Side entrance to Zinc. You may also enter through the main foyer of the AGA.

On Sunday January 31, the Art Gallery of Alberta reopened after being closed for nearly five years of renovations. The new building made a lot of promises: more gallery space, better exhibits, a stunning exterior and new spaces for restaurants and cafes. Tuesday February 2 marked the first day of operations of the flagship restaurant, Zinc. (Or is that ZIИC?)

Naturally, I have been excited about Zinc for sometime. Working where I do l afforded me the ability to see a lot of behind the scenes photos as things were put together going up to the big day, and doing a site tour of the Art Gallery of Alberta as a possible wedding venue amped up the excitement even more.

Visiting on the first day of a restaurant’s opening is a different experience, and not one necessarily recommended. Service may lack smoothness, menus could be in the process of being tweaked and may not be complete yet, and everything is in a state of change and upheaval.

I attempted to make reservations earlier in the week on their online reservation system, but it wasn’t operational yet. It wasn’t clear what number I should call to reach the restaurant, but the woman manning the phones at the AGA’s main number put me through.

We arrived a bit late for the 7pm reservation, but were seated in a mostly empty restaurant. Perhaps we missed the dinner rush, or perhaps there was just less hype about the restaurant than I expected.

The room, and building, are stunning. Some have criticized the design to be a non-Gehry designed Frank Gehry style building, and there are definite similarities, but the building is stunning nonetheless…especially when compared to the building before. Many people walking by stopped to peer in and more than once a car slowed to a crawl outside as the occupants stared as the impressive curvy zinc facade.

The restaurant itself has soaring zinc ceilings, with large ENORMOUS windows. Sitting near them, it was not chilly at all, however. Cool blue light accents the metallic accessories which is equalized by a warm yellow glow from candles and the bell tower at nearby City Hall. It’s a very industrial room, but also cozy due to carefully placed dividers and a gorgeous Douglas Fir wall. The view is quite captivating as it overlooks the square and City Hall, and I imagine in the summer it will be a great place to grab a drink before attending a festival or event in Churchill Square.

After we were seated our (very) green waitress asked us if it was our first visit to the restaurant which amused me a great deal. She was definitely still learning the ropes, but was careful to do things the right way in a restaurant of this calibre, like serve from the right and switch out cutlery after each course.

The menu was an abbreviated version of what is to come, and is expected to change seasonally, according to sommelier and maitre d’ Claude Fournier. He came around twice to see how we liked our meals, and took our thoughts and concerns very seriously. It’s nice to get someone who cares about the answer when they ask the question. Claude also said that Chef David Omar and him hope to have dishes which reflect the different exhibits in the gallery at that time. I’m excited a restaurant in Edmonton (other than the Blue Pear) will focus on a varied rotating menu. Although he is not a beer fan (”I cannot stand the yeast,” Claude said) he hopes to do beer pairing as well at some point.

At first glance, it seemed that there was a lot going on in the menu. I saw a lot of food trend buzzwords like foam, gelee and the like. I was also alarmed by the amount of flavours appearing on a single dish. For instance, the fois gras ballotine. However, they were all variations on anise, and it really worked in the end. There were only three appetizers plus a soup and five mains available to order. Later, two desserts (which we had to pass on.)

There is also a large cocktail list with some interesting libations available, and a selection of Alberta beers, but all in the bottle.

Our amuse bouche was served in a tiny coffee cup and was an extremely cold, extremely bland cream cheese avocado “pudding” with ginger. Thank god for the overly zingy ginger, because there was NOTHING going on in this otherwise. It did not amuse my mouth at all.

The housemade butter was angelic. Fennel with spring onion and fleur de sel. It was served with brioche baked in house.

Foie gras appetizer. A slice of foie gras with salted licorice caramel ice cream, black sambuca gelee, coriander apple with salad and brioche toast. As I mentioned previously, this dish sounded all over the map, like there was too much going on. Turns out: it was pretty good! The saltiness balanced well with the sweetness and the anise flavours just worked with the foie gras. The brioche provided just enough crunch for the creamy foie gras.

My dish was less successful. I had the beet salad. The Good: the presentation (like a salad painting!), the parsnip goat cheese puree, fresh carrot juice as a palate cleanser and rose honey reduction. The Bad: Rose honey reduction was hidden on the bottom of my salad, creating an unbalanced sticky glop of flavour as my greens disappeared and the beet “carpaccio” was kind of ridiculous. They’re just raw beets. And they were hard to cut. In addition the beets that were supposed to be roasted were not and were mostly crisp and hard as well.

“Taste of Alberta” main. At $44 this was the most expensive item on the menu. It featured (left to right) bison short ribs, caribou and a saskatoon berry sausage on a bed of braised red cabbage, artichokes and gnocchi. On top, a drizzle of spice chocolate sauce. To put it lightly, disappointing. While the short ribs were toothsome and savoury and moist, the sausage was dry, as was the caribou. How dry? This dry:

This caribou does NOT look succulent.

Wild Alberta pickerel with pickled mushrooms, edamame, beets and warm potato espuma.

I waffled on a main, but finally went with fish. I just HAD to know what “potato espuma” was. I was pleasantly surprised by this dish; it really knocked it out of the park. The pickled mushrooms perked up what is a relatively plain, light fish, and the glorified mashed potatoes just worked. Espuma is supposed to be more of a foam, but this is more of a light creamy mash. Menu error? I was left wanting more; the serving size was adequate but I just wanted to taste more.

I will have to return before I make any firm decisions, but this first visit left me wanted more of the good and less of the bad. I sense great things in the making, though, so I will remain hopeful and try to not judge before they are fully operational.

Dinner for two (two courses each), with one beer ran about $130.

Liane Faulder wrote a preview about Zinc in the Journal a few weeks ago: Zinc offers beautiful food, by design

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Zinc at the Art Gallery of Alberta
Open for lunch and dinner service everyday but Monday
Sunday Brunch is also served
780.392.2501
online reservations also available

Upon arriving in Las Vegas, we did three things: check into the hotel (this time we stayed at the Mirage, and got a free upgrade!), place some sportsbets and go for dinner at Bar Charlie again. Our first visit was so wonderful, a return visit was almost mandatory.

The last time we visited, we were the only diners for most of the evening. This time, there were two other couples eating. It helped the restaurant feel not as stiff, although it was much, much busier for the kitchen staff. Visiting on a Friday evening probably had something to do with it. Bar Charlie is also garnering more mentions on culinary forums as a “must visit” place, so I hope this helps it succeed. It truly is a fine restaurant.

I don’t have much to say other than that, except that this time the service was above par. We were recognized and our return visit was mentioned by several of the staff. Everyone was very chatty, and it was a great evening. When the chef promised a printed menu for us when we left, I was not confident I would see it. Others had complained that they did not receive theirs, but I got mine, all tied up with colour co-ordinated ribbon and everything.

Again, we got the 14-course chef’s kaiseki. Here are a few of the highlights. As you can see, the descriptions of the dishes are very simple, but the dishes themselves were anything but. Another couple down the bar complained that there were many elements not mentioned on the menu, making it hard to record notes on the meal. Most dishes started with atleast six ingredients. That doesn’t begin to take into account the components of the various sauces and garnishes and powders.

