Remember when I said I started making my own pizza because I hadn’t found any in Los Angeles that really fit the bill? Well I am happy to report that this is no longer the case. Not only does it seem like the urban food movement is making its way through a wood-fired revival, but the cropping up of new Neapolitan pizza restaurants in Southern California is a sure sign of a very promising future.

Mother Dough in Los Feliz, one of the more gentrified hipster communities of LA, is a prime example. First, they successfully set out to provide genuine, authentic Neapolitan pizza. Then they raised the bar with killer wines, incredible salads, excellent Italian and German beers, and of course, simple and rustic desserts with things like crème fraiche and hazelnut oil.

Sünner Kölsch–medium bodied lager, a bit grassy in flavor, nice aroma, sweet to start, crisp to finish.

So what exactly is “authentic” Neapolitan pizza? There’s actually an official association in Napoli that governs this stuff called Verace Pizza Napoletana Associazione (VPN) and it states that you can only use the following ingredients in your pizza that we know as the Margherita:

- Doppio Zero or Double Zero ‘00’ flour (extremely fine, high gluten)
- Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (regional buffalo’s milk mozzarella)
- San Marzano tomatoes (grown in the soil of Mt. Vesuvius)
- Basil
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Sea Salt and a little olive oil as a drizzle and NOT in the dough

Mother Dough’s menu even has a slightly facetious FAQ on the backside for those who want to know why the consistency and simplicity of their pizza doesn’t match the typical Pizza Hut combination pizza loaded with toppings in extra large form. The menu itself is minimal but excellent, making it very difficult to choose.

Raw Marcona almonds with lemon juice and sea salt

You will very likely see this salad on everyone’s table because it is only one of two salads offered and, in my opinion, you could put burrata on an old tennis shoe and it would still be a big seller. This is Mother Dough’s burrata salad atop heirloom tomatoes and arugula. Great salt, citrus, and spice.

At this time I would like to go on the record that I really do not like zucchini. I don’t want to say hate because it’s a strong word but I would go as far as to say partially loathe. There is only one form in which zucchini exhibits any redeeming qualities and that is on Mother Dough’s zucchini pizza.  Just a bit of manchego cheese, delicate shoe strings of zucchini topped with dried herbs like oregano and thyme, and finished with drizzles of olive oil on that unmistakable wood-fired charred chewy crust.

Then of course, the pièce de résistance, the apple of my eye, the pot of gold at the end of my own personal rainbow, La Margherita with its perfectly placed mozzarella and sweet, salty sauce.

That very slight hint of gaminess from the buffalo comes through in taste and aromatics, and the fresh basil is slightly cooked but still raw enough to prevent any bitterness.

When the dough goes into the oven, the entire pie is uniformly thin but the most fascinating thing to me about these high temperature wood-fired ovens is that these pizzas cook in less than two minutes, sometimes closer to even 60 seconds. Mother Dough’s oven is imported from Napoli and cooks at about 850˚F. The ambient heat is so hot that the entire thing cooks quickly at once, as opposed to the home oven where par-barking the plain dough first is recommended. The charring of the pizza is almost like a caramelization where a sweetness comes out that makes the whole crust taste like toasted marshmallows.

Imported handmade oven from Napoli

It is safe to say that my quest to find the ultimate Neapolitan Margherita has been fulfilled with Mother Dough but I feel a sense of duty to the people to continue to seek out top contenders. If you have any that you’d like to throw in the ring, let me know!

Next time: Grilled flatbread and pizza accoutrements!

Yes, Japanese food in this country is still equated to sushi. Growing up, people would always ask me, “Do you eat sushi every day?” I guess that’s mostly due to the fact that my father is a sushi chef, but even so, it always bewildered me. I mean, sushi is such a luxury! And it is a part of my food culture that I am proud of, and it’s pretty neat that it has taken over California and New York the way it has. I mean, a slice of raw fish, on a bit-size morsel rice? For $3+ a piece? It’s a bonkers concept, if you think about it.

Even so, the number of sushi joints that are actually GOOD are few and far between. Sushi has become such a fad, that quality has gone down through the years. You have to know–really know–where to go for the good stuff. This usually means that the chef will speak little English, and barely look up from him knife and chopping block, but that’s usually a sign you’re in the right place.

