Shōwa Nostalgia

After a few months of blaming the heat for everything, I've made a pact with myself to take more pictures, cook more and post more.

Here are a few from a recent random day in Tokyo. 

A handmade train station sign warning riders about bird pooping out hearts. Leave it to Japan to turn something so gross into something super adorable. 

On on our way to lunch, we stumbled upon a Shōwa Era candy shop. Japan counts their years using the name of the ruling Emperors of that time. Emperor Showa rules Japan from 1926 to 1989 and chances are, if you see something in Japan that looks "retro", it's from the Showa Era.

I know that these Hipstamatic/Instagram camera apps can be a little annoying. But I can't help but use these apps when taking  pictures of Showa Era candy and toys. 

Remember when candy was just simple, colorful and fun?

Squidward says this is what the inside of my brain looks like

Baaaabies...lots of baaaabies 

We ended the day at one of our favorite burger restaurants in Tokyo, Sunny Diner in Kita Senju. This is how they brought me my ketchup. That's why I like this place. 

There are two Sunny Diner's in Kita Senju:

Lumine Shop: 

Kita Senju Lumine 8F 

Original Shop: 

SUNNYDINER　本店

東京都足立区千住３−４５

My Lunch :: Oct 12

Sasa Grill Burger Club in Daikanyama. I'm not sure if you can tell,
but this is a small size burger...it's slider size but with all the
fixins of a hamburger. It was way yum. Daikanyama is now one of my
favorite 'hoods in Tokyo. Tons of cute cafes and shops.

My Lunch :: Sept 14 :: Lotteria

I've been meaning to try out Lotteria for quite some time now. Now I know I wasn't missing anything. I tweeted today, that Lotteria is Korea's version of McDonald's. It is not. I would never dis Donald McDonald like that. Lotteria is more like...hmm...ok there's no comparable American counterpart because Americans know how to burger. In my opinion, Carl's Jr makes the WORST burger in America, but I'd eat those for a year over Lotteria. I can't stress to you how thin my patty of meat was. Barely visible because it was hidden behind an inch of lettuce and mayo. Blech. Fries were ok but not good enough to save this meal. Lotteria's parent company is Lotte which is a huge Korean conglomerate. They make pretty ok gum. They should stick to gum.

MakuDonerudo

Here are some random photos I took of McDonald's and Burger King in Tokyo.












The marketing here is quite peculiar. Burger King has decided to promote something called the "Angry Whopper" which is spicy...thus angry. McDonald's on the other hand is going with making fun of white people to hawk their burgers. Point McDonald's. Apparently the Western world has gotten word, but I think most people will just find this funny, not offensive. (Thanks for the link Sarah!) A few things about McDonald's here:

1. Much like the rest of Japan, McDonald's is clean and friendly. So much so, that when my McNuggets were not ready to be served, they asked me to find a seat upstairs and brought me my piping hot McNuggets waiter style.
   
2. They still deep fry their Apple Turnovers. A friend of mine kept telling me this and to be honest, at the time, I didn't find it that interesting. But I finally ordered one and realized what I'd been missing ever since McDonald's USA changed to a baked apple turnover. Amazing!
3. They have monthly specials that change according to the season. During the World Baseball Classic, they served a McHotdog until 11:30am. Hot dogs because of baseball and only to 11:30am because the games were shown in the morning. They are currently hawking the Tamago Double Mac - double mac with an egg.
   
4. His name is Donald McDonald in Japan.

DBGB Soft Open

I was lucky enough to eat at DBGB's soft open over the weekend. DBGB is Daniel Boulud's downtown venture into casual dining. Most people know Daniel because he serves a $100 dollar burger at DB Bistro Moderne. It has foie gras and shaved truffles on it. He's also a regular on the Top Chef judging panel. Lastly, he's adorable.

The food at DBGB was very flavorful. We tried 2 of the in-house made sausages and a HUGE beer menu. The menu lends itself well to sharing, so it's a great place for friends and big groups. I tried the Frenchie Burger which was very spicy, but in a good way. We finished off our meal with a Beer/Cherry Ice Cream Sundae. As you can see from the picture here, I really liked it. The ambiance is a big departure for Daniel - the kitchen is open so you get flashes from the pan and can hear the hustle and bustle of the hard working chefs serving you. The music mixed Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons and Ratatat and the servers were young and friendly. Daniel's Chef friends donated pots from their personal collections and he puts them on display throughout the house. The stars were aligned for me that night as we were seated between gifts from Tom Colicchio and Anthony Bourdain -- two of my favorite food personalities!