MeAndroo's Profile
Kyoto Station Dinner Rec?
Following up on chowmouse's post, the ramen arcade is basically the only place other than Mister Donut that I ever end up eating at in Kyoto Station. TETSU, a tsukemen shop popular in Tokyo, has a branch there and is the last thing I tried. It was fantastic, and watching the hot stone they drop in your broth bubble up was a rather interesting experience.
What do you eat at home?
Mix of both, but mainly non-Japanese food. I'll usually have a breakfast of granola + yogurt or toast and a fruit, lunch on weekdays is school lunch, which can vary from miso soup, a grilled piece of fish, pickles, and white rice to a piece of pizza bread with strawberry ice cream on the side.
For dinner, I've taken it upon myself to introduce my girlfriend's family to western dishes. They're extremely fond of quesadillas, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and simple, hearty foods of that nature. Nachos were also a big hit.
I find cooking for myself to be a by-the-seat-of-my-pants adventure, since many times ingredients are not readily available in my country city of 34,000. Cheese is horridly expensive (maybe 500 yen for 100 grams of plain cheddar), and the majority of items are tailored to the Japanese diet (as is expected). That said, I'll still throw together some pasta or a nice sandwich when I have a chance to enjoy what I miss from living in the States.
Best ramen cities
Yup, that's the place. Doesn't look like they're all that popular on RamenDB either, but I had heard nothing but raves before going there, and the few Fukuoka locals I talked to (one college buddy, one guy at our hotel, one friend of the gf) all mentioned the same place. I have experience with places that are better in name than they are in taste from growing up in LA (Pink's Hot Dogs, for example), but I was a little surprised at Ichiryu.
That said, though, I do want to try them again, perhaps earlier in the night and on a much emptier stomach. Maybe it'll change the way I feel about it.
Best ramen cities
I wanted so badly to like Ichiryu. It had come at the recommendation of locals, friends, and even various websites, but when I got to the yatai over Silver Week last year, something was missing. Maybe it was because I was there at 11:30 pm, dead sober and having eaten motsu nabe about 3 hours earlier. Maybe it's because my gf was having stomach problems and I was making her wait while I ate. Maybe the yatai was so busy over that holiday they were watering their stock. I'm no expert, but whatever it was, it didn't live up to the unbelieveable hype.
I was disappointed perhaps because it had been built up as insurpassable, the pinnacle of tonkotsu and I found it lacking. Maybe it needs another shot, but I was so down after that we went immediately to Taiho and chatted up the owner and his super chatty obachan workers/wife over a bowl.
Dim sum- the drill or bad interpretation?
That has more or less been my experience as someone eating dim sum since childhood all over Los Angeles. Even if the restaurant is relatively empty, we'll get asked once or twice early on, then basically ignored unless we request something. This is usually not a problem since we'll just grab everything we want up front, but I can see how it could be troublesome if you want to take your time and maybe don't know the name of everything you want yet (there are definitely things I point to without knowing the names of).
In my dim sum places I've been to, if you ask for an item from a waiter, they'll just go in the back and grab it from a cart or wherever they load the carts and bring it to you. This can make it easier to take your time.
New Ramen hotspots?
The best ramen I had in Sapporo was at a place called Aji no Tokeidai in the New Chitose Airport ramen gallery. They were doing cheese ramen during Yuki Matsuri and it was pretty darn good.
The Ramen Yokocho alley was ok (ate at Tomiya) and I've since read it's a bit of a tourist trap. Very convenient when you're in Susukino, but there's a great soup curry place right near the Yokocho entrance.
There's also a ramen gallery in the ESTA building at JR Sapporo. http://www.sapporo-esta.jp/ramen/shop/index.html
A quick google brought this up:
http://gourmet.shop-sapporo.com/shop/?t=ranking&c=ramen
Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka, and Sapporo Essentials?
Hrmm, as far as Osaka goes, here's what I've been guided to eat by folks living in Kansai
Takoyaki - gooey, doughy octopus dumpling balls. They have a variety that's black, actually, though I've never had the pleasure.
Kushi-katsu - basically fried stuff on a stick. Veggies, cheese, and of course meat, served by the stick or pair, dipped in sauce and eaten with a beer. Fantastic.
Okonomiyaki - though I swear by the Hiroshima style, Kansai style has its fans.
When I was in Sapporo, we were basically all over the place with the food, but here's what I remember being good:
Ramen - miso ramen is a specialty of Sapporo, and there are a couple of ramen alleys in Susukino that are definitely worth a visit. They also had a ramen section at Shin-Chitose Airport, similar to the Kyoto station setup. I suggest going to the places with the long lines :)
Jingis Kahn - yakiniku style lamb. You can find places that do it domburi style, over rice, or spots that let you grill it yourself.