On my recent trip to Los Angeles, I took Brother out to wherever he wanted for his birthday. He chose Takao, in Brentwood. It is owned and manned by Takao Izumida, who worked with my father for years at Inagiku (one of Japan’s oldest tempura restaurants), in LA the early 80s. Although he branched off and opened his own place over 15 years ago, only recently has my parents actually gone to see him. My father still raves about that meal, so I was very excited to finally be able to visit.

We sat at the counter, right in front of Takao-san. He is a youthful, jolly fella, who was taken aback when I introduced myself. Apparently, he only remembered me as a small person. I guess it is pretty trippy to see people all growns up.

Takao-san on the left

Kokuryu sake on ice. So smooth, great with sushi. The restaurant also has an impressive wine list

Takao-san masterfully crafts each dish with precise Japanese techniques, sprinkled with Western influences. But no way would I call his food “fusion”. He just uses what is available to him in inventive, unique ways. The meal was spectacular; each bite utterly joyful.

Scallop and crab in su-miso (vinegared miso)

Smoked salmon crisps with avocado and truffle

Hirame carpaccio with pink peppercorn

Salmon skin salad. I have a slight obsession with this and am always looking for the best in town. This was pretty awesome–the salmon skin was perfectly crisp.

Kumamoto oysters topped with a soy-dashi-scallion mixture

Grilled matsutake mushrooms with sudachi. Yup, we went big.

We could have gone Akabori-style and ordered more appetizers, but I wanted to hold out for the sushi. I am so happy we did. Here’s the sushi showdown:

Freshly grated wasabi

Ika (squid), my favorite. But not just any ika. Left is spinkled with karasumi (bottarga fish roe). Left is with Russian caviar. Happy birthday, Brother!

Shime-saba (mackeral) on left; tai on right

Mirugai. When it curls up like this, you know it’s still alive

Kampachi

UNI! From Santa Barbara. The best!

Ikura with uzura (quail egg). Cholesterol decadence

Negi-toro maki

The Akabori Grand Finale: Ume-shiso maki

Takao-san also makes phenomenal desserts. We had the coffee zelly with syrup:

Great to reunite with Takao-san.

Thank you for such an epic meal, and reinstating our faith in good sushi.

We will be back.

On a particularly temperate Los Angeles evening, three Umamimart writers (one a founding member), and an Umamimart photographer, joined three Umamimart supporters and friends for a lovely dinner at Robata Jinya in West Hollywood, CA. Of the diners, two were strict vegetarians, one a somewhat new carnivore and the rest more of the “don’t knock it until you try it” stock.

West Hollywood seems to be a curious place for a Japanese restaurant, renowned for their delicious, traditional preparations, praised by food enthusiasts and critics alike. But Jinya in no way feels out of place. The menu expertly serves options of sushi, ramen, various small plates and robata-yaki (a Japanese grilling technique) in no particular order.

We started with a few beers and a glasses of sake. The sake was served traditionally in a narrow glass which sat in a wooden box to catch the overflow. The taste was light, floral and refreshing.

A few “must order” recommendations included the shrimp toasts, the homemade organic tofu and the ramen.

The tofu is made to order and prepared table side, so when the waiter poured hot soy milk into the bowl of milky white paste, we were curious how things would turn out.

Then we were instructed to wait 10 minutes while the tofu solidified. Once it did, we added the perfectly proportioned accoutrements of grated ginger, dried bonito and ponzu sauce. The taste was like nothing we’d had before. Everyone was impressed by the creamy, delicate flavor of what looked like homemade cream of wheat.

Tofu still firming up

Once it’s ready, add toppings and eat!

As we finished the tofu, more small plates, and the grilled items arrived.

Spicy tuna roll on crispy rice, topped with jalapeño 

The reviews were right! The shrimp toasts, made of a sweet bean curd and creamy shrimp mixture, were similar to a seafood pannini and arrived stacked in slices like a game of Jenga.

The okra was skewered and grilled to perfection as was the sweet, but substantial, Japanese pumpkin.

Okra

Kabocha pumpkin

Shishitou and maitake mushrooms

Eggplant

From left: Sunagimo (gizzard); breast with wasabi; tsukune (chicken meatball)

A call back to European influence was the sukiyakai croquette, which takes the sukiyaki mixture of sliced meat, soy sauce, sugar, eggs, and mirin (Japanese cooking wine), rolled into a ball and fried like a croquette.

