A few days around the house and I was mildly bored. Since there are a nearly-endless series of neighborhoods to explore, and no time like the present to get started, I did a quick search on the Interwebs and then went to Takadanobaba. I don’t know how the name came about, but the ‘high field’ […]
dinner
- Ginza
- ...
Rocky Top, Ginza
Japan is a strange and wonderful place. Hidden subcultures about – usually these only peek out for a moment when some intrepid foreign journalist comes to town and writes a story about a colorful character in one of them. You read it, you think it’s interesting, and you forget about it. I started playing music […]
- izakaya
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Yuasa, Mita (湯浅,芝)
This post innaugurates an exciting new chapter in ‘places I’ve never been before but will have to explore’ – Mita. If you’re like me, you may well have thought of Mita as a boring subway stop consisting mainly of office towers and huge apartment blocks. If you were like me, you would have been wrong, […]
- bar
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Beer Bar Talo, Kayabacho
This post is for distant reader and longtime Tokyo dining expert John Wood (hi Woodie) who was kind enough to point out that there are restaurants on The Map that are not featured in posts. This is because The Map features all places that I can remember visiting, while the posts are only for new […]
Manhyo, Monzen Nakacho (万俵)
Look, I’m just guessing on the title on this one, OK? It means something like ‘10,000 bags’ though, which is a funny little name when you think about it. This place is across the street from various other destinations (my cleaner, Mahoroba, Tsurugi, almost Petit Nice, Ogawa…I could go on about this stuff forever) but […]
Le Nougat, Ginza
It seems to me like Da Nugget has been open for years. It hasn’t though – it’s going on two. It’s probably something about the classicist bistro decor that makes it hard to determine how long it’s been there. There are several floors though, so the bright, somewhat hard aspect of the ground floor may […]
- French
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Murase, Ginza (村瀬)
Ginza is an entertaining area. Really, it’s kind of known for being entertaining. I like to think that it’s more adult in style though, or even middle-aged. The two main things are brand shops and hostess clubs, so there are plenty of things for affluent 50-year old Japanese couples to do. Just not together. I’ve […]
Barcelona, Pitman
As you may know, Pitman has never been much of a culinary destination. In fact I don’t think it’s ever been much of a destination at all, for anything. Nor would I say it’s the kind of place where people base themselves for convenient access to other towns (or Philadelphia). I’d characterize it more as […]
- French
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The Modern, New York
Stood up for dinner and drinks (I now know/have known three people in advertising, and I have to say they’re all unreliable about this stuff), I fell back on a place I had been thinking of trying the night before. The Modern is the restaurant and cafe of the Museum of Modern Art, and there […]
- French
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Daniel, New York
Last time I was in New York for one night, my friend Mayu (thanks for reading!) and I went to Charlie Palmer’s Aureole. I know what you’re thinking – it’s so touristy now, and you’re over it. We went when it was still up the East Side in a townhouse, and it was nice sophisticated […]