Dairy or potato products - Cheese, ice cream, chocolate were all great, and they'll try potatoes in almost anything.
Soup Curry - some fantastic spice and delicious combinations of veggies, seafood, and meat served with rice (had mine with saffron rice...delicious)
Shiroi Koibito - a sweet that's rather famous in Japan, apparently there was some kind of controversy about it a few years ago, but all my co-workers downed them pretty quickly.
Sapporo beer! - There's a brewery in town that has beer tasting as well as the history of the brand. Some variations you can only get in Sapporo.
Tokyo I believe is famous for stuff like monjyayaki, edo-mae sushi, and basically having pretty much anything you want.
Have fun and good eating!
Chano's on North Broadway and Mission
I've only eaten at 3 different Chano's (usually the one on Fig near USC) and while I liked the one on Broadway/Mission, it didn't beat out the nostalgia and taste of my first Chano's love.
That said, it certainly is tasty and cheap. Have done both burritos and soft tacos at this one and everything I've had has been pretty good. Haven't done the green sauce, however, I suppose that'll be for the next time.
Ramen Recs for Sapporo
I wonder if the ramen park in Sapporo is the same idea as the one on the 10th floor of the Kyoto station. If memory serves me, that was in the Esta building as well.
Is it a mixed base perhaps? I've had shoyu-tonkotsu and shio-tonkotsu but never miso-tonkotsu...soudns like it could be interesting. Huge chunks of pork are always welcome as well, particularly if it's fatty and soft :) Thanks for the rec.
Ramen Recs for Sapporo
I'll be in Sapporo for the snow festival/snowboarding and my friends and I were looking at Ganso Ramen Yokocho, a street with 17 ramen joints. Obviously I'd like to try them all, but seeing as we only have 5 days, and I need to eat seafood, jingisu kan, and all that, we're going to try to limit it to 2 or 3.
Does anyone have any recommendations for spots in Sapporo, on this street or otherwise? We'd like to stick to the Sapporo ramen style (even though I tend to favor tonkotsu broth) if possible, but I'm open to any really remarkable ramen. Thanks in advance.
Downtown (Near 7th/Fig) Lunch Deals
We used to go to the Mayfair when I worked in the City of LA Garland building and it is nothing special. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
That said, I haven't been there in at least 3 years, so who knows, maybe it's way different.
They still doing the Wednesday Farmer's Market near 5th/Flower? I always liked the Hawaiian huli huli chicken I got there, plus they had bacon wrapped hot dogs, tamales, empanadas, thai bbq, mexican, and was accessible easily by the Dash.
Tourists to be banned from Tsukiji for a month
Just saw this and I know how big of an attraction it is for folks visiting Tokyo, especially those who want to follow their early morning auction experience with local sushi.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tourists-to-be-barred-from-tsukiji-tuna-auctions-for-a-month
Saffron Restaurant Downtown -- tasty indian
So it's 2 for $1? Or $1 each? How big is each piece?
Saffron Restaurant Downtown -- tasty indian
Someone who doesn't feel like waiting on top of paying 2 bucks for 1 piece in a food court. I also thought the included rice would cover my starch craving...alas, I was mistaken.
Saffron Restaurant Downtown -- tasty indian
Tried it when they opened, haven't been back since. Bland masala led to an overall disappointing meal, and what is up with those crispy noodle things (reminiscent of the "won ton" croutons that come in a pre-made asian salad)? Didn't try the naan, thought the rice was cooked fine, and the prices are a little high for a food court ($10 for meal w/ drink). I'd rather eat at that little Korean deli next to the post office or @ great steak when I'm at 5th/Flower.
Japan Board is dead, lets discuss Pizza
Good to know. I'm moving to Hyogo-ken in about 2 weeks and am always on the lookout for food recs.
Is there a pizza at Fontegara you prefer above the others?
Hawaiian Chicken
I eat their chicken when they go to the Wednesday downtown farmer's market. Like ns1 says, that hot sauce is ridiculously good, and really brings out the shoyu seasoning in the chicken. Not sure how the restaurant is, but at farmer's market they give you about 3 scoops of rice, a ton of chicken and some leafy greens for $9. A little steep, but typical for that particular market. I drove by their shop about 2 weeks ago after a Spring Street Smokehouse stop and they were open.
Batali on tailgating
Fun little read. I've seen his NASCAR cookbook and thought it was pretty funny, but didn't realize he actually likes it...the Food Network franchises so much, it's hard to keep track. I guess this interview combined with his non-FN status will make me think he actually likes everything he endorses.
