I took a much-needed trip back home to California in May for two weeks. I risked contracting the swine flu to indulge in my second passion after eating – photography with my grandma’s 1970s Nikon EM film camera.
I love taking photos of food in Tokyo, but there’s something about the California sun that saturates food with perfect lighting.

Paella by Kazuko Hayama (my mom) in Cupertino, CA

Sushi by Sushikuni in Cupertino, CA

Harley Farms Goat Cheese in Pescadero, CA

Burger by Frankie’s Bohemian Cafe in San Francisco, CA

Burger by Frankie’s Bohemian Cafe in San Francisco, CA

Plain yogurt with Oreo cookies (left) and plain yogurt with blueberries (right) by Yogurt Harmony in Berkeley, CA

My friend, Kayoko, has been asking me to write a food blog for quite sometime. She’s a traffic-driving genius, as you may well know. I also am not sure if I’ve actually heard her voice in like 11 years, but this Saturday we’re hangin out! Yayers! We’re going to go to a Lunar Banquet and eat Peking Duck until we smell like duck for the next 3 days!

Anyway, there’s my fridge up top. It keeps things cold. You can put six packs of be… soda in here… (who can guess what movie?!?!).

Here are my fridge doors open. I never do this because I know I will be disappointed with the options.

Much more interesting are the trash cans next to the fridge, but we’ll get around to that.

Let’s start with the freezer, because I don’t want to move all these pictures around. This is a part of my sister’s wedding cake. The wedding was in August 08. I think I was supposed to bring it to the wedding. Now I’ll just keep it here until my wedding… oh, probably in like August of 2012. Yum! Can’t wait!

\This is a bottle of tequila. I only get handles…. well, most of the time. They’re the best bargains, plus I have lots of space in my freezer. I normally have a handle of vodka in there too, but I drink it so quickly. I wish they made Popov’s vodka by the Keg-full! I’d move out all those annoying drawers and shelves in my fridge.

That’s a 3 year old pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, behind my economy size tequila I use to drink out of when I’m showering. I’d pull out the ice cream and show it to you, but I don’t like going back that far in my freezer. It’s cold and I have dry knuckles. Thus, it sits.

Let’s move onto the lower 48 (thanks S. Palin!), where I house all my goodies. This is the door. It is squeaky proof.

I don’t drink sodas, but my Dad gave me a whole bunch. I think he stole them from somewhere. I’m glad they’re Pepsi, because I like going with the underdog. Burger King, Circuit City, Burt and Loni, Mia and Woody…. you name it! We’re going to be together forever!

I tried to make a chocolate martini once, I bought the dark Creme De Cacao. It was supposed to be the lighter colored one. Fellas, you should invest in the lighter colored one and mix it with vodka. Women love it and it’s stronger than a mofo – heh, heh, heh… Did I do enough “heh, heh’s” to get the point across? If not, heh, heh, heh, heh…

Miracle whip! Ain’t nothin wrong with that!

Uh-oh. It expires today! Schnikes! I’m ALWAYS too ambitious when it comes to Miracle Whip.

Oyster sauce is yummy. I wish I knew what to do with it. I brought it from my mom’s and used it once.

Country Crock was on sale or else I would’ve gone with the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.” Fabio was amazing in those commercials… and a real dreamboat.

I use that Country Crock to make grilled ham and cheese! It’s yummy. Although sometimes it gives me the runs.

These are my two bottles of Margarita Mix that I have leftover from my Superbowl party from last year. They’ve been in there for a long time.

I can’t find an expiration date, yet I’m still afraid to drink it. I figure I’ll offer it to guests when they come over.

Here’s my bread. I buy whole wheat. 100% that is. No kidding around for me. I don’t go with those 97% wheat bread mixes – you never know what that last 3% could consist of: ground up chicken guts, tire shavings from the freeway, cardboard boxes, soylent green… who knows? I just don’t want to chance it.

This sucks. The bread expired 23 days ago. Shoot! I will leave it in the fridge in case I’m really drunk one night and decide to chance it.

Here’s one beer hidden in the back of my fridge. I leave it back there so that if I ever feel like a beer, I can rummage around my fridge and then find it in the back. It will be that much better because I had to dig for that last beer waayyyyy in the back… I am often bored.

I like milk. I like it a lOt. Sometimes I want to use it on cereal, but I never get up before noon. My cereal box is even older than my ice cream.

