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reedm

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Everything posted by reedm

  1. As usual, Rocks provides outstanding advice. I've not been to Osaka or Kyoto, but I've been to Tokyo a handful of times. The other contributors to this thread provided great information as well. While it is an incredible city for food (among other things), the choices can be overwhelming, as the population is around 13 million people, and there are more than 125,000 restaurants. How old are your kids? That will certainly influence your choices. I thoroughly enjoyed a couple of food tours from Ninja food tours. ("Asakusa food hunt" and "Wagyu and Sake pairing"). During my most recently trip, I had an amazing dinner at Sushi Yuu in Roppongi. Reservations are essential, and the chef/owner is a great guy. Random thoughts: It may seem like I'm stating the obvious, but if you want to experience authentic Wagyu, Japan is the place to do it. Same goes for sushi restaurants. If your hotel has a concierge, use them for recommendations and reservations. Many Tokyo restaurants will not accept reservations from non-natives unless they are pre-paid, reservations can be hard to come by. Even though the indoor Tsukiji fish market has moved, I highly recommend a tour of the outdoor Tsukiji fish market. Tonkatsu restaurants are plentiful, and the Japanese pork is uniquely delicious. Don't miss the food selections at 7-11s or Family Marts. Don't to see/hear English spoken or written. (Google translate will help to some extent.) The USD/JPY exchange rate is incredibly favorable to Americans at the moment, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding affordable places to eat.
  2. Has anyone been recently? I booked an anniversary dinner there after hearing positive reviews from friends/colleagues. For my tastes, there are plenty of more exciting options, but my wife is not as "adventurous" as I am. (She does not care for most fish or shellfish, but she does enjoy crab.) FWIW, we have been fortunate to have dined at some great places--Fiola/Fiola Mare, Metier, Marcel's, Chloe, Obelisk, etc, but I'm looking for something a bit different this time, and I'm hoping Joe's fits the bill. (No pun intended.) Thanks!
  3. I made that carrot salad some time ago, and it is certainly delicious.
  4. Great write-up and photos! I'm headed to SA soon to spend Christmas with my parents. Perhaps I'll get a chance to check one of these places out.
  5. Golf and food recommendations--right up my alley. Thanks!
  6. On the surface, Hawkers is an interesting concept. However, as someone who has been fortunate enough to visit Singapore a few times, Hawkers is the antithesis of Singapore hawker stands. I took a quick look at the Hawkers menu, and most items are $10+. In Singapore, a $10 item at a hawker stand is rare. Coincidentally, I was there last week, and I will tell you the quality and variety of hawker stand food writ large is amazing. I realize it is extremely difficult to replicate indigenous foods in the US (it goes both ways, of course), but the price point appears to be very high in relation to quality.
  7. We celebrated a birthday a couple of weeks ago, and all 6 of us were impressed by the quality of food and drinks. We enjoyed a sizable portion of the menu, to include the florentine steak, the cabbage dish, and many other items. All were delicious. Try the cabbage--trust me! Our service was similar to Don's--it was hit or miss at times, but overall, all of us would return!
  8. Coincidentally, I made beer brats a couple of days ago as well. I browned them in a cast iron pan as well. Potato rolls, btw.
  9. Wow--what a mouth-watering report. Despite the fact you rekindled my "I sure miss Texas BBQ" thoughts, I enjoyed your comments. There's just no substitute for high quality Texas barbecue.
  10. 16+ years and the pricing and inventory are the same. Quite a deal. 😁
  11. I just tried to find out what Kinship and/or Metier are currently offering, but the website is not working correctly. Does anyone have any idea what's going on? A google search turned up a potential foie gras controversy, but I'm not sure if that is related. Cheers
  12. Our experience at Roberto's was wonderful. The staff was warm and welcoming, and the food and drinks impressed us all. The restaurant was full the entire evening (it was a Saturday), but it was not hectic or overly noisy. Between four of us, we were able to try several dishes, and they were all absolutely great. (Looking forward to trying the gnocchi next time, Don.) There is something for everyone's taste on the menu, and it making decisions was difficult, only because everything looked so good. Surprise hit: Onion-potato soup. We will certainly be back.
  13. That matches my experience from a couple of months ago. Stopped by late afternoon for a bit on Sunday, and sat at the bar. They were closing, and while crab fritters were good, and the cocktail was fine, it wasn't anything particularly special. I stopped by a coupe of other Savannah spots, and was not overly impressed by any of them.
