Tokyo Trip, April 2012, Part I...Yakitori

Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), Tokyo, April 2012

It's been over one year since I started blogging, but it's been over 5 months since I wrote my last post...lol  I've said in my last few posts that I was getting burnt out blogging and needed to take a break.  I think I took enough of a break now and ready to go back to blogging...let's cross our fingers!  Hubby and I have been traveling alot the past year, both week long trips and mini getaways.  That was another reason that it was hard for me to find the time to blog.  Well, also, I spent way too much time on Facebook and especially playing Cafe World.  I've quit playing Cafe World and am not on FB nearly as much as I used to be...wow, what a surprise, I have more free time now ;o)  I did find Instagram and have gotten hooked on that now.  If anyone wants to share food photos there with me, I'm #Kayecker.  

For my next posts, for a while, I decided to mostly write about my restaurant experiences from our travels.  I know, it's a little boring since there are so many restaurant review blogs out there, but I love taking food photos when we travel.  I usually have most of our dinner plans set before we arrive at our destination, that is how obsessed I am about food! I actually made a check-list of all the food I wanted to eat for our last trip to Tokyo :o)

We had planned to go to Tokyo last year, but had to cancel because of the Earthquake/Tsunami.  Our arrival would have been a month after the disaster and thought it would be better to wait for a later date.  We had planned our trip around Cherry Blossom Season last year, so decided to try for it again this year.  We were lucky that we arrived in Tokyo on Full Bloom Day.  I never realized until I viewed Cherry Blossoms for the first time about 8 years ago, that they are only in bloom for less than a week per area.  They have forecasts and predict when they will bloom, but it is not a guarantee.  If it rains during or is too windy, the blooms will go away or if it's too hot or too cold, it affects when the flowers will bloom.  We took Hubby's parents for a week in the past during the season and they missed the blooms, but we stayed an extra week, so were fortunate to see the flowers.  

We arrived in Tokyo on a Sat night.  We stayed for half our stay with my brother and his wife and the second half at a hotel.  I love going to Tokyo to see relatives and old friends, to shop for wares and of course to eat.  Our first night was freezing cold, but was a beautiful and clear night to view the Blossoms.  It's amazing to view in the moonlight and is very "festival like" in many parts of the city.  Our first dinner was Yakitori.  It's one of my favorite meals which I posted here before.

Tsukune - Chicken Meatballs

I love Tsukune!  They usually are so moist and flavorful, but for some reason, I just can't come up with a good recipe! Back left are Japanese pickles and right is grated daikon radish w/soy sauce & raw quail egg...it's good for the digestion with the "fatty" meal...

Grilled Soramame...Fava Beans!

I LOVE, LOVE Fava Beans!  This is the first time I had them grilled.  It was perfect with just a touch of salt.

Yakitori Master...

You just call out your order to the chefs and they line up your food to prepare in the order that they received it.  It probably is easier if you can speak Japanese at a place like this in Japan ;o)  I'm fluent, but am rusty and speak at a Elementary School level...lol

Prepping the Eggplant...

Everything is grilled over hard charcoal called Binchotan.  They first grill the eggplant and then peel the skin off while it is hot and then slice it. Junior Guy in the back get's that job...

Nasu...Eggplant w/Bonito Flakes, Ginger & Soy Sauce

This is the eggplant that Junior was preparing, it's one of my favorite ways to eat it, but is has to be Japanese eggplant...

I had asked if it was OK to take the pics first and then I pulled out my new iPad...they probably thought I was crazy...lol  I can get away with stuff like this because I'm with Hubby the Gaijin (foreigner/Caucasian;o)

P.S.  I LOVE my new iPad!!  I had the original one, but this new one is even more awesome, I love that it has the camera.  The lighting wasn't the best at the restaurant, so the pics aren't the best :o(

Tsukune - Chicken Wing

OMG, this was the best wing ever!  The quality and charcoal really makes a difference...

Okra, Asparagus, Kawa (Chicken Skin), Bonbochi (Chicken Tail) & Ginnan (Ginko Nuts)

I love the Chicken Tail the best and these were fabulous, just lightly, perfectly salted!  My brother said I eat like a chipmunk hoarding their food.  Most people eat one skewer at a time and then go on to the next skewer, but I like to try a little bit of everything at once.

