whole, slice and dice. Crushing with fingers makes it stringy)
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced
1-2 fresh jalapenos, removed of seeds and ribs then diced
4 oz can of green chiles
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper or processed arbol chiles
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt and ground black pepper

1) For the sauce: Add the olive oil to a shallow pan and on medium-high heat, sauté the onions and jalapenos for about 5 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and reduce the heat to medium for about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste and set aside.
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3) Set your oven to a warming temperature of 150 to 200 degrees and add the refried beans to a small pot and gently warm on medium-low heat (or microwave).
4) Add olive oil to a frying pan and fry the tortillas on medium-high heat for about 1-2 minutes on each side.
5) Plate the tortillas on an oven safe dish and place in the oven to keep warm.
6) In a small frying pan, turn the stove to medium add a small pat of butter. Wait until the butter fully melts and when it slightly bubbles.
7) Fry two eggs sunny-side up.
8) Remove the tortillas from the oven and spread the refried beans on them evenly.
9) Add spoonfuls of the warm sauce over the refried beans and spread evenly as well.
10) Top tortillas with fried eggs and layer with avocado slices.
11) Sprinkle/Finish with cilantro, cotija cheese and salt/pepper.

Great Food Scenes in Movies

2010-07-13T11:28:00.007-04:00

Well if it hasn't already been obvious to some of you, the namesake of this blog was taken/inspired by the opening scene of the movie Eat Drink Man Woman which I embedded below.

Even though the cuisine in the scene is Chinese, the techniques, ingredients and fact that all of it is being prepared from as close to the earth as possible reminds me of how I watched Korean food being made growing up.

Unlike the video clip, my mom didn't raise and dispatch her own fish and fowl but the food preparation was time consuming and handled with a whole lot of love. I was spoiled by that and hardly have the time or discipline these days to cook and eat this way.
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There were a few good cooking related scenes from the movie Big Night but the one I liked the most was this one towards the end of the movie. So before you read on and click "play" below, be forewarned that this is a **spoiler** notification.

The scene above mainly focuses on Italian brothers who run a restaurant together and the aftermath of an emotional and costly sh*tstorm they put themselves through involving a last second Hail Mary attempt to salvage their business.

The scene is about 5 minutes of silence but speaks volumes about unconditional familial love, forgiveness and the soul mending powers of food elegantly staged in the hearth of their restaurant.
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I love ramen. It's the perfect affordable meal in a bowl oozing of palate tingling pleasure. At one point in my life, I idolized it. I did everything short of placing a bowl of it on a mantel and clasping my hands in a prayer-like motion while burning incense every morning.

So when I saw this scene above from the Japanese movie Tampopo, I belted out in laughter. The old man's reverence for the ritual of ramen eating is sometimes parallel to my own. Well, I'm not quite like this guy though.

"Appreciate its gestalt." Hahaha.
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Again from Tampopo, this a great clip where the young salaryman-to-be bucks conformity and displays a passion for food and impressive knowledge of French cuisine and wine. I love his boss's subsequent shock and doomed reaction.

How about you? Do you have any favorite food-centric movies and/or scenes?

Dear SFA...

2010-06-28T08:15:00.004-04:00

You came. You saw. You ate and conquered Buford Highway.

Infectious spirit. Impressive appetites and guileless thirst for knowledge and adventure. I enjoyed my time with everyone of you and was gratefully reminded what I was forgetting about being Southern.

Life loving. Life giving. One hundred percent genteel.

- Eat, Drink, Man...

Hakone, Japan - Ryokan/Onsen Experience

2010-06-25T10:45:00.004-04:00

There is a charming little mountain town a short train ride from Tokyo called Hakone where my wife and I stayed for a night during our belated honeymoon in Japan. I booked us a room at a ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) at a place called Hotel Senkei inclusive with onsen - hot springs baths.

Hakone is about a short 20-30 minute train ride from Tokyo and from what I hear is a popular weekend destination town for overworked salarymen and their families. We went during a weekday and pretty much experienced the whole thing to ourselves.

Unfortunately for me when we arrived, I was already beginning to feel the effects of travel stress, lack of sleep and abusing my body nightly with sake and Japanese beers. When I got to the ryokan, all I wanted to do was lay down in a dark room and curl up in the fetal position.

Hotel Senkei is a small inn with only 15 traditional-style rooms (outfitted in tatami) so personalized attention can be paid to each guest. Once we arrived, we were instructed to change into provided yukutas which we're told to keep on while on the hotel grounds.

We were then told that we can wash and unwind in their public hot springs bathing area on the ground floor of the inn, next to the main building. If you have been to an Asian themed hot springs then you know you get totally buck-naked and the water is crock-pot hot. After a while, your body will adjust and the water temperature actually starts to feel pretty therapeutic.

Inclusive with the room purchase is a traditional evening and breakfast kaiseki prepared by the hotel staff and served to you in your own room. Pictured above was our dinner of shabu shabu, sashimi, pickles, gohan (rice) and soup.

Here are some more pics:

After dinner, a small army of hotel employees come and clear everything away and then roll out comfy futons for you to slumber the night away on - what a comfortable night of sleep!

Rise and shine and then breakfast...

It took everything out of me to eat this meal. I love the textures and flavors of everything that I was served, but by this point I already had 15 straight Japanese meals and I was craving Western familiarity so bad. I was also a little sicker than the day before and I was OD'ing on too much of a good thing.

There was one little ramekin of yogurt and granola that I devoured but everything else had Far East stamped all over it. Regardless, I took most of it down.

After breakfast, I got to take a dip in the Hotel's outdoor hot springs bath. It sits on their top floor and is shielded from view so other hotel guests or prying eyes won't see you clamoring about in your birthday suit.

When I went it was around 40 degrees outside, but there's something about being completely submerged in hot sulfuric water while you can see your breath in the crisp morning air. My wife and I miss this already.

Woo Nam Jeong

2010-06-21T09:19:00.013-04:00

I've been meaning to get to Woo Nam Jeong since Sean of Take Thou Food posted on it last year. It's a fairly new entrant into Korean dining here in the Atlanta area and its twist on Korean dining that sets it apart from other restaurants is its nod to Korean Royal Court cuisine. My wife's birthday was this past weekend and wanted to take her here so I decided to go scope this place out beforehand and get a look at the menu.

Korean Royal Court cuisine started sometime in the 1300's and much like a Japanese kaiseki, it is a multi-course succession of dishes with a lot of influence on presentation. Even though Korean food is generally considered *gasp* peasant food, this style is probably the fanciest you'll ever see the cuisine get.

The picture at the beginning of the post is a typical example of a dish that was served to the royal court. It's called gujeolpan and is served in a octagonal shaped serving dish with various items such as meat, egg, egg whites, red bell pepper, mushrooms and haepari (jellyfish). I know this dish's preparation is a bit tedious so I pre-ordered two of these a day prior to my wife's birthday gathering. If you are interested in trying this, I recommend you contact the restaurant to do the same.

The food items on the edges are separated by contrasting colors and are supposed to be stuffed into the accompanying wheat pancakes provided in the middle of the dish like mini-tacos. Woo Nam Jeong also will give you a spicy sauce on the side for dipping the gujeolpan.

Our meal this past weekend was officially my second time here and so far I find Woo Nam Jeong's banchan to be quite stellar. Everything tasted vibrant and the combination of seasonal offerings have been fun and tantalizing.

The japchae pictured above was also pretty stellar and a lot better than the version I can make. We ate this all up pretty quickly.

We also ordered a couple of dolsot bibimbap (stone bowl rice dish); one regular that comes topped with a fried egg and another beoseot (mushroom) version. Both were pretty wonderful and had that addictive fried layer of rice (nurungji) at the bottom.

By popular demand, we also ordered budae jeongol which like typical jeongols here in Atlanta, it's cooked tableside in a wide shallow pan on a portable burner. This particular one is sometimes referred to as "army based stew" because of the interesting medley of ingredients thrown into it.

Back during the Korean War, American GI's gave impoverished Koreans their food rations provided by the good ol' USA such as SPAM, hotdog meat and instant ramen noodles. Trying to make the most of it, inventive Koreans threw all of this into spicy soup broth with whatever sparse vegetables they had lying around as well.

I know it all sounds funky, but it is quite enjoyable. Woo Nam Jeong's version was typical to all others I've had and we pretty much mopped it all up as well.

At the end of the meal, Woo Nam Jeong provided us with servings of sujeonggwa, which is a cool punch made from persimmon, cinnamon and ginger. It's like a healthy drinkable dessert designed to aid in digestion.

Being my wife's birthday weekend, we treated her to some karaoke across the street after our meal. It was an epic evening. That all said, I'm looking forward to future visits back to Woo Nam Jeong.

Makgeolli, "Drunken Rice"

2010-06-14T14:25:00.015-04:00

Update: I should have mention that before drinking this draft version of makgeolli (green bottle), shake it up! It will separate when left alone.

So when I was in Korea, my wife's family introduced us to a really delicious and popular rice-based adult beverage called makgeolli (pronounced mahk-khu-lee and sometimes spelled makkoli). There were four of us and in our first night in Seoul we plowed through ten bottles with multiple servings of some greasy galbi.

There seems to be some mystery surrounding this stuff and it has taken me a few weeks since I got back to wrap my head around it but I think I have a bit more insight into makgeolli after a little research.

From what I understand, it has been around for a while but it has started to become more popular with Koreans and non-Koreans fairly recently (supposedly a huge hit in Japan) largely due to is reported health benefits.

This article states ".. the popularity of the rice wine can be traced back to its vaunted health benefits, which include a massive amount of lactic acid bacteria—500 times the levels in yogurt—and dietary fiber, both thought to aid digestion."

This drink originally coined nong ju, or "farmer's liquor" is still fairly popular with Korean farmers but now it has found mainstream popularity and can be found in Asian groceries and restaurants all over the world.

To me, it's optimal when chilled and I mean cooler-chilled and not 20-year-old-refrigerator chilled. In most readings I found online about makgeolli, its almost always called a rice wine but in actuality and due to it's 6% on-average alcohol content, it's more of a rice beer.

If you've ever seen cloudy unfiltered sake, that's basically what makgeolli looks like but it has an added bonus of carbonation which is what made me instantly like this stuff. That ticklish gas is due to the presence of the aforementioned lactic acid, which is also similar to that sprightliness one can experience when eating kimchi.

However, when I got back to America I was confused about the specific type of makgeolli that I liked and the prices restaurants are charging for the stuff here in Atlanta. If you wander in any Atlanta Super H-Mart you'll see a special section for makgeolli with other bottles labeled as such.

As you can see in the picture above, there are MANY kinds. H-Marts tend to only stock a few of the ones in the white bottles, some in the glass ones, some in mini aluminum cans and lastly, the type you can get in the green plastic bottles.

On one ambitious evening, I swung by the Doraville H-Mart and bought every type they offered and had a taste test for one at home. They all lacked that fizz that I liked so to this day I just make a beeline to the green bottles, which including the brand I had in Seoul, has the right amount of effervescence.

One thing that really surprises me about makgeolli is the cost. In Korea, a bottle (I think around 24 oz in size) runs for about 1000-1300 South Korean Won. This translates to about $1.

At the H-Mart, the same sized green bottle runs around $4.99 which is not a big deal especially since it's mostly imported. In local Korean restaurants, they'll charge you about $15-18 for one of these same green bottle brands (I recently spotted makgeolli on Shoya's menu for around $16). That's three to four times the cost IF they are not purchasing it at wholesale.

Japanese Hitachino beers cost about $4.99 retail for a single bottle and commonly cost around $7-8 at restaurants/bars around town. The most I've ever seen it cost at a restaurant is for $11 at Craft Atlanta, who tend to inflate prices overall but that's a whole other blog post.

My guess is that restaurant proprietors are happy that they can charge these prices and are hoping that you simply continue to not care or that your awareness of its true cost gets lost in translation. My suggestion to them is to bring the price of it back down to earth.

This is a great accompaniment to delicious Korean food. I know you've got to run a business, but don't overcharge customers for something that was never intended to be out of their reach.

Geonbe!

Bullet Train to Tokyo

2010-06-02T15:12:00.006-04:00

We rode the infamous Japanese bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo.

How fast is it?

This fast...

The Famous CFC

2010-05-09T19:35:00.011-04:00

Chelsea Football Club.

The English Premier League soccer/football team that I religiously follow and the reason why I can be found at Little Five Points Brewhouse on numerous Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The sporting organization that seduced me some years ago and obligates me to wander distant city streets alone at ungodly hours or board a plane and travel across the country to watch them play some meaningless exhibition match.