  14. Thank you for sharing your experience. Our friends are taking us there to celebrate my birthday in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to the experience even more now. Grazie
  15. One of the things I enjoy about this site is that it is full of hidden nuggets of information. Don's thread about Kinston is over 6 years old, but as it turns out, my daughter and SIL had their rehearsal dinner at the Chef and the Farmer, and It was quite good, particularly for that part of the country. Little did we know, the night of the rehearsal dinner was the same night as the BBQ Fest on the Neuse, which occupied several blocks and made parking an unexpected challenge. Sad to learn that Vivian had to close the place.
  16. We watched "The Menu", and it was completely different than I expected. No spoilers, but it quickly went off the rails for me. The beginning of the movie made me laugh quite a few times...
  17. One person in our group asked about the sauces, and our server (who was excellent overall) replied that there were three options. He didn't mention the cost, but I read the menu somewhat carefully, and noted the price. I'm not sure how to express my thoughts accurately, but the Fiola brand has evolved to cater to a high end clientele, who may not care about cost. Speaking for myself, cost is a factor. I can't afford/justify a spot where I know I'll pay hundreds per person unless it's a special occasion. Two of my close friends, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed their Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes at Fiola, and the bill exceeded $1k. They said it was wonderful, but that price is too much for me. Minor segue...we had dinner at Imperfecto several months ago, and I think it is wildly overpriced.
  18. Six of us enjoyed dinner at Del Mar last night to celebrate the holidays, and we all agreed the experience was outstanding. Yes, Del Mar is very expensive, but the quality of the service, food, drinks, and atmosphere justified the cost for us. Pay close attention to the menu/pricing, as nothing is complimentary, but it sometimes sounded like they were.(I would not recommend Del Mar if you are dining on a budget) For the wine enthusiasts/experts in the group, the sommelier recommended a 2013 Paco and Lola Albarino, and it was wonderful, and the bottles paired nicely with the variety of dishes we ordered. I won't detail everything we ordered, as the list is long, but I can tell you the kitchen nailed every dish in terms of preparation and taste. We started with the 5J Gran Plato, which was a generous serving of smoked meats, bread, and few other items. We also a total of five tapas dishes. (Don't miss the patatas bravas!) The Lubina Aquanaria (branzino/sea bass) was cooked perfectly--tender, a tad smoky, and delicious. For some reason, I was a bit hesitant about the paella, but I think that is because I read too many untrusted "reviews" from other sources. We also ordered the Paella De Pescado Y Mariscos, which featured Maine lobster (a very generous portion served in the shell) Tiger Prawns (2 of the largest prawns I've ever seen), a few mussels, and monkfish. The dish was advertised for 4, but it was plenty for the six of us. It was all extremely clean and fresh tasting, enough so that it pleased my wife, who is not generally a fan of most seafood. (@genericeric's description above was spot on.) Desserts included a flan, which was tasty and beautifully presented. If I had one quibble, it is that the three sauces offered (for the beef?) were $8 each, served in very small ramekins, I don't think the fish or beef needed them. (Minor edits for clarification.)
  19. I have a meater Plus -- it works great, and is meant to be left in the food while cooking. (I use it for beef, chicken, etc.) It connects directly to the app on your cell phone. Thermopens serve a different purpose, and work extremely well.
  20. A large group of us on a golf trip ate there once for dinner, and the food and service was very good. Everything from the antipasti to desserts was a pleasant surprise, and the current favorable exchange rate makes the cost quite affordable. Everyone we met during our trip was extremely welcoming, and Dunne and Creszenze was no exception.
  21. While I understand his Fall Dining Guide is not supposed to be a "best of" list, I agree that some of the selections are odd. I live 5 minutes away from Himalayan Wild Yak, and ordered delivery once. I don't judge a restaurant on their take-out, but nothing made me want to try it again. Yak is a stone's throw from Ahso, which I think continues to be the best restaurant in the Ashburn/Leesburg area, bar none, but the place doesn't get a mention.
  22. Still headed to Dublin, but I'm open to any/all recommendations. Cheers.
  23. Heading to Dublin next month for a week-long golf trip, so I would appreciate restaurant recommendations. Open to all cuisines, and our primary limitation is that it must be able to accommodate 13 people. Thanks in advance!
  24. Bump for some recommendations. I'm headed to Tel Aviv for a work trip next week. It will be my first trip to Israel. I imagine I will have couple of evenings free, so I would appreciate any/all recommendations. Thanks!
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