This saddens me as well. It is 19 days overdue. I am going to put it back in the fridge, because I don’t want to take the chance of smelling it when I pour it out. I have to get myself ready for something like that. I’ll wait until next week.

Well, that’s the lower 48. Here are the coupons on my fridge – they’re probably expired too – and some cute kids, and friends I don’t care for, and the happy holiday picture from my college roommate.

Time to move onto the good stuff! Remember that trash can I was telling you about? I spend more time there than opening the fridge.

BaJa Fresh. Remember in the Sopranos when he calls it BaJa with a hard J? Oh, that was funny. Hmmm, there’s still chips in here. I’m going to eat them.

El Pollo Loco. That means Chicken Crazy! I like my Mexican food. Hmmm, there’s still salsa in this bag. I will use it for the chips in the BaJa Fresh bag! Great success!

Ohhh, what can you say about Chipotle? It is heaven on earth massage parlor for me. I try to save two bites at the end of each burrito so I can eat it before I go to bed. I know what you’re thinking. That’s like every Mexican fast food place that exists!!! What’s next? Taco Bell?! Del Taco?! La Salsa!?!? No, no, no… that’s next week.

See! I can represent America too! 5. 5. 5 dollar footloong… I go with the meatball. Ummm, that’s a good meatball.

Finally, to seal the deal amongst any cautious female, I bust out my frozen rose. I, too, have a sensitive side. As they’re pondering this interesting development, I ask for it back and throw it in the freezer. I then take a shot of tequila, unbutton my top two buttons… unbutton my jeans, make sure that my gold cross chain is facing the right direction, and make my way back into the living room for a little sensual seduction…

The next pictures of me and my blow-up doll, Molly, are for my eyes only… The SVB doesn’t kiss and tell… Molly’s kinky, but she would have my neck for it.

Sincerely,

Kevin L.
The Silicon Valley Bachelor

Google map direction were pretty accurate, and we got there just around noon. As you saw from Kayoko’s posting, Sushi Kuni was located right in the Appletown. There were typical office buildings, each for different departments, and there it was. Almost too traditional looking to be in Apple HQ town, but definitely cute and authentic Japanese restaurant, no ice sculptured buddha business, or no bullshit.

We got in, and were welcomed by Kuni, the father, and Hideko, the mother. They were soo cute. Kuni looked like exactly how Kayoko is, and Hideko was a good looking lady and totally has Kayoko’s funny sense of humor. Kuni’s face + Hideko’s funny character = Kayoko.

We sat on the counter, and luckily, it was somewhat a slow day (I do believe people go out for lunch less earlier part of the week, since they have leftovers from weekend cooking, or is it only me?)

We first ordered sashimi platter with salmon, tuna, snapper, and other white fish (don’t know exactly what). He also gave us a VERY fresh aji no tataki (jack mackerel tataki). He said it was fresh off from Japan, and surely, it was some of the freshest fish I’ve had.

Look how nicely it was presented. I actually had the same thing past weekend at Matsuri, but it doesn’t even compare. The freshness of the fish was far better (because it’s closer to Japan?! Who knows), plus Matsuri only gave us half the meat, but Kuni totally gave us the whole fish. He also didn’t bullshit with it either. At Maturi, it had some lime flavored soy with ginger, but that’s for amateurs. When eating sashimi at a supposedly Japanese restaurant, let’s go authentic. Soy and ginger is the way to go.

Then we ordered a couple of sushi. I like sweet shrimp, and they were very sweet, fresh and flavorful.

This, I believe was Shima Aji (larger type of jack mackerel). I usually don’t eat shiny fish (mackerel type) since they are a bit too fishy for me, but this was so fresh that all I tasted was freshness of the fish and nice clean flavor.

Since Kuni was a tempura chef, we had to order tempura appetizer. It was crunchy, not heavy, just right amount of batter, perfectly cooked.

This is kanpachi (type of yellow tail). Fatty, but not fishy, which means how fresh it was.

Since mom doesn’t eat too much, we had just the right amount of food. And a nice platter of fresh fruits at the end. It was plated on a bed of ice cubes, and cold, refreshing, perfect to cleanse the palette. By the way, I have recently developed fruit allergy, and can’t eat too much of cherries, or peaches. Why?! I love peaches and cherries, but my throat gets too itchy… Isn’t allergy something you have as a kid and get rid of it as you grow? Am I digressing?