For the past four years, major titles have eluded them. Some very painfully. Six managers in the past five years - four of which were in and out the door in the past two.

Well, what I'm trying to say is that Chelsea finally sealed it today. The 2009/2010 Premier League Champions. Take a bow, you all deserve it.

The video below shows the well greased machine that won them the title when they weren't having brief lulls. Notice that the ball never touched the ground from the start of the play. Enjoy.

In Kyoto, They Say "Ookini"

2010-05-07T10:30:00.002-04:00

The words for an emphatic "thank you" in Japanese is arigatō gozai masu (有難うございます). In Kyoto-ben or Kyo Kotoba (Kyoto speak/dialect), the word for "thank you" is ookini.

Our time in Kyoto was so wonderful and at our first dinner there we made friends with the friendly staff at Spoon. I can't put my finger on it but our engaging interaction with them that evening seemed to touch them deeply.

In parting, our waitress and chef told us "here in Kyoto we usually say ookini for "thank you" instead of arigatō." It was as if they were expressing a more profound and poetical meaning of gratitude rather than just spouting off a polite formality.

My wife and I were enraptured by the elegant charm of the city of Kyoto and its residents whose mannerisms and congeniality were infectious.

A little bit of our hearts stayed behind in our brief stay there but someday soon we hope to return.

In Kyoto they say ookini. In America we would reciprocate by saying you're very welcome and embrace you with a hug.

Click here for a photo set.

Dining in Kyoto

2010-05-06T16:25:00.003-04:00

I'll have to admit that Kyoto, Japan was probably the highlight of our trip. I didn't really get to dig down and plan an eating itinerary for the whole leg of Japan but I did get some reservations in on the two nights we were there.

Some food-centric highlights in Kyoto:

Nishiki Market

We found tako-yaki here so we stopped and got us some. These were scalding and gooey but oh so delicious.

We popped into this restaurant located centrally in Nishiki where I had some freaking delicious shio (salt) udon with roasted chicken. My wife ordered their equally tasty ten zaru soba.

Oh, we also got this big dish of fried tofu for an appetizer.

For dinner on our first night, we hit up restaurant Spoon, down the street from the market. We made friends with the staff and had a wonderful time. I actually loaned my SLR to one of the chefs and he took a few snaps with it back in the kitchen and what not (the pic at the very top is one of his).

This duck pictured below blew our minds.

As did this Aigamo rice dish below. It was mixed with what appeared to be broccoli raab and sea bream.

For lunch the next day, we went to a terrific restaurant (attached to a snazzy ryokan) called Yuzuya that John Kessler emailed me to go check out before I left. We're so glad we did. It was an excellent recommendation.

The pictures should speak for themselves.

This zosui (Japanese rice porridge, Juk in Korean; Congee in Chinese) below was insane. It was full of chopped greens, chicken, tai (snapper) and two raw eggs slowly poaching in all of that hot steamy holiness. The finishing touch was a peeled yuzu which the waiter eventually squishes all of its juices into the porridge.

Do you want to know what touching the hand of God is like? It was eating that zosui.

Our second and last night there, I had dinner at Yoshikawa Tempura which is another ryokan that has a restaurant attached to it that specializes in tempura. I said "I had dinner" because my wife got slightly sick earlier in the day and sent me to our reservations alone.

Unfortunately, the pictures above and below are the only ones I got off. As you can see below, its tiny. Twelve seats only in fact. However, that crowd was not the ones I was initially dining with. When I first walked in, there were four Japanese elders who looked like the most buttoned up regal set of people you've ever seen.

There were also three English folks sitting across from me passing through Kyoto for the night. The point is it was real quiet and resultingly, extremely uncomfortable. It just felt inappropriate to whip out my camera and start snapping away.

Ironically, when the Brits left those stately Japanese folks snapped to life by cracking jokes and even pulling out a camera. Other diners started to trickle in including some folks from Turkey, Switzerland and Spain. They also took out cameras and snapped away at everything.

Needless to say, I was already finished with dinner by the time I got off those two shots above. It was lovely. I had a wonderful variety of Kyoto vegetables, mushrooms, and shrimp served separately with their fried heads of course. The only thing I didn't like was some mealy scallops that didn't translate well to me as tempura.

Click here for a full set of flickr photos of our Kyoto food ventures.

Himeji Castle and Udon for Lunch

2010-04-30T14:00:00.004-04:00

Beautifully perched on what seems like the highest point in the town of Himeji is their famous castle. It's real easy on the eyes and constructed in the early 17th century. Back in the day when it was actually in use, the immediate area surrounding it was intelligently designed to thwart an enemy's momentum during their attack.

(image from wikipedia.com)

An outer moat surrounded the grounds, and any access points and paths eventually leading up to the castle were all designed and constructed at sharp angles with added security measures to thwart the aforementioned enemy momentum.

At each stalling point, defensive teams where positioned at higher vantage points where they could rain arrows, rocks and eventually gunfire down on their aggressors. Ok you get the point so I'll stop the mini history lesson.

That day that we went, it was crowded as hell. I mean I've been to touristy areas before but in Himeji and eventually what I saw in most other famous to semi-famous Japanese attractions was that tourism here seems to be on a whole other level. Luckily we got here in the late morning so the line (pictured above) to get all up in the castle wasn't nearly as bad as it was when we were done.

So when you are inside, it's all wood construction and you have to remove your shoes and place them in plastic grocery bags that they give you to carry around. Incidentally, Japan (and Korea) strive to be as non-wasteful as possible and they actually had a dude there whose specific job was to clean and straighten out all of those makeshift shoe bags for reuse.

If I recall correctly, the castle is comprised of 6 levels all accessible by very steep staircases and each progressive floor got smaller and smaller due to the tapered design. The top floor is actually pretty tiny and the castle overall felt smaller than it appeared.

We had lofty ambitions to be back in Osaka in the early afternoon so I could get my eating on but it didn't happen. I didn't get to eat okonomi-yaki, tako-yaki and kitsune udon which all have origins in Osaka.

We decided to pop into this udon-ya called Menme halfway between the castle and Himeji station and it turned out to be a good choice. The chef/owner pictured below in the white t-shirt has been making handmade udon for almost 3 decades.

There's another guy who helps him out with the boiling and a handful of women who assist in finishing the udon presentation and attending to customers. After the owner hand rolls the noodle dough he then cuts them with a contraption that I would die for.

They are then cooked in a large boiler next to the cutting table right before they are completed into sumptuous bowls of heaven waiting to be eaten from hungry noodle-philes such as myself.

My wife got their niku (meat) and I got their curry version. Soft, chewy, hearty and soulfully satisfying; all happening in a bowl.

Kuidaore (食い倒れ) in Osaka

2010-04-29T11:38:00.005-04:00

There is a word associated with Osaka, Japan called kuidaore that roughly translates to "to ruin oneself or go bankrupt by indulging in food."

Osaka is the second largest city in Japan and seems to be generally thought of as less glamorous and more working-class compared to Tokyo. It was the first Japanese city my wife and I experienced and we both enjoyed it quite a bit.

The biggest change in Osaka that I noticed from Seou l was the 15+ degree difference in temperature which was a welcome break. Seoul was starting to get cold by the time we left and I didn't pack for wintry weather.

Our hotel was smack dab in the Namba ward which is pretty much convenient to mostly everything that typifies Osaka culture and food. Down the street from us is the Dōtonbori which is a famous entertainment district.

We didn't "ruin" ourselves by overindulging in food and drink but we did eat. First up, a late lunch of conveyor belt sushi because why not?

Later on that evening, my wife and I stopped into a delicious izakaya called Kouroan where we struggled a bit with communication until I told our waitress the magic word - omakase.

Thereafter things were smooth sailing and we had a fun variety of sashimi, tempura, grill-it-yourself pork bellies, gohan (rice) mixed with mushrooms and veggies. And of course, all washed down with some sake and shōchū cocktails.

The next morning we hopped on the JR and took a day trip to Himeji (which I'll briefly address in the next post) but later on that evening when we got back we stopped by a truly grimy but delicious yakitori-ya (I can't remember the name but it's right across the street from Namba station).

We started off with some yummy seasoned tomatoes and grilled shishito peppers. Then we got a generous plate of raw awa-odori chicken breast which was served with sliced onions, shiso, real wasabi and soy sauce for dipping.

You are probably freaked out by the thought of consuming raw chicken but this was the bomb. I've heard and read that this is delicious and it was. In fact, my wife who is normally put off by this sort of stuff wholeheartedly enjoyed this as well.

We also got some delicious grilled chicken hearts and chicken tendon (nankotsu) and to show you all that I'm not completely about the offal and risky, we got some pork and leek skewers (pictured above) as well.

Directly next door to the yakitori-ya, was this tiny and wonderful cocktail lounge that also specializes in liquors of the man variety aka whiskey, scotch and bourbon.

I settled on a Glenlivet 18 because my palate finds the Japanese brands a bit thin at the moment, otherwise I would have been all about them. Here they served it with a small glass of water and topped it with a cover perhaps so I can hold onto my angel's share?

I watched our barkeep most of the night and his technique and handling even made pouring scotch over two austere ice cubes look achingly artful.

His process: Place two dense square-shaped ice cubes into a scotch glass; pour two fingers slowly over; gently turn the liquor over the ice with a long skinny bar-spoon to ensure proper coating and coloring. Drink.

Don't Cry for Me South Korea

2010-04-21T08:30:00.007-04:00

Seoul, like most of Asia I imagine, seems to have one foot in the past...

And two feet in the future...

And the food...

To me Korean cuisine is home cooked comfort food more than anything else. Check out the lovely spread from my wife's aunt which is how and what we ate most of the time in Korea.

And of course the style of dessert I grew up on, fresh fruit..

Then there is the unfamiliar, but delicious like the ox-bone soup below. The ox-bones are slow cooked and a restorative soup filled with collagen and protein is the result. This was cooked with a little bit of doenjang and cabbage leaves. Very similar to galbitang without the meat.

Then there's the real unfamiliar such as the soup pictured below that seems popular with Koreans called cheonggukjang. This was probably the worst thing I've ever tasted and I've eaten a lot of funky things. My wife and I called this "sh*t in a bowl."

And In Seoul, there is street food here and there...

This chicken on a stick below was meh.

Then there's beondegi (silkworm pupae) which is purportedly still popular with the old school set.

We didn't get the beondegi but got this cup of boiled snails. Mmmmmm, right??? My wife's cousin was eating this like popcorn all afternoon and I partook in a few of these muddy slugs which you dig out with a toothpick or blow out of its shell through a hole on one end.

Land of the Morning Calm \ Rising Sun

2010-03-30T11:26:00.007-04:00

Posts have been exceedingly infrequent, I know. And there about to be a lot less due to some upcoming travels.

First up - Seoul, South Korea. I haven't been back in almost 30 years and to say I'm excited would be an understatement. I'm sure not much has changed ;)

Then, we hop on a plane and head over to Japan. We're going to Japan Rail from city to city with Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo all on our short list.

My wife and I plan to eat our faces off while we're there so hopefully I will come back with some good stories and pictures. Stay tuned...

Eat This - Tiny Burger, Japo Dog, Phở and Bánh Mì

2010-03-23T08:30:00.001-04:00

Over by Emory University, there's a little outfit opened and run by the guys from Tin Drum Cafe. Cliff Bostock's Creative Loafing article tuned me into this new burger joint a while ago. I've been about three times but it wasn't until my third visit that I finally got one of their burgers.

They're smaller than your average burger and priced accordingly ($2.75, I believe). I found them to be pretty good and worth a try if you are in the area. If you have a big appetite, I recommend you get no less than two. I also got a side order of their french fries which were excellent. I didn't ask but I'm assuming that they buy their fries pre-cut into that perfect crinkly shape and season them with a generous amount of salt and parsley.

I mentioned that it wasn't until my third try that I even went for one of their burgers, it's because I usually liked to pop in and fill up on the weird looking hot dogs above. WWB calls them Teri-Mayo Dogs or otherwise known as a "Japa Dog" having creative origins in Vancouver, Canada as far as I can tell from my internets research.

They take a hot dog and lay it in a bun; then drizzle with Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and a sweet teriyaki sauce. It is finished with a topping of nori (roasted seaweed) which to me is the pièce de résistance. It might be a bit funky at first but I grew up eating seaweed so it actually works brilliantly here.

Wonderful World of Burgers
1561 N Decatur Rd
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 373-8887

The country has been lit up with bánh mì fervor. Personally I get more worked up about Philly cheesesteaks or Katz's pastrami's. I do really enjoy me a good bánh mì and for the most part, I just have been alternating on the offerings at Quốc Hương.