I will maintain my viewpoint that Bar Charlie is one of the most complex meals and best values for high end dining in Las Vegas. But, enough. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

After a record four visits to Las Vegas since mid December, I don’t know when we’ll get back there again, but if we do…you know where I’ll be going again.

I was alone in Las Vegas for two nights, and decided to visit another restaurant by myself. I made the reservation, knowing that if I did not, I would chicken out.

So for 7:30 pm on a Wednesday evening, I reserved dinner for one at Joël Robuchon at the Mansion at the MGM Hotel. I have walked by the doors and peeked at the menu so many times on other visits, I have lost count.

The restaurant is one of a select few in North America to receive three Michelin stars for 2009.

The doors opened, and I entered. I assume I was the only solo diner that night making me easy to recognize, and the hostess addressed me by name as I entered. She was so quick to do so, in fact, that I lamented not being able to take in the room and bar a bit more first.

JR @ the Mansion is located in the corner of the sprawling MGM casino. Look beyond the smoking slot machine players and the crowds gathering for the next showing of Cirque du Soleil’s “KA”, and you will see the peaceful entrance.

The room is intimate and cozy. A banquette divides the room, and a small side room holds a (live?) rose garden and living ivy wall. I believe the restaurant can hold 60 people, and on this night there were probably 20. So not very full, but still shockingly so considering the price of the average meal there.

I was seated on a the bench seat dividing the room, in between two couples. The room is done in rich, heavy fabrics in a deep royal purple colour, with silver accented Lalique vases and black furniture. It was designed to mimic a feeling of being in 1930s Paris and feels very luxurious and opulent.

From the photos I have seen of the room, the colour accents change with the season. For spring, coral red seemed to be favoured, and was featured in the fresh flowers, coral shaped accents and decor, bringing a pop of colour.

On the banquette, silver plate framed photographs line the top, highlighting celebrities that have dined at Joel Robuchon.

A large chandelier hangs above, and the entire dining room is bathed in warm, subdued lighting.

I asked for a glass of champagne when I sat down. Unlike Guy Savoy, they do not use a trolley to cart around the champagnes available by the glass, and I was limited to two varieties. I chose the Billecart rose. I will admit to being a bit nervous at dining alone, but knew the staff would take care of me. The champagne helped relax me even more.

However, within minutes of sitting down, the man in the couple dining to my left struck up a conversation.

“You must really love French food,” he said.

I replied to the positive, stating that I had also dined at Guy Savoy earlier in the week.

And so it began.

“Ohhhh, we were served by Guy Savoy himself!” he blurted out, as he poured more Cristal champagne for his wife. “We must have spent $10,000 that night there,” he went on.

They were Las Vegans, dining out in celebration of their 10th wedding anniversary. The husband spent more time talking to me than to his wife, and even sent over a course from the 16-course tasting menu they were having that night, claiming he was too stuffed.

I won’t say that it ruined my evening, but it did diminish some of the adult enjoyment I was hoping to gain from eating out on my own, with my own thoughts. He complained about being too full to enjoy the meal, then being too drunk.

I also found their name dropping and money discussion (and politics! imagine!) during dinner a bit distasteful. I was too timid to ask to be moved, however. In a dining room so small I did not want to risk offending anyone, or embarrassing the staff. I did find it odd the hostess chose to seat me next to a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary though. I would have been much happier next to the other fellow recent Bachelor of Science graduate out celebrating (awesome coincidence!) However, this was my own doing.

Robuchon is experimenting with lowered set prices on various meal configurations, from three courses up to six. I got the six-course option, which came with an amuse bouche, an appetizer, soup, seafood and meat course, cheese course and then dessert. I selected my own dishes for each course. My only regret was not being able to order the frog’s legs that Robuchon is so famous for.

A bread cart made a few rounds, but stopped after I refused bread with two courses. I suppose if I had asked, they might have brought some more. However, filling up on bread is a terrible idea, except when the bread is as good as it is here.

The amuse bouche took some time to arrive, but finally came to the table on a holographic platter. It reminded me of a figure skating outfit I once had, infact.

The amuse was Os(s/c)etra caviar, over a hidden layer of three species of crab. I had a small saffron roll and a piece of carmelized onion bread from the bread cart. These were warmed before being brought to the table. The cart’s item stock was very similar to Guy Savoy’s. There were more rolls, however, and more softer items like milk breads. Again, a brick of butter imported from Brittany.

Soup: Lettuce velouté with nutmeg and sweet onion foam. If you have ever read “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl, you surely remember all the times Charlie had to eat watered down, bland cabbage soup. Not far from it’s green cousin, lettuce soup has to sound like the stuff of nightmares, right?

It’s not.

There were lardons of ham sunk on the bottom, and the foam imparted an extraordinary texture to this surprisingly flavourful soup. The bowl arrived as a bowl of foam, which the veloute was then expertly poured into by the server. It was like a lettuce latte.

Unfortunately I did not take photos of the next course, which was the starter, which was sea scallop a la plancha with a sauce of kumquat and caviar. I remember the scallops being the star of the show, with little citrus added from the kumquat, and an abundance of caviar.

Seafood course: this dish arrived in a beautiful presentation. It had a sort of glass halo around it, which held the bits of the lobster carapace within. It was lifted off to reveal this inside: Spiny lobster in a sake broth, with turnip and shiso sprouts.

The sake broth was salty and slightly alcoholic, and a light addition to the lobster. The most adorable baby turnips with greens attached were hidden beneath and offered the bite and crunch needed.

Meat course: Braised veal cheeks with Thai herbs and green curry. Looking back, I had to make sure this was the course I got. I do not recall anything green curry-ish about it, but the lemongrass and strong memory of rich veal melting in my mouth tell another story. Small chunks of fine tofu accompanied the dish, which was the height of savoury. It was garnished with long stems of lemongrass which appeared to be taped to the serving dish beneath. Odd.

A side dish of pureed potatoes were lovingly spooned out by the server. They were not studded with black truffle as at Guy Savoy, however.

The diner next to me sent over his course of vegetables and couscous in Argan oil. Again, baby turnips and other vegetables were nestled in a delicious, if plain, couscous. Argan oil is supposedly an extremely rare oil…I remember it being smooth and faintly nutty, but not overwhelming.

Oh, jeez, cheese.

The cheese server was an expert recommender and my interactions with him were the highlight of my meal. When I said I couldn’t make my mind up on which brie I wanted to try, he gave me samples of both. (The triple cream was the best.) I also got a very alcoholic tasting (and smelly!) Époisses. It’s the runny one on the bottom, there.

Again, I had to summon the bread cart and was not offered anything unusual for the cheese course, unlike at Savoy. Cheese is delicious on its own, of course, but I wanted to see how a fruit bread or baguette changed it.

A perle of chou, Tahitian vanilla cream with fresh raspberry. The chou was quite awkward to eat in the bowl, and kept sliding all over the place.

The two couples celebrating were brought a special raspberry ice cream cake. I don’t know where they are finding ripe raspberries this time of year, but I would love a hook up.

A sorbet course. I chose the lemon, out of raspberry (again!) and chocolate.

