day 005

// taking food blogging to a whole new level at katz's deli



// instant noodles on cathay pacific flight to taipei via hong kong

day 004

// dessert at rue 57 with tita myra after lunch at burger joint



// purposely wet floor at r by 45rpm

day 003

// swift production at prosperity dumpling



// we still talk about the unbelievably perfect duck at roberta's

day 002

// where there's a le pain quotidien, we must have the soft-boiled egg with bread
// new fun find: cocktails at pegu club



// our hostess, lisa, in her pajama set
// our dinner companions, kaity and greg

I've got the travel bug...

Unfortunately, this time, it's not the good kind. Oh well, sometimes when you eat everything in sight (particularly at various hawker stands in night markets)...you have to pay the piper.

Hey, at least that means as I convalesce I get to hit you with a little more of that blogger action.

So while we didn't quite have the time to hit up chinatown in Queens as originally planned, we did stroll on over to Manhattan's chinatown for some quick snacks and a look around:

Random meat shop, that for some reason had quite a bit more variety compared to the shops on Clement that I'm used to. I think what attracted me to the place was a small sign on the door promising crocodile meat? At least that's what I thought it said, either that or they were taking the "restroom for customers only" thing to a whole new level.



5 for a $1...always a standby for cheap eats. I had read that my old favorite had closed and reopened under new ownership, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to try a new spot. Doesn't seem like there was as much(any) pink salt in these particular dumplings, but tasty regardless. I used to buy frozen bags of these and take them with me back to CA. Invariably, despite my best efforts, they'd defrost and end up glued together into a gigantic guo tie ball. Whenever I wanted to eat some, I'd have to break of whatever pieces I could manage and cook them anyway. A complete mess, but still totally worth it. Even Asian American Foods Co. in SF just couldn't compete...Even Spiff, the NYC skeptic (she doesn't like my favorite bagels, and pretty much "mehs" the pizza), said that these were uniquely tasty.

Straight from the line of Chinese grandmas and into the frying pan:

And just a couple more images from the day:

5 hours in flavor country

Okay, so yes, by design this trip will contain some pretty serious culinary material...I expected that. But even by day two, my senses had been seriously dilated. So much so, that I'm going to have to skip what I was hoping to be a regular recap of the day's events and just focus on one part of our day.

I was told about Roberta's Pizza by my boss. Oddly enough, he didn't even tell me about the food...all he said was that the place looked like a gas station from the outside and that there was this crazy chef there that I should go check it out. What I found was...a pizza joint. No really, it's a pizza joint. 2 for $5 buds, or pitchers of nicer stuff, pizza, calzones, and some other italian specialties, NASCAR on the TV, bench seating. They throw bbqs when it's nice out. Grow veggies on their roof, oh and they also have a radio station?

In the midst of all this is Chef Carlo Mirarchi...and this is what *he* does: *clicky*

bits and bites

It's kind of too bad that most shops don't exactly like you taking pictures of their interiors...and while I know most of you out there expect me to give play-by-plays of all the food we eat (and don't worry, I'm more than happy to oblige), a big part of the fun is seeing all the random little shops and areas with interesting vibes. Today I was introduced to Haus Interior, Love Adorned, Le Labo...and I finally made it to R by 45 RPM. Each can be as individual as the people behind them. I have a particular love for 45RPM...they happen to have a stone walkway inside the shop, and they water it on a regular basis. It's a small thing and totally random (who waters their indoor walkway?), but there's a certain beauty about it that I can't seem to let go of. I'll see if I can snag a picture of it at some point...anyway, there is a lot of beauty out there hiding in plain sight, and I'll do my best to share it with you.

Speaking of hidden beauty...if you ever get a chance to sit in front of Kenta Goto at the Pegu Club....do it! Goto-san's economy of movement and precision are something every cook wants to have and should work towards. We dropped in right at opening, so aside from a couple of other patrons at the bar and maybe two more tables, it was pretty much like a private drinking experience. Unfortunately, we couldn't linger since we had snack resos, but in a mere three drinks he gave us a taste of what he does. The house cocktail was a really nice intro to the place...history and modernity all in one glass. The Jamaican Firefly took the Dark and Stormy to a whole new place for me. Cohesion, balance, and spice really made it delicious. After these two drinks, and wanting to lighten things up a bit, I asked for Goto-san's suggestion. Having eaten one egg and toast for breakfast and some rice pudding for snack, another cocktail might have had me blitzed before dinner....so I asked for something more like an aperitif. What he put together was pretty much a "dish" focused around a single shiso leaf. Sake based, but with tequila and yuzu kosho as seasoning, it was exactly what I wanted without knowing what I wanted. What struck me was that all of the ingredients were all there to support the flavor of the shiso. It was a drink that reminded me of the way Chef puts dishes together...

feels like vacation

just spent our first full day away from home. had a home-cooked meal last night with the family. gave my mom a hug. my dad dropped us off at the airport. and as of 10PM monday night, it was just the two of us.

we didn't do anything crazy today. just walked around the neighborhood, i.e. soho and east village. checked out a knife shop. made the requisite pilgrimage to muji. popped into madewell. generally walked about a mile or so. now consider, this is after waking up at 3:10AM monday morning, getting maybe only five hours of flight-quality napping on the flight over and having only this as breakfast.



we re-fueled with some rice pudding.



then continued our walking tour and visited a couple comps (small home decor shops). and had some tasty cocktails at pegu club [the site has music].



had some small bites in the east village. and went back to the apartment for a rest before heading out to dinner in queens. here is our lovely hostess. and yes, that is a three-piece pajama set.



took the train out to queens and met up with k&g for a canadian dinner.



at the end of dinner, we thanked g for taking care of the check. and he said something like, "there aren't too many dinners where i'm the only one not unemployed." and that's when it hit me. unemployed. well, technically, i'm self-employed now. but not yet at the point of generating any revenue. still just doing research and planning. on the car ride home, more thoughts swirled in my head. no more health insurance! i'm a free agent! being only the first day of freedom, it still feels like we're just on vacation. but this is real. i expect this won't be the last time i have these "whoa, i hadn't thought of it that way" kind of moments. kinda like this guy. you're sure it's all going to be ok. but it's still all pretty crazy.