Mooo

This restaurant took over for the Federalist in XV Beacon, a small boutique hotel in Boston. As the name suggests, it's a steakhouse, trying to compete with Abe & Louie's, Smith & Wolinski's, Capital Grille, etc. However, I must say it's just not the same caliber as any of the restaurants mentioned above.

The service, is well, just not up to par. The hostess seemed slightly out of it. I'm not even sure they sat us at the right table. Our waiter was ok, but he lacked any personality. This is supposed to be a high quality restaurant - you should have high quality staff.

The food - mixed reviews to be honest. A coworker had the Kobe Beef Dumplings which he was pleased with. I started with the Lobster Bisque which made me sick (aka - don't get this). The steak was average. Both desserts (strawberry shortcake and key lime alaskan) received good reviews.

Overall, for the price and the type of food - go elsewhere. This restaurant simply is nothing special and you can get far better service (and probably steak) at another restaurant.

Scooper Bowl!

Many of you know how much I love ice cream. For a long time, I thought I should have a career in the ice cream business. No joke, no matter how much time I spend around it, scooping it, eating it - I always want more. So it was a great treat when I got to take a little bit of time out of work the other day and attend the Scooper Bowl. The Scooper Bowl is a fund raising event for the Jimmy Fund in Government Center. You pay $8 and get to eat all the ice cream you can! Next year, I need to remember to not eat lunch first! Anyways, here's a run down of what I had:

Ben & Jerry's - Cake Batter - As the name indicates, this tasted exactly like yellow cake batter. I must admit it wasn't one of my favorites, but the flavor was definitely spot on.

Breyers - Cookies & Cream - A classic, you just can't go wrong with this.

Cold Stone Creamery - Chocolate Devotion - Wow, intense chocolate. Fantastic!

Haagen-Dazs - Raspberry Sorbet - Definitely refreshing on this intensely hot day. I think I might actually buy this in a store.

Doriti Gelati - Lemon Sorbetto - Hands down the best ice cream I tried. Unbelievable - in fact, my aunt went the day after me, and commented on exactly the same ice cream without any prompting. (As a side note, their mango gelato, not so hot).

I'm sure I missed a few that I tried, but what a great event. I love summer and all the ice cream that comes with it!!

Parting Thoughts - Sayonara!

This is it - my last few hours in Tokyo/Japan - potentially for a very long time. Luckily, I got to end the trip with one last trip to the Taco truck (phew). Some parting thoughts of things I hope I semi remember:

• Yesterday it rained, but the best part about Tokyo is you can walk potentially miles underground. When they built their new subway system, they did a fantastic job of linking subway stops - there's basically another city underground.
• Taxi - While taxis are wicked expensive (starting at $7 for 2km), the taxi drivers are super honest. On my way out today, my taxi driver got a little lost - no big deal for me, he didn't do it on purpose. I go to pay when we get out and he says to me 500 yen. How fantastic! I mean I was more than willing to pay the full fare, but the honesty is refreshing.
• Lawsons - This convenience store (along with maybe AM PM) have really pulled through in some key moments. I can only hope convenience stores in the US can become something like Lawsons one day.
• "Squishy" ground - I'm not sure how/why this happens, but some of the sidewalks in Tokyo are squishy and it makes me really happy.
• Ginza at 8am - This area is so packed all the time (especially on Sat & Sun) that it's amazing to see it when there's no one around. Shop owners are outside washing their sidewalks (yes, they wash their sidewalks actually scrub every morning) and despite the fact this makes the sidewalks slippery - it just contributes to the "clean" feeling of Japan.
• The packaging - Things are bagged and packed here so well. Every store, every purchase is bagged (and sometimes wrapped) with intense care.
• Food wrappers - there is one and only one way to open food wrappers here (chocolate, chips, etc). Everything has a nice tear here arrow and seriously that is the only place you can tear the packaging. Took a bit of getting used to, but it's grown on me now.
  
• Admirals Lounge at Narita - The beer machine, the free internet, free alcohol, free food.. and the general sense of overwhelming relief when I sit down here.

Now, onto the US!

Back in Japan!

So I've just returned to Japan after a two week hiatus in the US. Now, this time I'm only here for a week, which is frightfully short compared to all of my other trips. Every time I return, I'm still amazed at how familiar I have become with Tokyo. Sadly, I think this is the longest I've really spent in one place since I graduated from college. This trip I'm particularly reminded of the things I enjoy about Japan:

• The weather - while this isn't always true, the weather so far has been absolutely amazing. Cool and crisp in the morning and night, warming up during the day.
• The fake flushing the toilet sound - this annoys some people, but I've gotten used to it. When you go the bathroom in Japan, you push a button which plays a flushing the toilet sound - helps with the privacy.
• The cleanliness - everything, everywhere - no trash.

