Hiroshi's in Honolulu

I guess my excuse for all the fancy restaurants is that this is a continuation of my birthday celebration--combined with me and Kea wanting to get to all these restaurants before we have to fly back to Michigan. So, Hiroshi's is one of my other favorite restaurants. We dream about the Kampachi Carpaccio--or as we like to call it, Kampaccio--all year. Honestly, I don't even know what kampachi tastes like because it's the sauce and garnishes that really make the dish. We found green onion, ginger, tiny cubes of tofu, tomato, and yellow bell pepper. And Kea doesn't even like tomato and bell pepper.

My new favorite dish is the chawan mushi. Usually it's basically a savory custard with things like little bits of seafood and shiitake in it. It is typical Japanese food but I never had it growing up so any kind of chawan mushi kind of excites me. This one was amazing though. The custard was on the bottom and there was broth on top. I think the truffle oil really made it because it was just rich, yummy goodness. But not too rich. Kea said he was sure there were ingredients in it that he didn't like but all together it tasted great. It was so good that I didn't mind at all that the portion was small enough that it was served in an espresso cup. That's how good the food is here. It's so expensive ($88 for two, no drinks) but so worth it.

Our other favorite thing was the complimentary rice crackers and wasabi aioli that are served before the meal. The crackers are made out toasty puffed rice stuck together and broken into irregular chip-sized shapes. It somehow manages to taste better and better throughout the meal.

We also made sure to save room for dessert. I had the Haupia Lemongrass Creme Brulee and Kea had the Bananas Foster Ice Cream Puff. Both were awesome. The desserts here are beautiful and not too big. They're served on rectangular plates with different elements set out in a row. So I had the creme brulee on the left, orange sorbet on the right, and some fruit and sauces artfully set up in the middle. Dessert here is so satisfying!

We also had the sushi duo, panko-crusted ahi, spinach salad, and almond-crusted mahi. These were all okay. The miso salmon in the sushi duo was a little salty; I liked the ginger-scallion ahi better. The almond-crusted mahi was my least favorite. It was a little too rich and I think mahi just reminds me of junk fish.

Sansei Waikiki

This is one of my favorite restaurants, although there were some disappointments since the last time I visited--back when it was still in Restaurant Row. (Also, note that there are *that* many good restaurants in Honolulu that I can not visit a favorite restaurant for years!)

Food
Anyway, we ordered the Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll, which was awesome (photo above right). Although I don't know why the name is so long. The arugula and wasabi gave it a bitterness that I loved. And Kea did too even though he is not much of a fan of wasabi.

We also had the Mango Crab Salad Roll. I think the photo in the middle above is supposed to be it, but ours looked different. There wasn't enough mango and there was way too much crab salad. We all really liked the Thai chili sauce that came on the plate though.

Others at our table ordered the ahi poke, which tasted pretty good and came in a pretty large portion size, but was a little salty and honestly pretty basic. I go to Sansei for the special stuff, not the standards!

The Sansei Special Roll was a little sweet for my taste and wasn't rolled well--the pieces were falling apart! I probably wouldn't order this again.

I think everything else we ordered was from the list of specials. We had the collar of some fish which was pretty moist despite being over-cooked. It had a smoky flavor, which I also liked, and came with some greens.

My parents ordered the set meal for two and felt it was a waste. I could've told them that; it really sounded like something for tourists that had no clue what to order.

For dessert, some of the group loved the tempura ice cream, although it wasn't to my taste. My sister said it tasted like malasada. I loved the creme brulee even though it was pretty basic. I don't think the brownie sundae went over to well--or maybe it was just too big. My auntie had the apple tart and loved it--so much that she "forgot" to share some with her daughter.

Etc.
Other than the food, there were some other factors that influenced the experience. First, as the restaurant is now in Waikiki, parking is a mess. The lot was full and though we managed to find street parking, everyone else in our party ended up paying $12 per car for the valet. My mom's theory is that they leave the "Lot Full" sign on permanently to encourage people to get valet.