Sushi Kuni was great. Kayoko’s parents were the best-est. Not to mention See’s candy and homemade potpurri as a gift, plus getting invited to the Akabori home to have tea and talk about respective children’s fucked up lives was also very nice. I also think Apple’s success has something to do with Sushi Kuni. Up until Sushi Kuni opened, Apple was struggling with ugly computers, but I think Sushi Kuni saved their employees’ souls. Hope Sushi Kuni will strive for a long time.

Praise for Kuni and Hideko!

Sushi Kuni Restaurant
10211 South De Anza Blvd.
Cupertino, CA
T: 408.257.5864
Closed Sundays

But drive down Stevens Creek just a bit, and make your way through a little bit of greenery to the Cupertino Reservoir (lots of juvenile moments a la Dazed and Confused here), climb high into the hills, and you’ll eventually reach Ridge Vineyards, a winery that has won numerous awards throughout the years. In CUPERTINO! HOLLA!

According to their website, a San Francisco family started the winery after buying a plot of land on “Monte Bello Ridge” in 1885. They’ve since expanded, having taken over much of the land around the original property. Today they own seven vineyards total including Monte Bello, in Napa and Sonoma counties, and also in Paso Robles.

My family and I went up recently (er, Mother’s Day- no joke, I’ve been slowly piecing together this post for months!) for the first time to check it out. It was a scary ride on the windy, narrow path, teeter-tottering to the edges of the mountainside, but we made it.

Find yourself a parking spot (good luck!), and walk up to their tasting room.

Ridge is mostly known for their zinfandels, but their chardonnay was recently ranked #2 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2007. Here is our full tasting of 6 Ridge wines ($5 for the entire tasting for “non-members”). I know I sat on this post for a while, but I did take notes (and I’m adding in the Ridge pamphlet notes, cause let’s be real- do I really know what I’m talking about???).

2006 Chardonnay Mikulaco
“The Mikulaco vineyard was planted in 1982, at an elevation of 1700 on Monte Bello Ridge. Even in warm vintages, its northwest orientation limits afternoon sunshine, making ripening a challenge.”
Akabori Notes: clean, crisp, citrusy. We liked this best of all the 6 wines.

1998 Lytton Springs
“During the 1998 vintage, El Nino set back the growing season by a full month. After 14 months in air-dried american oak barrels, the 98 Lytton Springs is full and well-structured. The thinning needed to achieve this richness and complexity reduced yields considerably. A fine wine from a difficult year.”
Akabori Notes: grapy, oaky, charcoaly.

2003 York Creek
“The firm structure of this classic York Creek required extended barrel aging. Beautifully balanced and approachable now, it will benefit from a year or two in bottle, and develop fully over the next ten years.”
Akabori Notes: light. (At this point we must be a little drunk cause that’s all I wrote).

2005 Zinfandel Carmichael
“97% zin, 3% petite sirah. The two parcels of 20 year old vines that make up this zin were hand-harvested, fermented on their natural yeasts in small, open-top tanks, then drained and pressed after 6 days.”
Akabori Notes: fruity.

2006 Zinfandel East Bench
“This is our fist wine entirely from vines on the benchland that separates Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. The original vines were abandoned in 1920; we replanted in 2000, using budwood from our own old-vine vineyards.”
Akabori Notes: jammy, deep fruit, soil (soil??? I am clearly fargone at this point).

2005 Syrah Lytton West
“94% syrah, 6% viognier. Five lots were chosen for this fine syrah, and aged for a total of 21 months in air-dried american oak. Enjoyable now for its forward, spicy fruit, it will develop greater complexity over the next ten years.”
Akabori notes: light. (See how descriptive we are as a family?)

I just realized that I didn’t take any pics of the actual glasses of WINE! What a schmuck!!! Although I really do have an affinity for the Ridge label, which is probably why I got distracted. It’s just really clean and minimal, yet so identifiable. Also like the green and purple color combination.

I actually geeked out and asked our winegirl about it, and she said that John Robertson designed this label back in the 60s or 70s, and it was the first time the Optima font was ever used! She said that the label has never changed since.

Our winegirl was totally knowledgeable and friendly. I am totally in awe of people who know their wines- it’s so neat.
Jumbo Ridge.

Very old bottles of a line of wines, “Montebello” that was harvested on their property decades ago.

They have a really gorgeous garden full of colorful wildflowers, and many tables for people to come, get some nice bottles of wine, and picnic.