I finally made it over to Lee's Bakery (the other bánh mì eatery) after a lot of positive feedback on the webosphere and tried one of their bánh mì đặc biệt (Special pork combo) to which I added "fried egg" which actually was more scrambled rather than runny.

Their phở is the prettiest serving of these Vietnamese noodles I have seen here in Atlanta but the version I had above was a bit more aromatic (maybe a bit heavy on coriander, star anise?) and less savory than I prefer.

Overall, not bad and I will definitely add their bánh mì đặc biệt to my rotation.

Lee's Bakery
4005 Buford Highway Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30345-1684
(404) 728-1008

Station Identification

2010-02-26T22:18:00.005-05:00

Do not adjust your monitors or television sets, I am still around. This blog can be a bit labor intensive and sometimes you just need to take a break.

Thank you for checking in and I'll keep you posted soon. In the meantime, happy eating.

Long Weekend in Charleston

2010-01-21T10:19:00.015-05:00

Big fan of Charleston. The food there is awesome.

I get out there quite a bit since I have a couple of college buddies that live there. One of them recently had a kid so I drove out there this past weekend to pay little "Cal" (pictured above) a visit.

Here's what my friends and I ate:

As soon as I got there Friday evening we popped into Pearlz (West Ashley location) real quick so I can get my oyster fix. We quickly threw back a dozen and made our way downtown for dinner.

FIG. Stellar as always. Pictured is their "Crispy Caw Caw Creek Pork Trotters served with a Sunny Side Up Farm Egg and Endives with Mustard Vinaigrette." That was our favorite of the evening. Below that was my friends sauteed Virginia Flounder entrée which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy.

We also had a starter of the Sheeps Milk Ricotta Gnocchi Bolognese and I had the Waygu beef entrée but both pics did not make the cut. Everything was executed real well and tasted delicious. There's a reason the chef won the James Beard.

The next morning we met a crew for brunch at one of my regional favorites Glass Onion. I got their whole fried quail (sans head unfortunately) with a couple of over-easy eggs and a fluffy biscuit topped with their sausage gravy. Delicious.

If it's obvious, I generally will not go to Charleston and not go to FIG or Glass Onion. To me they just can't be replicated.

On Saturday night, my friends and I headed out to an early dinner at McCrady's. I've heard a lot about this place from Atlanta peeps and was excited to check it out. The main entrance to this good looking restaurant is off to a side alley and already struck an intriguing vibe with me.

The first couple of things we ordered was a pork terrine appetizer that almost made us fall out of our chairs. I also got their garden salad with buttermilk dressing and fried... Ok, frankly I can't remember what those fried balls were because I was getting quite blotto'd at this point.

My friends went with their 3-course tasting as it was Restaurant Week in Charleston and one of the things that was unapologetically delicious was their shrimp and oyster stew. It was hearty without being too heavy and the shrimp and oysters had the perfect bite.

As entrées my friends got their tenderloin that had the texture of silk and taste of subtle meaty umami enhanced by the shallow pool of sauce it waded in. It was also served with a soft-boiled farm egg.

My main course was their "Wadmalaw Island Poulet Rouge Chicken wrapped in Bacon" which in print sounded excellent but sadly just didn't do it for me. I'm pretty confident that this sat under a heat lamp or in the warmer for awhile until my friends' main courses were ready.

Resultingly, the poulet rouge was dry and rubbery and the sauce was already kind of gelatinizing around the upper rim of my dish. I also thought the overall taste was pretty mild. In hindsight, I probably should have sent this back but didn't think to at the time.

I'm sure this was probably a slight misfire in an otherwise splendid dinner and restaurant. I would go again.

The next morning was rough. I keep telling myself not to mix different drinks together but we forget so quickly when in the throes of fun socializing and dining.

My friend and I woke up and gathered ourselves pretty slowly. But then we finally got in a car and drove around metro Charleston for about an hour from hot brunch spot to hot brunch spot that were already forming mass lines by then.

So my friend asked, "what are you craving right this instant? I mean what could you eat right now other than Asian food?"

"Cheesesteak", I quickly responded. In my hangover pain, I just thought of the next best alternative to a Korean soup or Vietnamese pho. I wanted a greasy cheesesteak filled with griddled onions, gooey cheese and chopped meat all stuffed into a spongy bread roll.

Mission accomplished. We popped into DB's in James Island and my hangover started turning an about face almost immediately. Albeit slowly.

That's it.

Taiwanese Buns, Korean Filling

2010-01-08T11:15:00.003-05:00

So as promised, here's the "recipe" succeeding the "Pork and Kimchi" post. As I stated then, big fan of pork and kimchi and I really wanted to attempt to do something novel utilizing these ingredients.

Peking duck or David Chang's braised pork belly with cucumber are all fine fillings but being Korean, I could use something with a bit more punch. I wanted something that reminded me of Ippudo's spicy shrimp hirata buns in New York.

What better to use than Korean ingredients then? We love spice. We've got a never-ending list of interesting dishes that makes all foodies proud and mix with a little bit of my Korean cooking wherewithal (albeit limited), well, read on...

Initially it all seemed simple to me. First, figure out how to make the buns. Ok got a working version for now. Although let me add that I'm not completely satisfied with it. But it'll do for right now.

So the next question was what I wanted to put in it although I already had an idea all along. It would be pork belly seasoned/marinaded Korean style and kimchi. I've been using my own kimchi although my posted recipe needs an update as I've refined it a bit more. Regardless, store bought works fine here as well.

Lastly, how would I prepare and cook the pork? Well, that part actually was the easiest because I've been making a version of it using baby back ribs for a while now. I just applied the same process and marinade to big ol' chunks of pork belly rather than bone-in ribs.

Take skinless chunks of pork belly, douse in spicy marinade, cover or seal in a ziploc and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

When you are ready to cook, set the oven at 350 degrees, and then cook entirely for 40 minutes flipping it over after 20 minutes or half the cooking time. At my house, I find that it's more convenient to cook this in a toaster oven. The oven reaches the temperature in an instant and it's less of a production as well.

Note - if you don't want the pork cooking and commingling in its own rendered fat, rack it or place on a slotted tray that fits onto a pan.

Ten minutes into the cooking, I'll usually apply a bit more of the marinade to the cooking pork with the sauce to get some of the flavor going and also to caramelize the outside a bit. And when I flip the belly over halfway through cooking, I also give it another marinade application.

Forty minutes later remove the pork from heat and, voilà, spicy succulent heaven.

I let the pork rest for a few minutes to let it continue cooking and then slice it semi-thin and stuff it into my bao bread with some kimchi and scallions.

Since this isn't technically an actual dish (as far as I know), I think I'll call them Daegu Spicy Pork Buns, after my parents' hometown in South Korea :)

Recipe:

3-4 chunks of skinless pork belly

For marinade:

1/2 cup of dark soy sauce
4-5 Tbsp of gochujang paste (more to achieve thick consistency if needed)
6 Tbsp of sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp of ground black pepper
5 Tbsp of sesame oil
6 cloves of garlic, grated/minced
2-3 nobs of ginger, grated/minced
1/2 of Asian or Korean pear, processed
1/2 of sweet onion, processed
2 Tbsp of Shaoxing wine (red wine or sherry can be substituted)

(1) Mix all marinade ingredients together
(2) Add a liberal coating of the marinade to the pork bellies in a container or ziploc bag reserving some of the marinade for coating/brushing during cooking
(3) Marinate the pork in a covered or sealed container in the refrigerator overnight. If you are using a ziploc, place in a bowl or shallow pan to prevent any spillage that might occur
(4) For cooking, preheat an oven to 350 degrees
(5) When the oven is ready, cook on upper-middle rack for 10 minutes then apply a coating of the marinade to the pork.
(6) Continue cooking for 10 more minutes
(7) After the full 20 minutes, flip the pork over and coat it again with the marinade
(8) Cook for 20 minutes
(9) Remove from the heat and let rest for a few minutes
(10) Slice and serve with other ingredients below

Again:
Bao recipe
Kimchi recipe, or just go buy a jar..

This concludes my two part Pork and Kimchi series.

Christiane Lauterbach and I Talk Korean

2010-01-07T13:30:00.015-05:00

Sundae - Korean Blood & Rice Sausage

Pick up January's Atlanta Magazine and in it you'll find an article where food writer/ Knife and Fork's Christiane Lauterbach discusses Korean cuisine with yours truly.

She made a list of local Korean restaurants, I checked it twice, and some are naughty and some quite nice. And by "naughty" I mean that there are some Korean restaurants around town where there's a substantial presence of the less mainstream type of fare (Korean barbecue, soon dubu).

This lesser known type of Korean food can be offal, and in some instances ingredients such as black goat, raw marinated crab or monkfish. Atlanta Magazine's Bill Addison delved a bit into it recently around Duluth. Read about it here.

A while ago Christiane, my wife and I met at one of these places on her list that actually turned out to be pretty good. It's a relatively new place called Mirak located OTP on Buford Highway, sharing the same shopping center as the dreamy Bakery Cafe Maum (just the breads & desserts are good, coffee blows).

Pictured at the very top of this post is their sundae which is a wonderful steamed blood, rice and noodle sausage served with liver, tripe and saeujeot (shrimp dipping sauce). Not for everyone (including my wife) but I love this stuff.

We also got an order of japchae which is a dry cellophane noodle dish mixed with sesame oil, beef and vegetables. When I was a kid I HATED this dish. It was mostly because of the prevalence of sesame oil but I have gotten used to it and actually really love this now.

The dish above is agwijjim, which is a spicy serving of monkfish and bean sprouts. To me monkfish is typically not tasty on its own. Here it's drowned in a lot of spice and serving of sprouts. Its liver is a prized delicacy especially in Japanese cuisine (ankimo) and in able hands can be pretty heavenly.

Lastly, we got a large order of their haemul jeongol which is a seafood stew with all sorts of sea creatures such as shrimp, mussels, squid, and clams and then typically topped with fresh raw veggies such as enoki mushrooms, scallions and chrysanthemum leaves as you see here.

Jengols at restaurants around Atlanta are usually cooked tableside in large wide cauldrons and also have a nice surprise of noodles slathering about underneath everything else. Simmer everything until the vegetables just turn limp or blanched and it's good to go.

Food Near Snellville paid a recent visit to Mirak. As you can see from his post, you can get some other good things there if blood sausage or tripe isn't your thing.

Pork and Kimchi..

2010-01-03T20:40:00.003-05:00

Pork & Kimchi Stir Fry

Pork and Kimchi. In my opinion, the two most lethally delicious food items discovered by our ancestors.

The first (at least the cooked version) probably by accident. Maybe a pig was caught unlucky on the fringe of a forest fire thus omitting a wondrous smell to our hungry ancient ancestors lucky enough to stumble upon it. Hence pork, the other "white meat" was born. The belly - heavily marbled, wonderfully gamey and when cured with salt and smoke, bacon and a worldwide addiction followed.

Early men left their markings on cave walls, pottery or sculptures - illustrating their hunt and hints of reverence for the wild boar - the pig. Sus Scrofa.

Kimchi, originated out of necessity to preserve in more rural times. Started out as something simpler I imagine. Just some vegetables, seasoned with salt to relax and preserve, and a bit of tang emerged.

Eventually the recipe was honed. Garlic and crushed fiery peppers were added resulting in the birth of a wonder food for a nation. From everyone's first bite, love it or hate it the impression will never be forgotten. Its taste, pungency and funk will forever linger in the limbic system of one's brain.

Together, pork and kimchi are a deadly rebel force. A dish certain to induce cravings, satisfy the insatiable, and forge a cult-like devotion. I almost always order a variation of this pairing whenever I am at an Asian restaurant.

Most of the time, items made with both pork and kimchi can only be found in Korean restaurants. Kimchi jjigae, budae jjigae, kimchi bokum bap, samgyeopsal or just a simple stir fry of kimchi with pork

Kimchi Jjigae

At Atlanta's Shoya Izakaya, there is a stir-fried pork with kimchi dish - buta kimchi. On one occasion, I was eating with a friend who ate reservedly all meal long until this came out. His tempered dining all of a sudden turned into something resembling hungry sharks feeding on chum.

On another Shoya outing, a friend said that the stir-fried kimchi with pork was his favorite thing out of the twelve dishes that were had that night, besting the popular and hedonistic okonomi-yaki

Shoya's Pork & Kimchi

It's just impossible to ignore the perfect yin-yang arrangement they have with each other. One more mellow but rife of meaty flavor, sinewy in texture and generously laden with fat. The other having a crispy bite, spright in taste and wonderfully refreshing to the palate.

