After not really having much fun at Shimomiya, and not even being able to drown our sorrows due to the ordering difficulties and overall stylistic incompatibility, Bird and I were desperate to go somewhere else. Since we were up for whatever, the conversation went like this: “Hey, there was another place I attached my eye […]
recommended
l’Auberge de L’Ill, Nishi Azabu (オーベルジュ・ド・リル トーキョー)
You can’t go wrong with this as an introduction. You’re walking down a perfectly normal, maybe even a little grubby, street in Nishi Azabu after getting off the train at the quiet end of Nogizaka and walking through the tunnel by the museum, and suddenly you see something that looks a British aristocrat’s house. This […]
Ireel, Ningyocho (イレール, 人形町)
Y’all are not going to get any modesty from me regarding my ability to pick places to eat. Someone and I had business to conduct with the gods, or at least the one god who lives at Suitengu, and thus we planned a whole event around it. As regards the lunch portion, I delivered handily. […]
- izakaya
- ...
Ibuki, Machida (風土旬彩 伊吹)
This is the story of a long and random walk around a large and boring town. If you want to cut to the chase, my ‘key takeaway’ is “There is only one good izakaya in Machida. I found it for you. If you’re out there at dinner time, don’t waste time on any other place.” […]
- izakaya
- ...
Tsuchi to Ao, Chofu (居酒屋 土と青)
If you need a capsule review, let me just say “Not going to get any better than this in Chofu, and probably not any other Western suburb, and this is really as good as it gets in the genre”. But backtracking a bit, looking out the train windows at dusk makes me melancholy and nostalgic. […]
- Other treats
- ...
Karakiya, Sangenjaya (酒の唐木屋)
So I was just out for a random stroll through the nether Western regions of Sancha, … No I wasn’t. Woody told me about this place. I don’t get out so much any more, so I rely on advice. And I like Liquor and Foods, and I like nothing better than drinking away the afternoon […]
Martin’s BBQ Joint, Nolensville (Nashville)
Research had indicated… Aww hell, I was just googling. Everyone likes to say “I deeply researched this issue” when they really mean they googled it for 2 minutes. But I spent a good 30 googling barbecue in Nashville. I felt like I could tell from the relative lack of informed discussionz that it wasn’t going […]
Angelo’s, Fort Worth
So I was in Forth Worth for about 20 hours to have a little meeting. We got in early, visited some stores of the retailer we were meeting, and then were left with 2+ hours of dead time. My colleague, Hoor, looked at me and said “Barbecue” and we were off. It was like a […]
Cafe Demel, Vienna
Were we excited to get to Demel? We were. Called by at least one seasoned observer the authority on Viennese cakes, this is the other famous one, and more appealing to me than the overtly touristed Sacher. It turns out to be almost as touristed, but they do a better job in atmosphere and service […]
Gasthaus Pöschl, Vienna
Nothing that I read about Viennese restaurants or cuisine really got me excited about the eating component of this trip. I was just kind resigned to eating stodgy food, and drinking wine, and eating cakes, and that was cool. Plus we’re staying in the inner city, and I imagine it’s pretty touristy and pricey around […]