asian

week 18: miya's sushi and the caseus cheese truck

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last week, i had one day in new haven.
that's 24 hours to experience all of new haven's culinary offerings.
but is it really possible to fully experience a town's best eats in that short of time?
no.
so really,
you've sometimes got to do silly things in order to at least come close.
you've got to eat at odd hours,
jump up and down a lot to work up artificial appetites,
do stomach stretching exercises...


and the number one rule of spending only one day in a new town?

if you meet a grilled cheese truck on the street,
you must make friends with it.
take it to coffee,
give it your business card...
{even if you are on your way to eat sushi}

it was a rough day because a bit of an impromptu early morning smörgåsbord in the yale cafeteria
left me with little room for the lunch at 
miya's sushi
that friend ariel and i had planned.
and then when we happened upon the 
caseus cheese truck
our reaction was more a less a groan and a feeling of obligato stuffing than of excitement...

i guess we have to try it, ariel
yeah, and i guess we have to get bacon on it.
owwww my insides!!!!


that is until we actually tasted the grilled cheese that came out of the truck.


a blend of provolone, 
swiss, 
comte,
 gruyere, 
gouda, 
and sharp cheddar
oozed out of two slices of sourdough,
with the chewiness of some applewood smoked bacon up in hurrr. 

{party in my mouth like wha?}
like, dang.

too often i meet a grilled cheese where there is too much cheese,
or the cheese isn't melty but the bread is burnt,
or the grease from the bread spills down my hand and/or corrupts my arteries,

these ratios that came out of the truck, however, were exceptional.


piping hot,
oozey goodness,
it made me wonder why everything doesn't come out of a cute little truck.

also available was grainy mustard
{double points for mustard, kids}
so we slathered her in the seed,
ate as we walked,
and prelunched it up!


tummy was rightfully confused when we finally made it to
 miya's.
and even more confused when i opened the  menu.
{for a good/hilarious potty/subway read, read their menu}



our appetizer was 
tokyo fro
like an afro?
it's really amusing to picture a 14 year old japanese boy with an afro- so do it.
it's basically shoe string taters fried to a crisp
with a "secret" sauce
which very strongly resembles in-n-out's secret sauce...

it looks like a lot of food,
but it had the lightness of popcorn,
so naturally ariel and i finished the whole thing.
{wondering where on earth i am going to fit this sushi!!!!}


and then,
there it was.
a plate of a delicious looking

smoked salmon roll
with cream cheese and avocado
and pretty orange crispy things around the edge

and a

hot-headed cowgirl roll
avocado, cream cheese, papaya, burdock & hot pepper
rolled in coconut





ari got

kimchi seared escolar
and
spicy albacore


now,
if i may admit something to you,
i am still new at this whole sushi thing.
but with gourmet garage as my one real comparison,
miya's was like hearing lady gaga for the first time during my diet of kenny g. 

my smoked salmon roll was a little {ok a lot} cream cheese heavy,
however being reminiscent of a ye old bagel & lox, i was a fan.

i only had the balls to taste ari's albacore, which was fresh! and rumor has it sustainable! {?}
i'll save the kimchi escolars for next time... 

my fave by far was the cowguurrrrl. 
maybe it's because there was no fish in it?
sorry, this whole meat without feet thing is still stressing me out, but i'm working on it.
coconut+rice really are a match made heaven, if you ask me. they should date more often.


i can see why my whole new haven correspondence/advisory team demanded that i go to miya's.
not only was it very very fresh,
but the combinations of rolls were just outrageous.
the textbook sized menu leaves enough options to have a different roll every day for about a semester
{it's proximity to yale is making me have scholastic lingo, my apologies}

next time i go back, though, i'm getting the

oo la la mitzvah! roll
"winner of the prestigious 2008 l'chayim world sushi award; this award winning roll was developed by rabbis [of the lost tribe of china] as a gift to the israeli national ping pong team in support of their quest for an olympic medal. tempura arctic char, brie cheese, avocado & ch'i energy"

thanks, miya.
i will be back!!
but, first, i've got 34 restaurants to go!!


xoxo


yeh


miya's sushi and the caseus cheese truck are both in new haven, connecticut 







week 16: umi no ie

in , ,

a very wise man once added the shortened form of "bourgeois"
{"bougey" {büzh-ee}}
to his everyday vocabulary so that he could more easily use it as a way of classifying eating places,
usually in the negative sense.
{ex. "even the waffles truck is a little bougey"}

this wise man {ok, we'll call him chris}
came to the city, like me, with the zagat top lists memorized and had every intention of trying all of [them bougey places] until, 
as legend has it,
he discovered 
the other places. 
the authentic,
hole-in-the-wall
make-friends-with-the-owner
no-reservations-needed
other place.

and so when chris,
our friend
jeff
{whose claim to fame is that he once made the bold, and possibly quite genius claim that jj's hot dogs is a better culinary experience than per se}
and
luke
pardon me
saw that my restaurant list was all momofuku-ed and jean george-d out, they said,

"we're going to umi no ie."
”海の家に行く”














and the rest is history...