Together, they are better for us to be eaten. The kimchi will speed up the pork's digestion and cut down on the amount of saturated fat that our bodies will absorb from it. It's as if God purposely enabled us to discover that these two foods were meant for each other. Frick and frack.. Abbott and Costello.. Lennon/McCartney.

Pork and kimchi can sum up the reason foodies are obsessed about food. It's the perfect song. It's an item on the menu that would be a deal-closer for anyone wanting to impress their friend with their exotic ordering prowess.

Go taste this. It will communicate to you a great deal about why I love food. You may get it but you may not. But if you do, welcome to my food obsession.

A recipe to follow...

Good Riddance 2009, Hello 2010

2009-12-25T08:45:00.003-05:00

Here's to an economic recovery and prosperous 2010 for everyone.

My next post will be in the new year and I hope to start it all off with a bang.

Until then have a safe and wonderful holidays.

- Eat, Drink, Man...

Bao, Taiwanese Style Buns

2009-12-23T15:00:00.003-05:00

I made bao. Specifically, sandwich style bao popular in Taiwanese gua bao.

I initially tried David Chang's recipe but it was unsuccessful. I could not figure out the right flour and the yeast ratio didn't rise/activate the entire mound of dough. From what I read, his Momofuku empire supposedly doesn't make their own bao for his infamous pork belly buns and his published recipe was a rushed response for his cookbook.

Then I stumbled on author Andrea Nguyen's LA Times article inclusive of a bao recipe and was in business. Although, I had to adapt her recipe a bit to get desired results.

First the flour. Gold Medal Self-Rising works best according to Andrea. I agree. The "cake" flour David Chang mentioned in his recipe just didn't cut it for me.

I added 3 cups of flour, 2 Tbsp of sugar and 2 tsp of baking powder to my KitchenAid mixer and gently mixed all this together.

I then add one and a half tsp of instant dry yeast and a pinch of sugar to 1 cup of warm water (105-115°F) and gently whisk. About a minute later I add about 2 Tbsp of liquefied pork lard and mix. Andrea's recipe calls for canola oil instead of pork fat but I read somewhere that pork fat was better for taste.

I have made this bao recipe with canola oil and after using pork fat I can confirm a major improvement in taste. The canola oil route made the taste of the dough overpowering and didn't allow my other ingredients to stand out.

After about 5 minutes, the yeast starts foaming in the mixture and that fermented smell should also be detectable. I then slowly add this to the flour mixture while my KitchenAid is stirring at its lowest cycles.

I know enough liquid has been added when the dough becomes one single form and there are no remnants left in the bowl.

The dough then becomes this soft pliable porous mesh and then I form into a circular mound. As Andrea's recipe states, "..it should be tacky but not stick to your fingers." I then lightly coat the mound with canola oil and cover with plastic wrap in a bowl and leave it alone for an hour at warm room temperature.

After which, the mound should enlarge in size and is ready to be formed into bao.

I've been fooling around with the size I want my buns/finished product to be and I find that if you tear away enough dough to form something resembling the size of golf balls, then that seems sufficient to me. But by all means, if you prefer smaller or larger then that's completely up to you.

After I roll the dough pieces into spherical shapes, I then flour down a cutting board or clean surface area and start rolling out a circular oblong shape about a 1/4 inch in thickness. You will have to flour down both sides of the buns from time to time so they won't stick to the rolling pin.

Before I place the buns in the steamer, I lightly coat half the inside of the buns with canola oil, and place on pre-cut parchment paper squares.

At this point, I start heating up a wok with a shallow pool of water on the stove and start placing my buns in a dual level Asian bamboo steamer. It's important to use a wooden/bamboo steamer so the steam that travels through it sort of seeps into the wood as opposed to drip onto your buns.

I recommend that before you place the steamer in the wok, bring the water to a boil and reduce to medium heat. Then place the covered steamer in the wok, ensuring the water does not make contact with the first level, and steam for 10 minutes.

Now, what to put inside the buns? Find out in the new year...

Recipe (Makes about 16 medium buns):

You will need -
Rolling pin
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cup
Thermometer
Asian bamboo steamer
Parchment or Wax paper (will keep the buns from sticking to the steamer)
KitchenAid Mixer (optional)

For the dough -
3 cups of self-rising flour, recommend Gold Medal
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking Powder

For the yeast -
1 cup of warm water (b/w 105-115°F)
1 1/2 tsp of instant dry yeast
2 Tbsp of liquid pork fat
Pinch of sugar

1) Combine all dough ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix all together then set aside.
2) Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of warm water and with a thermometer, gauge the temperature.
3) Once the water temperature falls between 105-115°F, add the yeast and a pinch of sugar and gently stir.
4) A minute later, add 2 Tbsp of liquid pork fat and whisk.
5) The yeast mixture should start foaming and emit a slight fermented odor.
6) After 5 minutes or so, slowly add this to the dough/flour mixture and knead and fold all together. If you have an electric mixer like I luckily do, add the yeast mixture slowly to the dough on a low setting.
7) After another 5 minutes of manually kneading or electronically mixing, form the dough into a circular mound.
8) Lightly coat the dough everywhere with canola oil and place into a large bowl.
9) Wrap the dough surface with plastic wrap, careful not to leave any of it exposed.
10) Leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
11) After an hour or so, the dough should expand considerably in size. If it doesn't, your yeast must not have activated or was killed somewhere in the process. If so, you will have to start over.
12) Tear golf ball size portions from the dough and roll in your hands to form spherical shapes. This will make medium sized buns.
13) Lightly dust a cutting board or surface area and the pieces of dough with flour so it doesn't stick to the surface, hands or rolling pin.
14) With a rolling pin, flatten the pieces of dough into 1/4 inch oblong or circular disks.
15) Brush half of the bun with canola oil and place onto a 3"x2" cut out of parchment or wax paper. This will keep the folded parts from sticking to each other during steaming.
16) Place as many buns including parchment/wax paper in a bamboo steamer.
17) Bring a wok with a shallow pool of water to a boil then reduce the heat to medium.
18) Place covered steamer in the wok and steam buns for about 10 minutes.
19) Serve immediately with your favorite fillings.

Craving...

2009-12-18T10:26:00.003-05:00

Making Soba Noodles at Matsugen from Zagat Buzz on Vimeo.

Yukhoe (육회) - Korean Style Steak Tartare

2009-12-15T10:30:00.010-05:00

Tartare, it's not for everyone but I admittedly enjoy the stuff. When I was a kid, I used to sneak into my mom's marinating bulgogi and snag raw strips of beef right out of the fridge. Even though I knew I was rolling the dice with meat that wasn't prepped to be eaten raw, I just couldn't resist.

The smell and sight of uncooked beef marinating in soy sauce, garlic, pepper, sugar and sesame oil was just too intriguing and downright tempting. I remembered it tasting really freaking good and I didn't get sick like I was always told I would if I ate uncooked meats.

I recall being told why it was taboo but I also didn't know that there was steak tartare or a Korean version of tartare called yukhoe (yook-hwe) that some people emphatically eat.

So many years ago thinking about those days of eating my mom's uncooked bulgogi, I thought I would revolutionize dining and make people this Korean version of steak tartare that I didn't know already officially existed. I thought I was so cool.

Although I will say that my version here strays from the traditional Korean style of how it's prepared and presented. The first thing I do is take a high quality and fresh cut of beef and stick it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to slightly harden it. This will make cutting it a lot cleaner and simpler.

For the beef, I purchased a small cut of lean sirloin from Whole Foods. A lot of recipes for yukhoe out there call for rump or chuck. I just find these cuts too tough for my tastes. Technically, the beef is also suppose to be cut in strips resembling flimsy julienned pieces of meat, but I opted for a more diced style a la our Frenchie friends.

Yukhoe also differs from French style tartare because Koreans like to season it with the typical soy sauce, garlic, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper blend that you find as the foundation of a lot of Korean dishes. In my version, I add about 2-3 tbsp of the seasoning to about 5-6 oz of the meat and mix it all up together by hand.

Then I form the mold with a small mixing bowl and plate on a glass dish that has been sitting in the freezer for a while.

The final part of my assemblage here is to serve with crispy baked lotus root (yeonggeun) chips and matchstick slices of Asian pear and topped with a raw quail egg.

Yukhoe is typically served with julienned pear and sometimes cucumber and Asian radish. Koreans like to mix all this together with a raw egg and eat with chopsticks. They also like to dip this into a gochujang mixture for added flavor.

I happen to like the more European style of eating with chips of some sort so using lotus root was an idea I borrowed from Shoya Izakaya's basket of renkon chips.

Ingredients:
5-6 0z of high quality sirloin (or your favorite lean cut of beef)
1 quail egg, raw
Asian pear - 1/8 slices, peeled and cut into matchstick strips
1 Tbsp pine nuts (optional, I did not add here)

Marinade/Seasoning:
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
Dash or two of ground black pepper
2 Tbsp of sesame oil
1 clove of finely minced garlic
1 Tbsp of finely diced green onion
1/2 tsp of toasted sesame seeds

Recipe for Yukhoe:
1) Stick the cut of beef in the freezer for 30 minutes
2) Make the marinade/seasoning above
3) After 30 minutes, remove the beef from the freezer and slice and dice in thin chunks
4) Add 2-3 Tbsp of the marinade/seasoning based on your taste preferences to the meat in a mixing bowl
5) Mix the ingredients all by hand
6) Place and fill yukhoe into a small bowl for molding
7) Turn over on a plate which may require a bit of tapping to fall out
8) Plate with matchstick pears and top with a raw quail egg
9) It will probably require an indention for the egg to sit on top of the yukhoe
10) Mix and enjoy eating!

Lotus Root Chips (this should be the last thing you do):
1 fresh lotus root, peeled of outer layer and sliced into thin chips
Peanut oil
Salt
Water for boiling

1) Bring an oven to 350 degrees
2) Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a Tbsp of salt
3) Add the sliced lotus root chips to the boiling water
4) After 3-4 minutes, remove the pot from the stove
5) Remove the chips with a slotted spoon or strainer and place on paper towels
6) The chips will be kind of gummy so dot and wipe with towels
7) In a shallow pan, oil and lightly salt the bottom
8) Lightly oil and salt the lotus roots chips
9) Cook for 8-10 minutes on each side until slightly golden brown
10) Remove and place in bowl or plate that has been lined with a dry paper towel or grease paper
11) Serve with yukhoe

This may all seem hard and a lot going on here but really it's not since there's really not any cooking going on other than the chips. It's just prep work and you can be refrigerating/covering things while the chips are cooking.

Disclaimer: Consumption of raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, seafood or shellfish, or unprocessed fruit juices used in tropical drinks, may increase your risk of foodborne illness.

Shimeji Hoiru-Yaki (Foil-Baked Mushrooms)

2009-12-07T11:36:00.006-05:00

From Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook by Mark Robinson, I adapted the recipe for foil-baked shimeji mushrooms.

Walk into any Asian grocery and you'll always find these clusters of white or brown shimeji mushrooms all year round. I almost always buy a package or two as they can be used in so many things such as soups or stir fries and they keep relatively longer than enoki or the ubiquitous button mushrooms.

The recipe is pretty simple. Butter, salt, a couple of paper thin slices of lemon and then wrap in foil and grill over a low flame for about 10-15 minutes until the package bulks up. Using tongs, I recommend you keep turning the bundle over for even cooking.

After full cooking time - slice open the foil packet lengthwise, add a dash of your favorite soy sauce and enjoy. I also like to top with some diced scallions for a bit of texture contrast.

Eat This - Calamari Zuppeta, Tagliatelle and Tori Soboro

2009-12-02T10:00:00.003-05:00

La Pietra Cucina
One Peachtree Pointe
1545 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 888-8709

There seems to be a handful of places and dishes around town that food writers, bloggers and yelpers tend to unanimously agree on being yummy. The restaurant La Pietra Cucina is one of the places.

I was sold on my first visit. I've been back many times since and have never been disappointed. Each time I go, I almost always get their Calamari in Sicilian Tomato Zupetta (little soup). It's a stunning and vibrant tomato-based broth dish containing silky tender calamari, tiny vermentino grapes, cous cous and pine nuts.

On each of my visits, the restaurant seems to be struggling with customers. My only explanation for this would possibly have to be the prices and the level of authenticity here that may seem a bit intimidating to those just looking for more stereotypical Italian fare.

