Bye Bye Tiger, Hello Rabbit :: 2010 in Review

Last meal of 2009/First meal of 2010 ::  Kamakura Ramen, Shibuya

 Bun Bo Hue in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Fell in love with dagashi, old school Japanese candy.

Ate lots of burgers.  

Had my final Japanese school lunch. 

Ate Okonomiyaki in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. 

Had my first hanami party in Shinjuku Gyoen. 

Escaped Tokyo and ate wild greens from the mountains of Saitama. 

Went home to the Bay Area twice. Ate lots of Monte Cristos and established myself as a regular at Mama's even though I don't live in SF. 

Cut my throat on some delicious and ambitious bacon in Inverness, CA 

Flying solo with Vietnamese cooking. I still prefer my mom's cooking, but I'm improving. 

Spent too much money on fancy food. Some good. Some not so good. 

Made an awesome cake for Blammo's birthday. 

Enjoyed Yokote Yakisoba at the Super Genki Festival in Tokyo. 

Survived one of the hottest summers in Japan with shaved ice, ice cream and soft cream. 

 Checked out all that Hong Kong has to offer. (And 30 minutes of Macao) 

Whoopied it up in Pennsylvania. 

Went to a lot of weddings. 

New York, New York! 

After 22 bread classes, I'm getting pretty good at making mushy pan!

Really missing my friends and family but glad to know that they have my back when I need them most. 

My first nabe.

And my first Japanese birthday cake. I should mention here that I am also thankful for the friends I have made in Japan and am happy to know that they too, have my back when I need it most. 

Joanne Chang - I love you!

Finally found a sushi restaurant that is high quality and foreigner friendly in a non-pandering way. 

Finally went to karaoke.

Hopefully, started a new tradition. 

It's been a long year. I think I need a nap.

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!

Momofuku Ko

Oh boy. Momofuku Ko hangover! I have never in my life, dined like that. Needless to say, it was amazing and one of the best dining experiences of my life. I got to try a bunch of things I'd never order if it were on a menu. (So that's what Foie Gras tastes like...Buttery!). I'm not a huge seafood eater. If there is meat on the menu, I'll always choose something that moos over something that swims. BUT! I'm glad that the chefs make the decisions for you and you just have to trust that what they put in front of you is worth eating. Dish after dish after dish, I was delighted and giddy and wanted to give the chefs a big giant sloppy caviar coated kiss. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside the restaurant, so I don't have anything to show you but the outside of the door and my glass of alka seltzer. You're just going to have to trust me on this stuff...

From memory, here's what we were served:

• Soft Tofu and Chinese Sausage amuse bouche
• Swiss Chard with pork
• Buttery Pepper Biscuit
• Long Island Fluke with Buttermilk and Poppy Seeds
• Green and White Asparagus with Scallops
• Sea Urchin in a Miso Broth
• Poached Egg, Caviar and Potato Chips
• Soft Shell Crab with Bay Sauce
• Shaved Foie Gras over Lychee, Pine Nut Brittle and Riesling Gelee
• Deep Fried Steak with a tasting of Onions
• Guava Sorbet with a Skin of Cream Cheese
• Black Sesame Ice Cream with Funnel Cake and Lemon Sugar

My favorites? Everything in bold above. These are things that I'm craving this morning. The Poached Egg and the Long Island Fluke were fantastic. I liked the different textures with the egg (potato chips?!) and the long island fluke kind of tasted like lox on a bagel with cream cheese. The Foie Gras dish was very fun because I wasn't sure if it was sweet or savory. I'm big on fruity desserts so I preferred the Guava Sorbet over the Funnel Cake (even though I finished off my dish before everyone else...oops!) but I was really happy to see that Black Sesame is Chang approved!

Aside from the food, it was really cool to watch the 3 chefs preparing our dishes. The ingredients they used were incredibly fresh. They blasted Led Zepplin and The Beatles. For $100 per person, I think it's totally worth it. So...anyone want to go with me again?!