Morimoto - newyorkNY

88 10th Ave
New York, NY 10011
212.989.8883
http://www.morimotonyc.com/

One of my favorite shows on the Food Network Station is, "Iron Chef America." The show is based on a cooking competition featuring accomplished guest chefs around the world. Each chef is challenged against one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The original, "Iron Chef," show was a Japanese television program which first aired on October 10, 1993 and ended on September 24th, 1999. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Chef)

All Seven Iron Chefs and Chairman Kaga in Kitchen Stadium. Left to right: Sakai, Ishinabe, Morimoto, Michiba, Chen, Nakamura, Kobe.

Chef Morimoto was the only one who continued to be an Iron Chef in the American spin off.

As a high-school student in Hiroshima, Japan, Morimoto was on his way to becoming a professional baseball player. Unfortunately, that career had ended due to a shoulder injury. On the up-side, he pursued his dual dream of becoming a sushi chef. After eight years of culinary training in Hiroshima, Morimoto opened his first restaurant at the age of 25. He specialized in Japanese cuisine, infused with European and Western cooking techniques and ingredients into his preparations. Five years later, Morimoto sold the restaurant to further explore and define his unique Japanese fusion.

In November of 2001, Mormoto opened his first U.S. restaurant, named "Morimoto," in Philadelphia, and later, another in New York City. (He also opened a restaurant in Mumbai, India, named, "Wasabi.")

When Brian and I heard Morimoto owned a New York restaurant, we made sure we made reservations for the next time we visited our friends who lived on the East Coast. As an accomplished Iron Chef in both Japan and America, who wouldn't want to?

"Going to a restaurant is like going to the theatre," says chef Morimoto and no other restaurant experience exemplifies these sentiments like his. After walking a few blocks on the cobbled streets of the Meat Packing District, we approached a large red curtain, resembling the curtains of a theater.

With all the geometric shapes and indirect lighting, walking into "Morimoto" felt like stepping into a whole different world. Being a little early for our reservations, our hostess recommended us to wait downstairs. As we descended down the stairwell, we were enthralled by the "bottle wall."

The "bottle wall" is composed out of 17,400 half liter plastic bottles, filled with mineral water and LED lighting. The combination created this shimmery effect that added to the Zen-like serenity throughout the restaurant. Glass privacy walls between tables, rice paper walls, and an organic ceiling that resembles the raked sand of Eastern rock gardens also added to the modern-chic ambiance. (http://archide.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/morimoto-restaurant-by-tadao-ando-new-york/)

Downstairs, we found a bar accompanied by a 40-person lounge area.

People were dining in the lounge area, but a full meal was waiting for us in the main dining room.

After my glass of wine and Brian's bottle of Sapporo, our table was ready. As previously mentioned, Morimoto had dreams of becoming a sushi chef. In the the back of the restaurant, sushi bar seating was available.

As much as Brian and I love sushi, it was recommended to sit in the dining area for have the "full experience".

Everything on the menu looked delicious. Each item contained something familiar, but prepared in a completely different way from anything I have heard of. After ordering our appetizers and entrees, I quickly took a bathroom break. Who would have thought the bathroom would be just as chic looking as the main dining area?

Not only did each stall consisted an infinite backdrop of cherry blossoms they each had a remote-like fixture on the side wall.

I love how the Japanese are very innovated.

The concept of these remotes have been all over Japan and Morimoto brought it to his restaurant. The buttons are self-explanatory: Flush, Oscillating, Pulsing, Dryer, Rear Cleansing, Front Cleansing, Pressure, Position, Stop.

When I returned to our table, our appetizers had arrived. An order of Oh-Toro (fatty tuna roll), a Shrimp Tempura Roll (tempura shrimp, asparagus, and a spicy sauce) and Ramen Soup (iron chef chicken noodle soup).

This was a great way to get our palette going. The sushi tasted fresh and the soup had the perfect amount of seasoning. Nothing was too unfamiliar yet and the portions were just enough to get me more hungry for our entrees. Oh, the entrees...

Brian had ordered the Sea Bass which was prepared in sweet sake kasu, Japanese eggplant and miso. His dish looked delicious but did not compare to what I ordered. I had ordered the surf & turf which consisted of Kobe filets, finger potatoes and Hamachi ribbons with crushed citrus and avocado (prepared table side).

