It’s likely that most of you need no introduction to Craftheads. In the limited time that I spent there, a good 50% of the clientele was foreign (which is 50% more than most places I go, or in fact the average place in Japan). You may even have been there. If you do need an […]
Month: February 2011
Ikebe Guitar Station, Shibuya (池部楽器店 ギターズステーション)
As part of my regular diversionary series, I’d like to say “I went to a great guitar store today.” [And I can say that, because this place is awesome. You thought I was leading up to a snide remark, didn’t you?]. The Ikebe complex in Shibuya is cool – more for sampling and playing the […]
- izakaya
- ...
Waraku, Tama Plaza (居酒屋和楽)
Part 3 in ‘dining in our the suburbs’ series saw everyone back in Tama Plaza, this time going to the izakaya most highly recommended by my colleague You. The chef worked at the Imperial Hotel years ago and brought back a bunch of that training, which shows up in his food. It’s quite traditional from […]
- Kanda
- ...
Kouetsu, Kanda (旬魚 口悦)
Spring is in the airz. The tower continues to erectify. That wasn’t a word, so don’t add it to your vocabulary. Meanwhile, in a completely differential part of town (I’m Edokko, so I think Eitaibashi is light years away from northerly Kanda), Big Bird and I walked around for a long time, decided we didn’t […]
- izakaya
- ...
Higashitei, Tokyo (東亭, 八重洲)
This alley has a certain draw for me, and hopefully for you too. Since the time I wandered into a place here with Ding (in fact, the sign you see in the top right of the shot is that place), I’ve been wondering if there were other places of equal quaintness and quality. There may […]
- Kanda
- ...
Sasazushi, Kanda (笹寿司)
Sasazushi is constant. Sasazushi doesn’t change. This is the first thing they say on the web site, which is pretty funny when you consider that the history page features a detailed explanation of all the various sushi carts and locations on both sides of the river that went into the lineage of the present-day Kanda […]
Katayama, Kiyosumi Shirakawa (天ぷら 片山)
Today was the day of the big fish ‘n’ sake party, and I was out shopping. This is ont he way to the sake store, but the sake store was closed and I had already bought a bunch. My favorite rice store is right near the sake store – they always have at least half […]
Tamamura, Monzennakacho (多万村)
Like the nearby Uotei (and I mean “15 feet away”), the tiny back-alley kappo Tamamura shows both the blessing and the curse of this style of restaurant. It’s casually elegant, it’s quiet, it’s friendly in a restrained way, they always seem to have a table, the food is always excellent, and it’s never cheap. At least they’re nice […]
- Italian
- ...
Picasso, New York
As mentioned previously, the diversity of New York is startling. This is a bare-bones pizza place serving American-style Italian food prepared by Puerto Ricans, named after a Spaniard who lived in France and is most famous for not being an asshole. The name made you think it was going to be some kinda hoity-toity Spanish […]
City Bakery, New York
Well-informed readers will no doubt understand the amusement value of this truly outrageous picture (for the rest of you the link will help a bit). Even funnier considering who I was talking to about it most recently, the windows above show a ballet studio. The only dancing at City Bakery is the ballet of butter […]