The miso black cod was served on a crisp butter lettuce leaf and could easily be mistaken for butter, both in taste and presentation.

We held a beat then moved onto the ramen and the sushi.

The simple ramen menu is designed in a minimalist style similar to that of In-N -Out burger–you have a few good choices, which you can tweak to your liking if you know what to ask for. We ordered the Miso Tonkotsu Ramen with Sapporo braised pork. This place gets a big “W” for offering up half portions of ramen, which allow diners the option to try a variety of things and not fill up on this satisfying incarnation pork, noodles and salt.

Nicely cooked side of egg for ramen

Simultaneously the sushi arrived, a beautiful selection of uni and, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, the most impressive dish of the night, the vegetable sushi roll. Sarah Fatemi aka Jerkey, Umamimart writer and fellow diner describes the incredible dish below.

Uni

JERKEY: Listen up vegetarians: this dish is the closest thing to fish nigiri you can eat without actually eating fish. The chefs clearly went through painstaking measures to adapt these simple and ordinarily subtle ingredients into wonderfully surprising emulations.

The 7-piece consists of (arranged in order by picture above):
- Roasted red bell pepper, skin removed, with a delicate jalapeno slice and wasabi underneath;
- Eggplant, skin removed, with ginger;
- A thick mushroom slice with a shaving of black truffle. Make sure your tongue touches the truffle first to pick up the flavor;
- Eringi mushrooms in a delicate ponzu;
- Okra with an intensely flavorful red puree of citrus and spice;
- Pickled lotus root thinly sliced, wrapped around shiso leaf for a hint of aromatic;
- Sliced avocado with yuzu kosho.

All of the vegetables are then laid on top of perfectly made sushi rice. This unique dish is unlike any other typical “veggie roll” and outshines even the best futomaki you can imagine.

Robata Jinya is a great place to take a group, the ambiance and menu allow for a casual, languorous dining experience and a menu that truly offers something for everyone.

We punctuated our evening by asking the waiter to take a group picture. After some technical problems and about five false starts, we took a picture to commemorate the very special venue that tied everything wonderful about Umamimart together.

From left: Tomo, Megan, Jerkey, Kayoko, Thomas, Sarah, Caroline

Thanks to Kayoko and to the extended Umamimart family of contributors, readers and supporters. I look forward to meeting you on the next adventure. Until then, Kanpai!

*Photos by Thomas Young and Kayoko Akabori

“To live and eat in LA, it’s the place to be;
You’ve got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna eat”
- Tupac

Alright, alright, Tupac didn’t say “eat”. But instead of talking about hoes and tricks, he should have rapped more importantly about the bounty of food to be found in LA. Cause damn it, it is a damn fine place for eating. Here are a few of the stops I made on my recent trip to the City of Angels.

BEST FISH TACO IN ENSENADA
1650 North Hillhurst Avenue (Los Feliz)

I try to stop by Best Fish Taco whenever I’m in town. At $1 per taco, it should not be missed. They also have shrimp, for $2. I had one of each. The fried batter is light and airy, and keeps the fish moist, and the crisp of the cabbage makes each bite a piece of crunch heaven.

PHO 87
1019 North Broadway (Chinatown)

As soon as I landed, Brother took me here. The spring rolls were some of the best I’d ever tasted–instead of the usually flavorless pork, Pho 87 adds a sweetly marinated grilled pork. So delish.

As Yamahomo has suggested, always order your rare beef on the side. Dunk like shabu.

Brother

RED CAR BAR @ COLE’S
118 East 6th Street (Downtown)

Cole’s is historically known for their french dip sandwiches, but we stopped by their bar, called the Red Car Bar, for cocktail hour instead.

I was supremely impressed by the care they took in building each classic cocktail–down to their attention to hand-carved ice.

Old Fashioned

A fashionable history

Sazerac

Red Car Named Desire: Rye, Cynar, Luxardo, Maurin

A magical nook of amaros, mezcal and tequila. Oh my!


Martini

Yup, still light out.

“To live and eat in LA, it’s the place to be;
You’ve got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna eat”
- Tupac

Coming Up: Takao restaurant in Beverly Hills, and Robata Jinya in West Hollywood!