Vineyards to the north, south, east and west of the tasting room.
My beloved hometown: Silicon Valley, Cupertino, Santa Clara, San Jose, Mt. View, Sunnyvale, it’s all here, all the same. Despite its hitech-ness, it’s just a really ordinary suburban landscape full of traffic lights, highway signs and megamalls. Ironically, it’s not at all as scifi as William Gibson would have liked (has anyone read SPOOK COUNTRY yet?). Look, there’s my house!
After the tasting (a bit drunk?), getting down this hill is the hardest part. BE SAFE!!!

Ridge Vineyards
17100 Monte Bello Road
Cupertino, CA
T: 408.867.3233

I’m really exhausted and I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, so bear with me- here’s a taste of what’s to come for ya’ll, from this trip to the Yay Area.

The wine section at my local grocery store, Safeway. God, I like grew up at Safeway- being in NYC now, there’s nothing I crave more than the grocery stores of the suburbs. The wide aisles. Sparkling cleanliness. Friendly staff. Condoms, razors and cigs behind locked glass cases.

My Cupertino Safeway has this fucking incredible wine selection- I’m in awe every time I go back:

Here they dedicate like 3 aisles to alcohol- 1 for hard liquor, and 2 aisles for wine. Imagine being able to get liquor AND wine AND beer at the grocery store! What a concept! Sidenote for non-NYers: in NY, they only sell beer at the grocery store- no wine, no liquor. It drives me crazy.

Safeway, or any grocery store really, can be pretty dreamy for wine-lovers- you can get really good California wines at a good price.

On this occasion, we came home with a bottle of Mumm champagne (yes, CHAMPAGNE, and not the “sparkling wine” that is the only stuff I can afford- gotta take advantage of dad’s wallet). Also got a bottle of chardonnay from ZD Winery in Napa, that my parents are really into right now.

And for the record, California wines are THE BEST.

Whenever I go home, I gotta get my dim sum fill. My mom thinks this is so bizarre, cause she knows I always go to dim sum in NY. But it’s just different in the Bay somehow- dare I say better? I don’t know what it is- but I will say that dim sum hasn’t gotten any better for me than since we went to Ocean Jewel in Queens. That was almost a year ago.

So there’s this little place in Cupertino called Joy Luck Place in this all-things-chinese mall where there’s a Ranch 99. There’s a serious cult following- you wait a minimum 30 minutes for a table. That’s minimum. And ridiculous. But worth the wait.

Here she comes…

All my must-haves:
Shiu mai-

Meatballs- kinda a new obsession I share with my dad. Hideko is not into this.

Shao lom pao (soup dumplings)-

Pan fried shrimp and chinese chive dumplings. YUM.

All time favorite- pork spareribs.
Congee

Shredded chicken chow mein with chives and bean sprouts, American style.
Pea shoots.

Gotta catch the dessert cart-

Hideko’s favorite- Rice cake filled with black sesame soupy deliciousness, powdered with this soy bean flour (kinako, in Japanese)

This place is Hua and Wangster’s SPOT. I personally might like Dynasty, in the late Vallco Mall more. But basically whichever you choose to go, you won’t be disappointed. I never thought I would be someone who would say this, but: they’re just so CLEAN!

Joy Luck Place
10911 N. Wolfe Road
Cupertino, CA
T: 408.255.6988

You see, it’s only Kuni and Steve (above right) behind the bar– when it gets really busy, it’s pretty amazing to watch the speed in which they slice the fabulous selection of sashimi to create such colorful, dazzling dishes. But they are never too busy to talk to the customers– they love to chat! Kuni loves to talk about the fish (he always has fish specials that aren’t necessarily on the menu, so make sure to ask what they are)– what region the fish is from, when they are in season, how best they are served. He’s an encyclopedia of fish.

Ok so the food: the first thing I ordered was of course the chirashi sushi. Assorted sashimi over rice– it is always super fresh and truly one of my favorite all-time meals. It’s just so simple and delicious! There’s ikura, maguro, hamachi, unagi, ika, tamago, ika, tako, ebi… all over a bed of Kuni’s nicely vinegary (but not too much) rice. It’s genius, if you ask me. With a bowl of miso soup at $13, it’s truly a good deal.