I know, it's the economy right? Regardless, this is some of the best Italian in the city. I've also had their house-made tagliatelle with ragù/bolognese (pictured above) and you won't find this dish done better anywhere else. It's soulfully satisfying and will be another notch in your subconscious on what you deem addictive.

My advice is to go check this place out now and often so they won't pack up and relocate someplace else where they feel they would be more appreciated.

------------------------------------------------

Yakitori Jinbei
2421 Cobb Parkway
Smyrna, GA 30080
(770) 818-9215

I've written about or referenced Yakitori Jinbei a few times in the past. I've had everything here from their binchō-tan grilled namesake or both versions of their hearty and comforting ramen.

I usually pass on their sushi but they do regular Japanese traditional food pretty well. I work nearby so this place tends to get a lot of my business. I've explored quite a bit of their menu already and one thing I'll revisit from time to time is their minced chicken rice bowl, or tori soboro.

It's just a simple rice bowl topped on one side with seasoned minced chicken and the other half a thin slab of egg resembling a small omelet. The dish is then finished with a topping of beni shōga (or red pickled ginger) which serves as a welcoming palate redirection.

I realize the "chicken and egg" irony of this dish but it is still comforting and a perfect lunch item for these encroaching colder days.

Gingko Nuts

2009-11-23T23:14:00.002-05:00

All right, this post isn't as elaborate as some of my cooking on here in the past but bear with me people. Baby steps.

Every so often I get these tasty little gingko nuts at a Japanese restaurant most often offered and eaten as an accompaniment to beer, shōchū, or sake.

Historically, these nuts have origins in all Asian cultures whether ingested in hot bowls of congee, Korean yaksik (or yakbap) or some Japanese mushimono dish. I've had them in all of those but they're just as good toasted in their hard shells and then extracted and dipped in salt.

I like to toast them in a dry skillet on medium-high heat for about 7-8 minutes while constantly shaking them around. Then I let them cool a bit and then start eating these with some beer and salt for dipping.

The trick is how to get those electric-greenish yellow globules out of those shells. Even when toasted, they are still sealed tightly shut. A part of me wishes they would crack open a bit like cooked bivalves do on their way to their dirt naps.

I found that there are two pretty effective ways of getting these open and not making a huge mess in the process. First, you can take the heavier end of a butter knife and give the nut a couple of raps while laying it on a towel/napkin.

It will split open a bit and then you can start peeling a way and eventually dig that tasty little sucker out.

Second, take the bulkier end of the nut and line up the edges b/w your upper and lower front teeth, and then gently chomp down. Most of the time, the nut shell will split open perfectly along its natural edges allowing you to cleanly pry apart the rest of the shell.

Lastly, the edible gingko nut itself will be covered in a thin sheath much like regular peanuts are. Sometimes, this thin skin is kind of a pain in the ass to completely peel off but I really don't mind it at all. It's edible and probably has riboflavin or niacin in it. I don't know if that part is true, I'm just sayin'...

So what do they taste like? Very mellow, mild peanut-like flavor, a little gooey in texture and then a slight bitter finish which can be tempered when eaten warm.

Though when paired with salt and beer, they're snack heaven.

Eat This - OTP Pizza and Gyros

2009-11-20T11:35:00.000-05:00

I don't really have too much else for you at the moment except a ton of iPhone pics of my eating ventures. I've also decided to rename this series "Eat This" rather than "Around Town" for no other reason than preference.

LaBella's Pizzeria
2635 Sandy Plains Rd
Marietta, GA 30066
(770) 973-0052

John Kessler unveiled this pizzeria via an article he did at the beginning of the year when he went and had lunch with Jeff Varasano.

A friend and I checked it out shortly after the article and we both liked it. Really liked it. They make their pizzas to order so there are no pre-made ones sitting around waiting to be reheated. I've been back a few times since and it's pretty good stuff. My favorite is their house special pictured above.

It comes with everything on it including onions, which I usually hate on pizza but here it's shaved thin and somehow kind of burns a bit crispy when cooked in the oven. I brought their white pizza to a friend who is a huge connoisseur of that style and she said it was the best she's ever had.

Christos'
2900 Delk Rd SE Ste 1700
Marietta, GA 30067
(888) 820-1322

Christos' was introduced to me by a coworker who happens to love their gyros and the tomatoes that they use in some of their dishes. They also make some pretty good looking Greek-style pizzas which I've never had but they do look delish. They sort of resemble Chicago deep dish but not quite as deep.

I've had various dishes here but the one I always seem to revisit is their gyro plate topped with feta cheese. The last time I was here the pita was over-cooked and a little crunchy but just a slight misstep in an overall consistent restaurant.

Oh, and the tomatoes are pretty good.

Tip: If you go for lunch, this place can get packed so get there early.

Eat This - Japanese Curry and Tacos

2009-11-18T10:04:00.001-05:00

Lately I'm way over bringing my DSLR camera around to places where I eat. But I'm finding that my iPhone is coming in pretty handy.

Not only does my snapping away go unnoticed to other patrons and restaurant staff, I can now sit and eat comfortably without that uneasiness that goes along with having a bulky attention grabbing DSLR at your side. I'm just low key, that's how I roll.

Admittedly the quality in photos are sacrificed, but what I lack in visual aesthetics I will try to void-fill with some dazzling wordsmithing. Maybe in the future I can compromise with some sort of high quality and compact point-and-shoot, but in the meantime enjoy the first of these "around town" roundups.

Ege Sushi
2100 Roswell Rd
Marietta, GA 30062
(770) 977-7690

Ms Bliss put this place on my radar and every so often I'll trek it up there for lunch. I like the food and vibe here overall as it has a true Japanese feel to it. It's not mind blowing but it's definitely worth the trip if you are in the area.

One day I got lucky and got to try their curry as a lunch special. They only make this once a month and they purportedly start preparing this a few days in advance culminating in slow cooking all the spices, pork, beef and chicken broth together the night before it is served.

The flavor of this is wonderfully hearty and spicy and it comes served with a single cutlet of fried tonkatsu and rice.

Taco L1000000
2084 Favor Rd. SW
Marietta, GA 30060
There's a taco truck located in Austell, GA that I have written about a while ago and on a recent visit I found it as tasty as ever. It still affirms that they are my favorite tacos here in the Atlanta area.

I got a couple of their pastor (spicy pork) tacos and also a mulita which is sort of a smaller version of a quesadilla. It's chock full of melted cheese and any meat of your preference (pastor, barbacoa, chicken, lengua, etc) and sandwiched b/w two small corn tortillas then fried on each side.

This recent time around, they doused all my tacos with their special hot sauce. I recommend that you ask to keep the sauce on the side so you can taste the slow-braised and tender deliciousness of the meats. I think this place is also cash-only so come prepared.

Momofuku Ssam (Wraps)

2009-11-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

My friend in Charleston made Momofuku's Steak Ssam with some insanely fresh looking bibb lettuce and all I got was his taunting pic of it.

Here's another published recipe.

Get the Momofuku cookbook here.

Antico Pizza Napoletana

2009-11-13T15:57:00.013-05:00

"Hello, your table is ready.."

Dinner for 8 on a Thursday evening at Antico Pizza Napoletana. A new pizzeria located near the Georgia Tech campus here in Atlanta. Our friend Cathy booked their kitchen table that can be reserved for a $50 deposit.

When marimba rhythms start to play, dance with me, make me sway

We're being led to a rustic table outfitted with bowls of grated parmesan cheese and peppers marinating in olive oil. The kitchen floor is a bit slippery due to flour residue and speakers are BLARING of Italian music shuffling from traditional to modern to Italian-American.

One of the two only female workers in the pizzeria approaches us as we just sat down and asks "everything ok?"

"Sure, maybe a corkscrew for our wines and glasses as well please" I respond.

Blank stare. Her English appears to be very limited so she gets one of the guys who we relay our request to and he returns with glasses and a corkscrew.

Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, hold me close, SWAAAYY me more

There's Enrico Liberato, former pizzaiolo of Fritti, manning 3 ovens cranking out 1000+ degrees of blistery wood burning heat. To the right of the ovens, all male employees including the owner are taking turns stretching and flattening out the dough, saucing, and topping.

Curious customers, bloggers, amateur photographers and videographers are trickling in all night getting a closer look at the raucous operation.

"Everything ok?" the friendly and smiling lady with limited English returns.

Like a flower bending in the breeze, bend with me, swaaaay with ease

"Just shout out what you want!" we're instructed by the crew of hard working Italian men happily inviting us to join in their frenetic pizza dance.

"Umm, how about a Margherita and a San Gennaro?" I say meekly and certainly not heard over the amplified music.

Blank stares and blinking from the pizzaiolos and my fellow diners. Ok, let's try this again. "Margherita!! San Gennaro!!" I shout.

"Coming right up!!" they collectively respond.

Revelation.

"Everything ok?" Our helpful friend reappears.

Two minutes later two fire kissed pies emerged at our table with steam billowing from them.

Cheese is gooey, outer crust is charred and tasty but the center is a bit soupy. I either have to eat my slice with a knife and fork or fold it the way it is recommended in illustrations - fold lengthwise and fold in the tip as well.

"Diavaola!! Capricciosa!!"

Two more pies are brought out. The first, a variety of spicy salami with sweet red peppers. The latter, prosciutto cotto (cooked), artichokes and mushrooms.

Flavors - delicious. The kitchen dining experience - romance materialized.

"Everything ok?" You bet.

When we dance you have a way with me, stay with me, swaaaay with me...

Five Hail Maries, Three Benedictions...

2009-11-11T17:25:00.006-05:00

Bless me readers, for I have sinned. It's been over a month since my last posting and I have been committing some food-related offenses.

These are my sins:

(1) I am dieting. Not just limiting my portions, I've been eating healthier lately and have cut out a lot of drool-worthy dishes out for the time being. I've also been exercising like a fiend which has been making me more conscious about what I'm putting in my pie-hole.

(2) I've been avoiding bacon - It's a sodium thing.

(3) I've cut back a lot on Korean food. Well, restaurant Korean food at least. Yes I know, the holy of the holies (it's related to the sodium thing).

(4) I've kicked my near decade-long Diet Coke habit but have been jonesing for some sort of soda alternative. So I've been mixing natural juices with club soda and/or purchasing drinks like GUS (Grown Up Soda) here and there.

(image from drinkgus.com)

GUS can be pricey but it's right up my alley. It's lower in calories than regular and other upscale sodas and they use natural cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. You can find 4 packs of this at Whole Food and I also found these sold individually at the new Savi Urban Market in Inman Park.

(5) I never really been a junk food person but I am always up for snacking. Just because I've altered my dietary habits doesn't mean I'm munching on carrots and celery sticks either. I've become quite a fan of the Kettle brand potato chips, particularly the baked and lightly salted ones.

(image from kettlefoods.com)

I find them to be better than the regular run-of-the-mill kind and are made with only three ingredients - potatoes, safflower/sunflower oil and salt.

(6) I'm hardly cooking these days. (A) - I'm in a rut, (B) I haven't had the time these days and (C) - there's too much football and fútbol going on.

(7) All this time, I've pretty much just been eating Japanese and have had the same 4 places on my rotation. Don't know how exciting that would be to readers with my non-cooking-same-Japanese-restaurant-eating self.. I don't think I'm dedicated enough to become "Japanese Food Report South."

(8) I've somehow managed to overdose on food news, reporting and culture but I will find my way back here soon.

- Eat, Drink, Man...

50 Incredible Lectures for the Ultimate Foodie

2009-10-08T14:25:00.004-04:00

I was sent an email recently from the folks over at OnlineSchool.net that aggregated numerous lectures dubbed "50 Incredible Lectures for the Ultimate Foodie" featuring discussions by food heavyweights such as Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan and Ferran Adrià from elBulli.

I don't really do much food celebrity plugging over here at Eat, Drink, Man... but I got through a good handful and find the lot of them to be pretty interesting and educational. Most of them tend to be health conscious so don't expect a lot of pork glorification.

Give a look here if you're interested.

Help: Local Farms Need Flood Relief

2009-09-29T08:57:00.005-04:00

(image from slowfoodatlanta.org)

I saw this on Bliss's blog and thought I would do what I can and spread the word.

You can help by making donations payable to "Georgia Flooded Farms Relief Fund" and sending them here:

Georgia Flooded Farms Relief Fund
P.O. Box 2641
Smyrna, GA 30081

More info can be found on Slow Food Atlanta's website.

On Getting Older...

2009-09-20T22:59:00.005-04:00

Lately I'm realizing my body is telling me that it's time for a lifestyle adjustment. As much as I would like to blog day in and out about food, I find myself faced with an omnivore's dilemma. For me it seems that every several years I recognize significant changes in my body that tell me it's time to adjust or reevaluate my diet and or exercise regimen.