I’m in LA for my best friend’s wedding. I love LA, you know that? There’s an energy here that doesn’t quite exist in sleepy SF. Plus, this is the city where my family first landed in AMERICA. We lived in the cuttycuts of Koreatown with cockroaches. Nostalgique.

Driving around with my brother, I noticed something: Yoshinoya. Everywhere. The famous King of Beef Bowls (OG location in Tsukiji Market, holla) seemed as ubiquitous as any fast food chain. This one here, right near MacArthur Park, in front of the historic Westlake Theater, was clearly housed in a former Taco Bell.

Photos by Thomas L. Young

One dollar street tacos at a busy intersection in downtown Los Angeles is about as old school as you can get. On the corner of Mateo and 7th street, in front of the Mexican restaurant La Reyna (Est. 1974), is a taco stand run by one guy on the grill and a lady who handles the cash.

Simple meat tacos get complicated quickly once you start to add the buffet style accouterments.

Grilled onions, whole grilled Serrano peppers, radishes, white onions and cilantro, avocado lime sauce and your pick of hot and/or mild salsas are a few of the available options to dress up the otherwise naked tacos.

We ordered carne asada, carnitas, chorizo and al pastor tacos. Each meat carried a unique, requisite flavor, while remaining completely different from each other. There was no way to mistake the al pastor for the carne asada or the carnitas from the chorizo.

I wish I could curate each taco to maintain a balance of flavors, but I can’t. Each taco got theirs–”theirs” being onions, peppers, avocado sauce, lime and hot sauce. And despite my efforts to drown out the natural flavors, the meat surprisingly stood up to the bold tastes of peppers, onions and hot sauce.

The chorizo satiated both my breakfast and salty urges and the radishes and hot sauce compliment the meaty, season-y amalgam of flavors.

The carne asada was not gristly or over cooked and tasted like fresh marinated beef, which is often not the case.

Robust and hearty are typically words associated with a carne asada, a “go-to” meat of substance, however, I would describe the al pastor as both.

The centerpiece of the operation is the al pastor, which could easily be mistaken for Gyro meat, and by my account is the most popular item on the non-existent menu. While each taco was delicious and satisfying, nothing rivaled the awesomeness of the al pastor. The meat had clearly been marinating for a couple of days so it was tender, rich and the flavors complex–probably due to the slow cooking next to its own fat over the course of a few hours.

After demolishing two al pastor tacos, I wanted more. Many more. Had I not ran out of crisp dollar bills, I would have ordered another dozen.

I’m not positive about whether the taco shop is a part of La Reyna or whether they’ve worked out some deal with the establishment, but either way, it’s worth the trip downtown. And for those not in the area, for what you waste in gas money you’ll save in food costs.

Get some!

While it’s no Musso & Frank or Mateo’s, Umami Burger is quickly becoming a fixture in the LA culinary world. Seriously. Six locations have popped up since the original La Brea location opened in 2009 and the popularity doesn’t appear to be losing steam. Though it embraces the similar rapid expansion model that made the American Apparel empire so successful, Umami Burger has touched on something that is not only Californian, but authentically Los Angelean. This combination of hipness with total comfort contributes to the easygoing and inviting atmosphere.

The thesis of their menu is fundamentally umami causing one to stumble when asked to describe the precise flavor of what they are eating.

I’ve been trying to get someone to split the Carnitas Burger with me for a few months now, and finally my dining partner acquiesced. A TACO BURGER!!!

Between the buttery, U-branded bun, sat a pile of marinated pork. The pork is squished into a burger patty and garnished with guacamole, whipped sour cream, and cheddar. Though definitely not my go-to order, it was still satisfying and delicious.

We also ordered the Manly Burger, which is my favorite burger on the menu. It’s a full beef patty, topped with crispy grilled onions, cheese and bacon lardons, which adds a richness to the burger in a way regular strips of bacon do not.

This burger embodies the umaminess of the place for me. Is the meat the best part–attributed to the kitchen doing their own meat grinding? Or is it the bacon lardons? It can’t be, I eat bacon often enough to know it can’t be just that. It must be the harmonious combination of ingredients that creates one of the most satisfying burger sandwiches I’ve ever had.

In regards to fries, there are three types of potatoes to chose from: the Sweet Potato Fries, the regular house Thin Fries and the Smushed Potatoes. The Thin Fries are just the right size to dip in a variety of house made sauces.

