Tiny Urban Tidbits #18 - Local News

Kyubey in Tokyo, Japan

Happy Friday everyone!

I realize I've been doing a lot of non-local posts lately, so I thought I'd take a tiny break from the Tribute to Japan Series and talk briefly about local things going on around the city.

If you still want a taste of Japan, you can check out the one crazy post from the November Japan trip that I wrote earlier. In Round 9 of Project Food Blog, we had to write a restaurant review. The stakes were high, as 12 contestants were about to be narrowed down to three!

I decided to write about Kyubey, one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Japan. The entire meal is simply unforgettable, especially if you've never had a high end sushi experience Japan before. Check out the post here.



James Beard Award Nominees
Congratulations to some of my favorite local chefs for their nominations! Cambridge made a strong showing, with Tony Maws (Craigie on Main) nominated for Best Chef Northeast and Will Gilson (Garden at the Cellar) nominated for Best Rising Star Chef.

Barbara Lynch's Menton has been nominated for Best New Restaurant and Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery + Cafe and Maura Kilpatrick of Oleana have been nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Tim Cushman (O Ya) has also been nominated for Best Chef Northeast.

Several restaurants I've visited on my travels also made the list. Picasso (where I just went in January) has been nominated for both Outstanding Restaurant as well as Outstanding Wine Service. Richard Reddington from Redd and Josiah Citrin from Melisse are also nominated for Best Chef Pacific. Per Se in NYC has been nominated for Outstanding Service.

Finally, Gary Danko, who I just met a few weekends ago in Napa Valley, has also been nominated for Outstanding Chef. I would love to try his restaurant one day!

Congrats to everyone who was nominated!

New Openings!

Pinkberry will be opening right in the heart of Harvard Square at the old Alpha Omega Building (sharing that space with a spanking new Starbucks Coffee!). On top of the typical (delicious!) frozen yogurt and toppings, this Pinkberry will also serve breakfast as well as offer Pinkberry Take Home, a 25-oz swirl-to-order tub of your favorite yogurt.

Floating Rock, well loved Southeast Asian restaurant originally in Revere, has moved to Central Square and will have a soft opening next Friday, April 1. They are currently selling gift cards at a discount. These discounted cards will only be available up until the opening of the restaurant.

Purchase a gift card worth $25 for $20, a $50 card for $40 and a $100 card for $75. E-mail floatingrockrestaurant@gmail.com for details.

Thelonious Monkfish, a new Asian fusion place, has recently opened in Central Square. They have a full sushi menu, as well as plenty of Southeast Asian dishes plus many standard Chinese dishes. I've tried it a couple times and I plan on going again before writing up a full post. Initial thoughts? Some dishes were quite tasty while others were more average. Overall, I think it's a great addition to the area. Central Square can really benefit from a place like this.


EmPower Breakfast at Rialto with Jody Adams!
EmPOWER Breakfast is an annual benefit in collaboration with women from the business community to raise much needed funds for Asian women and children impacted by domestic violence.

This year, the event will be Thursday, April 7 from 8AM -10AM at Rialto. There will be breakfast, a silent auction, and a panel discussion. I'll be there blogging about the event as well!

To find out more and to purchase tickets, please visit this page.

This event will be hosted by Jody Adams (Chef/Owner of Rialto Cambridge), Vivian Hsu (Principal of Hsu & Associates, LLC) Renee Inomata (Partner at Burns & Levinson, LLC) and Janet Wu (7News/CW56).



Pop Up Restaurant!

They've struck again! It's yet another pop up restaurant! As many of you know, I went to my first pop up restaurant at the Taza Chocolate Factory.

This time, Aaron Cohen and Will Gilson (along with Sel de la Terre chef Louie Dibiccari) will set up a pop up restaurant at Mizu hair salon on Saturday, April 9, 2011. A 5-course menu will costs $100 and includes tax and gratuity. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the International Medical Corps to aid Japan.

To learn more and to buy tickets, click here.

That's it folks! Have a wonderful weekend, and we will continue the Tribute to Japan Series next week!

Kappabashi-dori

This post is part 1 of my series: Tribute to Japan which will explore Japanese culture through my trip there back in November 2010.

For anyone who loves to cook or just loves kitchen supplies in general, a visit to Tokyo is not complete with a stop by Kappabashi. Not too far from Asakusa, Kappabashi is the area in Japan to get cooking and baking supplies, high quality knives, fake display foods, dishware, silverware, etc. etc.

Because this area is catered toward the restaurant industry, the prices for many things are quite reasonable. Better yet, many of these restaurant-grade items are super durable. I bought miso bowls from this area over a decade ago (for only $1 each!) and to this day they are still as good as new! (I even throw them in the dishwasher all the time!) Some of the smaller shops only accept cash, so definitely come armed with a wad of bills if you plan on shopping (which you definitely will because you'll be so tempted to get stuff!)

On both sides of the street, stores tempt you with beautiful Japanese ceramics, bento boxes, knives, pots and pans, and so much more. Oftentimes the best deals are out on the sidewalk, so it's always fun just to rummage through those piles.

Even the building architecture reflects the food-focused nature of the neighborhood.

