Gotham Gal

Tokyo, Day 2

Prepare yourself, this was a seriously long day with a ridiculous amount of food.  We began the day at the fish market.  A must in Tokyo.  December is the only time you are not allowed into the tuna auction so instead of getting up to get there at 430am you can get there around 630am.  We took two cabs over to the fish market.  One dropped some of us in the right location, the other did not.  This appears to be standard fare in Tokyo.  I am not sure if the taxi drivers do not know exactly where they are supposed to go or they just don't care.  Emily and Fred ended up at the main entrance and the rest of us ended up in the back behind the wholesale fish market.  You are not supposed to go into that area until after 9am but nobody stopped us as we made our way to the other side.  

Controlled chaos is one way to describe the scene.  People are flying around on these yellow vehicles that move fast like golf carts but are like miniature crane lifters.  You could easily be taken out if one of these hit you. The first thing we saw when we walked into the wholesale building were these huge fish just hanging out on the floor.

We continued walking through the wholesale market until we got to the area we needed to be in.  I took a few pics en route. Clams.

Red Octopus.

The boxes that hold all the fish being broken down for the day.  They must come up with a better fabric for those fish.  This stuff sticks around for hundreds of years.

We finally made our way to the other side and found Daiwa Sushi.  Fred and Emily were still missing.  It is not easy to find each other because all the signs are in Japanese.  Eventually we found each other and at this point the line at Daiwa was beyond long. But we did not come all the way to Tokyo not to eat here.  We found the place looking at a Google map photo of the Japanese letters and figured it out.  

It was freezing outside and yes we waited in line for over two hours.  Suckers perhaps but a worthy experience.  We watched people come and go on their bikes getting their fish from the wholesale marketing, packing up their boxes and taking off.  

By the time we got in I am pretty sure you have never seen such happy people getting inside to get warm and just sit down.  Our chefs were charming.  There is a woman who basically runs the place and the line.  She has it down.  You have to tell her before you go inside which omikase you want, 8 pieces or 10.

First dish was a warm block of ginger scallion egg.  It was the perfect beginning for our breakfast.

Green tea to warm us up.

The chef started us off with a piece of ridiculously buttery toro.  Melted in our mouths.

Flounder.

Miso soup with a piece of fish that had been cooking for quite awhile to create the intensity of the broth. Honestly might have been the best miso soup I have ever had, hands down.

Red snapper.  Amazing.

Uni that just melted in your mouth.

Mackarel with a scallion mixture on top.

Gooey clam that is still alive.  The chef gave each clam a whack before putting it on the rice.  Strange but delicious.

Tuna that is simply divine.  

Pieces of tiny shrimp.

Tuna roll and cucumber crab roll.

Snapper.

Broiled eel.

Hamachi.  This piece of yellow tail was so damn good that I honestly did not want to swallow but just let the richness of the fish and taste linger in my mouth.  The experience is well worth it.  The pieces of fish are amazing, the chefs are characters and the whole place is unique.  

We walked around the market afterward before moving on to our next adventure.  Coffee was seriously in order.  Fred found this coffee shop in Shibuya.  The neighborhood is filled with narrow rambling streets with coffee shops and other stores.  

Omotesando Koffee is located inside a small wooden home and inside is a barista and a big machine. Really good coffee.

Besides coffee they also sold these custard squares.  Think French canelles Japanese style.  

Our next stop was the Watari Museum.  The museum is composed of four floors devoted to an exhibition. This is one of the pieces in the show.  

Before our next meal we strolled around the area.  This food truck was parked down an alleyway.

We dropped in this pen store.  What is interesting is in a country that is so futurist is also about tradition.  They still sell plenty of CD's as Tower Records is huge here and there is still an audience for a pen store.  It is interesting.

Our next stop was Tofuya Ukai Take located next to the Tokyo Tower (picture above).

This restaurant is seriously old school.  The waitstaff is women dressed as geishas.  An old rambling restaurant that is set among greenery.  Truly beautiful.  Each table is set in a tatami room.  Truth is there was something about our sushi breakfast that just made me so full that I had a hard time eating anything the rest of the day but regardless I was not a fan of the food here at all.  Just strange.  