The beef was perfectly cooked medium rare as the juices gushed out when my chopsticks picked each piece up. Each flavor-filled bite was amazing, but the Hamachi ribbons were unlike any sashimi I had ever had. Although it seemed very simple to make, the mixture of the three ingredients made a perfect blend. I wish I had ordered a full plate of the Hamachi Ribbons!

As our experience was coming to an end, I told Brian he had to see the restrooms before we left. As I sat at our table alone, finishing my glass of wine, I noticed a man in shorts, running shoes, and baseball cap approaching the party sitting at the communal table next to us.

My immediate thought was, "How can this man dress like that in such a chic looking restaurant?"

Yet, everyone at the table looked so please as each member of the table shook his hand. One lady had pulled out a pen and book for this person to autograph. I couldn't help but stare and wonder who this "author" was.

Brian had returned very quickly with excitement in his voice.

"You'll never guess... that's him!!!"

Yes... Iron Chef Morimoto himself.

It turns out, Mr. Morimoto frequently visits all his restaurants. Knowing that he takes time to meet those who appreciate his creations made the "full experience" complete. Brian had ran into Morimoto in the restroom, but had left his phone and camera at the dining table with me. But when we identified the man in the white hat, we didn't hesitate to ask.

"May we take a photo with you?"

The Iron Chef had such a kind tone in his voice and willingly took a photo with us.

Fenton's Creamery - oaklandCA

4226 Piedmont Ave
Oakland, CA 94611
510.658.7000
http://www.fentonscreamery.com/

The restaurant business is tough. I have seen so many places open and close within a few years. But if you have a track record like Fenton's Creamery, you know they have to be doing something right. For 115 years, Fenton's Creamery has been a well-known ice cream parlor in the bay area. Since 1961 (48 years), it has been stable in at this Oakland location. Recently, in May 2007, a second location was opened in Nut Tree Village (Vacaville, CA).

After a Sunday night Warriors game, a group of us wanted to grab a late-night snack. Locals had recommended us to go to Fenton's which closed at 11:00pm (midnight on Friday and Saturday). Like Rachel Ray, we took the locals' advice.

After finding parking in a crowded lot, we entered the restaurant and found most of their flavors are on display in the front. It's a perfect way to ensure customers will order dessert.

I was amazed to see how busy it was on a Sunday night!

"Table of six, please."

The hostess immediately grabbed a few menus and walked us to our table. Since it was so crowded in the main room, she walked us to the back room. On our way, we passed the area where the sundaes were being built, as well as where the food was made. As we walked through an aroma of burgers and fries, my appetite began to grow.

Not only did it grow for food, but when we also passed the room where all the magic was made, I got even more excited for the dessert. There it was... The Ice Cream Factory.

What makes Fenton's ice cream so great? It is believed that by making hand-made ice cream daily in small batches is their secret to creating their signature style. With 33 ice cream flavors, a few seasonal ones, and four sorbets, it's impossible to find your favorite on your first visit.

Because I was anticipating for dessert, I didn't want to spend much time deciding what food to order. I just stuck with them special for the night to make it easier.

They were out of curly fries for the night, so regular fries had to suffice for the night. Yet, that wasn't such a bad substitution!

With three juicy beef patties and a pile of crispy fries, I was not disappointed. It was exactly what I had imagined when I passed the kitchen earlier that night. Now it was time to move on to dessert.

I had to get the coffee cookie dream. I love coffee ice cream and I love Oreo cookies and the coffee cookie dream is the best of both worlds. I also wanted to get something simple to see if homemade ice cream really was better. Strawberry ice cream seemed to be a good basic flavor that most parlors carry.

We ordered a, "Large Ice Cream Dish," which was described as, "Two GENEROUS scoops." They weren't kidding when they said, "GENEROUS!"

It really was a coffee cookie dream! And the strawberry really did taste like fresh strawberries! The strawberry scoop of ice cream was a little too soft for my liking, but the texture of the coffee was perfect; firm with a little "icy-ness".

After being served our dessert, I was a little ashamed of myself. I didn't ask the server what their preference was on dessert and my friends did. I got jealous! Our server recommended to create their own sundae...

It was a large ice cream dish of Caramel Cream Almond Crunch served on a couple of bananas, topped with caramel sauce, whipped cream, almonds, and a cherry.

That wasn't dream... it was heaven!

