Update: August 11: Recently heard and then saw that this place is gone. Sorry I’ve been so tardy to update. _____________________________________ Update: November 08: Salad Nicoise, small and disappointing compared to Lyonnaise (I really think they accidentally gave me full-size the first time). Pan-fried fish, something tai-ish, excellent, served in skillet with vegetables (definitely their […]
Month: October 2008
Genji Sushi, Roppongi
今日は。鮨の物語でございます。Do you like California rolls? How about Caterpillar rolls? I have to admit, I always liked them historically but became more of a purist (some would say ‘snob’) once I came to Japan. Genji Sushi is actually “Genji Sushi New York”, and makes good on the promise of providing New York-style sushi, complete with all […]
- Other treats
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Tamagawaya (玉川屋), Mitake (Okutama)
Hiking in Okutama – recommended! Two hours of train (from Monnaka) gets you way out to a place that’s still in Tokyo, one presumes for tax reasons, but has all the rocky river ravines (gorges, you might say) you’ll need. And the Old Time Road that you hike on has a delightful combination of paved […]
- French
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Huit, Nakameguro
Cafe Life (in capitals) appeals to me, but I’ve never been able to relax for hours in cafes. It’s always something – the chairs are too hard, or too soft, or there’s not enough to read…and I can’t just sit and stare. The police told me that if I get picked up for that again, […]
- Other treats
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Roy’s, Roppongi
Did someone say ‘hula’? Roy didn’t. I think the menu here was exciting a while ago (either the 80’s or 90’s; before my time in any event) but now suffers from being done by many people in many restaurants. ‘Ahi Tuna Tartare’ was already a cliche by 2000, I think. Roy’s DOES have a lot […]
Daruma, Monzennakacho
I was browsing a food magazine at the barber over the weekend and they had a feature on ‘Downtown Izakayas’. Since everyone thinks Monnaka is so shitamachi, there were of course a few places. Daruma is the most downtown place in Monnaka, I think. For a long time I knew it as ‘the grubby-looking place […]
Ruri, Monzennakacho (るり 母ちゃん料理)
[Jan 2011: Long gone; I think this space is an udon now, but it’s on its second iteration at least since Ruri left.] I like to think that I’m a good judge of restaurants from the outside – the style, the menu, and signboard are all indicators of the care and concern of the owners […]
- French
- ...
L’Oasina, Minami Aoyama
Typically, the phrase “Homeopathy and Natural Food Kitchen down the street from the cemetery” is not one to make me come running. It fails on so many levels… On a random night when you weren’t expecting to go out to dinner, weren’t expecting rain, and can’t see the homeopathy or cemetery from the front of […]
- Other treats
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California Grill Yoshi, Roppongi (Azabu Juban)
Is this a trend? Recently we had lunch at Suji’s, now it’s another American-style place? I liked this better for atmosphere and cost reasons (I can’t help it, I’m just a sucker for similar food at 50% of the price), and it didn’t hurt that today’s weather is beautiful instead of pissing rain. Yoshi hides […]
Piatto Piatto, Roppongi
Being a pure-blooded American of variously mixed Russian, Irish and German heritage, and coming from the tropical southern regions of New Jersey, it makes perfect sense that my definition of comfort food should be red-sauce Italian (and miso soup, but that’s a different story). My home town is 2.3 square miles and 9,365 people, with […]