The mignardises trolley. There were over 30 treats on this thing. They didn’t even tell me what everything was and didn’t seem interested in listing them, so I just requested the raspberry macaron, meringue, cocoa dusted truffle and a chocolate bombe.

I asked for an earl grey tea to end my evening, which came with no sugar or cream, forcing me to ask for it.

This was the small dark garden room to the side. It smelled like a forest after a short rain on a warm day, green and moist with the faint scent of roses. I popped in after my meal to check it out.

As a parting gift, I received this beautifully wrapped present. Inside…an entire banana loaf, topped with gold dusted chocolate pieces and drizzled honey and glaze. I have to admit, I found this odd for a mainly tourist frequented restaurant. Maybe others had better appointed rooms or were staying in Las Vegas a few more nights and could enjoy it.

I ate a bit the next morning before checking out of the hotel. With no utensils in the room, I ate some of it with my bare hands. How crude. It was mostly just an average banana loaf, though.

So; was it worth it?

I remain undecided. Maybe I was tapped out on French food or high end restaurants. Maybe I set the bar too high. Perhaps if I had not been a solo diner my experience would have been different.

I won’t knock the cuisine, however. The food was great; imaginative, beautifully presented, well-executed and thoughtful. What I think fell short was the service.

It was all small things that sound absolutely ridiculous in hindsight so I won’t go into details. However, after experiencing service at Le Cirque and Savoy (click for my experiences at each), then having it at Joel Robuchon, I noticed the differences. Perhaps it is a difference of opinion. I know others enjoy that the service is non-intrusive, where you request things and the request is never denied, but I find I enjoy it when the staff anticipate my wants, sometimes before I even knew I had them. I’m a shy diner, what can I say?

I found the service mostly mechanical, lacking passion and excitement. Le Cirque and Guy Savoy made me want to go back to experience both the food and service again. They were both delightful, surprising and joyful to eat at, and I got the feeling that they wanted you to experience everything and try everything. Joel Robuchon left me wanting…it kind of felt soulless, actually.

In any case, I’m glad I went, for now I can share my experience, and know that I may never go again. There are too many restaurants in the world to return to one that charges that much and doesn’t leave me in a dreamlike trance thinking about every detail afterwards.

After our amazing meal at Bar Charlie in February we were reluctant to branch out into other high end eats in Vegas. I guess we just love Japanese cuisine that much! However, Chef Hiroo Nagahara mentioned his favourite restaurant happened to be Guy Savoy, so we thought we might give it a try, and did not feel so bad doing so.

Guy Savoy was rated two Michelin stars in the last Las Vegas guide. Although I would not describe myself as a Michelin tourist, I have been fortunate to have dined at a wide selection of one star restaurants. However, this was a first to be eaten at a ‘higher level.’ The Paris location has consistently received three stars, and some say Mr. Savoy was robbed of a third star at the Vegas outpost.

We set sail for the ten-course “menu prestige” deep in the Augustus Tower of Caesar’s Palace. Four hours later, we emerged. Here is what happened in between.

The dining room was half full, mostly older diners in couples, but some larger tables as well. It was minimal, almost austere, but still comfortable.

There is a small patio and private dining rooms. There are even large windows which fill the room with natural light which is odd for a Las Vegas restaurant. From our end you could see the Bellagio.

These tiny dishes held pepper, the flakiest, finest of sea salts and butter from France.

Our amusing amuse. In the left cup…zucchini soup…

…and hiding on the right, a surprise we were told to reveal after our soup was gone. A tiny pastry cup filled with salmon, topped with marinated zucchini with a basil reduction.

From the bread cart: A “delicate spices” and a bacon roll. The butter served was flown in from France, and available salted or not. They kept coming and coming with the bread cart.

The bread sommelier was an amazing young man with real energy and excitement. We even discussed UFC with him. Each course had a bread he suggested. Some were surprising, others perfect (if predictable) pairing. There were numerous kinds of bread: caramelized onion, lemon bread, black olive, Parmigiano Reggiano, house-cured bacon with sea salt and a few smaller “plainer” items like epi baguette and such.

Marinated lobster with salad and spring herb gelee.

“Colours of Caviar”, layered caviar in many different preparations. Eaten together, you are meant to scoop down with the mother of pearl spoon from each layer. It is no exaggeration that each bite was subtely or significantly different. The sabayon layer was a personal favourite.

There was no bread pairing, as the caviar was a stand alone deal, you could say.

Crispy sea bass with delicate spices in vanilla foam with mushrooms. The vanilla foam was “scented.” But, not in the cheap way a lower end place does it. This smelled, tasted and exuded vanilla. It was odd with the fish, but delicious. The bread was a nori seaweed bread.

We were encouraged to add the additional delicate spices laid out on top of the serving platter. They added so much! The arrangement of the spices is also seems to be a nod to the logo for Guy Savoy, three columns.

The delicate spices were the same as in the bread: Szechuan pepper, black pepper, fennel, coriander and two kinds of mustard.

This…this was amazing.

As our sea bass course wrapped up, two gentlemen came walking briskly out of the kitchen. They approach our table, holding a platter. In my head, I’m thinking “What? I just finished this course! How rude! What timing!”

But: they were just there to show us our next course as it cooked.

The course was foie gras “en Papillotte” with radish bouillon. The foie gras was in a parchment bag, resting on rocks which were cooking it. The server burst the bag with a flourish. The smell of the foie that emerged was intense and earthy. I was dying to smell more…and just as I thought that he said “Here! SMELL!” and brought it to my face to waft.

Now THAT is service.

It was served with the greens which perfectly balanced the richness of the foie gras. Radish soup is amazingly flavourful, by the way.

Here, a Savoy signature soup. Artichoke and black truffle. I recalled to Mike that I read a review that claimed this soup was tasteless. We laughed as we inhaled the earthy, rich broth.

That little out of focus morsel on the bottom? It’s a mushroom brioche, topped with truffle butter. We were encouraged to dunk it in our soup as we ate.

At this point, my bread plate was becoming a wasteland of crusts as I could no longer finish the breads being brought. I felt shame when the bread sommelier came by, but he continued to pile on the bread.
And so we pushed on. I think we were just over two hours in at this point.

This GORGEOUS hot pink knife was brought out. What was next..?

Poussin (young poultry) a la Broche, with impossibly smooth black truffle-flecked potato puree. There were truffles shoved under the skin of the chicken.

This was another dish that was presented to us as it cooked. They brought it out on a carving board, then brought it back to the kitchen to be carved. I’m told this is all part of Mr. Savoy’s love of the dramatic.

The puree looks like ice cream, and it damn near had the same texture.

Then…the cheese cart.

This cart sailed in like a ship made of blue cheese. I don’t recall how many cheeses there were, but over 10. We could have any of them, again with two kinds of bread. Époisses, brie, blue, guyere, goat.

I wish I had more room, but had to limit myself to three cheeses (herbed goat, brie and aged guyere), with apricot walnut bread.

A pre-dessert pannacotta with apricots and almonds and an edible pansy.

Strawberry rhubarb granité served in the most adorable of miniature Bodum-style cups.