Five years ago I realized that no matter how much exercise I was doing with the schedule that I had, I wasn't going to be at an acceptable weight unless I practiced portion control. Being more of a voracious eater back then and a bit over my target BMI (body mass index), I reined in my eating and trimmed about 15lbs and held that weight for a few years.

But in the last 2 years or so, even with a disciplined diet and consistent exercise regimen the weight started creeping back up. Not only that, bouts of acid reflux were making it's presence known more frequently with foods that I've been eating my whole life.

This blog, as much as it has been a great outlet for my love of food, has also been the biggest propagator of weight fluctuations. Since starting it, I quickly shot up 10 lbs but then regrouped and dropped 5 and have been holding that level ever since.

Unfortunately, I'm still a bit over my target BMI level which is truly not anything to get in a fit about but for me, I feel puffy and know I could do better.

I'm lucky to have a great example in my father, a 74 year old Korean male who has been constantly lean and healthy due to an outstanding diet and daily dose of exercise in the form of landscaping 5-7 acres of property for the past 40 years. He has always been on his feet for his job and when he came home, he would have a healthy home-cooked dinner and would then go landscape until pitch dark. I've seen a lot of men his age in various stages of physical and mental atrophy but he still moves and thinks as sharply as ever.

While my father's weight, athletic prowess and physique has remained constant his whole life, I've bounced all over the place during mine. To this day he still eats moderately as he did growing up in Korea albeit without starving himself, and I still can't resist warm baguette smeared with soft butter and foie gras.

I'm not nearly as disciplined with my overall habits as him but his lifestyle starts making more and more sense to me as I'm progressing to 40. Lately, I've been incorporating a lot more walking into my weekly and weekend routine. Drives to the grocery are now enjoyable longs walks and if there's anything I want or need that I can get nearby, well then I'll hoof it.

Heavy meals are less frequent and replaced with lighter fare where dinners have become the lightest of the day. I'm also becoming less inclined to use the camera while cooking and eating out (outside of traveling), and have been reverting back to meals being an intimate pleasure between family and friends uninterrupted by snaps of photo taking.

I haven't quite figured out what this means for this blog, but food and my love for it may take on a form of less hedonism and more overall responsibility. Either way it's been enlightening and however I plan to continue I hope it will still be enjoyable.

Noodles and then Home...

2009-09-08T10:05:00.006-04:00

So before heading to the airport, we walked over to the Uwajimaya Market in the International District to get a bowl of ramen. There is a ramen-ya attached to the market called Samurai Noodle that I wanted to check out that opens at 10am each day.

The market also is host to a Japanese food market, bookstore and a handful of Asian eateries in a food court style setting. It's no secret I'm a fan of ramen, so any chance I can get to try different city samplings I'm going to jump at it.

The menu is pretty extensive for most ramen-yas that I've been. One thing that I haven't seen before is the amount and variety of extra toppings one could get for a little extra dough.

We ended up getting this block of spicy cold tofu as a starter that was topped with menma shoots and scallions. This kind of reminded of a variation of a popular Korean dish. The red sauce tasted somewhat similar to Korean gochujang but milder and nuttier in flavor.

So even though the large menu (a couple of pics up) is large and sits above-and-to-the-right of the counter where you place your order, there was nothing at eye level that told us extra toppings could have been requested. As a matter of fact, we realized this after we had already ordered and sat down.

We ended up going with a regular tonkotsu (pork bone based broth) ramen for myself and the shoyu (soy sauce broth)-tonkotsu blend for my wife. They both came standard with a few fatty slices of chāshū and inclusive with scallions and kikurage (wood-ear) mushrooms.

You can also specify how cooked you wanted your noodles from soft, medium and firm. J specified medium and I chose firm but we agreed that medium was the better way to go for al dente.

Overall, the ramen was just ok. I wasn't a fan of the firm noodles that were in mine. They were just too thin and had no bite. I've also had better tonkotsu broth (also have had a lot worse) and more fat than meat was represented in my slices of chāshū so that was a bit off-putting.

With bowlfuls of hearty ramen in our bellies, we sadly set out for the airport and bid a fond adieu to the city of Seattle.

The End

View of Elliott Bay during the Magic Hour

Well that does it for the trip. Thanks for being patient while I slowly have been getting through putting up these posts.

So before and after this trip, I have heard so many comments about the perception that it rains all the time in Seattle. In actuality, this is a gross misconception.

Here in Atlanta, we received about 51 inches of rain last year to Seattle's 37.2". And if you do the math on those links, Atlanta averaged about 4.25" of rain per month to Seattle's 3.1". As a matter of fact, New York got 45.4" of rain last year which is 8.2" more than Seattle's.

If you also notice something on those links, starting around the Spring, Seattle's total rainfall drops dramatically (and does not pick up again until October) while Atlanta, New York and most other eastern cities stay the same or pick up. According to this study, the Southeast gets the most rain than any other region in the US.

However according to this study, there are a lot of overcast days in Seattle (226 on avg since 2002) compared to Atlanta's 149 or New York's 132 average days of cloudiness per year.

When I was there 15 years ago, it was in the heart of their rainy season (November through January). From my memory, the rain was never like the show-stopping "subtropical monsoons" we can get here and I don't recall it ever being a complete negative deterrent to enjoying the city.

Regardless if you have never been, go you must. The people are incredibly friendly, the food is fantastic, and the way of life is completely infectious.

Tom Douglas Restaurants - Serious Pie and Dahlia Lounge

2009-09-07T09:23:00.005-04:00

Serious Pie - Back to Belltown

After Le Cote from the previous post and before heading to Bainbridge Island, we ended up doing a bit of walking because I wanted to reinvigorate my appetite for some pizza our friend's family/hosts told us about from a pizzeria called Serious Pie.

If there was one restaurant that sat high on my "must go" radar it was this place after my friend's father described how much he loved it to me. As he was explaining this place, it was as if he went into a trance - hypnotized under some quixotic spell induced by his memories of the dough and ingredients used by the pizzeria.

I won't lie to you. Even after a light breakfast, bottle of cider, and a filling crêpe - I would have ordered three or at least two of their pies. Unfortunately due to our crammed schedule and our basketball taut bellies, we realized there were only ambitions for one pizza especially since my wife seemed to have thrown in the towel with eating back at the crêperie.

As we sat down and perused our pie options, it was as if I was faced with a food decision as serious and gut-wrenching to me (but infinitely less austere) as Sophie's Choice.

For starters - Melons and speck? Peaches and burrata? Venison carpaccio? No, it was made clear to me that I would only be helped with a pizza. Hrrmpphh!

But then my eyes viewed the pizza offerings. Penn Cove clams and house pancetta! Guanciale, soft egg and arugula, are you kidding me?? And oh God, there she is. The standard... Bufala mozzarella and San Marzano tomato sauce... So simple sounding, but so deadly and seductive. Come here you.

But we didn't. We ended up going with something that sounded too intriguing to pass up. A simple truffle cheese and roasted chanterelle.

Oh Jesus, the crust. Addictive, crunchy and tender to the teeth all at the same time. Oooohh, woodsy elixir of chanterelle umami counterbalancing gooey melted truffle cheese... I will stop before I pass out.

Dahlia Lounge - Another Tom Douglas Venture

In 1994 Seattle chef Tom Douglas won the James Beard award for best new chef in the Pacific Northwest. Four years later, he opened Dahlia Lounge which is a sultry exotic setting showcasing his command for Pacific Northwestern cuisine.

I probably should mention that Serious Pie is also one of his latest ventures too.

When I spent the day with my friend's parents, they gave me a breakdown of what Pacific Northwest cuisine is. It's fish, shellfish, crustaceans, meat, vegetables and fruit most likely plucked from the closeby waters and farms; then combined with American or Asian ingredients/spices and cooking style. In a nutshell, it's a melting pot cuisine.

This being our last night in town, we were almost going to go to one of the more Spanish-centric places on our host's list. But we realized we haven't truly had an all encompassing meal that highlighted Seattle to us.

Unfortunately we walked in without reservations right when it started to get dark and the place was real dark inside as well so that means there are no pictures. Yes I know, sorry to tease. But here are some on their site. And here are some flash photos on Flickr that you can view as well.

So let me just go ahead and say it. Even though our table was horrible (not their fault, we were a last minute walk-in after all), this was one of the best meals I've had all year. We started off with their curry samosas cutely shaped like drumettes that crumbled neatly into our mouths. The flavor was well balanced and absolutely righteous.

They also do these "Little Tastes from the Sea Bar" of which we ordered their Dungeness Crab with grilled scallions and kimchi. This was a morsel of all ingredients interlaced with each other and was yum. As was the Puget Sound geoduck with spicy melon that was also from the sea bar.

For an entree I went with their strip steak with scallion butter on a bed of smoked corn, green beans and bacon hash. It also came with a cheese and potato croquette on the side that was perfectly cooked and flavored.

After all the seafood I've been eating I was craving meat like an animal and this was probably the best steak I've had in a while.

My wife got the lamb saddle with barrel aged feta dumplings and broccoli rapini. This was perfectly cooked and a wonderful combination of flavors all on the plate. From what I remember, she thoroughly enjoyed this.

This concluded a long day of exploring and eating. My next post will finally wrap this trip up and I can get back to Atlanta-centric and/or cooking stuff.

Tranquility and Beauty...

2009-09-04T10:45:00.002-04:00

Our last full day spent in Seattle started off with a light breakfast in the hotel and then off to the Japanese Tea Garden/Arboretum. It's a 3.5 acre garden located in the Seattle neighborhood of Madison Valley.

There is also a small teahouse located centrally in the park that one can participate in a formal Chado (Japanese tea ceremony) on select days/times for a small fee. The garden is stunning and immaculately maintained and someday we hope to go back and participate in the tea ceremony.

Snacks - Crêpes

After our little garden tour, we walked south down Madison Ave and were perusing our lunch options in the area. Unfortunately a couple of places on our host's master dining list were not open until the evening so we improvised and found ourselves at a Breton crêperie called Le Cote.

We shared a refreshing bottle of chilled cider with a fantastic la verte (butter lettuce and herb salad) and J and I ordered a couple of savory crêpes. I got their galette complète (emmental cheese, ham and a fried egg which I first had in San Francisco last year) and J got one with ham, tomatoes and I think spinach.

They both were very tasty and the whole meal hit the spot.

Bainbridge Island

You can take a round trip foot/vehicle ferry for about $6 per person from Seattle to Bainbridge Island which is about a 30 minute trip from the city. If anything, one should do this mini-excursion for the view of the downtown skyline when you pull away.

And if you are lucky, like we were, you'll get a magnificent view of Mt. Rainier.

Bainbridge Island is a quaint place with a concentration of charming storefronts and restaurants that are about a 5 minute walk from the ferry. We didn't really stay too long but we did manage to make a pit stop for some coffee and ice cream.

A Long Day of Eating Sea Creatures...

2009-09-02T11:11:00.011-04:00

Appetizer - Oysters on the half shell

The Monday that I was out in the city of Seattle, my wife impressively tagged along with me while my belly explored the dining options around downtown and the adjacent neighborhood of Belltown.

We popped into Brooklyn Seafood, Steak and Oyster House (after doing a walk-through of the über modern public library) so I can get my oyster fix and I fell in love with the Kusshi's all over again. Although the Barron Point's from Lower Puget Sound were just as impressive with a refined oyster flavor and a lingering umami finish.

I want to pony up to an oyster bar with a bottle of champagne thinking about this right now.

Lunch - Wild Ginger

After I wolfed down a half dozen oysters, my wife and I walked over to a closeby shi shi Pan-Asian restaurant that was recommended to us called Wild Ginger.

The place was good. Real good. Ingredients were fresh, service was spot on and the restaurant itself is easy on the eyes. We started with their Siam Lettuce Cup appetizer which was a mound of lime flavored halibut that you spoon into leaves of butter lettuce and then wrap and pop into your pie-hole.

We also got an order of Seafood Thai noodles which was a gooey plate of wide and flat rice noodles wok-fried with seafood of all varieties.

And on a friend's urging, we also ordered the house specialty of Fragrant Duck which was duck seasoned with cinnamon and star anise served alongside steamed bao buns and fresh herbs.

Like I said, it was real good and the ingredients used could not have been any fresher. Although, I felt our dishes were a bit watered down and the menu/restaurant in general are appeasing the spice averse and willing-to-pay-extra-for-atmosphere types (see Slanted Door in San Francisco, Woo Ae Ok in Manhattan).