I figure I will share the photos and menu for fun.  Boiled quail meat-balls with a pumpkin paste formed into a ball on the side.

Deep fried tofu with sweet miso sauce.

A few pieces of tuna

Simmered crab inside a fried tofu ball.

Salmon roe and pickled turnip, shrimp covered with crushed rice crackers and mushrooms with green vegetables.  

Tofu in a seasoned soy milk.

Steamed rice with pieces of sweet potato.

Sweet abzuki-beans soup.  

After lunch we drove over to Opening Ceremony which is in the neighborhood.  The store is eight stories and each floor is meant to represent a different style of American architecture.  This picture gives you an idea what the streets look like.  The lights work so that you can walk through the middle of an intersection including corner to corner.  Kind of clever.

Here is a picture from inside the store.  When we were done we went back to the hotel but Jessica and I soldiered on.  Her camera was on the fritz so we decided to go to a store in Ginza and see about buying another one.  Finding the store, like the restaurants, was not easy.  We finally located it with a little help (asking) as we were there but did not realize it was on the 8th floor of a building.  The store was filled with new and used cameras.  She got an incredible bargain on a camera but the transaction with the people there who spoke zero English was truly an out of body experience.  

 

 

 

 

 

Sushiya

We were all beyond exhausted but kept it together for dinner pushing us to get on Tokyo time.  Finding the restaurant was not easy.  Nothing is easy to find here.  Most places are located down random alleys on different floors.  You know you are there from Google maps but you are not there.  It can be very frustrating.

Sushiya is a small restaurant with only 8 seats.  We took over the entire restaurant.  There was nobody else there except for us which makes for a very unique experience.  The chef, Takao Ishiyama and his side kick served us.  

We began with a small bowl of roe.  Sweet, tasty large eggs that literally explode in your mouth.  

Marinated tuna seared on the edge that we dipped into the soy dipping sauce.

Chopped baby shrimp

Monk fish liver.  Not for the faint of heart.  Really creamy and rich.

Grilled scallops between two pieces of seaweed.  A scallop sandwich.

Seaweed that is sitting in a gingery cold broth.

Grilled swordfish which was incredibly sweet.

Toro sushi.  Rich and melts in your mouth.

Marinated tuna in soy.

Abalone.  A little tough but interesting.

Tiger shrimp lightly cooked.  The chef obviously has hot hands.  He ripped the shrimp out of its shell while it was steaming hot to make this piece of sushi.

Mackarel split open with a scallion tasting pesto on top.

Hamachi, yellow tail.

Gooey clam.

He took a bowl of rice and put 5 large pieces of uni over the top and a little bit of soy sauce.  He then mashed this up to create an uni rice.  Then put a little bit in each bowl and topped it with some more fish roe.  Pretty spectacular.

Grilled eel.

Chopped toro handroll.  You can't beat this.

A large piece of sweet egg for dessert.

We rolled home and hit the bed hard!

 

Tokyo, Day 1

I woke up just as the sun began to rise over Tokyo.  Pretty sweet view from our hotel room.

We had breakfast at the hotel.  I went with the Japanese version of breakfast.  Poached egg in a soy broth that I slid into a bowl of miso soup.  I also had a few pieces of dim sum on the side.  I could get used to this.

Our first stop was at the Meiji Jungu shrine.  It is the Daddy of all Tokyo shrines.  Before going in you are supposed to take this water (left hand first) over each of your hands and then take a sip of the water.  

Then you come into the area where the shrine is.  

You are supposed to get one of these wooden signs and write your wish on it and leave in the area obviously hoping your wise will come true.

These sake barrels are enshrined by the sake brewers around Japan to show their deep respect for Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.

We walked over to the Harajuku area.  It was actually great to be there in the morning right before everything opened up.  Come 4pm the place is packed.  There are literally vending machines on every block.

This particular area is the teen culture mecca.  Reminds me a little bit what 8th street used to be years ago in NYC.  We also walked up and down Cat Street where there are more funky boutiques

Inside the Gyre building are a few high end stores but what we really came for is to check out the 3rd floor where there is a 3D camera store.  Unfortunately we did not make reservations for a photo shoot because I had just found out about it but the concept is awesome.  I'd love to get a family photograph.