This was the chocolate sphere, with raspberry. It came out as a perfect white chocolate ball, which the maître d’ then poured hot raspberry sauce over. “To smile at you,” he said, as the “mouth” opened and indeed, smiled at me.

It reminded me of the little Canadians from South Park.

Low brow, I know. That’s the kind of lady I am.

I couldn’t help noticing the steak knife from earlier matched the rather modern art work in the room. I sat admiring the room, art and other diners.

Then…dear lord. The rumblings of another cart.

Not the bread cart, surely. The cheese cart? Put away, I hope.

This was the sweet cart.

HOW? How could we have room?

Well, the world’s most adorable and persuasive man was working it. And he SOLD his items. Just want one truffle? “Non, then zee others will be jealous,” he claimed, as he piled the set of three on your plate.

There were fruit gelees, mousses, eclairs, hand twirled lollies, TWO KINDS of rice pudding, sorbets, flans, ice creams, macadamia nut balls, and, lord help me, … MINIATURE macarons.

All I really has room for and wanted was the truffles and macarons. How I got sucked in to getting this much was beyond me. Passionfruit sorbet, and a rich chocolate mousse sit in the middle and right.

At least I wasn’t as badly off as Mike. He ended up with TWO plates. The guy at the cart was relentless and a real petit fours pusher.

One of the items: brown butter ice cream. Wow.

The macarons were fennel and lemon.

This one reminded me of a tiny hot dog.

And then, it was finally over.

Four hours later, we were in a food daze. The dishes themselves were amazing, but what made the meal memorable were the small touches, service and thoughtfulness. The purse stool that was brought. How the maître d’ noticed I was trying to write down notes, so he brought a printed menu for me.

I was also fortunate to receive a peek in at the not-yet-opened private Krug room. On my way to the rest room, I spied the word “KRUG” on the wall of a back room and inquired with the server who accompanied me to the rest room. Turns out that is the first Krug room in North America. The server pointed out the beautiful picnic trunk made for carting champagne around and said it made every picnic better.

Savoy is known for champagne so it did not surprise me they had a dedicated room. According to VegasChatter, the room will feature champagne pairings with meals and offers the entire Krug catalogue. It’s one of my favourite champagnes so I got a buzz of glee about seeing the room.

As we left, we were forced to take some candies. I did not sample mine until days later when I boarded my plane to Minneapolis, but was surprised at the flavour. It was chartreuse, a kind of liquor.

Very, how you say, french!

So stuffed, I asked to have my remaining truffles wrapped up to go and they came in this charming bag.

A purse stool hiding in waiting.

I couldn’t resist. Even the lighting in the bathroom was fantastic.

The cover and insides of the menu I received.

This meal was pure indulgence, and a perfect way to celebrate a birthday and graduation. (Atleast that’s what I tell myself.)

The service is passionate, warm, thoughtful and seamless. Perhaps a little over the top at times, as with one server’s very french accent, but this is Vegas, after all. There’s a bit of showman in everyone.

While we got the 10-course tasting menu, they do offer a la carte menus, of course. You can check them out at FoodNut. The people beside us received wonderful attention with their a la carte meals, and were in and out in around two hours. There is also a $98 pre-theatre meal.

In addition, there is also the Bubble Bar where you can have small bites of each of Savoy’s signature dishes and a glass of bubbly. It’s a more affordable and quick way to visit the property. The menus for all of these options are available on the right of the Caesar’s Palace website.

After dining at a two star, I wondered what the differences were between two and three Michelin stars. I’ve been told the differences are negligible between the levels, the top two tiers offering similar cuisine quality but the difference being in service.

Of course, the only way to really judge was to go and dine at the only three Michelin star restaurant in Las Vegas…that’s to come.

We ate other things on day two of our trip, but only one meal bears mentioning.

After buying some tickets to Penn & Teller’s show at 9pm (I highly recommend using Tix4Tonight for discounted tickets), we were on a bit of a time budget for the night. I called Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo cautiously. As I booked dinner for 5:30 pm, I asked if that was enough time to experience their 14-course kaiseki menu. “Well, it is a bit closer to 3 hours,” said the hostess, “but I will tell Chef you have time constraints.”

Three hours may be cutting it close for a meal? What.

Bar Charlie is a restaurant within a restaurant, in this case, Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant Charlie which is inside the Palazzo. Bar Charlie is a kaiseki restaurant, a sort of cuisine normally confined to Japan. One of my true regrets about our trip to Tokyo was missing the opportunity to stay in a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn. Sort of like a bed and breakfast. Kaiseki meals are very common in them.

With five, eight and fourteen course menus, Trotter has allowed his executive chef Hiroo Nagahara to really have fun and exercise his knife. Sometimes dishes are served in the Restaurant Charlie side, but mostly the chefs are working for you.

It’s extremely intimate to be the only two patrons at a restaurant. Even if it was filled there would only be room for fifteen to eighteen people. Later, as we were leaving, a couple came in and were seated, but for the most part it was one-on-one service. When I got my camera out to take some photos, Mike referred to it as the fifth person in the room. The normally super quiet lens opening became nails on a chalkboard. As such, I did not interrupt our dining pleasure with taking too many photos. But let it be known we were eating art that night.

Chef Nagahara was amazing. As the meal ended, we talked with him for some time. He told us he spontaneously comes up with many of his dishes, and the menu is never the same, which is a shock when you find out what they are and the complexities involved. His hope is that no one will ever experience the same meal twice at his restaurant. His meticulous care and preparation show in every step of the meal. He recognizes Japanese traditions in food (especially in kaiseki, where care is taken to present food as nature) and takes time to source seasonal ingredients straight from Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. The glee in his voice as he described a still-in-rigour tuna he got in for Valentines Day was palpable. He implored us to come back and make special requests for next time. We also found out one of Chef Nagahara’s favourite cuisines was Ethiopian!

I’m not sure how long Bar/Restaurant Charlie will be around as it is definitely among the more dear restaurants in Vegas (and that is saying something) and it is pretty quiet. But it is definitely an amazing place. I am no critic, so just some photos and what I recall from our meal, below:

“Buttery Potato” cocktail. I have to say that savoury cocktails blow my mind. At $19, they should. The cocktail list at Restaurant Charlie is worth a visit on its own. They serve modern and vintage “pre-Prohibition” cocktails.

One of the two chefs working for us that evening. He never introduced himself!

“Cherry Blossoms in Snow”

Blue fin tuna tartare, with greek yogurt disc, seaweed tuile and pickled cucumbers

A new dish: cuttlefish, deconstructed.

The body, in the center there, made into a dumpling that was meant to have the texture of an egg. The wings, the lightest tempura you’ve ever had. The tentacles, grilled.

