Jay Eats Worldwide

One of the things I got to do while I was in New York City, was to visit Brooklyn and try some of the restaurants. One of them is a Japanese restaurant serving Kyoto style small plates, including fresh house-made tofu and new style sushi. My friend and his wife suggested Hibino Brooklyn . See What Jay Eats...  We started with the fresh house-made tofu, served warm (or cold) with grated ginger and scallions with a soy-dash sauce. This reminded me of my trip to Kyoto and had fresh made tofu table side.  Agedashi Tofu Deep-fried house-made tofu with shishito peppers, Shiitake mushroom in a soy-dashi sauce. One of the best agedashi tofu I've had outside of Japan.  Hamachi Salad Yellowtail sashimi and Mesclun with shaved daikon & carrots in an onion soy dressing. Very good.  Okonomiyaki A Japanese pancake special Not my favorite dish of the evening, seems it was made...

One thing that I don't see much anymore is good simple Japanese food.  It's hard to find a restaurant that does combinations with the classics, like tonkatsu (fried pork) and grilled salmon (without the teriyaki sauce).   A friend introduced me to At Home Kitchen in Gardena, it's at the old Bob's Okazuya on South Vermont, between Artesia and Gardena Blvd.  For my friend to go twice in one week, I knew I had to try it. I have to admit, the menu is a bit confusing, everything is a la carte.  The menu starts off by telling you about the set, but to go with what? The set is an additional $3, which includes miso soup, rice, and @Home Salad, your choice of mixed vegetable tempura, seafood poke, or a 4 pc. sushi roll.  The "@Home Salad" is actually two salads, a dressed green salad with a Japanese potato salad, it's more like a mashed potato salad on top. See What Jay Eats... Grilled Salmon (a la carte $6.60) ordered with the $3...

Had lunch with my friend @marianthefoodie at Foodstory in Los Angeles.  Although it's not a restaurant, it' s a unique Japanese cooking experience, taught by founder Yoko Isassi.   Confused?   Located in a cool Downtown LA loft, it's a place to learn about Japanese cuisine, culture and most importantly, food stories.  Let me explain, not only does Yoko teach Japanese cuisine but also the stories that go along with the food.  This is a hands-on workshop for those wanting to learn authentic Japanese food.  Not only will you go home with a better understanding of Japanese cuisine and culture, but you learn dishes to amaze your friends and family at home.  Today, Yoko wasn't teaching, but prepared  a ramen lunch for us and we shared food stories. Homemade ramen noodles with a seasoned egg and tomatoes Most restaurants don't season their eggs, this was a treat. A really good broth, with a perfectly cooke...

Happy Mother's Day! As you've read in previous posts, I'm a fan of Bento Man's Japanese fried chicken bento and made it to my "Japanese Lunch Specials in LA" post. I happened to be in the area again and stopped in to try the "Salmon Bento." Salmon Bento The salmon was well cooked with a nice crust and perfectly seasoned. I really wasn't a fan of the other "fried" accompaniments, trust me I loved fried... Fried tofu, fried piece of chicken, and tempura shrimp was a bit much, especially if you are trying to eat healthy by ordering the salmon. Although I'm Japanese American, I still have a hard time eating the root vegetables prepared the traditional way. It's too old skool for me and usually what I avoid in bento boxes. Other than that, everything is well prepared and a deal at $7.25. On the other hand, I really love Bento Man's "Karaage Chicken Bento", Japanese style fried chicken. Maybe this will be what I al...

I work with Asian food companies who want to come to the U.S. and set-up business. They’re very successful at home, but when they come here, most fail. In my opinion, these companies fail for many reasons, one of them is “Lost in Translation.” Somewhere along the way, it doesn’t translate properly. This causes headaches for the foreign nationals at the U.S. office. Here’s an example about a Japanese Yuba and Tofu restaurant. This company buys a building and builds a beautiful restaurant in Beverly Hills. They hired a PR agency to promote the restaurant and the opening. The restaurant received very average reviews and customer comments. I met a cook who worked there and ask him how many people come in and ask to sit at the sushi bar? The restaurant didn’t have a sushi bar and his response was, “How did you know, been to the restaurant?” The PR agency didn’t know the food or how to explain what Yuba is or the Kaiseki style of dining. The restaurant closed within a year. What should they ...