On the downside, this time I've really noticed some things about Japan that are starting to irk me.

• The fake politeness - mainly this bothers me in restaurants these days. Don't pretend you are full when there are empty tables. Really just no need.
• People walk into you - I don't know what it is but I've started just plowing through people. No one moves over. I know for women walking in heels all the time is hard work, but please just move one step to the left so I can pass you or if you are walking two or three abreast towards me just make some room.
  

Lastly, I went to Rigoletto Kitchen tonight. A sister restaurant to Dazzle (which I've eaten at twice). I think I enjoyed Rigoletto Kitchen more than Dazzle, perhaps because it's more down to earth or maybe because I was just so hungry by the time I got there, it had an english menu, and the waiter spoke perfect english. Either way, I would recommend it.

Arossa

Last night, we tried a New Zealand wine bar, whose original branch is in Shibuya. Both the Shibuya and Ginza restaurants had received great reviews, so I was very excited. Luckily, the restaurant met my expectations. Check out our dinner:

• Amuse bouche - Cheese with honey - Very good.
  
• Appetizer - Assortment - There was so many different things on this plate it's going to be hard to remember them all. Let's see... beans with minced meat, salad with chicken patte, fried fish with tartar sauce, grilled vegetables, and chicken - a nice wide variety. I thought everything was good minus the chicken patte.
• Pasta - I really liked the pasta (minus the fact it was spaghetti). It had an oil based sauce with capers.
  
• Fish - A piece of white fish with salad. The white fish was good, considering I'm not a huge fan of white fish.
  
• Meat - The sauce on the steak was great. There was something else with the steak but it's slipping my mind right now...
  
• Dessert - Hmm... this was awesome. Strawberries, whip cream, stuffed inside a pastry. Nice way to end the meal :)
  
• Wines!! - I thought they had a fantastic wine list. Very extensive. We chose to order wine by the glass so we could sample a wide variety. They have four different reds by the glass. However, once one bottle is through, they open something completely different which I enjoyed as it expanded my choices!

If I had more time here in Tokyo, I would definitely go back. I really enjoyed both my meal and the wine! Oh and as an extra added bonus, they are open late - until 1am!!

Arossa - Velvia-kan 8F - Ginza 2-4-6

Oregon Bar and Grill

I'm not going to lie - this restaurant was not my favorite one here in Tokyo. In fact, I would probably categorize it in my "least" favorite category. Now, I have been to a fair amount of steakhouses both in the US and in Tokyo and for the most part they are all comparable. So, I assumed that despite the somewhat negative reviews, the Oregon Bar and Grill would still be comparable. Well, I was wrong. On the plus side, OB&G is on the 42nd floor in the Shiodome area so the view is good. They have a nice lounge area where you can come and get drinks, I think that would be the way to go. I sat in the bar area which left much to be desired. The tables and chairs looked cheap, and the service was eh at best. The actual bar itself has stools, but they look so uncomfortable that no one was sitting there. I started with Manhattan Clam Chowder as an appetizer. It was ok, serving size was a bit small but that's normal in Japan. This was followed by a sirloin steak with a small helping of mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes weren't bad but the steak was just eh. I had read a lot about the wide variety of choices of Oregon wines by the glass, carafe, and bottle. When I received the wine list, the choices I expected were not there. Lastly, I had to ask numerous times for service - specifically for another glass of wine. This is just weird in a restaurant of this caliber. In short, I would not recommend this restaurant at all - Beacon has far better quality food, service, and prices.

Oregon Bar and Grill - Shiodome City Center 42F - 11-5-2 Higashi-Shinbashi

Lengua de Gaudi

This a fantastic Spanish restaurant in Ginza. One of the best restaurants I have been to in the past couple of weeks. They serve primarily tapas, but the restaurant/bar has a fantastic atmosphere. Very laid back, very comfortable. They have an english menu (always a bonus) and some of the staff also speak perfect english. Here's a look at my meal:

• Sangria - Certainly not the best, but standard for Tokyo (which unfortunately doesn't say much)
• Shrimp in Garlic Oil - The shrimp were good, and dipping bread in the garlic oil was great! More bread please!
  