{if chris and luke and jeff made a cd of percussion trio music this might be the cover.}

ok 
so let's talk about food.

uminoie is japanese.
it is not sushi a go go or whatevs,
ゴゴカレもでわない
it is not bring your prom date to benihana,
but rather, 
it is the japanese equivalent to your jewish mother's matzoh ball soup and the challah bread {holla!} she baked fresh to dunk in it, and, of course, the brisket. 

it's comforting and it's home style...


and these udon noodles are what "homegirl's grandmother taught her to make when she was seven." thanks, chris

...

now since we literally ordered every single menu item,
i'll discuss the highlights.

first to come out was the
shiokara
塩辛
squid marinated in its own liver sauce.
{this is not an april fools' joke}

when my first instinct was to run the other way,
i was immediately harassed by jeff 
who informed me that,
because i have a {mostly} food blog,
i will be trying everything that they order
and i will not have a choice.

and he was right. 

and so on the count of three
i ate squid.
いか食べた
and it was reminiscent of a gummi bear that had been sitting out for a day,
with the flavor of licorice,
and then a strong little punch at the end.
enjoyable indeed,
albeit a little scary. 


next up was
eihire
エイ鰭
dried fin of manta ray, served with mayo

chris is convinced that, 
whereas americans use pretzels and chips simply as a vehicle with which to eat salt,
manta ray fins are an excuse for japanese people to eat mayonnaise. 
because apparently 
mayonnaise:chris::mustard:molly
マヨネーズ：クリス：：辛子：森
i imagine that if i were a 14 year old japanese boy,
washing up on the beach after an afternoon of surfing,
i would reach for these instead of doritos. 
森＝モリー、ごめん はは
they had the consistency of fruit leather,
and the taste of salt, a hint of fishiness,
and a glob of mayo. 
yum!!


another fave
was
karaage
空揚げ
fried chicken

{thankfully/sneakily jeff got two orders...}

there's not much to say about it,
(超おいしい！）
except that, if my memory serves me right,
i'm pretty sure this sparked a conversation on the kfc double down. 

these two photos are further evidence that the japanese really enjoy their omelets.
as a youth,
my protocol for going to a sushi restaurant was ordering about 50 pieces of tamago.
loved the stuff.
but these omelets just took it a few steps further:

the top had bitter melon,
tofu,
and bonito flakes

and the bottom had eel
{yes, another food virginity broken}

...if you've never had bitter melon,
i highly suggest that you forget about the fact that it's called "melon,"
maybe rename it to "bitter weird carroty thing,"
or something,
and then try it.
there's really nothing like it.

another source of tastiness was 
meatballs + eggs
didn't dare ask what kind of meat these were made out of,
but they were very similar to their italian counterpart.

luke, jeff,
some
"divine"© jeff irving
egg rolls
春巻き

...and the pièce de résistance...
pork belly.

let's get a close up on the top left, shall we?


i assure you two things:

1. my obsession with this dish was not just because it was served with hot mustard
2. this sad little glob was not the limit to my mustard intake,
because, thankfully, friends don't let friend deprive of mustard
{not pictured: xtra side of mustard}

i mean,
this pork belly,
while it looks like a total mess,
was one of the tastiest,
juiciest,
dissolve-in-your-mouth
pieces of meat i've ever bitten in to
{keep it appropriate, boys}

it was like meat,
in marshmallow form.

i couldn't get enough of it.
except for when i accidentally ate a whole chunk of fat.
but that's besides the point.
the point is,
it was delicious,
and one of the main roles in why 
this meal was one of the most satisfying meals i've ever had ever ever ever ever ever
おにぎりワイワイする！

{the plum rice balls helped too}
(おにぎりワイワイする）


キープボットルです
did i mention we sat on the floor with our shoes off?
and that in the back,
there is this shelf where customers who don't finish their bottle of shochu can label it and store it for next time?
and that this place is open late?!
{an ode to restaurants that are open late, part 2 perhaps...}


this place is the greatest.
it's probably one of new york's best kept secrets.
no joke,
if most of you readers didn't hail from other states and australia and england,
i might not have even posted about umi no ie. 
ニューヨーク大好き
 if this post gets into the wrong hands,
we may all be in trouble,
so keep it on the down low, people,
and go here as soon as you can.

...36 to go...


xoxo


yeh



and a special thanks to chris for adding the japanese characters!!!

umi no ie is located in the east village, at e. 3rd and 1st ave
open m-th 7pm to 1am, f-sat 7pm to 2am, sun 7pm to 12am

things chicago has that new york has not {love to both though}

in , , , , ,
ok, new york's got:

out-of-this-world food stands
&

...but may chicago please have a few seconds of fame??


1. dim sum
i've been totally spoiled rotten with chicago dim sum all my life
{particularly furama}
that new york's just doesn't cut it, flavor wise or variety wise.

2. sisters
stoop in the center, mia on the right.
boy are they silly.

"you can pick your nose, 
and you can pick your friends,
but you can't pick your sisters."
-mia, as she picks her nose.