From pastry chef Vanessa Garcia, a series of desserts including:

Basil-infused blueberries with semolina pudding, tarragon semi freddo and lime-basil sorbet

Dark chocolate cocoa sponge cake with citrus salad, candied oro blanco (a variety of pomelo) peel tuile and oro blanco sorbet

Petits fours: Cookies and cream, fresh marshmallow, candied ginger and a gorgeous iridescent green truffle

Each dish was prepared fresh, right in front of us. When presented on the bar, the chef would explain every single component of the dish. The ones I recall, some better than others:

• Japanese tai (red snapper) with black grape reduction, black grapes and kalamata olive gelee
• An aji, or Spanish mackerel dish
• Trout three ways: ice cream, roulade and ravioli filled with trout head (the ‘pasta’ was made of trout stock) with crispy trout roe and skin (this was my personal favourite dish, if only because it was so bizarre to eat fish flavoured ice cream)
• Two different tuna courses, including bluefin tuna tartare, the other as “Cherry Blossoms in the Snow”, above
• Carbonated carrots and scallops. The carrots were in a liquid and carbonated, so that it danced on your tongue.
• “Oysters on the Beach”: Razor clams and oysters with horseradish granules (representing sand) and a sea water foam to represent the ocean.
• Sushi rice risotto with wild mushrooms
• A piece of two-day braised Kurobuta pork belly on a confit of quinoa and Fuji apples.
• Finally, a sorbet, two desserts and a sampling of petits fours.

Every dish was unbelievable and had several mouth feels, tastes and flavours going on. Everything ranging from bubbly, soft, firm, crunchy, chewy, sour, bitter, sweet, cold, gelatinous, umami… a true experience.

I regret not taking notes, but it really was nice to just sit back, relax and take the entire experience in. For such a complex – at times esoteric – meal that may never be replicated this may have been a mistake, but I am certain I will remember it for a long time.

PS: We made it to the show on time after our two and a half hour dinner: Penn & Teller were great.

note: this post originally appeared on my personal blog on december 29 2008.

Often, the only thing that gets me going after a late Las Vegas night is the promise of being able to avoid long lines at bistros serving breakfast. I have yet to take in a breakfast buffet (and probably never will), but the line-ups at the Las Vegas outpost of Thomas Keller’s Bouchon strike fear in my empty stomach. I will do anything to avoid a wait, even if it means waking before 9 a.m. Yikes!

Others may feel that greasy IHOP hash browns help sop up the liquor from the previous night’s debauchery. I, however, subscribe to the belief that airy croissants and strong lattes get me through the pain.

This trip involved two visits to Bouchon’s dining room, one to the bakery and yet another visit to Lenôtre in the Paris hotel. Yet, this was not enough. I would have gone more, but it seems that the hard working pastry chefs at Bouchon were given a holiday for the last three days of my trip. Damn them. Damn them to hell.

After collecting Mike and Connor at the airport early in the morning, we immediately drove to the Venetian to eat at Bouchon. Some people complain about the stilted service, and while it is true that things can be a little shaky at times, the food and atmosphere make up for it. It’s a pretty decent bargain, with most breakfasts coming in at under $20.

Daily specials are announced by the server and written on chalkboards around the room. Freshly baked items arrive at your table, along with creamed butter and the jam of the day.

I highly recommend the quiche du jour (eggy, light and rich) the frites (fried in duck fat, they are a bit different than most fries you will have and are well worth a side order) and the fresh beignets (bay-nays) which are served with Nutella. Our server suggested them, and wasn’t even finished saying “beignets” when all three of us exclaimed “Yes!”

Bouchon is a good way to start the day, and stretch your stomach for the inevitable flood of eats Vegas has to offer.

Entrance to Bouchon, which is located in the Venezia tower of the Venetian.

Beautiful floors. In warmer weather, there is a patio that over looks the Venezia pools.

Salmon baguette with fresh cream cheese and duck fat fried fries. In front of Connor sits another cloud of fries, which came with his croque madame.

Fresh butter and jam which came with our baguette.

Mike not paying attention to his menu.

Fresh beignets with Nutella and strawberry jam.

By the way: Nutella does not blend well into coffee, in case you were wondering.

*

My dad and I paid a visit to Lenôtre one morning. It took about 10 minutes to collect him at the MGM from the condo, find parking and then find Lenôtre, which is in the shopping area of Paris Las Vegas. Lenôtre is a famous Paris pâtisserie, run by Gaston Lenôtre.

Here is the exterior of Lenôtre.

I had never been in Paris Las Vegas before. Everything was “Le ____”

Le shop.

Le Boulevard, etc.

Le fromage, if you ask me.

There was a pretty steady line the entire time my dad and I were there, but oddly empty here.

Here, apple-walnut and blueberry “muffins” (more like mini-cakes), some pain au chocolat, apple and raspberry turnovers, pain au raisin, chocolate twists and, of course: croissants.

I honestly expected more selection. There were some small quiches (I got the leek and potato one) and gâteaux in another cooler.

I had dreams of macarons, tartlets, eclairs, baguettes… there was none of those.

The croissant was airy and flaky, with some substance to it. I would go back exclusively for the croissants, but probably not anything else.

My raspberry turnover was deliciously light, but a bit chewy, with a filling that was not too sweet. I normally steer away from sweets in the morning, but this was just right.

My dad enjoyed his “muffin” but thought the caramel was a little sweet and that the treat was a bit dense. He ordered a bear claw to bring back to my mom, but ended up with a fruity turnover instead. They were a bit busy, I guess.

I brought back some quiche, croissant and chocolate twists for the guys, with no screw ups. We broiled some sausages from Whole Foods in our condo kitchenette.

*

Yet another morning, after dropping Connor and Mike off at the Bellagio to play some cards, I went and collected some baked goods for them and myself at the Bouchon bakery. If you do not have the appetite for a full meal at Bouchon’s restaurant, the bakery on the casino level floor of the Venetian may have what you are looking for.

The selection was insane, triple the offerings at Lenôtre. In this photo alone, apple and pecan pie, the focaccia of the day, epi baguettes, sandwiches, eclairs and lemon custard tarts.

There were also macarons (four different flavours!), croissants, almond brioche, pain au chocolat, Keller’s famous “TKO” cookies and even doggie treats. Most items were $2.50-4.00.

Two different varieties of Valhrona chocolate cupcakes. They were the size of those jumbo Costco muffins.

I finally settled on one savoury and one sweet item each for the boys, and a macaron as a treat for myself. After dropping off the treats, I was dismayed to see that my macaron had been forgotten by the clerk. I never got to try one because, as I mentioned earlier, Bouchon was closed the remainder of our visit.

Next time, Keller, next time.

note: this post originally appeared on my personal blog on december 28 2008.

Recently I heard that Ruth Reichl (former NY Times restaurant critic and current Gourmet editor-in-chief) did not eat multi-course dinners anymore. After dining at Le Cirque in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, I can certainly understand where she is coming from. However, I would have not given up that meal for the world. (coincidentally the New York outpost of Le Cirque is the recipient of the famous ‘double review’ from Reichl. One as a common-but-disguised diner and one as a famous food critic; the service differed greatly.)

The first in a set of three birthday dinners, Le Cirque held a sense of excitement for me. I have never really dined in any high end restaurants in Las Vegas. Diego at MGM and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon at the Venetian were about as ‘big name’ (and big budget) as I had gone. After reading glowing reviews on Chowhound about Le Cirque (mostly about it’s value for money and high service standards) I booked a table online for myself, Michael and friend (and former chef), Connor.