• Potatoes - These were standard fried potatoes with a sauce that had a bit of a kick to it. Pretty good.
• Gnocchi in a Blue Cheese Sauce - By far the best plate. The gnocchi came in this great blue cheese sauce with spinach and mushrooms. It was simply delightful. I pondered going back for dinner again tonight...

Overall, a good meal. Definitely would go back if I was going to be in town longer... hmm, maybe this weekend :)

Stay tuned for my not so rave review of the Oregon Bar and Grill.

Lengua de Gaudi - Ginza 5-9-5 - 5-11pm

Fish, fish, and yep, more fish!

After my delightful meal from AM/PM the other night, I had the pleasure of attending a very traditional Japanese meal. We sat on tatami mats, with a table maybe 6 inches off the mat, and were served by women wearing traditional kimonos. A very unique experience already! Let's take a look at the courses we ate:

1. Octupus and beans - The first course was a small bowl of octopus (about 3-4 pieces), not bad for octupus, chewy as to be expected. There was also a small bowl of white beans in a liquid.
2. Sashimi - Well you certainly can't go wrong with sashimi in Japan. This time we enjoyed some fatty tuna and flounder - both very delicious.
3. Fish Soup - This reminded me a little bit of the shark fin soup you can have at Chinese restaurants. It was a white fish in a thicker based soup with white rice at the bottom.
4. Spring cooked fish - Basically, we have no idea what type of fish this was, but it was white and indicated the coming of spring in Japan. For already having eaten 3 fish courses, this was still tasty.
5. Bamboo - Ok at this point, I'm getting a wee bit full, but excited for the change of having vegetable! This bamboo also came in a broth and is very common over here.
6. Brown stuff with a green paste - Yep, that's right. I have no idea what this was, but it had no taste. Actually, the green paste did, but it was bad, so I scraped it off. I'm getting full by this point, can only eat a few bites.
7. Fish noodles with egg - Again another soup type dish. Upon first glance, it looks like clear noodles in a broth with a raw egg on top. Oh wait, those clear noodles are little fish with eyes! Once I saw that eating this dish was complete.
8. (Yes, we are still eating) Pickles - Somewhat normal, but I'm just way too stuffed to keep eating. This had three different variations of pickles.
9. Rice with fish - This rice is cooked with little tiny orange fish (with eyes) that are often crunchy. Luckily, they weren't too crunchy this time.
10. Miso soup!
11. Oranges!!
12. Moshi - This Japanese dessert is actually quite good. I wish wasn't so full by the time we got this far.
13. Last but not least.... green tea!

Phew, what a meal! Now, it should be noted that these "courses" were on the smaller side, but still way too much food for me. I only wish I could have captured some of this on my camera. It was definitely one of the more traditional meals I have been to here in Japan - quite the experience!

It's the small things that matter

I just got back to Tokyo and I remember immediately why I love this country. I bought a cup of noodles at the AMPM (convenience store) and they gave me chopsticks. No having to find utensils at a hotel. Then I go to make hot water - yep, they've already filled the water heater. I just need to plug it in. If only everything in life was this easy and well thought out.

US Stuff

During my time in away from the US, a common question when coming home is "what are you looking forward to eating the most?". Most of the time, I have no answer. I normally find the food I'm looking for and not having huge cravings. (As a side note, I dearly missed PB cups for awhile, but luckily those can be mailed). So after being in the US for roughly two weeks, I have stumbled upon two food products that I crave.

1. Arizona Iced Tea, preferably in a can. Now today, I spent a good half an hour trying to find this product and much to my dismay, supermarkets do not carry it like they used to. I'm not quite sure my fascination with this product, but I love how one can will last me the entire afternoon. I was very disappointed that I could not find any raspberry iced tea, only lemon flavor, which will have to do for now. It would be nice if the raspberry iced tea magically appeared for my next trip home.

2. Alden Merrell Carrot Cake - Ok so in reality you can probably get carrot cake anywhere. I've had it while in Japan, but somehow it's just not the same. Carrot cake is one of those foods that I'm particularly finicky about - but this carrot cake is to die for. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/384903

Beacon and Turley!

Beacon has become our team's favorite steakhouse in Japan. Part of this may be due to the fact that the entire staff speaks English, the food is excellent, and for a small time you can pretend you're not in Japan. My favorite thing about Beacon was it's burger and zinfandel Sundays. This was the only day of the week they did burgers and specially priced bottles of zinfandel. The burgers were great, especially when accompanied by a side of garlic mashed potatoes and it was nice to see a high class restaurant try to tone it down a bit. Don't get me wrong, the filet (which I get every other time) is also amazing. I hear they also have a great Sunday brunch, which I haven't had the pleasure of trying yet.

