Best of Umamimart

October 15, 2010

Best of UM: Epilogue

by Kayoko Akabori

This concludes the Best of Umamimart posts, from the last three and a half years. Wasn’t that fun? It was one hellava trip down memory lane. In April, Erin took this amazing picture of discarded eggs from a farm in Long Island. It reminds me of the Umamimart Family– a truly funky bunch. We are […]

Best of UM: Japanify: Onigiri (Rice Balls)

by Kayoko Akabori

By Yoko Kumano Originally posted on September 9, 2010 My mom used to pack rice balls for me as an elementary school kid for lunch way before the sushi craze swept the nation and way before there were sightings of Alice Waters toting around onigiri. Having these balls of rice wrapped in “black stuff” was […]

Best of UM: Packaging Whore: Toxic Terror!

by Kayoko Akabori

By Anders Originally posted on August 25, 2010 I sometimes wonder whether my generation (of 1979) will explode in a green toxic waste cloud when we turn 40. Raised throughout the 1980’s on a chemical food diet consisting of added preservatives, taste perfumes and E-numbers galore, our bodies have grown up in dirty soil and […]

Best of UM: Culinography: Holy Wine Country

by Kayoko Akabori

By Erin Gleeson Originally posted on August 10, 2010. Sipping and sharing wine plays a big part in many religions. So to go wine tasting near Jerusalem, perhaps drinking from the same vines that produced wine in biblical times, had more historical significance than your average day at the vineyard. Three friends and I went […]

October 14, 2010

Best of UM: Tap This: Keg It!

by Kayoko Akabori

By CJ, Umamimart’s Official Beer Scientist Originally posted on July 30, 2010 PREFACE Keg It! Part 1 Once you have all the stuff you need covered in Part One, the only thing left to do is get the beer into the keg, which is what I will be covering in this post. The process to […]

Best of UM: Umamiventure #24: Guerilla Ramen Night (SF)

by Kayoko Akabori

By Wen Originally posted on April 21, 2010 *This Umamiventure report, a love letter to ramen from the old world to new, is written by special guest writer Wen, originally posted on her blog, We Eat Everything. All photos by Wen. A recent New York Times article about exploring Tokyo via its ramen shops left […]

Best of UM: Happy Hour: Metropole

by Kayoko Akabori

By Paystyle Originally posted on March 3, 2010 *I am especially fond of this post because it has reunited long lost family members (almost). Please make sure to read the comments. It’s incredible. In the world of mixology, there aren’t many cocktails based on Cognac relative to the other spirits.  I can count less than […]

Best of UM: Tokyo JUNKtion: Preparing Salmon Seminal Fluid

by Kayoko Akabori

By Yoko Kumano Originally posted on November 10, 2009 I bought a sac of shirako at my local supermarket for 90 yen (85 cents). I never knew that shirako was so cheap since I had never had the balls to prepare it until now. Shirako is the seminal fluid of fish who shoot their sperm […]

October 13, 2010

Best of UM: Scotch Cocktails with Rachel Maddow

by Kayoko Akabori

By Paystyle Originally posted on October 2, 2009 Last week I had the distinct honor of being one of five NYC mixologists chosen by Gothamist for a special event involving three of my favorite entities: Scotch, cocktails, and Rachel Maddow. The event was held in the private Gonzo Room (named after the late great Hunter […]

Best of UM: Wedding Cake Perfection: Tear, Swear and Despair

by Kayoko Akabori

By Yamahomo Originally posted on March 23, 2009 PREFACE Wedding Cake Perfection – Trial 1 Wedding Cake Perfection – Trials 2 & 3 Wedding Cake Perfection – Trial 4 Wedding Cake Perfection – Final Trial The day came, and went. The reception was wonderful, the couple looked very cute as you can see, food was […]