review: candles and cranes… (yusho)

– When Matthias Merges, who left Charlie Trotter’s last year after a decade and a half as its executive chef, opened Yusho in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood (just north of Logan Square), I wasn’t surprised to see his peers flood social media outlets with congratulatory cheer. The enthusiasm for his new restaurant was unanimous, the compliments […]

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review: candles and cranes… (yusho)

– When Matthias Merges, who left Charlie Trotter’s last year after a decade and a half as its executive chef, opened Yusho in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood (just north of Logan Square), I wasn’t surprised to see his peers flood social media outlets with congratulatory cheer. The enthusiasm for his new restaurant was unanimous, the compliments […]

Continue

review: a series of pauses… (kajitsu)

– Situated somewhere in the middle of my three-week, million-calorie binge in New York last year was kajitsu, a meditative pause in an otherwise reckless episode of indulgence. Tucked below street level in the East Village, kajitsu is quiet and clean, not unlike the food it serves, a series of vignettes in kaiseki form. Here, […]

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review: a series of pauses… (kajitsu)

– Situated somewhere in the middle of my three-week, million-calorie binge in New York last year was kajitsu, a meditative pause in an otherwise reckless episode of indulgence. Tucked below street level in the East Village, kajitsu is quiet and clean, not unlike the food it serves, a series of vignettes in kaiseki form. Here, […]

Continue

review: lovely…

Grilled Bamboo Kyoya, New York My friend Sneakeater is spot on in describing kyoya as “lovely.” The servers are adorable. The space is soothing. The ceramic serviceware is beautiful.  And the food, which is very good, leaves you feeling charmed and peaceful. Tucked away below street level in a townhouse in the East Village, kyoya […]

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review: lovely…

Grilled Bamboo Kyoya, New York My friend Sneakeater is spot on in describing kyoya as “lovely.” The servers are adorable. The space is soothing. The ceramic serviceware is beautiful.  And the food, which is very good, leaves you feeling charmed and peaceful. Tucked away below street level in a townhouse in the East Village, kyoya […]

Continue

review: l’art pour l’art…

Black Bean Tofu Bar Charlie, Las Vegas, Nevada Charlie Trotter may have been one of the first big named chefs to arrive on the Las Vegas scene.  He had a restaurant in the MGM Grand years ago. Supposedly, the food was great.  So great, in fact, that it kept the big whales away from the […]

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review: l’art pour l’art…

Black Bean Tofu Bar Charlie, Las Vegas, Nevada Charlie Trotter may have been one of the first big named chefs to arrive on the Las Vegas scene.  He had a restaurant in the MGM Grand years ago. Supposedly, the food was great.  So great, in fact, that it kept the big whales away from the […]

Continue

review: aburiya…

Raku, Las Vegas, Nevada If you have one night in Las Vegas, get off The Strip and go eat at Aburiya Raku. Considering the hype and praise it has received, the restaurant delivered on every one of those commendations effortlessly. Tucked away in a strip mall, this place is tiny.  It seats 25, maybe 30 […]

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review: aburiya…

Raku, Las Vegas, Nevada If you have one night in Las Vegas, get off The Strip and go eat at Aburiya Raku. Considering the hype and praise it has received, the restaurant delivered on every one of those commendations effortlessly. Tucked away in a strip mall, this place is tiny.  It seats 25, maybe 30 […]

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review: diva in white mourning…

masa New York, New York Of masa, the once-most expensive restaurant in the U.S., the few I know who have eaten there have said: save your money and go to Japan instead. Having (finally) eaten at masa, I can’t say I would disagree with that advice. This tiny temple of Japanese gastronomy was the talk […]

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review: diva in white mourning…

masa New York, New York Of masa, the once-most expensive restaurant in the U.S., the few I know who have eaten there have said: save your money and go to Japan instead. Having (finally) eaten at masa, I can’t say I would disagree with that advice. This tiny temple of Japanese gastronomy was the talk […]

Continue

review: unpalatably hip sushi…

Jewel Bako Originally uploaded by ulterior epicure Jewel Bako A few weeks ago, I had planned on having a fabulous omakase with Hideo-san at Ushiwakamaru in New York. Two days before my reservation, the restaurant called to inform me that the Department of Health had closed it down and would not plan on re-opening for […]

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review: unpalatably hip sushi…

Jewel Bako Originally uploaded by ulterior epicure Jewel Bako A few weeks ago, I had planned on having a fabulous omakase with Hideo-san at Ushiwakamaru in New York. Two days before my reservation, the restaurant called to inform me that the Department of Health had closed it down and would not plan on re-opening for […]

Continue