One popular gift item with tourists is the fake display food. In Japan, almost all restaurants will have these displays showing what their dishes look like. You can even custom make dishes, although those are pretty expensive!

Plastic lobsters, various species of fish, and beef slices.

I thought this fake mochi looked very realistic! The price (about $12 USD each) gave it away!

I bought a fake beer glass for Bryan's dad. The ones with bubbles were more interesting looking and also cost more.

I bought a bunch of baking supplies, such as these cool cookie stamps! I also got some with Japanese characters, which I'll get around to using one of these days. :)

2 hours later, my nylon tote was filled with miso bowls, baking supplies, tiny wooden spoons, a huge plastic Kirin mug, and several magnets in the shapes of gyoza (dumplings), kamaboko (fish cake), and various other Japanese foods. I left Kappabashi with a huge smile on my face. It had been super fun just to take my time exploring all the shops at my own pace. What a great, relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

I would highly recommend visiting Kappabashi if you are ever in Tokyo. It's just one stop away from Asakusa, which is another popular tourist site that's really fun to visit. It's a great place to pick up reasonably priced dishware, souvenirs, gifts, and high quality Japanese knives at very reasonable prices.

Note - many of the stores are closed on Sundays.

How to get to Kappabashi
Take the Ginza line to Tawaramachi Station.
Take Exit #3 out of the station.
Once you emerge, you will be facing north on the corner of Asakusa-dori and Kokusai-dori.
Turn around (180 degrees) and walk west along the Asukusa-dori away from Asakusa toward Ueno. At the second light look up and you will see a huge plastic chef guy wearing a hat and also a police box. Turn right and you're on the street Kappabashi-dori!

Explore!

This post is part 1 of a larger series called a Tribute to Japan.

A Tribute to Japan

I have always loved Japan.

As a child, I was exposed to a bit of Japanese culture because my parents were Taiwanese. Taiwan was occupied by Japan for 50 years (between 1895 and 1945), and thus my grandparents lived under Japanese rule for a large part of their lives. Inevitably, they absorbed various aspects of Japanese culture. In fact, my maternal grandparents felt more comfortable speaking Japanese than Taiwanese or Chinese with their kids.

As a college student, I decided I wanted to learn more about Japan. I studied the language for two years before spending a summer interning at Hitachi Chemical. I absolutely loved living there. One of my favorite things to do was to roam the immaculate and beautiful supermarkets after work, picking out my dinner for the evening.

Of course, it's not just about the food. I also loved the people that I met. Even after leaving Japan, I continued to hone my language skills, building long lasting relationships with Japanese friends through language exchange partnerships.

The news of the recent earthquakes and aftermath in Japan is downright devastating. My few friends who live in Japan are in Tokyo, so they are safe, although extremely frightened. My heart continues to ache for those who have suffered great losses, and I pray for them.

The Japanese are quite resilient, and I am confident they will rebuild, recover, and come out stronger in the end. As a tribute to them, please join me as I begin a series dedicated to Japan: a celebration of their unique culture, rich history, and (of course) amazing cuisine.

Sneak preview ahead . . .


Bryan and I had the privilege of visiting Japan this past November. Bryan had a business trip there, so I just came along for the ride. We stayed in Shibuya, a bustling area with one of the most famous and crazy crosswalks in Tokyo.

The view from our hotel on top at Cerulean Towers

I always get one of these whenever I come to Japan!

You gotta love the plush version!

Of course we had to stop by Domo-kun's home - NHK Studio Park!


You can get your favorite characters in all different sorts of colors.

Or Hello Kitty wearing all different sort of "suits." (yes, this is borderline disturbing)

Or if you prefer kitchenware, visit this super fun neighborhood in Japan devoted to restaurant supplies, fake plastic foods, and other fun kitchen gadgets. It's where I got my cookie stamps!

Or stop by Tsukiji fish market to get some seriously quality (and expensive!) knives.

The food in Tokyo is among the best in the world. Here, we visited one of Tokyo's most famous molecular gastronomy restaurants (1 Michelin Star)

One of our favorite ramen places with handmade noodles, of course!

Kurobuta Pork tonkatsu at a former bath house.

Street food! Do you know what these are?

Everything I learned about sushi I learned from my mom  . . . and this place.

Probably the best sushi I've ever had in my life at this 2-star Michelin unassuming sushi bar.

Cherry Blossoms at Shinjuku Gyoen

S. Pellegrino 9th Annual Almost Famous Chef Competition: Signature Dish

This post is part 4 of a larger series about the 9th Annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition.

This was it. This was the moment that would decide the final outcome of the entire competition. 10 students from all over North America had come together here in Napa Valley to compete for the Grand Prize of the Almost Famous Chef Competition.

Each had already competed in the Mystery Basket competition a day earlier. A combination of their scores from both events would determine the final winner.

The Signature Dish competition is especially interesting because each student has complete creative control over what dish to create. All of these regional finalists are cooking the winning dishes that got them here. You're seriously tasting the best of the best here. The twist? Instead of cooking it for 8 judges, they must now cook the dish for 200 guests!!

