Jay Eats Worldwide

I took a picture of the McDonalds sign in Downey, California awhile ago.  A friend asked, "why only one arch?"  I explained that this location is the Oldest operating McDonalds.  Being back in the area on business, I stopped in to grab a drink and to take some pictures. Corner of Lakewood Blvd and Florence Ave 10207 Lakewood Blvd. Downey, CA 90240 (562) 622-9248 Original 60-foot neon Speedee sign Opened on August 18, 1953, still has the red-and-white striped tile exterior, if you're old enough to remember... Ray Kroc met the McDonald brothers who had a small busy restaurant.  He built this most famous and successful fast food business Original Menu Love how simple it was back then Do you remember the paper hats?  Before Ronald McDonald, there was Speedee If you visit, they do have a small museum and gift shop. You'd have to call for the hours of the gift shop, but the museum ...

One of my favorite seafood dishes is poke.  In Hawaii, poke is served as a appetizer or pupu.    Everyone has their favorite recipe and hence why there are so many varieties in Hawaii, esp if you visit Alicia's Market, Poke Stop, Tanioka's and even Foodland. In celebrating National Seafood Month 2012, here's my favorites pokes:  The Famous Wasabi Masago Ahi Poke from Alicia's Market My first stop after I leave the airport... Sweet Onion Ahi Poke Love Maui Onions, so sweet... Sea Asparagus Ahi Poke I love sea asparagus! If you've never had them, they're salty with a nice crunch. On the mainland, they're called "sea beans" but the quality is not the same. Tako Poke Just wanted something different Since I can't find a good one at home, I just make my own...  Cubed yellowfin tuna (A simple tuna and octopus recipe here ) Add in some soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil with y...

With the popularity of sake over the last 10 years, you can imagine how many sake training sessions I've taught to the service staff at numerous restaurants.  Having attended the recent Mutual Trading Restaurant Expo and sampling many different sake, it was good to be able to compare with today's Shochu tasting.   But I have to admit, I really don't know much about Shochu... Over the last 5+ years, I've heard talk about Shochu, but it didn't sound like they knew any more than I did.  So when I was invited to "The Biggest Shochu Event" by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), I jumped at the chance to learn more and be able to share with you. The Biggest Shochu Event by JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) First, the difference between sake and shochu?  In a nutshell, sake is a fermented alcoholic beverage and shochu is a distilled alcoholic beverage.  I always thought of it as a Japanese vodka, since it's distilled.  ...

During my trip to Honolulu for the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival , one of the places I wanted to return to was Prima in Kailua for some modern Italian.  Only open for about a year, Prima is that casual place that has great food. A few of us took a break from the festival food and stopped in for dinner. See What Jay Eats...  While looking over the menu and specials board, we enjoyed the fresh bread. Specials tonight Headcheese Adobo Really good... Sweetbread with Biscuits (another special) A variety of mushrooms Pizza Time! Prosciutto Rucola Tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, parmesan A favorite of mine... We had a few other dishes, including Pappardelle - curry bolognese, fried curry leaves Meatball Pizza Dessert Time! Their famous house made ice creams jasmine, pineapple, lilikoi, and peanut butter. The peanut butter was my favorite Almond cake with figs It was another gre...

I was on Oahu for the  2012 Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival  as guest of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau , I thank them for the invitation and hospitality.   I knew this would be food-filled four days of go-go-go and go...  Arrangements were made for  me at the Hotel Renew in Waikiki.   When I visit Honolulu , I usually stay on the Ala Moana side of Waikiki, so I had no idea where to find Hotel Renew .  It's actually located on the Diamond Head side of the Marriott Waikiki and not far from the beach...  Photo by Hotel Renew You're probably thinking the same thing I did... Well, Hotel Renew is Honolulu's first boutique hotel, designed by acclaimed designer Jiun Ho .  Since I'm a food guy, hopefully my descriptions make sense. First off, it's not a mega resort, only 72 rooms.  It's a modern hotel with a tranquil feed, away from the Waikiki noise and the tons of people.  It didn't have a chain feel to...