This is one side of Cat Street.  

For lunch we went to Harajuku Gyoza.  No reservations and the line can be insane.  We got there early.  The menu is short and sweet.  Fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, cabbage, bean sprouts with meat sauce and cucumbers.  The other items are drinks.  

Steamed dumplings.  

Fried dumplings.  They are just perfect.  Not greasy like you tend to get just crisp.

Pickled cabbage.  This was awesome.  I could have eaten bowls of this stuff.  Sliced cucumbers in a sesame paste.

Boiled bean sprouts with a meat sauce.  Think Italian meat sauce over bean sprouts.  

I am making sure I find a big jar of this chili sauce to take home.

Up the street is the Louis Vuitton Building and on the 7th floor there is a rotating art installation. The room is beautiful and overlooks the city.  This particular installation is from Ernesto Neto.  You talk off your shoes and walk through this hanging structure.  

Down the street is a food installation called 246 Common.  It is only open until March.  Reminds me a little bit of Brooklyn Smorgrasbourg.  This is a cool stall for the Octopus Balls.

Roasted sweet potatoes cooked on hot rocks.

A green vegetable garden in the middle of the stalls.

We continued on to Franc Franc which is a furniture store.  We thought there was a Monocle Shop inside but it wasn't there.  The light fixture in the middle of the store is very cool.

I loved the architecture of the Prada Building.  It looks like a big building of quilted glass.  It was built by Herzog and de Meuron, a Swiss design team.  

We had a private showing at Art Front Gallery.  This particular artist was actually there when we went.  Gold embellished on to old style Japanese paintings.

Upstairs (their back room) was this glass scultpure.

This is a Brazilian Japanese artist.  

These were cool.  Pieces of rock from all over the world split in half with plexiglas inserted in the middle.  You could then see the reflection of the innards of the rocks.  

Around the corner is Tsutaya Books.  This area we are in is called Daikanyama.  The store is called the T store because the exterior is made with woven T's.  There are 3 buildings.  There is a cafe, a book store, a camera store, a bike store and more.  

One store had these round cakes to buy and inside these cakes is freeze dried soup.  You drop these in warm water and soup is on.

There was even a dog salon.

Onward down to Bombay Bazaar.

This is what the back streets look like behind the main shopping streets.

Had quite a field day in this sock shop.

This store is called Loveless which was right across the way from Eataly.

We were in need of some serious caffeine and stopped in to the Corner Shop for an amazing cup of coffee.  

Our last stop was Map Camera.   We drove over to that area.  Jessica had to get her camera looked at. There are stores and stores of cameras.

Back to the hotel to relax a bit before dinner.  

 

 

Osaka Restaurant, Tokyo

You get on a plane in NYC, get yourself settled and 14 hours later you are in Tokyo.  That alone takes a bit to grasp.  You have just left your home and before you know it you are half way around the world.  Just for beginners the time zone piece wacks you out.  

I began planning this trip sometime last spring.  I used the service Trip-Bod, hand crafted trips by locals.  Jessica worked for Sally Broom last summer who is the entrepreneur behind this company.  She connected me with a guy in Japan who has been incredible.  He has listened to everythng I have said and what we are looking for.  He had restaurants and stores on his list that I had on mine.  That is always a good sign.  Not only that but the attention to detail and coordination of cars, maps etc is impressive.  I am really excited for the next 10 days.

Last night we got in around dinner time.  The restaurant is a 10 minute walk from our hotel but the concierge recommended we cab it.  Two separate cabs.  They gave us a map and a google map photo of the building so we knew what we were looking for when we got there.  Not so easy.  Our cab went to the wrong place first and I pushed him that it was not the right location because the photogaph did not look like the building.  Fred and Jessica were not so lucky.  They got out, they got lost, Josh and Emily had to send them the location of where we were through Google Maps.  Kind of harrowing but they eventually found it about 30 minutes after we got there.  Supposedly this is typical of cab drivers in Tokyo.  

The restaurant, Osaka, is only about 24 seats. tops.  6 of them are at the bar.  The menu is in Japanese so I had discussed earlier with our guide what we would eat.  We began with sake.  I love these small bottles that the sakes comes in.  It is like getting your own soda can.