Grilled Fresh Nameko Mushrooms

I've never seen these so big, we only get tiny ones back home.

Simple Chicken Soup

This was outstanding.  Most Yakitori places have the best :o)

Soboro Gohan ...Ground Chicken, Shishito Pepper & Duck Breast over Rice

This dish is a wonderful way to finish the meal.  I've posted my version in the past...

It gets pretty crowded!

Picnicking in the Park...

Over the River...

There were many food vendors...Bagels!

Mex Food !

I'm not sure...

Sweet Potatoes...

Cute!

Refried Beans made w/Peruano Beans & Getaway to Morro Bay, CA

Refried Beans w/Homemade Tortilla Chips

We went to the most beautiful wedding in Los Osos, CA.  I'd never heard of the city, but it turns out it's a cute little town in the southern part of Morro Bay. The bride & groom had fond memories of the area  and picked that destination for their nuptials.  They were very kind and invited all guests that came the night before the wedding day to their rehearsal dinner!  

The rehearsal was at Mexican restaurant called La Palapa.  I loved the food there!  I especially liked the refried beans. I asked the waiter if it had lard in it because it was so tasty and creamy and he informed me, no lard, but they use a different bean called Peruano...Peru Beans.  I'm not sure why they call it Peru since it comes from Mexico.  These are creamier than Pinto Beans and make delicious Frijoles Refrito!  He told me that I could buy them at the local Ralph's, so I was on a mission to find these new beans.  I was able to find them in the bulk bin and bought about 4 lbs :o) As a bonus I was able to buy Pinquito Beans too, they are the ones that are traditionally served with Tri-Tip and are hard to find in Los Angeles.

It's much cheaper to buy Peruano beans locally, if you can find them, but I also found a couple of websites that sells them...

http://www.ranchogordo.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=RG&Product_Code=MAYB01&Category_Code=

http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/Peruano%20Beans.htm

My Jalapeno Plant :o)

I decided to grow jalapenos, I love my new plant!  Behind it is the basil my girlfriend bought for me a few months ago, I had made pesto with it in a previous post.  I almost killed it, but I was able to revive it...love when I could do that!

My Beautiful Jalapenos ;o)

Cilantro & Parsley

I'm getting a green thumb in our small outdoor space :o)

Peruano Beans

They have a yellowish tinge to them...

Frying the Jalapenos...

It's easier and faster than roasting them if you have the oil available ;o)

Fried Jalapenos...

Nice & Blistered...

Cooking the Beans w/Bay Leaf, Onion & Garlic

After soaking the beans overnight or at least 6 hours, they need to be cooked without salt (it toughens the beans if you add salt) for at least another hour or until they are soft.  I usually don't add anything to it at this stage, but this time I decided to add an onion, bay leaf & garlic, I didn't like the results, it added an odd flavor.

Sauteeing Onions, Garlic & Jalapenos

After cooking the beans for an hour I add this saute mixture to it w/seasonings and cook it for about another 20 mins to meld the flavors.  I like for the liquid to get a little thick, but add more water if it gets too dry.

Bacon Drippings...Yum!

After the beans have finished cooking, I transfer it to a fry pan and add bacon drippings to it.  I try to leave some of the liquid behind.

Mashing the Beans...

As it heats I mash the beans and add more liquid if it seems too dry.  I like to keep it a little lumpy.  I love my bean masher!  It doesn't have holes in it like a potato masher, so it seems like it's easier to mash the beans. It's called a Machacador and I was able to purchase it here.

Peruano Frijoles Refritos

I fried the tortilla chips with corn tortillas and then sprinkled it with Mexican Seasoning.

Sand Castle Wedding Cake

The wedding theme was Beach and Sand Castles, they even went to Tahiti for their Honeymoon :o)  This cake was so beautiful and all edible!