Now the last time I was at Beacon, I was introduced to this new Californian red wine made by Turley vineyards. Before I even tasted it, the vineyard's praises were being said. I was told that I was guaranteed to fall in love with it. The catch being, it's almost impossible to get. And they were right on all accounts. The wine was amazing and it is indeed impossible to get. The vineyard simply only produces a small number of bottles, so you can't buy it in bulk or really at all. In fact, to be put on the mailing list for the winery you need to be placed on a waiting list first!! So please, if you come across any bottle of wine made by Turley, please send it to me!

Beacon - Shibuya 1-2-5, 11:30am-3pm, 6-10pm - 03-6418-0077

American's International Flagship Experience

I fly a lot these days. In fact, I might even say sometimes I spend more time flying than I do at home (yes, sad I know). So when American introduced their new business class seats, I was extremely excited to try them. Boy are they everything they said they were and more! There are just so many small touches that really make the seats a world better. The list includes:

• Two tray tables! Now I can put my laptop on one while I eat on the other, pure genius!
• On demand and increased movie selection - Instead of choosing from 8 movies that only play at select times, now I can choose from well over 30 movies, tv shows, etc, and start them whenever I want!
• Bose sound canceling headphones - These aren't new, but definitely deserve being mentioned. I miss them greatly when flying other airlines.
• A flat bed seat - ok so they are a little late with this on international flights, but I still appreciate it

Needless to say, I now always hope for the new seats when flying American. Such a drastic difference from the old business class. A job well done!

Midori-zushi

Although slightly touristy, this restaurant has become one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Ginza. The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and welcoming as the sushi chefs yell their greetings as you enter. My favorite seating is at the sushi counter where you can watch the sushi chefs at work. Next to each chef is a huge tub of rice. It's amazing to watch them produce order after order with such ease and the quality of the fish is outstanding. The tuna melts in your mouth. The downside Midori-zushi is there is often a wait to be seated. I've waited anywhere from 15-45 minutes, but once inside the meal is served rapidly and is reasonably priced. Last time, I talked to one of the sushi chefs on the way out - I'm excited to see if he remembers me upon my next visit!

Midori-zushi - Ginza 7-108; 11-2pm, 5pm-9:30pm - 03-5568-1212

Climbing Mt Fuji

One of my most memorable experiences in Japan happened around the end of August. At this time, the weather is still horribly hot and humid - however, this seems to be the best time to climb Mt Fuji. Fuji is only open to visitors for two months during the year (July and August) and most climbers do the hike overnight. After a bit of discussion, I was able to sucker a few co-workers into doing the hike with. So we set off...after taking two trains and a bus, we arrived at the 5th station, about 2/3 of the way up Fuji. Unfortunately, the weather was rather bleak and we were a little unprepared (read: we all had to buy rain equipment at the small store). With that small problem solved, off we went. Look how happy we are at the beginning of the hike!

We also all bought the popular hiking sticks to help guide us up the volcano. At each station, you can have your stick stamped to show your progress. As we progressed, I quickly realized carrying the stick was not helpful at all. Scrambling up rocks with only one hand is not the easiest feat.

We continued our climb all night long - stopping at each station for a break, food, and even a mini nap at one point. We reached the last station before the top (station 8.5) with plenty of time to spare before sunset. After pausing for a few, we set off again only to encounter huge amounts of traffic. I guess everyone else figured they would climb Mt Fuji the last weekend it was open too! Unfortunately, we did not make it to the top of Fuji to see sunrise, but we were pretty close! A bunch of us huddled together (it was soooo cold) and watched the sunrise.

After a short break at the top, we began our journey downwards. They nicely bulldozed a path down the side of Fuji for all visitors. However, this path is sandy, slippery, and horrible on the knees - it was a long journey down! Tired, and sweaty (funny how hot it got once the sun rose), we all made it down the mountain and began our journey home. It was definitely a fantastic experience!!

Fresh Start!

As many of you may know, I began a series of trips to Japan for work about 8 months ago. In these 8 months, I have had the amazing opportunity to travel to many parts of Japan and eat in a bijillion different restaurants in Tokyo. As my project in Tokyo concludes, this blog will retell many of the great experiences I have had traveling (and eating) and hopefully going forward will tell about the other exciting opportunities to come!