We began with crunchy marinated cucumber sticks in a sesame spicy sauce.  Really good.

Stir fry mushrooms in a light soy based sauce.

Asparagus with a mayonaisse dipping sauce.

Grilled scallops with spinach.  Super simple and delicious.

Steak that was light, flavorful and had the consistency of butter that we dipped into a ponzu sauce mixture and salt.  

A mixture of stir fry vegetables and seafood in an egg mix allowing the mixture to set.  Then a Japanese bbq sauce and shaved benito over the top.  

They obviously knew we just got in.  

We walked home since we had our bearings straight.  What a day or two.  It is just a blur right now but I am sure in a day or so I will be on the program.  

Park Slope

I have tooled around Park Slope many times over the past 20 years.  Our kids had their pediatrician there at one point.  The neighborhood has changed like all the neighborhoods in and around all the NY boroughs have changed in 20 years. 

My friend and I try to do a trip somewhere in NYC a few times a year and this time we picked Park Slope.  We were both interested in checking out the Park Slope Food Co-op.  Our first stop was lunch.  We went to Bierkraft.  Love this place.  Multiple beers on tap including a menu of fresh made sandwiches.

We both had a beer.  I had the Greenport Harbor Ale and she had the Lowenbrau Buttenheim Kellerbrier.  I rarely drink beer (particularly at lunch) but beer on tap like this is so delicious.

We got a few sandwiches.  Nice presentation on the wrapping. 

This is the vegetarian with roasted marinated eggplant, mozzarella,basil almond pesto, black olive, arugula and hot pepper relish.  We also had a few pickled celery stalks on the side which were amazing. I'd like a vat of them for my fridge.

We strolled around and stopped into Fleishmans, the neighborhood butcher.  Kind of love the sizing chart here.

Then to the Park Slope Food Co-op.  This place has been open since 1973 and now has over 15000 members.  There has been controversary on and off around this place as long as it has been around.  If you belong, you must work there at least so many hours a week.  That allows them to price the goods at a much lower mark-up.  We took a look around.  It has a very organic feel.  I remember when we lived in Alston MA during college and there was a food co-op down the street that I checked out once.  Pretty sure this is not my kind of thing. 

Grabbed the last shaved ice of the season at the People's Pop before they close shop for the season.

Now this is my kind of place, Brooklyn Larder.  Located in Prospect Heights which is right next to Park Slope. 

I have wanted to open something like this for 5 years if not more.  I could sleep here.  It took a lot for me not to buy up the entire store. 

Not only are the products beyond well curated but the clean precision and visual placement is fantastic.

Had a piece of this pistachio cake and a cup of coffee before we jumped back on the subway back home.  I am going to attempt to duplicate this.  Tasted like a really good lemon pound cake but with pistachios. 

Next trip? 

Last day in Chicago

The last day was just brunch in Wicker Park at Prasino.  Lots of options for brunch.  Jessica had an amazing "hippie" omelette.  I had the carrot pancakes.  Not sure why I chose this.  They were good but really a tad too sweet for my breakfast palate. Afterward we drove around Bucktown to see what it was all about. 

The rest of the day was spent back in the hotel watching Jessica do another photo shoot.  Then we just chilled out.  For dinner we went Arami.  Located on a vacant street driving towards Wicker Park.  What a find.  The food was amazing.  An adorable woman waited on us who had just became certified as a sake expert.  She really knew her stuff.  We let her order for us. 

The menu is extensive from robata, donburi, noodles, sushi, sashimi etc.  We took the lead from the woman who was waiting on us on how to curate our meal.  We began with the "cold" and had the tuna bites.  Chopped up tuna with chives and a little dollop of caviar on top.  Perfect start to the meal.

Uni shooter.  Tobiko, diced cucumber, shiso leaf and the house special soy sauce.  On the bottom is a piece of uni and ths rest is poured on top.  Incredible.  Even for non-uni fans.  The special soy sauce is amazing.

Spicy Tako springroll.  Spicy octopus with cilantro, crispy mixed greens wrapped in rice paper.  So many flavors happening here and with a serious kick.  Amazing.