3. hot dogs
NUH UH said the big fat juicy chicago dog,
complete with a bazillion toppings.
and it's kosher.
and superdawg is one of america's last drive-ins. 

4. pizza
part of my soul dies every time i walk past 
on central park west.
there's really no place to get good chicago pizza other than chicago.
{unless you're like mum and you order twelve lou malnati's pizzas to be overnighted on dry ice to tampa}

5. extremely tall people of the male kind
roomie thinks it's the midwestern diet.
i think it's the dim sum.
but it's true, 
i tower over a majority of my guy friends in the east.
but in chicago?
i'm a munchkin.

6. a mediumly casual schnitzel
in new york, it's either, drup a hundo on a nice meal at wallsé,
or fear for your life eating on the street in front of schnitzel truck.
no in between.
chicago's got it,
at kuhn's. 


...and one thing i'm glad that new york doesn't have...

extremely mysterious restaurant names
mado? green zebra? the publican?
i'm confused.
they don't give us anything to work with, like,
"bar and burger," "noodle bar," or even "bakery" tacked on the end.



either way,
chicago, you will forever be my home.
and
new york, you will forever be the city that i live in right now.
and i love you both.
but i am sad to leave home today :-(


xoxo


yeh





a voce

in , ,

in the video game of life,
the time warner center at columbus circle is the final kingdom.
{housing at the top, the treasure that is per se}

once you successfully navigate across that vicious traffic circle that is plagued with poorly timed traffic lights,
and speeding horses and taxis,
you're in.

you start in the dungeon,
fending for your life at the eternally crowded prepared food section of the whole foods.
you pass this level only when you can actually find a place to sit and eat your winnings.
{landing a booth = double points}

after that, it's easy sailing up to the third level.
on the ground level, you refuel with godiva chocolates and samples at the williams sonoma.
on the second level, you maybe stop for a coffee at the dean and deluca, but sometimes you don't have enough time to go out of your way before the dragons come to eat you, so you are forced to flee up the escalator, caffeinated or not.

the third level is a bit trickier and usually involves three, maybe four attempts to clear.
and over a longer period of time, too.
this level is home to
annnnd
{the final obstacle before ascending to the final level}

and with it's cute little michelin star,
a voce serves some of the best italian food i've ever had.

if there's anything better than bread & butter at the start of a sit down,
it's focaccia & ricotta.

as an appetizer, the pops and i ordered
cassoncini 
{yes!! a newly discovered dumpling!! i was tickled with excitement!!}
these were little buttery pastries filled with swiss chard and ooozy crescenza cheese,
covered in parmesan,
and served with prosciutto. 

they were like... italy's rival to the empanada.
oh, with their perfect texture and piping hot filling, 
i could have eaten them all day!

the main course:

"uova in purgatorio"
poached eggs, san marzano tomatoes, 
rosemary, pecorino

doesn't it kind of look like ravioli??
the tomato sauce was so fresh and tasty that i think it actually rivaled the sauce at austin's enoteca vespaio.
oh i could go on and on about how much i love eggs!
and this? served with the freshest of fresh tomato sauce? just another way eggs are the man.


spaghetti alla carbonara
with a duck egg
and a dude in the background of the picture that goes to my school but i've never met and that looked right at the camera when pops was taking this. lolzzzzzz

ok, so the point is, i tasted a duck egg.
it was thicker and gooey-er than a chicken egg
and according to pops, it was gamey.
evvs.

the pasta was a little too al dente for my taste.
but,
 then again, 
i was always the daughter standing by the stove and yelling at mum to cook the pasta for longer 
...cause i'm just a mushy pasta kinda girl.

this wasn't my fave dish of the meal,
but it looked and smelled pretty.



pops liked em.


dessert was....
not really in the cards for me,
because when there is a never ending supply of bread at the table,
especially bread as good as a voce's,
i don't stop eating it ever ever ever. 


but pops wanted some sweets, so we gots {from l to r}:

mint gelato
kiwi sorbet
&
lemon granita 

i tasted a bit of each, 
fearing with each bite that i'd actually explode all over the place...
the mint taste was very faint and the gelato itself suuuper creamy.
the kiwi was a bit salty, but in a good way.
and the lemon, very refreshing... and can it be summer already.

it was, overall, an incredible meal.
{the focaccia & ricotta & the cassoncini alone would have made me happy as a clam}
i think i could eat italian food any day,
but this just brought it to a new level.

the restaurant itself was beeeautiful too,
with big bright windows overlooking central park...
<3

so there you have it,
i've successfully cleared level three. 

i've now unlocked the door to the final chamber,
and can start to work my way through
and
*gasp*

don't worry, i've got eleven months to do so,
but that doesn't mean i won't be playing as intensely as
the stoners next store play goldeneye 24/7


if you like food, go to a voce.


xoxo


yeh


a voce is located on the third floor of the time warner center at columbus circle, at the southwest corner of central park.
 it has another location at madison and 26th, but that one is closed on sundays and does not serve brunch.