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Rug Burn Junky on 24/8/2006 at 04:08

Quote Posted by tungsten

Of course it's not Japanese, but the influence is certainly here: yuba (2), hamachi (5), Kobe beef (7), tempura of some langoustine (14), umeboshi (22) and coffee icecream/jelly with soba ice are certainly Japanese. Tell me another nation that can be identified so clearly as an influence in this marvellous meal!

Fair enough. Certainly many of the ingredients were, but the style was most definitely not.

The flavors ran the gamut, but as I pointed out, many of the common running themes had more in common with classical french cuisine than anything else. But really, it's bastardization of styles and odd combinations that are what made it so great.

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Maybe what made me think of it is that Japanese cuisine serves many many small dishes that are arranged/prepared for eye, nose and mouth. Even "normal", traditional food...

Well, that's hardly unique to Japanese, as it's fairly standard to do a tasting menu of that sort at most of the better restaurants (though admittedly, I myself do tend to associate it with Nobu's Omakase menu a bit, but that's just personal experience). Really, however, the whole "small plate" thing in American cooking today owes more to tapas than anything else.

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To join the bandwagon: I liked the post better before the pictures. But that's just me with my book-over-film mood.

I realized that afterwards that maybe I should have just done an addendum with the pics, but, I didn't want to waste the work I had done inserting the pics and breaking it up. Oh well.

Para?noid on 24/8/2006 at 04:13

A Japanese box for holding gohan (rice), that should preferably cost about 10-20 dollars, be chibi (small) -sized and kawaii (cute), have 2 kotoba, not be made in China or Corea (Korea), be made out of ceramics but NOT plastic, come with a matching chopstick holder (WITH matching chopsticks), and not be pinku (pink) or any other girl color.

EDIT: Before you JUDGE me I can tell you that I am quite the connoisseur when it comes to chinese cuisine, baka.

YOU DIDN'T GET A RESERVATION FOR DORSIA, BATEMAN

Rug Burn Junky on 24/8/2006 at 04:20

i dont want my gohan to touch my other things (it can get wet and i would not like that)

ercles on 24/8/2006 at 06:19

Quote Posted by Para?noid

YOU DIDN'T GET A RESERVATION FOR DORSIA, BATEMAN

Hey Paul! Try getting a reservation at Dorsia now you stupid fucking bastard!

Phydeaux on 24/8/2006 at 09:02

If I had a trip to Chicago, I'd have spent my meals at Lou Malnatis, Unos, and Geno's. Maybe Adam's Ribs too. But that's just the kind of guy I am.

Vigil on 24/8/2006 at 09:10

Quote Posted by Scots_Taffer

I'd say in before the rampaging slobbering knobjockeys but Vigil's all over that base of operations.

Fantastic post, RBJ. I could practically taste the fucking food.

ignatios on 24/8/2006 at 09:37

but I am a rampaging slobbering knobjockey, ask anyone!

Seriously tho Scots nothing personal; it's just a friendly rib (or perhaps a piece of Kobe beef, maybe some lamb, potentially a strip of butterscotch and apple bacon god damnit I'm hungry)

Rug Burn Junky on 24/8/2006 at 17:14

Quote Posted by Phydeaux

If I had a trip to Chicago, I'd have spent my meals at Lou Malnatis, Unos, and Geno's. Maybe Adam's Ribs too. But that's just the kind of guy I am.

Don't bother. Uno's tastes just as shitty in Chicago as it does everywhere else.

driver on 24/8/2006 at 17:26

I've never understood the appeal of meals whose courses are smaller than the utensils you use to eat them. How are you supposed to enjoy something when it's barely a mouthfull and the waiters are clearing away the plates and sitting something else as equally microscopic in front of you?

All of the best meals I've had have consisted of only two or three courses, but by god what courses they were...

I went for a 7/8 course meal in a high class fugu restuarant in Tokyo once. Astronomical bill, but tasted like chicken to be honest. Next day went for Yakinikku, quarter of the cost, 100 times the flavour and atmosphere.

CyberFish on 24/8/2006 at 18:09

driver, no-one eats fugu for the taste. The only reason you eat it is so you can say you've dined on something that can kill you if it's prepared even slightly incorrectly.

RBJ, that sounds like a really interesting meal. Not my kind of thing, though. I've had that kind of slightly experimental cookery before and my enjoyment of it was greatly diminished by the fact that it didn't feel like food.

Funnily enough, I had one of the best meals of my life quite recently. Nothing complicated, just very rare steak and a little steamed asparagus and pak choi. However, it seems that going without cutlery does wonders for the experience of eating rare steak.