Pink Taco - losangelesCA

Westfield Century City Mall
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
310.789.1000
http://www.pinktaco.com/

Victoria Beckham has become one of my favorite fashion icons. Frequently, I go online to look up recent photos of her to see what new style she's sporting. Lately, I noticed a lot of her photos are taken at the Century City Mall, leaving Pink Taco.

Having two successful locations, (the first at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV and the other in Scottsdale, AZ) a third location opened on June 28, 2007 in Century City, Los Angeles, CA and has become a favorite lunch spot for the Beckhams. After several sitings of the Beckham family at Pink Taco, including Victoria's 34th birthday celebration, I really wanted to see why they loved it so much.

Although my friends and I were one of the first customers of the day, the lack of people did not take away from the fun environment inside. With so many bright colors and festive decorations, the interior gave a little Andy Warhol-ish vibe. It was Chevy's meets hi-fashion.

Since it was such a beautiful day, we were recommended to sit outside. As we walked through the restaurant, out to the patio, the multicolor scheme continued. Two large flat screens were set up outside to satisfy those who wanted to watch the games but not sit at the bar.

Thank goodness the weather was on our side that day. The patio seating looked even more fun. Bright orange umbrellas were everywhere with teal and green accented furniture. It was a great afternoon lunch atmosphere.

To top it off, the restaurant had a wonderful location. Being on the top floor of the Century City Mall, Pink Taco had a great view of Santa Monica Blvd.

With amazingly friendly service, we were seated in the corner, outdoor booth. I tend to find waiters and waitresses with great personalities in Los Angeles. A lot of them are aspiring actors or actresses who always run the chances of serving someone that can offer their next big break.

What else could complete a perfect girls-day-out on a hot LA afternoon, sitting on the patio of a very trendy restaurant?

"One Pitcher of Sangria Blanco, please."

If you are looking for that perfect summer drink, Pink Taco's White Sangria is it. With just the perfect ratio of wine to juice and tons of citrus fruits floating inside, it didn't take long for us to finish the pitcher.

Being named, "Pink Taco," you would think we would order the Panuchos (Pink Tacos); Corn tortillas stuffed with pinto beans and topped with arbol salsa, grilled chicken, pickled pink onions and avocado. These are the traditional tacos from the state of Yucatan. But, with three small appetites, already half full off the Sangria, we ordered the Pink Taco Platter instead. Although it was off the appetizer menu, the platter did not fall short of food. It included: Two chicken skewers, two carne asada skewers, cheese quesadillas, guacamole, two corn tamales, rock shrimp & ribs.

Everything was to die for! Each item was full flavor. From the freshly made Guacamole to the perfectly marinated chicken and beef skewers in a tamarind chipotle glaze, nothing compared to the texture of the amazing crispy battered shrimp. But, my personal favorite had to be the corn tamales. I loved the flavor of fresh sweet corn kernels with the texture of masa in corn husks. The only problem with the platter... it only had two corn tamales!

Now, when you're with your girlfriends, there's always room for dessert. It doesn't matter how full you are. Get dessert. If I'm at a new restaurant and haven't looked up reviews on the dessert online, I like to ask the servers for their preference. I don't know what it is, but when it comes to desserts, the server is always honest. You can tell, in their face, whether the dessert they are talking about is good or great.

We made a decision to only choose one of the four items on the dessert menu: 1. Flan (creamy vanilla custard, caramel sauce, vanilla whipped cream), 2. Mexican Mud (creamy chocolate pudding infused with canela. served with Bunuelos and whipped cream), 3. Fried Ice Cream (crispy vanilla ice cream with almonds & coconut, layered with cinnamon chocolate crispy tortilla with a rum & cajeta sauce), or 4. Caliente Brownie Sundae (a spicy chocolate molten brownie infused with ancho Chile, served warm on a hot skillet with vanilla ice cream & raspberry sauce).

I instantly would choose anything that resembled a molten cake (the Caliente Brownie Sundae). The thought of the chocolate mixed with a chile did not seem appetizing to me, but that could be the ingredient that makes Pink Taco's Brownie the best. When our server approached our table, I asked how good the Brownie Sundae was. He said it was good, "...But the Fried Ice Cream is also good." He made me think twice about my decision and needed to give me a few more minutes.

When he came back the second time around, I ordered the Caliente Brownie Sundae.

"Are you sure? the fried ice cream is also very good."

He didn't seem very persuasive, but if he had to mention it twice, I finally got the hint to switch my order to the Fried Ice Cream. Thank goodness I did.