Also, our party of thirteen was split onto two tables. I think they said they could accommodate one party of our size on a single table, but there was already a birthday party there. To be fair, they had told my mom on the phone that our party would be split up. On the plus side, when she did complain, the manager was kind enough to offer every member of the party a complimentary dessert.

My sister also felt that the decor was below par for the price of the food. The chairs were pretty generic basic restaurant chairs. Also, the tablecloths were covered with plexiglass like they do at Chinese restaurants. It makes sense at Chinese restaurants so that the staff can prep the table for the next party quickly, but the turnover at Sansei doesn't seem fast enough that a new tablecloth would be a big deal. It also seemed the plexiglass was there so that flyers about happy hour and other events could be slipped underneath. Kind of ghetto, although personally, as long as the food is good, I don't know that I mind a casual atmosphere. And there were other elements of the decor that were more attractive, like wood and other organic elements.

Crispy Black Bean Cakes

Me and Kea tag teamed this one. I did step one while he was at school and then he did the rest while I was at Pilates. It came out pretty good, although he said it soaked up a lot of oil and so it maybe didn't taste as healthy as we would've liked. We really felt like we just wanted to eat it with fruits and veggies. (Luckily we had some carrots and oranges.) We thought salsa might be good, but we didn't have any.

Along the way, I thought maybe it would be better as an appetizer. And then today, when we decided to make chili, I thought they might go well together. And I also thought they might be good with a fried egg for breakfast.

Some challenges we faced: I didn't follow the directions about food processing because ours is cheap and I was worried it wouldn't be able to handle. Kea took one look at those giant pieces of onion though and decided to blend. But then he had trouble keeping the patties together. (They would fall apart when he dipped them in the egg.) So... please follow the directions about food processing.

Green-Chile Chicken and Bean Stew

I've been in a mood about cooking lately. Can't bring myself to plan ahead. Not craving anything enough to really be excited about making it. The other thing is that I try to work with what's on sale and I guess the sales haven't been too helpful lately either. So... we've been ordering pizza and eating out a little more than usual.

I had a moment of semi-success with this recipe for Green-Chile Chicken and Pink Bean Stew though. I ran across it in Food & Wine, which is a pretty hoity toity magazine--I only started reading it this summer cuz my parents subscribe. Anyway, I swear this was the most useful issue of Food & Wine I've ever seen since they've got a feature on using canned beans. I love canned beans! Haha... So anyway I didn't think pink beans sounded very appetizing so I just used kidneys. And I had a semi-fail in that I forgot to buy garlic and accidentally bought jalapenos rather than green chiles. haha... so it came out super spicy. Still good though... we just ate it with a lot of rice. And then we ended up throwing a can of stewed tomatoes in to ease the fire a little more. And I even forgot to put in the lime every time I ate it.

Chicken Asparagus Pasta

I've been in the mood for a lighter dinner, craving veggies and all that. I felt like pasta, and asparagus was on sale so I googled "chicken asparagus pasta" and here's what I got. Kea thinks it's a little bland but I loved it. It is exactly what I've been in the mood for.

Bacon, Leek, Tomato, and Potato Soup

I made this because Kea bought a big bag of potatoes and of all the recipes I have on file, this one calls for the most potatoes. It came out good--the thinly sliced potatoes give it a really nice texture--but there are some things I might change next time.

It was my first time cooking with leeks so I had to look up some information on them. I had no idea if my grocery store even carried them. The recipe said to use three and I had no idea how to count them. Is one stalk one? Or is one leaf one? Well, the internets told me to cut off the roots and the leaves--so basically just use the white stalk. You also need to peel away the outer layers if they are tough--of course I didn't really know what was too tough. It said to wash it well as dirt can get between the layers.
Pros and cons:
+it was sort of fun to break the layers apart--like onions, but new.
-it seemed like so much waste to throw away so much of the vegetable.
+it smelled really good cooking--like Chinese food.
-couldn't really taste it in the final product.
The bottom line: I might just use round onion or scallions next time, especially if I have them lying around.