These are the same fries they douse with truffle butter and often feature as a  menu special. The texure of each fry is perfectly crisp, never greasy–an optimal vessel for getting the umami ketchup, jalapeño ranch and homemade roasted garlic aioli into my mouth.

Next came the House Pickles. Once the pickles arrived it was glaringly obvious that the only mistake we made that night was not separating the pickle plate from the rest of the order. In retrospect it would have been best enjoyed as an appetizer instead of arriving with the burgers and fries, which overshadowed the plate. It’s a shame too, because the spicy caperberries are really delicious.

I’m generally pretty stuffed when I finish a burger, and this night was no exception. Suffice it to say, I never order dessert at Umami, but for those who are wondering, the menu ends and begins with local bakery Cake Monkey’s Apple Pie a la Mode.

I went to bed full and woke up hungry, not exactly sure what I was craving. Was it the bacon? Or the bun? Or the burger? I couldn’t decide, but I’m pretty sure it was all of that umami.

Downtown Los Angeles is a special place–a part of town that still feels authentically gritty and big city-like. Even amongst the gentrification going strong in a few, piecemeal pockets, downtown LA is still pretty much what it was in Beverly Hills Cop 2. Sure, the crime rate and smog levels have dropped since the 80’s, but the landscape remains somewhat untainted.

On a particularly hot summer afternoon, we decided to get brunch at the Nickel Diner, home of the maple bacon donut. Though it’s not necessarily a long standing LA establishment, it is: a) In a historic building in downtown Los Angeles; and b) has become an institution for reliable, low-key food downtown.

We beat the Sunday crowd by arriving before 11 AM and as a party of two waited maybe 10 minutes for a table. It was almost too hot to eat, but I was starving and when the table next to us got their food I knew that this was going to be a gluttonous meal.

The menu was practically entirely comfort food and once I saw the maple bacon donut, I needed one. It arrived on a warm plate and the first bite was exactly what you ever wanted from a donut. The decadence is overwhelming as the sweetness of the maple overshadows the bacon. Though crispy, the bacon is cooked and dried in it’s fat which complicates the generally harmonious partnership of maple and bacon.

I wanted something heartier than just eggs so I decided on the Bacon Lettuce Tomato Avocado Egg sandwich, or the BLTAE. [Why isn’t it just called the BLAT, or the BLATE? It would be so much easier to pronounce]. The crisp bread was covered with a thin layer of aioli, which added a bit of spice to the sandwich. However it also added thin layer of fat as well, which coupled with the bacon, overpowered the avocado and tomato.

We also made a last minute decision and went with the BBQ pulled pork sandwich served with coleslaw on Hawaiian bread. Holy shitballz this was amazing. The pork was moist, tender and flavorful, having all of the integrity and flavor of a pork stewing in it’s own juices for 72 hours, but lacking the fatty, greasy flavor it often carries in some BBQ joints. I would recommend this sandwich to any meat eater and would suggest to order an additional side of coleslaw as the crisp cabbage serves as a perfect counterpoint to the soft and flavorful pig.

We were stuffed, but as soon as the waitress presented the dessert tray to our table neighbors I knew the meal was not over. A few minutes passed and she arrived at our table with an incredibly indulgent selection of homemade treats, curated to pique the interest of any glutton with a sweat tooth. The tray included a chocolate, caramel, marshmallow cake with a thin layer of mashed cornflakes to offset the soft sugar layers, a butterscotch pudding with caramel and sea salt and homemade tapioca pudding. We went with the homemade strawberry pop-tart and the homemade ding dong.

The pop tart was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. The pastry layers were flaky buttery and light, and although the strawberry jam was made in-house with excessive amounts of sugar, there was still a strange familiarity to the usually store-bought, packaged breakfast pastry–that preservative quality. This is the same quality that I’m sure would cause you to blackout and eat two or three pop tarts in one sitting.

The homemade ding-dong was good–delicious chocolate cake layers held together by a white, creamy frosting, which was too dense for my taste. The dense cream made the dessert one of those things that you only need a bite of to get the idea. And some might say the same thing about the restaurant itself: “A modern take on diner classics? You eat there once and you get the idea…” However for me it was so satisfying I would definitely go back.