It was huge! The almond-coconut coating of the ice cream was delicious! The texture had a nice crisp to it and the vanilla ice cream inside was nice and frozen. To add a little more flavor to this dessert, the cinnamon chocolate crispy tortilla tasted like a piece of peanut brittle taken to the next level. This after meal creation was a perfect infusion of sweet flavor and texture.

I'm definitely going to come back and try the infamous, "Pink Tacos". Well, I would have to start of the meal with some corn tamales and pair the meal with a pitcher of white sangria... and since it didn't happen for me the first time, maybe the Beckham family will be dining at the same time as my next visit.

Thai BBQ and Seafood - westcovinaCA

1559 E Amar Rd Ste D
West Covina, CA‎ 91792
626.913.7647‎
http://www.originalthaibbq.com/home.html

One of my best friends were in town for the holidays. Since she had moved to Iowa for grad school, I made sure I found time to see her before she went back. My boyfriend, his cousin and I had just finished a conference in Palm Springs and made plans to have dinner with Jeannine on the way back to the bay area. To be more efficient with time, I called her to choose a place where we can meet. We all agreed on Thai cuisine and she instantly had a place in mind. A few minutes later, she called with a little uncertainty in her voice but stuck with her gut feeling. Thank goodness she did.

After driving through the streets of West Covina, we found ourselves in the parking lot of a shopping center full of Asian markets.

As much as I love restaurants that have been featured in the media (which is why I understand why Jeannine seemed a little unsure of her restaurant of choice), I also love finding places that have just amazing food (which Jeannine also knows about me). Thai BBQ and Seafood was one of those places.

If you love Asian food as much as I do, we all know the best can be found in the kitchens of our Asian friend's home. With that being said, I believe it's the "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants that always seem to have the greatest Asian food. Maybe it's because they don't alter any ingrediants to satisfy the masses nor create some sort of fusion to be "more interesting".

When entering the restaurant, it did not look like the cleanest, nor chicest place you would find.The (lack of) ambiance was set with a ton of fake ivy plants hanging on the walls and a large fish tank in the back of the restauarant.

After being seated in our green-colored booth with cracked uphosltery, the waitress came by and placed the menus in front of us.

"The Original Thai BBQ Resaurant."

All of a sudden, an abundance of excitement was at the table.

"Do they have the 'S-1'?"

It turned out, I was the only one at the table who hadn't tried the Original Thai BBQ because there are several other locations found throughout southern California. This particular location was just privately owned and named something different. Everyone knew, at that instant, they were going to order an "S-1," which was the Kai Yang (BBQ Chicken) Dinner Plate. Three people getting the same order at a Thai restaurant sounded wrong. How could we not get Pad Thai (the most popular Thai dish out there)? I had to be different and order Pad Thai and every one's face was filled with disgust. In time, I was able to convince the table to mix up the order. Here's what we got:

1. Musamun beef curry (tender pieces of beef with potatoes and peanuts in a mild curry sauce),

2. Phad Thai (I thought it was "Pad," but the menu read, "Phad"; Thai rice noodles with shrimp, bean sprouts and egg, scrambled in a mild special sauce),

3. "S-2" BBQ Pork Spare Rib Dinner Plate (Thai B.B.Q. pork spare ribs with shrimp fried rice, served with the house sauce),

and 4. Two (they convinced me) orders of "S-1," Kai Yang (BBQ. Chicken) Dinner Plates (Half a Chicken with shrimp fried rice, served with the house sauce).

Why did I do that??? Although everything tasted delicious, the "S-1" was definitely the plate to win the trophy of, "Best Order of the Night." The curry, Pad Thai, and spare ribs were plates that were filled with enormous flavoring, but let's focus on the BBQ chicken plate.

With a plate 2/3 full of delicious shrimp fried rice, three extremely large pieces of juicy BBQ chicken and two servings of Thai BBQ's, "To-Die-For," special sauce, it's no wonder this dinner plate was the first one listed in the "House Specials" section of the menu. Thank goodness we got at least 2 orders! The special sauce tasted like a sweet and sour sauce with a little twist. When dipping a piece of the moist BBQ chicken in it and combining it with a large spoonful of rice creates an abundance of sweet flavors in your mouth. I could not believe the other three at the table let me convince them to change a few of the orders!

I went back a couple of weeks later to see Jeannine off before she left for Iowa. We had a going away dinner with her family at Thai BBQ. No menu needed...

"S-1, please."