I had to ask for some sambal on the side which took forever to get as the noodles would have been "meh" without it. The duck could have used a bit more punch in flavor and I would have preferred it to have a crackly outer skin to contrast the fluffy softness of the bao bun.

Nothing wrong with it. The place serves its purpose. That day it was mainly packed out with business luncheon types looking for something safe, impressive and professional. Succeeded on all three.

Dinner - Sushi at Shiro's

We finished our day with sushi at Shiro's in Belltown. Back in the day, the chef/owner Shiro Kashiba founded and presided over the sushi restaurants that were in some of the Hotel Nikko's across the country. I remember back in college there was always mention of a great but expensive sushi bar in Atlanta's Hotel Nikko.

I never got to try it back then nor did I know of its origins until now. The hotel has since scaled back its presence in North America to apparently just a San Francisco location and Shiro's signature is long gone.

The night J and I went, Shiro-san was not there but we were being attended to by "Shiro-san #2, #3 and Suzuki #1" according to the entertaining chefs.

We started off with an appetizer of shisamo (female smelt fish, roe intact) of Norwegian origins which were excellent and tasted like milder anchovies. I also got a serving of their mozuku su which is a vinegary brown seaweed with grated radish.

Most people I know are averse to mozuku due to its slimy texture but I love it. It's light, refreshing and good before or after a heavy dish.

We also got an order of their live tiger prawns which they would then dispatch and then plate as nigiri. Thereafter, the fried delicious heads were given to us. This was the best version of shrimp heads I've ever had. The meat tasted like fresh crab and not like the usual mealiness on most heads that I've had.

We then treated ourselves to some more nigiri style sushi and was served some geoduck (mirugai), horse mackerel (aji) and from top to bottom below - kaki (oysters) gunkan style beautifully presented in its half shell, engawa, and hotate-gai (scallops) slightly seared and topped with their special nikiri sauce.

Although we weren't blown away, Shiro's was solid. To be fair, Shiro-san himself was not there and I think this was a Monday night which had the atmosphere of most other restaurants on a Monday night.

Pike's Place Market

2009-09-01T11:21:00.010-04:00

Ok, so I have been back from Seattle for a while now but am knee-deep in work and other stuff so these Pacific NW posts are coming along at a slug's pace. Bear with me.

Pike's Place Market is a bustling tourist friendly destination for out of towners looking for a food related thrill in the form of local fishmongers throwing fish to and fro to each other. But that doesn't mean there aren't any gems in here. I already wrote in the previous post about how good Maximilien's is.

J and I spent a Monday morning here gnoshing on a breakfast crumpet from The Crumpet Shop, then walked around and checked out the fresh local seafood and produce that the market owners put out on a daily basis.

When I came out here to Washingston state, it was the first time I've heard or even seen of these fruit hybrids called plumcots or pluots (plum+apricot) as pictured above. Needless to say, I didn't try one so I wouldn't be able to describe them to you.

The market itself has a lower level and a lengthy indoor walkway lined with storefronts and vendors of all sorts.

"Post Alley" is an outdoor alleyway that runs parallel to the market and also contain a handful of storefront and sit-down eateries.

The market is also home to the original symbolic "bastion of capitalism" - Starbucks. If you notice, the original logo is actually brownish-red in color and the Mulesine's bosom was uncovered revealing her naked breasts.

As cliché as some may think it is, the market is a fun place to spend a morning.

Ballard Farmer's Market, Fremont, and Dinner at Maxmilien's

2009-08-25T13:16:00.002-04:00

Slightly north of downtown Seattle is the neighborhood of Ballard. Two Sundays ago, I made my way back to the city from Whidbey Island to meet my wife (who flew in) and we spent the day with our friend Melissa's parents who are longtime residents of the area.

Not only are they wonderful people they are incredibly knowledgeable of the area and fellow lovers of all things food. After a leisurely drive through their lively neighborhood of Alki Beach, we went and picked up my wife at the airport and headed to the Sunday farmer's market in Ballard.

Here we snacked on some samples of artisan cheeses, breads, ice cream and fresh Rainier cherries that are my newfound fruit love that a mate introduced me to from a stand back on Whidbey Island.

De Libertas Quirkas - "Freedom to be Peculiar" in Fremont

We then drove around some more Seattle neighborhoods making a pit stop in Fremont which is famous, well, for being peculiar.

The most notable things in Fremont are the large and permanent "landmarks" scattered throughout the neighborhood. The most obvious one is the real Russian rocket fuselage that has been attached to the side of a bar.

There is also a large statue of Vladimir Lenin situated in the heart of the neighborhood supposedly salvaged from the country of Slovakia after the fall of communism in the Soviet Union. And what would Fremont be without an actual troll under a bridge?

Dinner at Maximiliens...

Our hosts finished off the Sunday tour of Seattle with a wonderful dinner at Maximiliens which is an old school French restaurant located in the heart of Pike's Place Market (I will post later on the market).

We got some Penn Cove mussels in a creamy broth and a dozen of Fanny Bay oysters on the half shell which were both so good I wanted to slap myself.

I got their Loup de Mer (sea bass) served with a lobster sauce, polenta, sauteed greens and golden beets. My memory is fading faster these days but I do remember it being pretty good and all well cooked.

My wife got the halibut with a port wine cream sauce and parsnip whipped potatoes. I do recall this being pretty delicious as well.

Our first day in Seattle was fun-filled with great weather, food and excellent hosts who impressively framed the rest of our memorable trip for us.

Whidbey Island, Washington

2009-08-24T08:19:00.002-04:00

I recently was out on Whidbey Island for my friend Tyler's bachelor party weekend which is an island north of the city accessible by ferry.

Tyler wanted to do something pretty tranquil and not fall into the Vegas-like stereotypes that are associated with male heavy occasions such as this. Fine by me. Whidbey Island was a pretty perfect setting for a chill weekend of eating, fishing and beer.

Food-wise we all took a shine to a place called Toby's in the town of Coupeville that serves delicious mussels farmed from the nearby Penn Cove Shellfish. Penn Cove is also home to award winning oysters that we unfortunately did not get to sample.

Toby's also has excellent pub food. I was a big fan of their open faced chili cheeseburger which hit the spot after a long night of drinking. The halibut fish and onion rings also tasted as if they were handmade by the fry gods themselves.

The rest of the weekend alternated between some more fishing preceded by or followed with more eating and drinking. Wash, rinse, repeat.

We also had some guides that gave us some lessons in fly fishing which I've never done before.

On the island, there are blackberry patches everywhere we looked. I also noticed a few random brushes in the city of Seattle later on in the trip but on Whidbey they're everywhere.

Right out in front of our vacation house, there was happened to be a good one bearing some choice fruit. I picked a bowlful and made some jam with it. Tyler's future brother-in-law provided some assistance.

You basically mush up the berries, heat it up with some sugar and pectin (we used lemon juice) and you eventually get jam.

There was a lot more that we did such as trekked it out to the beautiful Deception Pass and ate at a few other good restaurants but I think what I have here captures the essence of the fun weekend we all had.

And So It Begins, the Pacific Northwest...

2009-08-20T22:24:00.011-04:00

"The Mountain is out", Mt. Rainier

Around fifteen years ago I stumbled in Seattle shortly after graduating from college on some sort of meandering Jack Kerouac/Beat Poet sojourn hoping that I could inch closer to unraveling the complexities of life that I was so eager to quickly answer.

Unfortunately I was in such a hurry of getting on with my life, I left Seattle not really giving it a chance nor taking the city and the surrounding area all in.

Deception Pass - Whidbey Island, Washington

Well, after all this time I finally returned last week and started with a friend's bachelor party on Whidbey Island, a bit north of Seattle. There were no strippers, gambling or shots of tequila taken one after the other.

Quite the opposite actually. Our week involved long, sunny and tranquil days of fishing, eating great food, and drinking an endless amount of cold beer. Perfect for a basket of mid-30 year olds whose years of raising hell are long behind them.

After 4 nights and 5 days of island living, I met my wife back in the city of Seattle for a few more days of urban exploration which I will get into later on.

Seattle and the Pacific Northwest

2009-08-20T11:45:00.002-04:00

I'm back from a week long trip out to Whidbey Island and Seattle.

I had to lock down my twitter account because when I got back last night I saw that there were about 8 new porn accounts following me offering their "services". So instead of having to cull and purge these annoying n'er do wells from time to time, I decided to deny them entry right at the door.

Although, if you are legitimate please don't hesitate to request to follow my as-close-to-real-time twitter updates. I won't deny you unless you suggest we meet in some roadside motel for a "hot and steamy encounter".

I will be posting about the trip shortly.

The Incredible Edible Egg

2009-08-10T13:00:00.012-04:00

There's nothing quite like an egg.

On its own its an utter culinary luxury accessible to both the rich and poor. Added to a dish whether it's infused in a mix of batter or presented as a separate entity or contrast component, eggs simply raise the bar.

I prefer my eggs, specifically the sumptuous yolk, more on the runny side in the form of fried (sunny side up), poached, soft-boiled or even served raw over steak tartar or certain Japanese offerings.

Eating a hard-boiled egg on its own makes the yolk too chalky in consistency and sulphuric for my tastes. But mashed up into an egg or chicken salad or transformed into deviled eggs is something entirely delightful.

Brushing or dunking your favorite foods in an egg wash before frying helps other components adhere to bring out a nice outer crunch. Adding it to homemade pasta seems to give the dough some resiliency. So not only is it amazing on its own, its utilitarianism is obvious in many dishes all over the world.

Eggs are a culinary wonderment that Tony Bourdain and my friend Tyler claim makes them "egg sluts".

If you are still not convinced. Fry up some eggs sunny-side up and toast some fresh slices of yeasty bread or better yet, some English muffins. Poke the yolk and then dip pieces of your bread in all that runny hot mess and enjoy.

2009-08-05T16:58:00.005-04:00

This is my moms. Today marks exactly 5 years since my family and I lost her to cancer.

I got a forwarded email from a friend today that had a recipe for kimchi from a friend of his mother's that he thought I should check out.

At the bottom of the email, his friend wrote, "I've tasted kimchee all over the world, including Korea - my mother's kimchee is still the best. ".

I should say that I think the exact same thing about my mom's cooking. Hers was the best.

Bulgogi - Korean "BBQ" Beef

2009-08-03T09:20:00.003-04:00

If you have been following this blog for a while then you had to have known that I would post a recipe on Korean barbecue sooner or later. Actually, I wouldn't really classify bulgogi as "barbecue" since in most homes it's generally cooked stovetop. At least that's how I saw it made a lot growing up.

It's mainly in Korean restaurants where you can request thicker cuts of bulgogi grilled tableside on gas or charcoal grills. Although if you are solo dining, they will usually only serve you bulgogi directly from the kitchen more in line with homestyle versions.

My mom's and most of my parent's friends' bulgogi were generally thinly hand sliced from a cheap but lean chunk of meat such as chuck/shoulder or rump. Since those cuts of beef tend to be a bit more sinewy, lots of manual tenderizing went into the preparation technique as well. This was how I learned to make bulgogi and sometimes the way I still prepare it when I have time and want a cost efficient way to make lots of it in volume.

However, don't despair. If you are near an Asian market, specifically a Korean one, you can usually find packets of pre-cut bulgogi beef. But if you grew up in the rural South like I did where regular grocery store butchers won't cut beef the way you want, well than you may know a lot about slicing and tenderizing.

Recipe for 1lb of Bulgogi (serves 4-6)

1 lb of pre-sliced or thinly sliced meat cut into small stir frying sizes*
*In Asian marts I usually see pre-sliced Rib cut. This is sliced real thin and is tender enough so no tenderizing is needed. If you go with a different cut of beef like shoulder, flank or rump, you should tenderize. Additionally, you can ask your butcher to slice the beef real thin if you do not want to do the work.

Marinade
1/4 cup of dark soy sauce
3 Tbsp of sugar or brown sugar
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
3 Tbsp of sesame oil
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1/4 cup of diced green onion, reserve a pinch or two for topping
2 Tbsp of Shaoxing wine (red wine or sherry can be substituted. I found my last batch made with Shaoxing was nice!)

For cooking
1-2 Tbsp peanut, vegetable, or canola oil for cooking
1/2 tsp of toasted sesame seeds
Diced green onion
Onion slices
1/4 cup of sliced mushrooms

1) Mix all ingredients together for the marinade.
2) Add marinade and the sliced beef in a bowl and mix it all together with your hands.
3) Allow the beef to marinade minimally for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Longer for thicker or tougher cuts of beefs - this will also help tenderize it a bit.
4) Heat a wok or pan on high heat and add peanut oil and swirl the oil around.
5) After about two minutes, add the beef which will cook quickly.
6) After most meat has browned, add mushrooms and onions and cook for 1 more minute.
7) Place meat on serving dish and top with sesame seeds and scallions.
8) Enjoy with steamed rice and assorted banchan.