This post goes out to all you haters out there on the internet (specifically, those living in the suburbs of Chowhound and Yelp), please stand corrected. Of the many, many times I’ve dined at Howard’s Famous Bacon & Avocado Burger, I’ve never been served anything that slightly resembled a “greasy guacamole burger” and never consumed a burger where the “avocado was sparse, and the bacon was limp and flavorless.”

Howard’s is a special place where you go for a specific taste. Whether it comforted me on a shitty day on set, nourished me on a slow and boring Friday afternoon, or fed me on my way to LAX, Howard’s has been nothing but a supremely awesome burger joint that tastes like none other.

Located in the gastronomicly underrated Culver City, Howard’s sits in a dated and weather worn strip mall a few blocks from the Sony Lot, next to the 405 on-ramp at Sepulveda and Venice Blvd.

Inside the small establishment you have the choice of Mexican and Americana favorites. Burgers and tacos, horchata and “orange” drink, patty melts and chili cheese fries are all made-to-order favorites.

On a recent trip to LAX, I carved out enough time to stop at Howard’s for a late lunch so that I’d miss the 12-1:30pm rush. I ordered the Bacon & Avocado Burger, fries and a horchata. After I paid and took a seat, I immediately regretted not ordering the chili cheese fries, but lazily left my order alone as I thought about sitting on a three-hour flight with a stomach full of a bacon and chili meat mash-up. Ten minutes later my number was called and I gathered my burger accouterments of mustard and spicy whole peppers.

The burger was, as always, a multi-colored, salty, satisfying meal. Many of Howard’s critics complain about the burger patty being too thin, and I agree that YES, the burger patty is thin. BUT, I prefer a thin patty nine times out of ten, UNLESS I’m standing next to a grill master at an outdoor bbq or ordering a gourmet-hyped, Kobe beef burger for $16. Howard’s patty is thin but flavorful, allowing for the remarkable combination of avocado and bacon to mix together in the way that they should, creating the same awesome sensation that inspired the success of the Cobb Salad.

Also, I would like to mention that one seeks out an avocado burger for the avocado, not the burger, hence the word positioning of the bacon & AVOCADO burger, not the burger with bacon and avocado. In Howard’s equation the burger is the afterthought. And besides, it’s a $5 burger–stop giving it such a hard time, it’s not like Danny Meyer is running the joint with duckets to spare on prime cuts.

The most impressive part of the meal is always the avocado. They don’t skimp on the fresh and flavorful fruit and it doesn’t matter what time of year it is the avocado’s at Howard’s are always in season. I’ll repeatedly buy watery, flavorless avocados in February and then I’ll go to Howard’s and somehow, the avocados taste like summertime in California.

I could have stopped eating when I was full 3/4′s of the way through my meal, but it was just too good not to finish the last bite–which, I might add, was full of avocado.

PREFACE
Skankynavia: In the US (Part 1 – Berkeley)

Last week I listened to the great NYC radioshow called RadioLab. They deal with quirky science and interesting true stories, and last week’s subject was “memory” (a rerun from 2007, listen here). It turns out that every time you remember something, and when you revisit a certain piece of stored information in your brain, you actually reprogram it. The brain re-experiences the thing that once happened to it, it replays the situation, and it also alters it a little. Neurons shift place, the atoms jump around, things you were certain of before will suddenly become unsure. Meaning that every time you think of something, you change it around. The less you recall a memory, the more it stays pristine and “true”.

My three weeks in the U.S. are already jumping around in my head–facts drift away, situations are mixed-up–and all the strange flavours I treated my tongue to are becoming blurry and mushy. I look through all the photos I took during the trip, and while it does help, so much information is lost.

One thing stays super clear though–what an incredible country the U.S. is. I recall how friendly and kind people were, and the warm and intensity of the Western states. I had such a great time, and the memories will stay with me forever.

On April 27th 2011 fellow Umamimart writer Yoko and I rented a lipstick red car and drove South onto Highway 101. I especially recall what it felt like leaving the Bay Area, a place with such an intense focus on food and drinks. When you leave this culinary bubble, it’s kind of an abrupt wake-up call.

Destination: LA, Joshua Tree, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Phoenix and NYC.

After a week of Japanese food and healthy, organic, politically-correct dining, we attacked the first burger chain joint we came upon: Good O’l Burgers!