A mixture of enoki, shimeji, shitake and eringi mushrooms warmed with a meyer lemon sesame dressing.  A nice light salad.

Special sashimi.  This is called secret hamachi.  Sliced yellowtail nicely presented over a rock with a bit of chopped mushrooms on top and a little bit of truffle oil.  We ordered it again.

We each got a mixture of sushi.  Super fresh and flavorful.  Not sure where they are bringing this fish in from but incredible.  I love how they gave me the deep fried head with the sweet shrimp.

King crab wrapped with marinated tuna and toasted sliced almonds on top.  A really interesting combination of flavors.  I reall loved the presentation too.

A piece of sublime uni.

Special maki.  Spicy octopus with fluke, ginger and tiny slices of apples on top and a ginger fuji apple dressing.  Wow wow wow.

Hamachi handroll.  We kept ordering!

We ended up with donburi.  Roasted duck over warm rice with ginger and thinly sliced plums. 

Had to have some mochi.  The food here is amazing.  If I was in Chicago another night, I might just return. 

More on Chicago

I came to Chicago because Jessica is working on her photography thesis.  I was happy to come along.  All the restaurants I chose was because you could make a reservation.  There are many that I wanted to try but I did not want to deal with waiting.  Like NYC, the new places do not take reservations.  I am not a fan because I really hate to wait and particularly when you travel I like to know what we are doing after a full day. 

The first night we went to The Savoy.  Cute restaurant with a bar atmosphere in the back which is where we sat.  They have tons of cocktails all with absinthe and it seems to be the thing to get there.  So we did.  This is called Isle of Man which is like a Manhattan.  Really not my thing so a few sips and I was done.

We split the tuna tartare with yuzu sauce and fried wontons.  Pretty good. 

Oysters came out next.  Took quite awhile go get these.  We were actually wondering if they had put in the order.

I had a maple mustard glazed salmon with root vegetables and brussel sprouts.  Quite good. 

Jessica has the pan seared halibut with black forbidden rice, shitake mushrooms. shishito peppers and a grilled tomatila salsa.  Also really good.  A great neighborhood place located in Wicker Park. 

We got up the next morning and walked over to the Museum of Contemporary Art.  This piece in front is fantastic by Martin Creed. I hope they keep it there permanently. 

There were a few installations.  This one is a piece by Jimmy Robert.  The type written words say Against Angst on a crumbled piece of paper.  An interesting exhibit.

We went to a photography store and got a few things Jessica needed before going back for her shoot.  It is really great watching what she does.  Her whole thought process behind what she is trying to show and learn from is very cool.

That night we went to Piccolo Sogno Due for dinner.  Definitely an older persons crowd.  Jessica had to be the youngest in there by easily 20 years.  We split a few appetizers to start.  Crudo with grapefruit.  Nothing great.

Mare.  Seafood roasted in the wood oven with arugula salad and tomatoes.  Prawns, octopus, clams, mussels and calamari. 

I had a whole roasted turbot which they filleted for me.  Seriously buttery but since we had indulged in a bottle of the Sagrantino di Montefalco everything just tasted delicious.

Jess has the monkfish which was fine too.   

A little dessert and back to the hotel to bed. 

back to Chicago

I came back to Chicago for a short 3 day jaunt.  Jessica is working on her thesis and decided Chicago was where she needed to go.  Lucky for me I got to tag along.  Today we hit up the museums. 

Our first stop was at the MOCP, Museum of Contemporary Photography.  The museum has over 11,000 photos in their permanent collection.  They had Jan Tichy curate an exhibit taking some of the favorites from the archives.  An interesting exhibit.  The one thing they did not do is put the names of each of the artists under the photos.  This is when you need the Shazaam app for photography/art. 

Then we headed over to the Art Institute of Chicago.  An amazing place.  We first had lunch at Terzo Piano.  Obviously giving a nod to Renzo Piano who designed the new building.  I recommend that place.  The cafes did not look that appetizing.  We are spoiled in NY museums where some of the top restaurateurs run the cafes and restaurants.  In Europe there is always good cafe food too.  Not sure why it hasn't caught up to the states. 

We shared a celery root apple salad which was pretty good. 

I had a simple arugula steak salad for lunch.