Los Osos, CA

The view for the wedding ceremony.  It was a very intimate and casual affair, I loved it!  It was outdoors on the grass and they had the chairs assembled in a circle around the bride & groom.  They got the idea of circling the chairs from mine & Hubby's wedding 11 years ago :o)  It's nice setting the chairs that way, everybody gets a great view of the ceremony!

Los Osos, CA

Los Osos, CA

La Palapa Mexican Restaurant

This is a family owned placed.  The waiter I talked to about the refried beans turned out to be one of the family members.  They really pay attention to the small details.  They make their tortillas, both corn & flour!  We stayed next door at the Bay Wood Inn where breakfast is included.  They give you choices to several restaurants to go to, La Palapa serves breakfast on the weekends.  They serve both American & Mexican food in the morning.  I'm not sure why you'd go to a Mexican restaurant to order an American breakfast, but the table next to us was up for that...lol  I had an awesome Chile Verde Omelette and Hubby had the Chilaquiles.  They even grow their own Epazote Herb for the chilaquiles!

Los Osos Mural

Mural painted on the side of a building...

The Merrimaker Bar

We had some time to spare before the rehearsal dinner, so we decided to walk around the town.  The main area is less than a half mile stretch :o)  We poked our heads in to the Merrimaker Bar and decided to get a cocktail, err drink. It has a very interesting "local color"...we were there at 5pm on Fri night and there were only a few seats open at the bar. We normally would order Martinis or Manhattans, but at a place like this we just order "Bombay On The Rocks", you can't mess up something like that, unless they add a squeeze of lime juice to it..which they did ;o)  

Inside, we met a couple of the locals.  It first started with a woman accusing us of moving her stuff over and stealing her seat...lol  She had more than a couple of drinks, I told her we swear we didn't move her stuff over and Hubby just wanted to sit next to her.  She replies, "You are full of S*&% and I mean that in a good way."  Hilarious!  Then we had some more incoherent conversation with her.  The man on my other side heard we were going to La Palapa and he gave us the tip that the Chile Verde was really good, even better than what his deceased father used to make ;o)  I love conversations like this!  You can get a lot of info in 30 mins.

I found the  funniest thing about the place later that night. I was looking on Yelp (I have a love/hate relationship with Yelp;o) and looked up the Merrimaker, it kept mentioning that if you looked up Dive Bar on Wiki you would find the Merrimaker, I thought it was a joke, but it's not...lol  I'm easily entertained ;o)

Montana de Oro

Everybody kept telling us that we should drive to Montana de Oro and take in the view.  We didn't regret it, it's breathtaking!  It's just a few miles from Los Osos.

Montana de Oro

Big Fat Squirrel @ Morro Bay

My friend warned me of the overstuffed squirrels around Morro Bay, she wasn't kidding...lol

Noisy Bird @Morro Bay

I think this bird was looking for his Mommy, he wouldn't quit squawking...lol

Adorable Otters @Morro Bay

I loved these otters, I could have spent hours watching them.  With Hubby's long lens and lens extender I was able to get these great close-ups of all the fun!

My Birthday Getaway in Tahoe & San Francisco, Pt1

Fresh off the Farm Peaches!

For my birthday, Hubby took me on a short getaway.  I'm so lucky that he always treats me so well :o)  We went to Lake Tahoe for a couple of days and then drove over to San Francisco for a few more days.  It was nice because it fell over the Labor Day Weekend Holiday, so we were able to extend our mini vacation.  

I took the food shots in this post and Hubby took the rest.

Manzanita @Ritz Carlton, Lake Tahoe, CA

We stayed at the new Ritz Carlton located in North Tahoe.  It's more of a ski resort, but a great location for a summer stay too!  During the winter, you can ski in and out from the hotel and they have a gondola on the grounds that takes you up to the top of the mountain.  They even have a Ski Concierge/Valet that helps you get all your gear together and gets you ready to go out on the slopes!  Our view from our room was the pool and a ski lift...lol

One of the reasons I picked this hotel was because Traci Des Jardins has a restaurant at the hotel.  She is a well known chef from San Francisco who's most famous restaurant is Jardinaire. I really didn't have high expectations for the restaurant since it's located in Tahoe AND in a hotel, but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our meal tremendously!