We start out slow with hand-cut fries, Pepsi coke and a “Garden Burger”–a nice soft, veg beginning. I liked the wholegrain bun!

Between San Francisco and LA there’s a weird, weird place called Solvang. It’s a village inspired by Denmark–quaint and cute with buildings and locations named after famous Danish historical sights and people.

I’m sure it’s very exotic and as close to a Scandinavian vibe as you’ll ever get for an American. To me, a Dane, it was just plain weird.

Sladerbænken (“Gossip Bench”) is spelled wrong, and makes no sense in Danish. The viking is super creepy as well.

This is what it must feel like for a Japanese person, when foreigners put together a “Japanese festival” or design a sushi bar, copying random katakana and kanji characters for decorational purposes. Everything was slightly off and kinda wrong–things looked somewhat familiar, but as it was as if David Lynch gave a helping hand.

Yoko browses the postcard section, teary-eyed about her own Scandinavian adventure in Denmark two years ago.

In the official Danish bakery I could hardly recognise any of the “traditional” cakes. Here is a borrowed picture of the popular Danish cake “Napoleons hat”(around $4 in Denmark).

Photo: Baechs Conditori.

Here is Solvang’s edition:

It’s all wrong. Milk chocolate? And on top instead of underneath?? That’s disgusting.

After our 20-minute stop in Solvang, we headed for Studio City in LA where Yoko’s sassy and witty cousin Tomo lives.

Oh, LA: I thought I’d hate you but I didn’t.

Just the traffic. But everything else was fab. The weather, the gigantic palm trees, the $$$.

After a few days, Tomo decided to throw a traditional LA pool party, inviting super fun fellow Umamimart writer Sarah Nevada, the gay star photographer Matthew Kristall and lots of really friendly people. All everyone talked about was movies, celebs, script writing, working in the industry etc. VERY LA! Loved it.

Yoko cooking wonders as usual. Tomo posing, putting beer in the fridge, filling a watermelon with vodka and prepping the hot tub for her hot straight male friends. Pretty cool family.

This is the only picture I took of the pool, I was totally too timid to actually walk out there and snap photos of the naked peeps. Don’t know the LA pool party picture rule book well enough..

I think the food theme was Mexican. Sarah Nevada fixing super spicy drinks. Need that recipe by the way!

The Studio City Kitchen Posse.

We only had three days in LA but I could’ve used so much more. And only one day in Disneyland? Please, I could’ve stayed a week!

This place just lets you seriously escape the Outside World which is probably why Yoko couldn’t drag me out.

Pretzel stand inspired by the artwork of famous Disney preliminary artist Mary Blair.

Two of my most inspirational heroes on Earth: Jim Henson & Mary Blair. Both gone too soon, unfortunately.

Disneyland and the new California Adventure were such delights. Unlike the food.

This was supposed to be one of the better places in Disneyland. Not really though. Dry stale bread overload.

Carb removal.

Warner Bros Studio tour. We went on a weekend hence the quiet studio streets.

Normally it’s crowded with actors, writers and the whole crew shebang.

This is where they shot Blade Runner!!!

And also a certain show about six friends…

Oh, we also came by this little cafe called The Central Perk.

We both suddenly started humming “Smelly Cat”, no idea why…

From LA we headed into the scorching desert of Joshua Tree–a total recommendation. We went hiking in the Hidden Valley which felt like walking around in a movie set from a distant desert planet.

Yoko snacking on a Cliff Bar while enjoying the views of alien trees and moon-like rocks.

After a lot of eating out, Yoko insisted on cooking us a homemade meal in the small cabin we stayed in. It ended up being a wonderful night with desert spaghetti, cold white wine and incredible star-gazing.

After 24 hours of desert tranquility and listening to the soothing sounds of oasis palm trees blowing in the wind, our next destination was Las Vegas.

As soon as we arrived, Yoko declared her fear and loathing for Vegas and booked an all afternoon spa treatment inside our Hard Rock Hotel, leaving me to roam free on the Strip after a quick Mexican meal with a view over the big pool area filled with naked, chunky, corn-fed American guys. I already loved this place.

A tiny starter plate of nachos with 3 hot dips.

Two tortillas with beans, rice and fried shrimp. Pretty good.