Crazy Challenging? Most definitely.

Let's meet the judges, the competitors, and (of course), find out the results!

There was a star-studded line up of judges, well-known media personalities and famous chefs.

The judges sat together in a separate room and tasted each entry, one by one.

Meanwhile, the general guests outside visited the stations one by one to sample the dishes.

The entire competition was streamed live online for anyone in the world to see.

Meet the Competitors & their Dishes!

Jean-Francois Daigle from The George Brown Chef’s School made Honey Seared Bison Tenderloin with apple-parsnip puree.

Mark Maier from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts of LA made Deconstructed Chile Verde, which consisted of pork, pico de gaillo, salsa, polenta cake, and guacamole.

Alex Schnell from The culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park made Ginger Roasted Pork Tenderloin with ruby port and figs, and toasted walnut gnocchi.

Chunchira Eshleman from The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Las Vegas made Hawaiian Chicken with sauteed bok choy and mushrooms, mashed taro root, and crushed pineapple.

Nicholas Hymel from Nicholis State University – John Folse Culinary Insititute made Quail Fricassee with creole cream cheese grits and smothered collard greens.

Emma Louth from Drexel University made "Smoke/Ocean/Prairie" which consisted of rare Bison tenderloin on a fig balsamic reduction topped with smoked and deep fried oysters with a crispy potato Napoleon and arugula pine nut salad.

Christopher Mckevitt from the Lincoln Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach made "Bounty of the Rockies" which consisted of a trio of lamb including smoky loin, homemade sausage, and Denver ribs with sweet shredded apple plus a corn fritter.

Elizabeth Freer from The Culinary Institute of Charlestown made "Two Way Rabbit", which consisted of braised rabbit ravioli and pecan encrusted tenderloin.

Marco Bahena from Kendall College made Mediterranean Lamb Loin with Chicken Mousseline, olive oil poached potato, Lyonnaise salad and sauce foyot.

Anthony Messina from The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts made Squab with Apple-Parsnip Puree, smoked chard, fois gras emulsion, and garnishes.

In the Kitchen

The students had four hours to work on these dishes before the bell rang "Dong!" Time to bring your food downstairs!

At that moment, students immediately began packing up their ingredients in order to set up downstairs, which is where the guests would arrive.

Guests enjoyed sampling the various dishes and then voted for the "People Choice Award" by putting their coins into the box of their choice. Similarly, people online voted for the winner of the "Fan Favorite Award."

Meanwhile, judges deliberated, took notes, and voted as well.

Votes being tabulated . . .

And then it was time to announce all the winners. Welcome our hosts, Ralph Pagano and Gail Simmons! Here's the moment we had all been waiting for . . .

We applauded all the judges and all the students who worked so hard for this.

There was a lot at stake. $10,000 to the winner plus a one year internship with one of the chef judges. The winners of the other awards would still win $3000 each.

Fan Favorite

And the winner of the Fan Favorite award is Emma Louth!

People's Choice

Congratulations to Elizabeth Freer for winning the People's Choice Award.

Mystery Basket

Winner of the Mystery Basket?  Jean-Francois Daigle!

Signature Dish

Winner of the Signature dish competition?

Congratulations Marco Bahena from Kendall College in Chicago!!!

Marco also ended up winning The Grand Prize!!!!


Here's a closer look at Marco's winning dish, which I personally thought was absolutely delicious and definitely one of the best dishes of the night.

Mediterranean Lamb Loin with Chicken Mousseline, Olive Oil Poached Potato, Lyonnaise Salad and Sauce Foyot.

Congratulations Marco!

I also had a chance to meet in person some of the judges & hosts . . . .

Sophie Gayot

Gail Simmons and Ralph Pagano

Dana Cowin

Chef Jean Joho

Rick Moonen

And a shout out for Tony Messina, our local New England representative (he goes to school in Cambridge!)  Tony worked really really hard for this competition and I personally think he did an absolutely fantastic job. It was disappointing that he did not win, but I'm still confidant that Tony will go very, very far.

Seriously, everyone here is truly a winner. These culinary students have done so much just to earn the privilege of competing here in Napa Valley. Congrats to all you rising chefs! I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to observe your hard work first hand and also to taste your delicious creations. I can't wait to visit all your restaurants someday . . . soon!

Til next year . . .

Related Posts
Day 1: Mystery Basket Competition
Nickel & Nickel Vineyard
Trefethen Vineyards
A Taste of Napa Valley
I'm going to Napa Valley!

8th Annual Almost Famous Chef Posts
Welcome Reception (Mar 11, 2010)
Mystery Basket (March 11, 2010)
Signature Dish Competition (March 12, 2010)
Del Dotto Caves / Winery (March 15, 2010)
Antica Vineyards (March 15, 2010)
Bouchon Bakery (March 16, 2010)
Our own Excursion: Vineyards (Robert Mondavi and Opus One) (March 17, 2010)
Redd (March 18, 2010)
French Laundry (March 19, 2010)
Disclaimer
I was invited by S. Pellegrino to attend this competition. Like for all the other guests, S. Pellegrino took care of my airfare, hotel, and the cost of all the events.