As the waters become cooler the fish become rich with fat. We love sanma (Pacific saury) this time of year, both as sashimi, or simply salted and grilled. If there is a nice cup of nihonshu on the table, eating the guts of the sanma is also a treat. For miso soup a handful of…
Month: September 2011
Hanamaru Market Food Fair at Shinjuku Odakyu
Hanamaru Market is a morning television variety program. While it is not a food program, it introduces the favorite food of each day’s guest. I have found this program a great way to be introduced to products I would not necessarily come across. Food items include regional items from guests’ hometowns to some local favorites…
Wine Dinners with Master Sommelier Ned Goodwin – Salt
Here is the first upcoming wine dinner with the great Ned Goodwin. ■ Jamsheed Winemaker’s Dinner @ Salt The Jamsheed label began in 2003 with a focus on single vineyard Syrahs and aromatic whites from unique sites in Victoria. The vineyards are selected to demonstrate the versatility and charm of these magnificent varieties. Each wine is…
Wine Dinners with Master Sommelier Ned Goodwin
Here is the second upcoming wine dinner with the great Ned Goodwin. ■ Jamsheed Winemaker’s Dinner @ Tableaux The Jamsheed label began in 2003 with a focus on single vineyard Syrahs and aromatic whites from unique sites in Victoria. The vineyards are selected to demonstrate the versatility and charm of these magnificent varieties. Each wine is…
Tokyo’s Top Places to Drink
Izakaya 居酒屋 are literally places to have something to drink. When I was working as a sommelier at the New York Bar and Grill at the Park Hyatt Tokyo my shift would end late at night, well after dinner. I would often stop by a local izakaya for a beer and some small bites. What…
Hokkaido Food Festival at Ikebukuro Tobu
Running now through Tuesday, September 27th at Ikebukuro Tobu is a big Hokkaido Food Festival. My favorite food to pick up here is always the amazing bento, both seafood based but also including some wagyu. I am always a fan of the seafood from Sato Suisan, like the bento layered with uni, ikura, and crab…
Five Questions for Sake Master John Gauntner
John Gauntner has done more to promote sake than any other non-Japanese in the world. John is the author of five books, an informational monthly newsletter, and for those lucky enough to be in Tokyo, he holds interesting tasting seminars at Takara. His accomplishments are too numerous to list all of them here but some…
Shochu 焼酎 – Shiro しろ
Perhaps the most asked question I have is what is a good shochu to start with for those who are new to shochu. A rice based shochu is a good place to start as it is usually light, easy-drinking, and clean, much like rice. A good brand to start with is Hakutake Shiro, referred to…
Sake no Ana: Best Place for Tasting Sake for Lunch in Tokyo – Part 2/2
Sake no Ana 酒の穴 Chuo-ku, Ginza 3-5-8 03-3567-1133 3. Juyondai Honjozo 十四代 本醸造 Premium sake, very hard to purchase retail. Often sold at much higher prices on E-bay (Sakamoto-san, the sake sommelier said that the bottle we had would go for 10,000 JPY even though the retail price is only about 2,500 JPY.) From Yamagata prefecture. http://www.yukinosake.com/juyondai.html (sake brewery site in Japanese)…
Sake no Ana: Best Place for Tasting Sake for Lunch in Tokyo – Part 1/2
Sake no Ana 酒の穴 Chuo-ku, Ginza 3-5-8 03-3567-1133 There are many wonderful izakaya in Tokyo, however finding one that is open for lunch is a challenge. I was in particular looking for an izakaya with a wide variety of sake by the glass that is open for lunch. All of my favorites, including Sasagin and Takara…
Tohoku Food Festival at Takashimaya Nihonbashi
This weekend through Monday the 12th, stop by Takashimaya Nihonbashi’s 8th floor (large event space) for a special food festival featuring the food of the Tohoku region. My mother is from Yamagata so Tohoku holds a very special place in my heart. Shinji also works with many fishermen from Aomori to Iwate and Miyagi…
Hokkaido Food Festival at Shinjuku Odakyu
Just a reminder that the Hokkaido Food Festival at Shinjuku Odakyu runs through this weekend. If you are near Shinjuku, stop by Odakyu department store. Click here for more details.
Tokyo Station Omiyage – Nihonbashi Nishiki Hourin 日本橋錦豊琳
Karintou are traditional sweet confectionaries made from a flour based cracker that is fermented and then is deep-fried and covered with a sugar coating. The sugar coating can be a white sugar but many times it is a dark sugar coating that is rich in minerals. The cracker can have different ingredients folded into it…
September Seasonal Japanese Seafood ９月旬の魚
September Seasonal Japanese Seafood Perhaps no fish signals the arrival of autumn to me than sanma (Pacific saury), a silver skinned, long and skinny fish that for me is best when simply salted and grilled. This at night with a glass of nihonshu or shochu is heaven for me. What many Japanese especially appreciate is the…
Food Sake Tokyo 