I arrived at Le Cirque earlier than my dining companions, laden with shopping bags. As I sat in the lounge for my party to arrive, I was – well – doted upon by the maître d’ and hostess. It was not forced or over-eager, simply good, attentive service. Would I like some champagne? A cocktail? Perhaps a pomegranate martini? After Connor and Mike arrived, we were whisked to our table; a coveted corner booth/banquette with a view of the famous Bellagio fountains. My knees melted as I took it all in.

Murals on the wall depicted scenes from a circus, with adorable monkeys playing a large role. Later, the bread server told me, under her breath, that every staff member had a secret assigned character on the walls, picked according to personality. The ceiling was draped in brilliant fabrics. Their plates and table settings were…well, they were fantastic. I contemplated sneaking one into my purse, but the constantly hovering and always watching staff really put a stop to that. Damn.

Bread plate

Full table set

(it wasn’t until reviewing my photos that I realized the servers placed the monkeys at the exact same angle every time)

Their dishes are classic French. As we reviewed the menu, we were asked for our drink orders. I requested the aforementioned pomegranate martini and Mike asked if he might have a negroni. The maître d’ said as he walked away: “You can have anything you want”; a trend that continued throughout the meal. The bread arrived quickly; walnut-olive, mini baguettes and fresh, soft pretzels warm in a basket, served with salted and unsalted butter.

Pomegranate martini (closest) and negroni. Both arrived in shakers which were then poured almost to the brim, tableside.

After perusing the menu and options, all three of us decided to partake in the 5-course degustation menu. At $145 a person, it’s not cheap, but is not the most expensive tasting menu on the Strip. (Robuchon’s Mansion at the MGM probably fills that void; the truffle menu is over $500 and the 16-course tasting menu is $385 )

Also up for grabs: a truffle tasting menu for $300 or so and a three course prix-fixe set for $85. However, its location, ambience and service really catapult Le Cirque into the upper echelons of value in Las Vegas. The restaurant was quietly busy for our 7pm reservation; I’d say it was half full for our entire meal. Many groups of four, although a table of two was celebrating their anniversary nearest to us.

Just to complete the experience, I added on the wine pairing; a glass with each course for an additional $65. And was I glad I did; the sommelier, Freddy, was a treat and filled out the evening. However, he did keep pouring glass after glass of free tastings when he saw I was sharing with Mike and Connor, despite telling him I had to drive later. Other than that, he was charming, unpretentious, and easy to get along with. Overall, the service throughout the night was bang on. So much so, I began to think they had a microphone in our booth, listening to our comments. The portions were enormous given it was a tasting menu, and I was shocked I ate everything. The pacing probably had a lot to do with it. I believe it took us just over 2 and a half hours to dine.

I’ve probably already done enough writing. I will let the photos do the talking.

The draped ceiling at Le Cirque

Adorable monkey motif on the dinner plates

The murals, behind Mike. He is seated on the striped banquette.

Fountains, as seen from my seat.

Amuse bouche: Komomoto oyster with American caviar, served over crushed ice with blue curaçao for colour.

Unfortunately, Connor’s oyster was not properly shucked and he struggled to detach it from the shell. However, mine slid down my throat like a salty melting candy. This appeared to be one of only two missteps in the dinner service (the later being jus with a skin.)

To start: Lobster salad “Le Cirque“

This is one of the signature dishes, and rightfully so. Four large sweet chunks of poached lobster sat on a bed of avocado and green string beans, topped with tender frisée and microgreens and wrapped with cucumber. Spicy mayonnaise and balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Oddly, we did not receive the truffle chip that seems to be customary with this dish. The wine pairing was a 2002 Chablis, Vieilles Vignes from Burgundy.

First: Sautéed Hudson Valley foie gras

This rich slab of foie gras came on a bed of Asian pear, raspberries and topped with microgreens. What made this all the more decadent was the wine pairing: a Hungarian wine from the Royal Tokaji wine company, the 2003 5 Puttonyos. As Freddy, the sommelier said: “I like to serve fat with fat.” It was sweet, thick and rich. Excellent with the foie gras and fruit compote.

Second: Tomato-caper risotto, served with salted cod croquette and a quail egg.

This little pot may look diminutive, but let me assure you it was not. The hearty helping left me wanting more, and I was almost licking the velvety sauce out of the pot by the end. The salty capers bursting in my mouth paired unexpectedly well with the creamy, almost sweet risotto. Wine pairing: 2004 Domaine Leflaive le Clavoillon Puligny-Montrachet, from Burgundy.

Third: Paupiette of sea bass with braised leeks and red wine sauce.

Again, an enormous portion. Freddy came over with the wine, which was a 2002 Volnay “Vieilles Vignes” Jean-Marc Bouley. He said it was supposed to be the same wine in the sauce, or that he at least gave a bottle to the kitchen to use, and hoped that it made it in the dish. The synchronicity was really neat, and I enjoyed swilling back the wine and sauce at the same time. The crispy potato “skin” around the rich sea bass was a nice touch.

Fourth: Beef tenderloin, on wild mushrooms and pea mousseline, topped with potato “souffle” and dusted with cocoa nibs.

Extremely elaborate. A very fancy way to present a pretty basic meat and potato meal! This dish was very Vegas…the souffle on top was very reminiscent of the “cloud” that hovers over Fashion Show Mall. It tasted like a high end potato chip. The meat was tender, and the mushrooms a treat. The mousselline was the very essence of baby peas, and I couldn’t get enough. Mike was disappointed there was a skin on the jus from it sitting a bit too long. Seconds later, the maître d’ was at our table, confirming everything was alright. When we stated it was, he was insistent well tell him if something was not. This was when I began to suspect hidden microphones at the table. It was disturbing…how did they know?

Our set of silverware for the course included this adorable bee-decorated steak knife.

The wine pairing was a hefty red; a 2004 Chateau Moulin Saint Georges.

Then…the final stage: dessert.

Pre-dessert: Macerated berries with vanilla (?) sorbet and gold leaf.

The “bowl” was sugar and edible, although it hurt my teeth to eat it. At the start I had informed our server I was allergic to papaya and he was pleased I did, for this dish featured it heavily. Instead, I got wild berries. This refreshing course was light and cleansed our palates for…the main event, “dessert fantasy.”

Ice bowl with tequila sorbet and various fruits.

Chocolate souffle with crème anglaise and strawberry sugar.

We each received a different dessert, much to my pleasure. Michael received an ice bowl full of fruity frozen delights with tequila sorbet, I believe. (may have been strawberry soup, however) I got the chocolate souffle, which was a disappointment. Not in presentation or execution, though! I was simply more in the mood for a light fruity treat, such as the one Mike received. I later pawned my super rich, yet undeniably airy and light souffle off on Connor and Mike.

Connor’s was the most impressive dessert (although I neglected to ask for a taste of it!) A small black shiny “pearl” bombe the size of an plum was brought out on a plate. Placed in front of Connor, a hot chocolate sauce was poured on the bombe, melting the chocolate shell to reveal layers of praline and white chocolate ice cream. How amazing is that?

The final wine was a glass of 2003 late bottle vintage port.

To finish, petit fours.

I snatched the lemon meringue which was not overly cloying or sweet, and a perfect finish to the meal. Also on the plate, chocolate rice puff, some sort of jelly, raspberry tart, a chocolate praline or some kind and some marshmallowy thing. (can you tell I was growing weary by this point?)