The rest of the day I walked back and forth on the Strip, trying to see the crazy insides of as many hotel casinos as possible. Among other things I came across this:

The gondolas of Venice. Charming.

Even more fake: the indoor shopping mall with a canal, gondolas, and men singing classics such as O Sole Mio and That’s Amore.

I would definitely not eat anything in here…

Next up was the Grand Canyon–what a place of wonder and awe.

I really liked the way the cultural legacy shifted from Mexican to Native American as we came closer to the Canyon.

I loved the big dining hall at our hotel – clearly inspired by Native American architecture and patterns, especially the cool lamps.

Breakfast: french toast and pancakes:

Carb overload again. I had a hard time emptying even one of the plates.

Later, we decided to fill our backpack with sandwiches and wine and hiked one hour up to a peak across the plains and canyons to watch the sunset.

We enjoying great food and cold wine with this view, watching silent eagles hover across the cliffs, listening to the only sound of the wind whistling through the caves many miles below while the sun set. It was simply magical.

Yoko brought a fantastic snack: transparent sourly pickled plum drops from Muji:

Here it beams in the sun. This drop will forever remind me of sunsets and warm red sand.

By now we were deep into the midwest, at least to me being so far away from the coast. Being in Arizona was exactly what you see in the movies–burning sun, crazy cacti and wide open spaces. And of course, biker diners. Yoko’s hitting the spot while checking out the hot cowboy dudes with tats and boots and hats at the bar. When the waitress called me “honey” I knew I was finally in the Real US.

The food was, as expected, not candlelight dining. Ceasar salad with spicy chicken and crackers in a plastic bag.

In Phoenix, Yoko had booked us into a luxurious golf resort for a change of pace. Never got to ride that golf cart though…

Arriving in our room (which thankfully included a washer, dryer and kitchen) Yoko insisted on cooking us a meal again so we went to the local supermarket, which was such a contrast to the shops in the Bay Area. Instead of 20 different kinds of oranges, this place carried 20 different kinds of chocolate milk.

Patriot-mobile.

This was a display for Mother’s Day gift ideas:

A great addition to my Toxic Terror post.

This is not the garden bug exterminator section, it’s what they feed their kids:

Thank god, Yoko’s ready to whip up a fresh, healthy dinner on the terrace.

Followed by a pool swim under the Arizona stars.

And then, we flew to New York for the big Umamimart Writer’s Dinner hosted by MARTHAlicious co-writer Yamahomo.

Meeting, greeting and mixing drinks. Unfortunately I started my NYC trip by going accidentally gay binge drinking with a certain gay Martha the night before, so being slightly hungover the next day I chose to opt out of Payman’s drink menu to everyone’s understandable hostility and lack of understanding. Who says no to a free drink?? Sorry Payman, next time I promise to drink everything you serve me.

Kayoko aka Asian Oprah in her right element–mixing drinks with food fanatic friends.

Pink hostess with the mostess and her slave boy Nate. Love their interior decor.

No need to post more pics of this fab dinner party, Kayoko already covered it thoroughly–except for my LSD Bunny matching the appropriately homosexual table settings in white and pink.

The next morning I had breakfast at the local Moonstruck Diner, enjoying the real NYC atmosphere:

Food was not something to write home about… oh guess I just did. Avocado omelet and hash browns. Like sticking your tongue out the window.

Later I met up with Kayoko for Umamimart design meeting and lunch at NY classic French bistro Balthazar.

Cheers in champussy, darling.

Steak tartare. Delicious and very full in taste and crunch.

Crispy lamb sandwich and real French fries. Great dish.

I really loved Balthazar because of the atmosphere of power lunching in a real NYC legacy. My friend once saw Anna Wintour and Marc Jacobs lunch here, and that seals the deal in my book.

Later that evening Yoko, Washi, Kayoko and I met up with some other NYC friends in Grand Central Station for an oyster meal.

I had been looking forward to this for a while–I had heard a lot about the place and wanted to experience it myself.

And so this abundant, decadent plate symbolized the final evening of my three week U.S. adventure. So full of taste, variety and fun!

I seriously had the best time eating my way through the U.S., meeting lots of new Umamimart-related peeps and falling in love with California.
No matter how hard I try though, I probably can’t help thinking back all the time, destroying all the original memories and replacing them with sugar-coated dreams.

But one thing’s for sure: I’ll be back!