This recipe called for the carrots and potatoes to be thinly sliced. The carrots went okay; it was kind of fun actually, although I did feel a bit wasteful and so chopped up and threw in anyway the pieces that were too small to be peeled. Slicing the potatoes were a nightmare. I think it would be best if you have the food processor Kea's mom has. It's got a slicing attachment that would be perfect. Kea managed to slice them pretty easily though. I don't know if it was brute strength or less fear of grated fingers. I guess maybe I should've cut them cross-wise rather than length-wise; I couldn't figure out which way "across" meant in the recipe. Maybe that would've made the pieces less slippery or otherwise easier to slice.

We also used regular old Costco bacon rather than "good quality" or whatever the recipe calls for. Of course I guess we are simple and easy to please.

Also, I guess I am slow cuz I swear this took me like two hours to cook!

Baked Sukiyaki (Japanese one-pot dish)

The internet consensus seems to be that sukiyaki is a one-pot dish. Okay then. This recipe is from my aunty. Not sure where she got it, but because of her I know that you can substitute ground venison for the beef. She always makes it for parties when we go to Kaua'i.

I chose to make this as another Japanese dish with easy-to-find ingredients. It was so good! Kea liked it too. I think we like it better than the Oyakodonburi.

I used medium firm tofu, but I think you can use whatever you like. My mom says that the original recipe says you can substitute okara for half of the beef. I love okara but pretty sure i can't find it here. I think my mom has to go to the tofu factory to buy it.

The recipe doesn't say how much mushrooms to use, but I used a couple handfuls. I love mushrooms and probably could've used even more.

I went real light on the sugar cuz I am paranoid about my food being too sweet. I would add a little and taste it.

Baked Sukiyaki
Line 9x13 pan with 2 blocks tofu, drained and mashed.

Fry 2# lean beef, drain oil.
Add 1 lg. minced onion, 1 can minced water chestnut, 1 can sliced bamboo shoots, and sliced Chinese mushrooms (shiitake).
Add 1/2 c. shoyu, less than 1/2 c. sugar, and 2 cloves minced garlic.
Simmer ‘til liquid is absorbed. Pour meat over tofu.

Beat three eggs and pour over entire meat surface. Sprinkle with minced green onions.

Bake at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until eggs are cooked.

Lazy-Ass Pasta Bake

I considered making Giada deLauretiis' Spicy Baked Macaroni since, you know, it's winter break, and I have time. Unfortunately, I got back from the movies a little too late and went with this quickie version posted on Slashfood by Marissa McClellan instead. It's a little annoying that the recipe's not written out in standard-ish, easy-to-follow recipe format, but I guess it is so easy it might look a little silly written out like a recipe! Anyway, I bolded the ingredients before printing and that helped a bit.

I am totally pleased with the recipe! I especially like that it's got spinach in it. Plus it is the easiest pasta bake recipe ever. I cooked the pasta and mixed the sauce and then had to head out to yoga. Then when I came back, Kea assembled it in the pan and baked it. So it's convenient in that sense too. Hurrah!

Roasted Pork Loin with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

This was my first time making pork loin and Kea and I settled on this recipe because he said he likes pork with gravy. We ended up buying this huge, nine pound loin because it was a dollar cheaper per pound. So we used a third of it and froze the rest.

I'm used to making things like stews, soups, and casseroles, and I was surprised at how easy this recipe was. We basically just salt and pepper the loin and through it in the oven. Actually, we used seasoned salt since we had it, which may have added a little extra boost.

The garlic roasted at the same time and then I threw the cloves along with the other ingredients together and mooshed them with our immersion blender. That was it!

(Oh, we did set the smoke alarm off a few times though. So maybe make sure your oven is clean first. We're not really sure what happened... something must've overflowed last time we used the oven... and our smoke detector is really sensitive...)

Ina Garten's Mexican Chicken Soup

My husband has developed an obsession with cumin. He puts it in everything. I'm very opposed to this. I think that some flavors match and some don't and you can't go throwing cumin in everything. I also think that cumin smells a bit like body odor, but I still like it--when appropriate.