Takashi Osawa of Yakitori Jinbei

2009-07-30T12:52:00.006-04:00

Takashi Osawa or whom I affectionately have always referred to as "Taka-san", passed away on July 15, 2009. I had lunch there recently and their waiter Jay-san informed me that he had cancer.

He was the chef/owner of Yakitori Jinbei off of Cobb Parkway here in Atlanta which also happens to be a solid Japanese restaurant and on my regular rotation for ramen and yakitori.

He was a kind man and not to mention incredibly hard working. He always had a smile on his face and headed up one of the few places in town that does okonomiyaki, tako-yaki and yakitori all pretty well.

I am hearing that there are no immediate plans to change anything and business will continue as normal for a while longer.

Rest in peace Taka-san.

Umaido - The Atlanta Ramen Wars?

2009-07-28T12:13:00.007-04:00

This past weekend the wife and I ventured out to Umaido in Suwanee and our initial impressions are pretty favorable. Umaido is a South Korean owned venture originally from the southern harbor city of Pusan, South Korea. It appears that the Suwanee location might be the "first toe in North American waters".

Apparently young Korean ramen otakus have been shuttling back and forth from Pusan ports across the Korea Strait to the Fukuoka prefecture in the Kyūshū region of Japan via high speed ferries called hydrofoils. Their purpose - to seek out ramen-yas that specialize in tonkotsu (pork bone based) ramen.

So around the Fall of 2007, two South Korean brothers decided to open a ramen-ya in Pusan specializing in Fukuoka tonkotsu ramen and Kyūshū region style of noodles (thinner and straighter). Then around March of 2008 they opened Umaido at the front door of Pusan University.

I first saw the thin style of noodles and a Korean owned ramen-ya in New York this past winter. This concept was not new to me but seeing Japanese ramen executed again with Korean flair threw me off a bit. I am used to ramen-yas being wholly Japanese in execution and customs. Not a bad thing just saying...

When you enter the lofty-looking noodle shop, the employees will exclaim proclamations and enthusiastic greetings at you. The front of the restaurant showcases sheets of noodles being hand drawn and rolled up which are then eventually machine-cut to form the Kyūshū style shape.

Walk deeper into the restaurant and to your right you will see large cauldrons of ramen broth kept hot by industrial burners. That's when I knew that this was the real deal. At every one of their many table and available counter spaces, there are pitchers of bodi-cha (Korean barley tea) and air-tight containers of peeled garlic cloves and pickled ginger. A garlic press is also provided at every table which I presume means that the garlic addicted Koreans can add more of it to their ramen.

On our visit, a small offering of fresh cut chives topped with Korean gochujang pepper sauce was brought out and we were then motioned to their menu which is taped to a teeny tiny napkin holder on our table. The restaurant offerings are written in Japanese on one side and English on the other. Bring your eyeglasses.

We ordered their regular tonkotsu version "Ramen Pork Based Soup" and their karai (spicy) tonkotsu "Ramen Pork Based Spicy Soup" with a side order of their gyoza (fried dumplings)

The regular tonkotsu ramen came topped with raw bean sprouts, diced scallions, kikurage (wood ear) mushrooms, three succulent slices of chaysu (roast pork), a whole soft boiled egg, and māyu - a black oil made from charred garlic and irikuro goma (black sesame seeds).

Funky as that all sounds, it was wonderful. The thin noodles were a delight and the soft-boiled egg was also an excellent surprise because I was expecting it to be hard-boiled.

The spicy tonkotsu ramen came beautifully topped with the same ingredients as the regular tonkotsu except for an added flair of thin onion shavings. The tonkotsu broth fused with spicy chili oil was also wonderfully hearty and warmed me to my soul.

The gyoza came with a side of chili oil for dipping and was probably the least impressive thing here. I've had better but I've also had a lot worse. The wrapper was thin and the dumplings were nice and crunchy on the fried side but really didn't taste like much.

And if you are still hungry and are willing to shell out a little, you can get an additional single order of noodles or pay just a bit more than that and get an unlimited amount. Extra chaysu is also available if it's pork that you want.

Overall, I'm excited for this new foray into the ramen-ya arena that is limited here in the Atlanta area. Let the Atlanta ramen wars begin!

Lunch:
M-F: 11.30 - 3.30
Sa-Su: 10.30 - 3.30
Dinner:
M-F: 5.30 - 10.30p
Sa-Su: 5.30 - midnight

Adventures in Udon, Part II - Like a Beautiful & Unique Snowflake..

2009-07-27T12:15:00.002-04:00

So round II in my pursuit of homemade udon, I found myself racking my brain for what type of toppings I should use to complete the udon meal. In my experience eating home-cooked and restaurant versions, it seems that toppings can range from very little to a handful things where nabeyaki udon sits at the most unctuous of the udon chain.

Nabeyaki udon is traditionally served in a cast iron hot pot with dressings such as a piece of shrimp tempura, tenkasu and a collection of seasonal vegetables. It's my favorite type of udon but for an inexperienced noodle cook like myself, making nabeyaki would take a while to get down.

Regardless, I decided to keep it simple during these first attempts until I felt more comfortable nailing down the right flavors of the soy/mirin soup broth and when my tempura skills vastly improved.

Toppings

On initial udon samplings I made, I have been using the little caps of brown shimeji mushrooms, thin slices of kamaboko, parboiled spinach, diced scallions, and tempura-fried shimeji stems* that have been left over after I removed their caps. You can find most of these items from the H-Mart or any other Asian grocery.

* Tempura recipe generally calls for 1 egg yolk, 1 cup of cold water,1 cup of tempura batter or sifted flour - all gently mixed together with chopsticks

If there's a consistent theme that I see in all types of Asian cooking is that nothing is wasted. Hence why you sometimes see a floating bed of tenkasu floating around in udon soup or rolled up in sushi restaurant rolls sometimes - they don't want to waste tempura batter. Thus, I don't want to waste perfectly edible mushroom stems.

Noodles and Broth

I boil up some freshly made udon from the previous recipe, gave it a rinse in cool water to wash off excess starch and begin adding my toppings. Below, I've also added a dash of black sesame seeds (irikuro goma).

Once the fresh toppings have been added, I then ladle a couple of servings of hot udon broth** over the top which also slightly cooks the raw mushrooms and thinly sliced kamaboko.

** Udon broth is 8 1/3 cups secondary dashi, 3 tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2tbsp sugar

Then my last little pièce de résistance is to add a soft-boiled egg***, a sprinkle or two of togarashi and nosh away. I add the egg after the broth because the broth will cook the egg yolk it bit and make it slightly hard-boiled.

*** I find that to get a good soft-boiled egg, take a large egg at room temperature and boil for 6 minutes. Then remove and add to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Carefully and slowly peel using a bowl of water or a gentle stream from the sink.

Loud slurping encouraged.

My Mini-Vacation to the City of Angels and How I Learned to Love It...

2009-07-23T13:07:00.023-04:00

Going to Los Angeles to me is like going to Vegas, but without the industry of gambling lingering overhead. The energy, pace and socializing all intermingling in that hot west coast beach weather alludes to what the Strip must be like these days.

My friend Cindi from the old college days has embedded herself in the hotel industry out there so she served as my amazing guide for the three days that I was out there.

Due to the networking advantages of her being in a managerial position for the Kor Hotel Group and also being a fellow food lover, we were all over the place. Any given hour of my trip was as unpredictable as a college football season. Unfortunately, the camera had to stay back most of the time as I didn't want to have to lug it around.

First stop directly from LAX - Father's Office in Culver City. Their new location is bigger and has a more expansive pub feel to it than their Santa Monica location. It was a Sunday when I got here but it felt like Friday night. The bar was packed 3 deep and there was nowhere to sit but we finally found 2 spots and jumped at them.

We got a small meal of Spanish mushrooms marinated in red vinegar and accented with a bit of thyme and jerez, a basket of sweet potato fries and their infamous burger. People in this town equate Father's Office burger as one of LA's best if not the best.

It comes only one way and supposedly one should not ask to add any additional nor subtract any of the stated ingredients from the menu. They make their patties with dry aged beef and top it all with caramelized onions, gruyere, maytag blue cheese, arugula and applewood smoked bacon. In my opinion it is good, but slightly meh compared to the burger options here in Atlanta.

Sawtelle Blvd aka Little Japan

Ok, close to Santa Monica there is a neighborhood that locals refer to as Sawtelle as it is a reference to a street called Sawtelle Blvd that runs right through.

It's basically a conglomeration of Japanese businesses and restaurants. I was in heaven and wanted to go to every little spot but we only had time to hit up one of my friends local reliable. It's this place called Blue Marlin which is a casual spot that specializes in Japanese-American fusion food.

The menu offers a bunch of curry dishes, salads and spaghetti plates made with both Japanese and American products. We got an Albacore tuna salad, wild mushroom curry and a egg-noodle based spaghetti dish with uni (sea urchin) and spinach.

I am still dreaming about the spaghetti dish. I know to some or most, uni is a wretched thing but I love it. It came topped with nori, was incredibly creamy and perfectly al dente.

Hotel Chamberlain

Ok so after lunch in Sawtelle, we checked into the Hotel Chamberlain nestled in the hills in West Hollywood which is one of Cindi's hotel. She thought we deserved a little "staycation" while I was there so we can lounge by the pool and experience how rock stars get treated like when they're there.

Speaks for itself doesn't it? Just so you know, there were no groupies and I also did not wake up with a "mom" tattoo.

Animal

Later on that evening we met up with one of her friends in the tiny dining room at animal in Hollywood which similar to Abattoir here in Atlanta, is a restaurant that specializes in nose-to-tail dining.

For starters we got their pig ears with lime, chili and a fried quail egg; sweetbreads with creamed spinach and hen of the woods mushrooms. Thereafter we asked the server to pick out a few more things of her choice.

She brought over the melted petit basque (cheese) with chorizo and garlic bread. And for entrees we got their infamous foie gras "loco moco" with spam, fried quail egg and hamburger. And a flat iron steak with artichoke hash and truffled parmesan fondue.

Let me say that absolutely nothing here disappointed. Decadent, amazing ingredients and executed incredibly well.

Chelsea v Inter Milan

Well the trip concluded with a venture out to Pasadena to take in the Chelsea v Inter Milan World Football Challenge exhibition tournament that is currently going on all over America and will conclude this Sunday evening.

Chelsea happens to be my favorite English Premier League team and Inter Milan won the Serie A last season so I thought it would be an exciting match up to take in. Additionally, Inter Milan's current manager Jose Mourinho used to manage Chelsea from 2004-2008 and won the Premiere League titles twice in that time so he's like a god to Chelsea fans.

I had 12th row midfield seats which were spectacular but for some reason Inter Milan decided not to show up for this match nor the whole American tour for that matter. Chelsea dominated the fixture and ended up taking it 2-0.

But the real excitement happened afterwards as we stopped by the extremely posh Langham Hotel to visit a friend who has worked his way up to become an awarded sommelier for them. Well little did I know that it happened to be where Chelsea was staying as well and in they walked a little after 1am while Cindi and I were having a few drinks with our friend.

Unfortunately right in front of me, a little uncomfortable altercation occurred between Super Frankie Lampard (blue uniform pictured above) and our sommelier friend as it was closing time and the team wanted one more round but my friend by law could not deliver.

Aside from that minor incident, it was probably the coolest thing that could have happened surrounded by incredibly fine-tuned world class athletes whom I've only religiously watched on televisions in pubs all over the country. As we were leaving my sommelier friend asked me if he should have handled it differently and I grinned and told him that he "basically told one of the best soccer players in the world to f*%# off."

Oh well, that didn't change the fact that this trip to Southern California was spectacular. I really don't know how I could top that next time.

:o)

Inman Park Dine-Out, Wednesday July 29

2009-07-20T14:14:00.005-04:00

(image from inmanparkbusiness.com)

Support the Inman Park Patrol next Wednesday by dining out or shopping at one of the participating area restaurants and businesses next Wednesday. Up to 20% of sales proceeds that day will go to the neighborhood funded patrol that helps keep Inman Park beautiful and safe.

You can also help by attending a wonderful improv show put on by the folks over at Dad's Garage on the days of July 30, 31 and August 1.

Details can be found here.