Curious to see what he'd make at a real tailgate. Loved seeing him in Molto Mario, his chefography, and Iron Chef.
Does anybody know any good Japanese restaurants in Down town Little Tokyo?
I believe it's just called Shabu Shabu House, and it's located in Japanese Village Plaza.
Another option you have for shabu shabu is Kushi Shabu, located in Weller Court. They've got $25 AYCE and much less of a wait. I haven't had Shabu House, so I can't compare quality, but Kushi wasn't bad at all.
Tastespotting is back!
"Same Tastespotting, new family" claims the website. I had been going back periodically to see those neat post-it updates they were leaving on the website, and boom, food pr0n overload. I'm actually sort of happy it went down for a bit because it forced me to look at new sites...now I've got both!
Anyways, just wanted to give everybody a heads up.
Diners, Drive-ins, Dives, and Disgusting
I really enjoyed Bourdain's tour through LA. I do appreciate that he said Pink's was "the best" because of commercial popularity, not necessarily based on quality, and loved the line about Oki-dog and how after relaxing a bit, LA "pulls this crap."
Guacamole on a hot dog can be fantastic. So can mayo. I don't understand people who can't try something new on a hot dog (kudos to Bourdain for admitting his fears). A Chicago transplant in my office has perhaps the most limited view on hot dogs that I've ever heard, and she hasn't even bothered trying the LA classic "danger dog:" bacon-wrapped, with grilled onions, peppers, jalapenos, ketchup, mustard and mayo (hot sauce optional). Amazing.
What's the difference between Wagyu and Kobe beef?
I wonder if you perhaps refer to Mishima beef, which is raised on a small island in the Sea of Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishima_beef
There's also Matsusaka beef, which is raised in the same prefecture as Kobe (Hyogo-ken), but is different.
Either way, in about a month, I'll have access to some of the fattiest beef I've ever seen. :)
Tastespotting... oh noes!
I see. I never really had a problem going to the wrong site, only my work firewall blocking some of the links. It's sad that people would stoop to false links (this isn't a Rickroll http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickroll for goodness sake) just to bump up traffic on their site and end up ruining it for everyone.
It's a sad day, either way. Tastespotting was one of my favorite websites I encountered while exploring the innernit's food culture forum. It led me to a number of blogs which I RSS or check daily and opened my eyes to a number of things I had no idea existed.
Is it Just me? re: J Gold - LA Weekly -
Poor La Mirada, always gets left out of the 562 conversation :(
It's funny to me, someone who has a 562 cell phone, a 213 work number and a 323 home number, how the entire area code could be foreign. It's still in LA county.
I think Jonathan Gold is also famous for trying things not only are relatively unknown, but very traditionally influenced. He'll eat the goat-head soup, or the pig cheek, or the stir-fried insects. He'll find the places that aren't dumbed-down or gentrified for the uninitiated and help make those places accessible.
Where are the Women?
Kind of a weird coincidence that one of the last 4 on TC was Antonia, who constantly talks about her daughter and the fact that she's a single mom.
Tastespotting... oh noes!
I'm also really interested in finding out why the site got taken down. Tastespotting not only provided constant entertainment but was educational as well. Why would anyone want to take down what's basically a portal of free advertising? Very confusing.
Top Chef -- would you eat in their restaurants?
Seems like everything costs more in West Hollywood.
I think Foxtail is considered a supper club or lounge, as opposed to a proper resto. Almost all the press I've read about it refer a great deal to the "scene" and weird seating arrangements. Seems like more of a place to be seen than a place to eat.
Then again, I'm trying to taste Antonia food for myself before I judge.
Dinner near USC
In terms of Mexican, there's La Taquiza on Fig and 30th. Very casual atmosphere.
Like ns1 says, I think you'll be better served downtown. Places near USC like Grinder, Mikoshi, or any of the myriad fast food places aren't very good. I like Chano's for a Mexican stand fix, but I don't know if I'd eat if I had to be alert immediately afterward.
For downtown, I'll suggest Aloha Cafe on 2nd and Alameda just because I love Hawaiian food. There's tons of other local suggestions on this board, natch.
Petrozza is the last male standing?
Not only was there bikini models, but they had those incompetent housewives showing off their enhanced assets as well.
Remembering the first episode or two, I can't believe Corey and Christina look like the 2 closest people on the show. Whodathunkthat?
The thing about Petrozza is that, like Ramsey said, he's dirty but he makes amazing food. I think Bobby just didn't do anything.