Anyway, I bookmarked this recipe for him. Well, not only for him. Also because it's easy and it's soup, which it sometimes seems we pretty much live on. Anyway, it turned out great--nice and spicy. I even subbed some pickled jalapenos for the fresh ones because our market had run out. I think because of this I didn't have to add any salt at the end.

I also may have salted the chicken a bit too liberally. I don't know. I can never tell what's what when seasoning chicken. I also considered stewing the chicken rather than pre-roasting it, but the roasting actually turned out to be not that big a deal. I even used boneless skinless breasts and the flavor was still good.

I even like the flour tortillas in the soup, which I was a bit worried about since I am not a big fan of them. I don't know if it is the lard or if I have a mild wheat allergy, but they sometimes make me nauseous. Here though, they are like noodles! (I have tried tortilla soup before, but never met one I really liked.)

Anyway, this one's going into the rotation--especially for when one of us has got a cold.

Woody's Oasis in East Lansing

Woody's is one of my favorite places to eat in East Lansing. It helps that they have about three locations around campus. It also helps that they are cheap. Last year, the vegetarian pita wraps, including the very filling falafel and spicy falafel, were only $2.95 and the meat ones, including chicken and steak with different sauces, were $3.95. This year they have gone up about 50 cents I think, so still a good deal.

The mujadara or lentil pita is also good and my favorite meat ones are the spicy steak and mediterranean chicken, which comes with a garlic sauce. Eggplant is sometimes good, but sometimes too greasy. It's also sort of a toss up as to how big your pita will be; they range from about two to three inches in diameter. If I am really hungry or need the meal to tide me over for awhile, I go with either a meat or a falafel pita. Also, be sure to request turnips in your pita. They are these hot pink pickled things and really make the sandwich special.

Another great deal at Woody's is hummus and pita. Hummus is very filling and, as one of my friends likes to remind me, has a lot of fiber. Besides the original flavor, there is also garlic hummus, which is great, and spicy hummus, which sometimes has too strong a bell pepper flavor for my taste.

Dinner--or any other excuse to get a plate--at Woody's is also great. My favorites are the vegetarian grape leaves and vegetarian kibbee. Each entree is about $10 at the Grand River location and comes with a salad (my favorite is the yogurt salad which has cucumbers) and hummus. The grape leaves can serve two and I think the vegetarian kibbee could serve three. If you have never had kibbee before (I hadn't until a few weeks ago), it is like mashed potatoes but with a middle Eastern flavor. It tastes a bit vinegar-y to me.

(The plates at the international center are $6 and include a smaller sized entree, and two sides [salads, fries, hummus].)

As you can see from the picture, the Grand River location also has a bar, which is very important. And they have drink specials.

Weekend Plans

A few friends from school are coming over this weekend. It's sad when Ann Arbor is the escape for food and shopping, but *shrug*

Anyway, we'll be headed to Amadeus European Restaurant on Friday night. I have always wanted to try pierogi; I think I am a dumpling kind of person. And I figure I should stop eating mediocre Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese food and just eat white people food cuz that is the kind of place where I am living. Like you don't go to a steak house and order sushi (although I did once--holy moly), you don't come to the midwest and eat... sushi. Unless you are really craving it that bad. Anyway, I like white people food. Mac and cheese, tuna casserole... mmm... So here is another kind of white people food. Check out this menu. Everything sounds so good. I think I may have to be a piggy and get the combo cuz I want to try everything!

Saturday morning we'll have brunch at Cafe Zola. They say that they're named after the writer. Ew. I don't know... somehow Francophilia seems the worst of all the philias. Oh, except Asiaphilia. Okay, and I have eaten at total Asiaphile restaurants. Cursed New York--it tricks me. Oh and of course Francophilia is not as bad as like pedophilia and necrophilia... but definitely, of the regional philias, one of the most obnoxious. Anyway, despite it's potentially snobby name, I am eyeing the crepes. And also the tea selection. Yum...

Will report later...