A small memento to bring home. It’s a jewelry box, with two hidden drawers which were filled with two decadent truffles. As if I needed anything after that feast!

While not cheap, and not overly experimental or odd, the food and atmosphere were solid and a real bargain. The service, however, is what will make me consider going back. If not to visit Freddy, then to try their rabbit…

note: this post originally appeared on my personal blog on march 30 2008.

As if to spite me, Mike got the Michelin guide to Tokyo a week or two ago, and I’ve been reading about all the other places we could have eaten in Tokyo. We didn’t do badly at all, but … there is so much left to eat there. Must return. We’ve also been watching a great series called Japanorama, released in three series on BBCThree. It’s amazing.

Anyhow, I realized I haven’t actually written a lot about our trip to Tokyo. Obviously five days is all but a skimming of a city of Tokyo’s size, but I feel like we did everything we wanted to and it only whet our appetites for more. I can only say I’m nuts for food touring.

Even though the time we were to spend in Tokyo made up less than 10% of our trip, I was definitely the most excited about it and spent quite a bit of time researching things and trying to plan how to get to places. I was excited about things like gardens, general sightseeing and shopping, but the biggest reason we wanted to visit Tokyo was mostly for the food. With thousands of restaurants I wanted a general idea of where to start, so after finding a place to stay I pored over epicurean forums and review sites, magazine articles, anything that would point me in the right direction.

I perceived the language barrier and address finding would be difficult in Tokyo, so I found a few websites useful; reviews by Robbie Swinnerton from the Japan Times were extremely well written and included precise directions to the restaurants. Chowhound and Sunnypages were also useful, but I took the reviews on them with a grain of salt. Travel + Leisure magazine and the NYTimes also offered guidance. I did buy a guidebook, the Lonely Planet Tokyo urban guide, which turned out to be extremely useless in the streets as the directions were poor (even completely wrong in some cases) and were mostly good for sights to see and general prefecture information.

We picked out the things we wanted to eat, specific Japanese cuisines. Sushi topped the list of course, followed by udon and soba noodles, izakaya (specifically those serving whale and horse), yakitori, kobe, tonkatsu and tempura…basically eat as much as possible.

We ended up staying in a long-stay serviced apartment chain called Oakwood. I was dying to stay at the Park Hyatt, of course, but am not ready to spend that much on a hotel. The Oakwood (Shinjuku) was perfect for what we needed. $120 a night, a beautiful fully functional room (with only a double bed, though) in a great area. Shinjuku out to be a great place for two first time visitors as it was never longer than a few minutes ride on the train and no huge fares to get to the major other prefectures and sights. We stayed in the smallest studio room, and although I was honestly expecting a closet, the place was extremely well designed and laid out, even hiding a washing machine and kitchenette. Every nook and cranny had a purpose and although it was a bit tight with luggage and two people (one well over 6 feet tall) dancing around eachother, it was perfect.

The main hallway. There was a small nook to the right, like a reverse L, for the

double bed to hide in.

Double bed.

With over 200 exits and millions of people transiting everyday Shinjuku was a surreal train station to navigate at rush hour. Miraculously the seas of people parted as we walked ourselves and our luggage through the station, looking for the west exit (the hotel had provided decent directions but it was still disorienting to find where to start). I would highly recommend looking for the two maps posted in every train station and near every exit; the train station map and also the vicinity map. They are extremely useful and we were not the only people using them. The Tokyoites were often by them comparing a map on their cell phone to the vicinity maps. Streets are not always clearly marked, but eventually we realized we were heading the right way and soon were at the hotel.

Our first night we just ate at the first place we found. I think it was just a tempura/noodle joint, part of a chain. It was okay, but probably the worst meal of the trip. But, it got some grub into us and we went back to collapse in bed.

The next morning at about 8:30am we immediately headed to Tsukiji market. Although we got up relatively late, we didn’t actually want to go see the market in progress, just wanted to eat! (most people would recommend going as early at 5 or 6am to see the market and also to avoid lines waiting for a restaurant)

There are quite a few sushi and udon restaurants in the area, very few of them marked in English in any way. We walked from one of the exits at Tsukiji-shijo station taking a left then another left and through a truck loading zone. We weren’t even sure we were heading towards the actual market at that point and had no concept of where we were. We walked down one of the many side alley/walkways, passing rubber boot shops, souvenir joints and some restaurants. Down one there were two huge lines. I had read that any decent restaurant in Tokyo will probably have a line up, but we were also looking for either Sushidai or Daiwa Zushi to try, so we wandered a bit more, hoping for some clear sign for where we were.

These awesome “garbage can” battery powered scooters are everywhere,

delivering fish and assorted goods. They fit down alleys you’d never expect them to,

and soon they’re bearing down on you, honking furiously.

Watch out!

Finally, hungry and a bit cold, we decided to just go for the line up places. Somewhat randomly we picked the right hand lineup; after thirty or more minutes in line, we finally realized it WAS the line for Sushidai, and the other was Daiwa Zushi. The line up for Daiwa seemed to be moving faster, but we stuck to our guns. After a bit a little lady came out and sorted the line a bit. Because we were a group of two we were directed to the left hand sided. The line up seemed to be in a snake, winding horizontally from the restaurant. They would work in larger groups in between the smaller pairs, but it seemed a bit haphazard and random to be honest.

The line for Sushidai.

We probably waited just over an hour to get in. By that point we were cold as hell (packing for both a long trip to Thailand and a short trip to Japan proved problematic) and hungry. With about a dozen seats their turnover was surprisingly quick; the message is clear, eat and then get out. We both got the omakase (chef’s choice, the best of the day) which was stunning. Accompanied with hot green tea in a hand warming ceramic cup and a hot little bowl of fish head miso soup, the sushi came out fast and furious. There were ten pieces of nigiri, plus one of whatever you wanted for 3600 Yen ($36); fatty tuna, sea urchin, eel (conger, I think) shellfish, a seasonal, a roll, egg and few others thrown in.

The warm vinegary rice was hand packed and the fish was sliced on the spot, with just the right amount of wasabi (not freshly grated, sadly) and sometimes a sauce if needed. We were often told “no sauce” when a piece came out, and to be honest very little of the fish needed the assistance of the soy.

Buttery eel, creamy sea urchin, tender squid, clam, mackerel, tuna, even fluffy, slightly sweet and steaming tamago… we downed the pieces eaten right off the counter, hungry for more. We also ordered a few a la carte items, and the bill came to just about $75 for two. It was a magnificent feast for breakfast.

Aji, or horse mackerel with a garnish of scallions.

Our chef, one of three. His English wasn’t too bad, so we had a good idea of what we were consuming.

The bar curves, with just the smallest amount of room for the waitresses to get by to bring you tea and miso.

The sea eel

Some artist friends DEMANDED we check out some contemporary art in Japan, and although we weren’t sure where to go, Roppongi ended up being the destination, as we had a few things we wanted to see in the area. We passed Joel Robuchon’s restaurant and bakery in Roppongi Hills and I regret being so full of sushi (almost) because the baked goods looked so great.