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/LakeTahoe/Dining/manzanita/Default.htm

Asparagus Salad w/Serrano Ham, Egg & Parmesan

I loved this "salad", the combo hit the mark! There were so many parts to it, but it all complemented each other perfectly.

Yellow Tomato & Cucumber Gazpacho

This was Hubby's app.  He loves Gazpacho and orders it whenever he sees it on the menu.  I still haven't tried to make it at home ;o)  It was funny because after he ordered it he was talking about one of his favorite one's he'd had in the past was with yellow tomatoes and didn't even realize that this one was yellow until I  pointed it out to him (I had taken a pic of the menu)...lol

Duo of Beef...Filet & Short Rib

I love when restaurant have duo's or even trio's on menus.  I always want to try everything, so it's great when they have combos like this.  For our anniversary we went to a place that served a trio of game meat...yum!  I loved the filet in this duo.  I usually don't like filet because it's tender, but doesn't have much flavor to it.  This one was one of the best filet's I've ever had!  I found out from the Sous Chef that they Sous Vide it and then finish it off in a skillet or grill (I can't remember exactly how they finished it).  It had so much flavor for a filet!  Maybe the slow cooking of the Sous Vide brings out flavor... 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide 


The Short Ribs were just ok to me.  I really don't care that much for Braised Short Rib, I think it's on too many menus now and you can get it just about anywhere.  Even though I don't like it that much, I still wanted to try it! This could have been the perfect one...   My favorite way of eating Short Rib is BBQuing it the Korean way :o)

Trio of Game from Saddle Peak Lodge Restaurant, Calabasas, CA

For our anniversary we went to Saddle Peak Lodge where they are known for their Game.  


Top Left...Antelope
Right...Buffalo
Bottom...Elk...I had them switch out their Vanilla Butternut Squash (I'm not sure why they think they need to add vanilla to something that is already naturally sweet) for Creamed Corn.  This was the best dish!! It had a smokiness to it and was the filet.


The other's were too lean and a little tough for me.  I didn't think they had much flavor to the meat...that's what you get for farmed Game;o)


http://www.saddlepeaklodge.com/

Mystic River Salmon

Hubby's entree was really good.  The skin was perfectly crisped!

Coconut Sherbert on Coconut Tuille

The sherbert was a little sweet, but it had a nice coconut flavor and the tuille was a nice touch!

Stainless Steel Mirror Ceiling :o)

I loved this ceiling!  I thought it was a regular mirror, but the waitress informed us that it was Stainless Steel!!  I couldn't resist taking a photo...

Tap Water!

When are you ever satisfied with unfiltered Tap Water at a restaurant??  In Tahoe!  I couldn't get enough of the stuff ;o)

Breakfast View

We don't usually eat breakfast, but it was included in our room package.  We didn't want to "waste" it, so we had breakfast everyday in both Tahoe & San Francisco.

House Cured Salmon & Bagels

I'm not sure why I always order bagels when we are at a hotel because I'm always disappointed, but I just can't help myself ;o)  The salmon was really good and the tomatoes weren't bad...

Emerald Bay

I'm not an outdoors person at all and hate to exercise, but thought going on a hike would be a great idea in Tahoe :o)  We spent Hubby's 50th b-day in the Galapagos & the Amazon Jungle of Ecuador and hiked around everyday for a few hours and I didn't get worn out from that, so I thought it wouldn't be much different here.  I didn't think about Ecuador being flat and Tahoe being a mountain...lol  We had the best time hiking and picnicking here, but I could barely walk the next day because my legs were so sore...

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=506
http://www.aboutlaketahoe.com/hiking/emerald_bay.htm

Emerald Bay

We started out at the top of the mountain and had the most beautiful view of Emerald Bay.  The hike down was about a mile, going down was much easier than coming back up ;o)  

Picnic Area

We spied a picnic area...

Our View for Lunch...

We found a table right next to the lake.  This was Thurs before Labor Day Weekend, so there was no crowd at all in either the hiking areas are the road going around the lake.  I can only imagine what it's like when it is packed...what a nightmare!  

It was so peaceful and beautiful here.  We loved watching the birds as we at our lunch.  

