After what seemed like 4 months of waiting, but really was something like 1 month, Ramen Setagaya is open for business. I couldn’t believe it. Aya and I were planning to get a bite to eat at a local curry house tonight, but when we heard the news, we were at the door…

…along with everyone […]

We tried one of the pinkberry’s in manhattan this weekend. After a nice meal at gam mee ook, we decided to wait in line (for about 15 minutes) for the local pinkberry on 32nd street in k-town.
If you haven’t had one of these creations before you need to check it. It’s frozen yogurt with fresh […]

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer and it’s evident here in NYC by the 90 degree weather. No doubt, summer in the city has begun. Farewell Spring, your allergies and fair weather, we knew ye too briefly. Greetings to Summer, the time of sweat, stink, and storefronts that pump AC onto the streets. […]

I hadn’t come across the term “italo-japanese” until I searched for information on a small restaurant that opened down the street: dieci
I found this TimeOut NY article that mentioned a growing “mutual curiousity” between Italian and Japanese kitchens. This struck me as curious in itself as Basta Pasta has been around since 1990.
Anyway, I’m not […]

Last night we wanted to try something new for dinner. On our way out the door, we encountered a new menu from Birdie’s, Grandma’s Chicken for the People. This is a new joint on 1st ave in what used to be Flor’s Kitchen. There is chicken all up and down the menu, but for […]

I’ve recently just wandered across a couple new (to me) places in the neighborhood. Both are about 2 blocks from the abode, which is comfortably within the acceptable radius, and not only are they good, but they are certainly worth recommending:

Una pizza napoletano - As you’ll read in various blog postings and reviews across the […]

If he were born in the USA circa 1937, there is a good chance we would call him “Tak”, but he wasn’t, so we call him Takeru Kobayashi. For the 6th straight year, Kobayashi has taken the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest, held annually at Coney Island on the Fourth of July. While the result […]

Between having laser surgery two weeks ago, and a general malaise called laziness, I’ve been incredibly neglectful of posting. No promises going forward, but the sleeper is awake.
Two new revelations in the NYC Japanese food scene…

Yakitori Totto - In a word: sublime. This is no standard yakitori joint. The decor is straight out of Shinjuku […]

AK brought home another set of munchies, this time from JAS Mart. We tried a snack called Tamanegi-san. Tamanegi-san can be roughly translated to Mr. Onion.

The bag contains what can only be described as a cross between Cheez Puffs and Funyuns. The consistency was similar to Cheez Puffs (not Cheetos mind you, those are […]

It’s official: A new Japanese treat has landed in Manhattan. Tonight AK brought home a bag of gorira no hana kuso. This literally translates to “nose shit of gorilla”. Less literally, this translates to “gorilla boogers”. This wouldn’t be noteworthy unless they were edible. (they are)

These have been available in Japan for a few years. […]

You would not believe the power of Whole Foods Natural Wasabi Green Peas. I usually go with the widely available Kasugai Wasabi Peas, which are plenty fierce. In fact, Kasugai peas make my cat Nomo gag when he smells them.

However, I have a feeling whoever made this batch just got dumped or perhaps wanted to […]