Stopped outside to take a look at the sculptures before going inside again.

Then we began.  We had already seen the Chagall American Windows and Grant Wood's America Gothic so we opted for the Contemporary Art after 1960 rooms.  An incredible collection of work.  We both walked out of there just smiling. 

Decided that was all we needed.  Over to the hotel to check in before dinner.

Moby Dick's

For our last night at the beach we drove out to Montauk and had dinner at the pop-up restaurant Moby Dicks.  It was Montauks version of Tulum.  Great setting, good food, very mellow. 

You walk down a small boardwalk to get where you need to go.

Then you see this. 

Wine?

Drinks?  Once of us had the watermelon margarita and another had the east sider.  Both delicious

Menu of the day.  Changes daily.

Outdoor pizza oven can not be beat.

Butterhead lettuce salad with slices of avocado, cherry tomatoes and a rich creamy dijon dressing.

Can't finish off the summer without a tomato salad with chopped purple basil.

Classic margherita pizza with slices of coppa.  Really good pizza.

Whole grilled porgy with a salad of yellow and green beans mixed with chopped shallots and vinegar. 

We watched the sunset.

On the way back we stopped at the ice cream place in Montauk for a scoop. 

Perfect ending to a fantastic summer. 

the lower east side (LES) of nyc

Like all urban cities, the landscape has changed tremendously over the past decade.  When we first moved to NYC in the early 80's the lower east side was a place to find bargains.  Heavily dominated by Jewish shop owners particularly Orchard Street right around the corner from Katzs Deli.  There are a few shops left but very few.  The landscape has changed.  We even have Mile End Sandwich Shop now on the Bowery (another transformed neighborhood) which is this generations Katzs Deli. 

Jessica is spending the summer in London.  She is living in Shoreditch.  When I went to school in London that area of London was predominantly Jewish merchants very similar to the LES.  Now it is overcome with hip shops, new restaurants and galleries just like the LES.  Urban renewal. 

I have been in the city (I thought I'd be at the beach) for the last week because we moved back into our apartment, post-flood.  I spent the day with Emily on the LES.  We had lunch and shopped.  Even in the past two years there has been massive change.  You really have to hunt for an empty store front.  It is a good thing for the city and the neighborhood. 

We started with lunch at Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night dining.  It is located inside the Thompson LES hotel.  Ten years ago nobody would have put such a beautiful hotel down there.  The menu changes with each meal.  Lunch is small but dinner is quite large.  We had a few rolls to split.

I am a huge fan of the Blue Ribbon house salad.  Carrots, avocado, chopped greens and a ginger dressing. I am also a big fan of the brothers behind Blue Ribbon.  They have quitely created an incredible empire. 

We also tried the deep fried chicken wings with a wasabi honey and chili sauce on the side.  Super crispy.

The ribs are pretty perfect.  Black vinegar and crispy rice on top...just falling off the bone.  Fred and I went back for dinner there the other night after seeing  Beasts of the Southern Wild.  The young heroine is incredible in this film.  We sat outside on the deck at the restaurant.  It is a pretty great spot.

Emily and I walked around and hit up a few stores.  I have always loved this store.  Maryam Nassir Zadeh.  A real eclectic mix of clothes and jewelry. 

We walked by Mission Chinese Food.  One of the hottest restaurant in NYC right now.  A dive.  Maybe a few seats somewhere back there. I think the best thing might be to order for delivery and go pick it up.

So many new places.  Landbrot.  German bakery and bar.  There is also one in the West Village.  The pretzels are killer. 

This store has been around for years but just as the neighborhood has evolved so has their mixture.  Great stuff.

Spiritual America is relatively new.  Nice mixture of young designers.

Stopped across the street for a blueberry mint iced tea.  I have had lunch here before.  Healthy well made food. I particularly love the banquette that wraps around the front window. 

Creatures of Comfort is a big winner.  They have been around for a few years but the mix there is great.  The store is big and airy.  I'm a fan. 

A great day with Emily.  I always love walking around the neighborhoods of NYC.  We did it when we first got here and have not stopped since.  Watching the city change is no different than watching the new businesses emerge in tech space.  A birds eye view of the landscape of NYC at every angle keeps my mind moving.