Kuni hooked me up with a few pieces of ‘hotaru ika‘ (below), also called ‘firefly squid’, which were on the special menu. These are tiny little whole squids (only about two inches long), that are slimy goodness very flavorful and truly delicious. I am just reading that they light up blue when migrating in the ocean!

If Kuni is the more straightforward, traditional sushi chef, Steve is the funkier counterpart who always brings in new “fusion” creations that are a huge hit with the experimental, cosmopolitan crowd. He used to work at Wolfgang Puck’s place in Vegas, so he’s quite the hipster chef himself.

This was avocado, snow crab and shrimp grilled in Steve’s special basil-mayo sauce. Superb!

Steve plopped this little cup of delight in front of me as a surprise– it’s his rendition of Hawaii’s poki!!! YUMMY! Tuna, scallions and tobiko, in a tangy ponzu sauce. So good!

The bento box during lunch is about the cheapest meal you can possibly imagine. For $7.50, you get your choice of two items (tempura, sashimi, sushi, gyoza, and chicken/beef/salmon teriyaki), rice, salad and miso soup. Friggin ridiculous. My personal favorites are the pan-fried gyoza (Japanese style pork dumplings) and the tempura– the tempura batter is crispy, never soggy or too eggy, and each delicious gyoza is handmade with love by Sushi Kuni’s other half, Hideko, in the kitchen.

Hideko (below) is Kuni’s wife– she and Victor make everything on the menu that is not done behind the sushi bar. So basically, all the hot food. They cook all the Japanese restaurant standards like teriyaki, tempura and nabeyaki udon (another favorite), and Hideko also is the brains behind countless other “authentic” Japanese dishes that are on a seperate, special menu. Little dishes like ‘kinpira gobo’ (sauteed burdock root) and ‘nasu no nanbanzuke’ (eggplant in a vinegar soy sauce) will immediately make you feel like you are hanging out at an izakaya in Tokyo.

Incidentally, Kuni also has a license to slice and serve blow fish– I think he told me once that he took the blow fish test at the famed Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. Remember that Simpson’s episode where Homer almost dies when he’s served bad blow fish? While that episode is not in any way a reflection of Kuni’s mad skills, I always do think of it when I see his certificate on the wall. Hilarious.

Last but not least, let me comment that Kuni’s spicy tuna roll is the best in the WORLD. My brother and I have had spicy tunas far and wide, and nothing has compared to Kuni’s creation. What could it possibly be? Is it the Kewpie mayo? The green onions? The special spicy sauce? Whatever it may be, it is heavenly. Look, it’s pink! So pretty!

In the last 12 years, Sushi Kuni has changed little, but has blossomed into a thriving neighborhood restaurant that is truly a Japanese food destination in the Bay Area. The place has a really loyal following, and the customers all know Kuni and Steve and talk to each other– when I was just there, I ran into fellow Sushi Kuni lovers that I hadn’t seen in years, and we ended up chatting for a while. It’s like Cheers, but a Japanese restaurant- it’s so nice! The place is comfortable, reasonably priced, not ever pretentious, friendly, and the food is always fresh, consistent and just really solid, delicious Japanese food. Don’t just take my word for it– try it for yourself! *k*

Sushi Kuni Restaurant
10211 South De Anza Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 257-5864
Closed Sundays

***
I have a confession to make: Kuni is also my pops! Biggest shill EVER! I didn’t mean to be tricky, but I didn’t want this to be overtly biased given that this is the family restaurant. But really, I’m not just saying all this because my parents run it– it really is a great little place.

He and my mom (Hideko) have poured endless amounts of love, time and energy into Sushi Kuni, and I am so so proud of them both. This is essentially where me and my brother grew up– I was forced to waitress there EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT for ALL FOUR YEARS of high school (you know what that does to a teenage girl who is trying desperately to be cool?? Forget about trying to sneak into San Jose State parties for a night of underage drinking). My brother was forced to work in the kitchen when his delinquency started getting out of hand and my parents thought it would be the best way to keep an eye on him. Oh, and look at us now… Good times.

Despite the grueling long hours (he gets in at 10am, and generally doesn’t leave until 1am– but he does get to sneak a nap in there for about an hour), Kuni has a wry sense of humor and has aged little since the restaurant first opened 12 years ago. He also loves a cold glass of beer and is also quite the sake connoisseur so be sure to offer him some of yours when you are sitting at the bar. He’ll drink you under the table. And my mom will drink HIM under the table!

Happy Father’s Day とうち!!! You are the BEST!