Roast Beef w/Grilled Onions on Sourdough Baguette & Black Forest Ham w/Cornichons on Sliced French Bread :o)

We found this cute little sandwich place on the way to Emerald Bay.  We did check out the Cafe at the hotel, but they mostly had hot sandwiches.  I asked at the Front Desk if there was anywhere else to get sandwiches, but he was young and useless!

Me, "Is there a place that we can pick up sandwiches for a picnic?"

Young One, "The Cafe upstairs has sandwiches."

Me, "I already looked up there, but they only had hot sandwiches.  Is there somewhere on the way to Emerald Bay where I can pick up deli sandwiches?"

Young One, "Our In Room Dining Service may be able to make sandwiches for you."

Me, "My husband's getting the car right now, we don't have time to wait."

Young One, "Let me call In Room Dining to find out."  (He picks up phone to call.)

Me, "Uhh, no, we don't have the time."

Young One, (covers phone), "They said it would take 30 mins."

Me, "I know, I said we don't have the time to wait, is there a place that we can pick-up sandwiches in the area?"

Young One, (hangs up), "Let me call the Concierge."  (Concierge was upstairs and on the far side, so I didn't want to walk all the way up there.)  Concierge line is busy.

Young One, "Let me see if I can find something in the computer.  There's a Pizza Place."

Me, "No, they would have hot sandwiches like Meatballs."

Young One, "There's a grocery store near by."

Me, "No."

Young One, "It looks like there's a sandwich shop in "The Village"

Me,"My husband got the car, thanks for your help, I'll just go on Yelp and see what I can find."

Moral of the story, sometimes it's just easier to go on Yelp...lol

http://www.tahoe-house.com/

Our Friend Mr. Goose :o)

He and Mrs. Goose were swimming in the lake and he may have thought I'd feed him, so he hopped up on shore to watch us eat ;o)

Catching his Lunch :o)

Love the action shots that Hubby got of the bird...

Another Picnic Area...

So Serene & Beautiful...

Fannette Island & Tea House

Eagle Creek

After our picnic we decided to keep hiking to see the water falls.  I thought this "creek" looked like a waterfall ;o)  

Stairs to Lower Eagle Falls

I thought I was going to die going up these stairs, can you say "Out of Shape ;o)"

Lower Eagle Falls

There's just something so magical about waterfalls!  It was less than a mile each way to get to the falls from the picnic area...

I really didn't expect to find any good food in Lake Tahoe, but we had two really good dinners.  My b-day dinner at Manzanita and another place called Cafe Fiore in South Tahoe.  This restaurant is owned by a friend of a friend of ours and that is how we found out about it.  It's a cozy Italian place and we loved it!  It was warm enough in the evening, so we dined Al Fresco.  I didn't take any photos since it was really dark and I didn't want to offend the proprietor ;o)

http://www.cafefiore.com/

Fried Chicken

I really hate going to chain restaurants when I don't have to, so I like to try to find unusual local places when we travel.  We decided we would stop for lunch on the way to San Francisco and thought somewhere near Sacramento would work best.  I was able to find this place called Happy Apple Kitchen in Grass Valley.  It is a working orchard that has peaches & apples in season. The restaurant is in a little house and they have both indoor & outdoor seating.  The food wasn't the best, but it was pretty good.  I had the Fried Chicken and enjoyed it, it had an interesting sweetness to it so I thought maybe they added apples to the batter.  I asked the waitress and found out that they use frozen fried chicken...lol  I guess like French Fries, sometimes frozen is better!  They serve everything with a apple slice...cute!  Hubby had a hamburger and he said it was just run of the mill.

http://bierwagens.com/hak_home.html

Homemade Peach Pie

The Peach Pie was really good, but the fresh peaches that we bought from the fruit stand were awesome!  So juicy and sweet!!  I don't remember the last time I had peaches that were this good.  It could be because they were picked that day;o)  We picked some up to take to our friends in the Bay Area and also got some for ourselves.  Since room service breakfast was included with our hotel we had the peaches every morning.  It's kinda nice having fresh picked peaches on Hotel China & Silver :o)