The Mori art museum is on the top floor of Roppongi Hills, and we bought a combo ticket that gave us access to the museum and also to the Tokyo City view. Although there are free places see Tokyo from above, it seemed a good opportunity to get both things done as we were so time limited.

Roppongi Hills is well known for the giant spider sculpture, “Maman”, by Louise Bourgeois outside.

The museum was really great. There were free audioguides which enhanced our visit greatly. Some of the concepts and ideas were mind bending and truly beautiful, and even exposed some bits of Japanese culture which were fascinating.

This is by Deki Yayoi; it’s thousands of imprints of her fingers.

It’s also a totally illicit photo, which is why there are no more.

But the other works were also incredible.

After 90 minutes or so in the museum, we walked around the circumference of the floor, looking at the tiny people and cars 52 floors below. The haze and smog over the city was sadly covering Mount Fuji, but apparently you can see it on the right day.

People gazing out over the city from the tower.

The view below.

Now starving, again, we headed back towards Shinjuku. We originally hoped to find an izakaya but it seemed hard to think straight through the hunger and not get lost in the side streets of the area called “Piss Alley”.

There was a noodle place called Kuro-mon that seemed reasonably popular. We weren’t sure if they had an english menu, but pointing hadn’t done us wrong yet, so we gave it a try. Turns out they had a simple english menu, and they served soba and udon noodles. I got a regular sized plate accompanied by a cold broth filled with leeks and onions, served with some steamed chicken that I ordered as an addition. Mike got the “machinegun” broth, with a warning it was very spicy. He seemed to do alright at the start, but by the end as he slurped down the noodles his eyes and nose were watering. We both got a large mug of beer, complete with the head the Japanese seem to love on their brews.

The steaming baskets for the noodles.

A series of beeping timers helped the chef keep track of what batches were ready.

Day two started with a quick pastry from one of the chain coffeehouses near the hotel, and a hot Suntory coffee from a vending machine. YUM. Hot beverages aren’t dispensed like in North America, where it’s a hot coffee poured into a cup…in Japan the can is heated in the machine and comes out like a hot bullet.

In retrospect this wasn’t the most pleasing day in Tokyo; it was raining and quite a bit colder than the previous day. We spent most of it wandering around Harajuku and Shibuya, lost in mazes of stores that all looked the same. I love shopping, but even I felt overwhelmed by the multi level store complexes with entire floors dedicated to a specific trend/look. Little fit tall Mike, so we were dejected and worn out by the time lunch rolled around.

Still in Harajuku, we first visited Kiddyland (a toy store with several floors) which was an amazing source of childhood figures and icons from the past, but also new ones. There were also some super fun vending machines that spit out toys randomly. Some our scores were octopus bouncing balls, a small display of the female anatomical system and a Nintendo themed mini pen.

I expected an entire floor dedicate to Hello Kitty but instead there was just this “small” corner.

We bought several souvenirs and headed for lunch near Omotesando-dori. We had seen a review for a place that served tonkatsu (crispy fried pork cutlets) called Maisen in a free magazine and decided to walk there, despite the chilly weather.

Omotesando-dori is a pretty significant place for both fashion and architecture in Tokyo, incidentally. We came across the Prada store, and waltzed in, dripping wet and muddy from rain, all over their TOTALLY BEIGE CARPETS and they did not care. There wasn’t a mark on them, either. It was sick. We got an awesome bag for our umbrellas too (every store had some sort of auto bagging device for wet brollies) that had PRADA on it, but I was too shy to ask to keep it and tossed it in the bin with the rest of them.

photo from ManoloShoeBlog.com

Maisen turned out to be just what we needed. We followed a maze of alleys following a series of signs on lightposts to the restaurant (built in an old bath house) which was packed. We didn’t have to wait long, however, and were seated at the bar (which became our preferred seating place, due to it’s service and people watching). I had reservations that it would be a tourist trap, but it was excellent.

We were promptly served by a severe old woman, and warmed ourselves with hot tea that instantly appeared and later, miso. The tonkatsu were divine light-as-air, tender meat pieces, with a variety of sauces to apply. They were served bento style, with accompanying pickles (in addition to the appetizer plate of pickles we got), the aforementioned miso, a haystack of shredded raw cabbage and the cutlet on a wire rack, so as to not drip grease all over…if there was any to start with. Sitting at the bar allowed us to watch the proceedings in the kitchen as pound after pound of pork was marinated, dipped in the panko and fried. It was an efficient and delicious operation. If you do not care to wait, you can get your meal to go at the take out window outside the restaurant.

Somewhat recharged, we headed back out into the city and wore our feet out wandering about Shibuya. We had a few places in mind for dinner, one an izakaya, the other another soba place. After almost two hours of looking we could find neither, although we did manage to find the city’s gay district which was interesting. We seemed totally lost and dejected I’m sure, prompting a local gaijin out with his Japanese friend to ask us if we were lost. Neither him nor his friend knew where the Lonely Planet suggested restaurant we were looking for was, and they couldn’t suggest any (! still boggles my mind !) nearby places to eat other than an “Indian place that’s pretty good, and a Thai place above it that isn’t as good.” Thanks for nothing, dude.

We finally decided to head back to Shinjuku and picked the first izakaya we came across and had a variety of plates with large mugs of beer. Wanting to try more than one place we tried heading to another izakaya we’d seen earlier, only to find it was closing soon. It was Saturday night and there were legions of stumbling drunk young men on the streets, and a few people hurling into bags or garbage cans. It was pretty amusing.

We stopped to buy some plum wine and snacks near our hotel and spent the rest of the evening in, taking turns soaking in the incredibly small but incredibly deep bathtub that kept the water hot, automatically.

Ravenous the next morning we ate at the first french-style bakery we found, which served more Chinese based buns, with red bean curd and various meats in them. We had decided to stay close to home as our feet were still weary, and skipped on our plan to try and get into the sumo contest that was just getting under way. We had neglected to try and get seats the day previous and didn’t want to risk sitting on cement or even standing the entire day.

After eating we headed into nearby Isetan, and checked out the food hall, immediately regretting our sad breakfast. The Isetan at Shinjuku is amazing. I’m not sure if it’s the flagship store or how the food hall compares to others in Tokyo; I only have Singapore and Thailand for reference, but this place was mind boggling. They had grocery items, from kobe beef at $120 for 100g to a wall of soy sauces. The produce included “Queen’s Fruit” with $200 melons and $4 strawberries (how could we resist? It was excellent by the way).

Musk melons at the low, low price of 20000 Yen.

There were rows and rows of chocolate desserts, baguettes, pastries, cakes, cookies, all being pointed at by young ladies dressed in traditional kimonos and elaborate hairstyles for the coming of age ceremony that was happening that weekend. Salted fish, fresh fish, as well as ready to eat hot items and free samples for almost everything. We even had a mini tasting of sake at the liquor section, and bought a bottle. We got a few gyoza and other nibblies and made a mental note to return the next day for snacks for our flight to Bangkok

The only other thing really on our plate that day was eating more. We had wanted to rent a bike and eat a picnic in one of the parks but the weather was somewhat off putting, and there were too many restaurants and too little time left to mess around. I really need to learn to binge and purge before my next food-cation.

Many websites that discuss food in Tokyo divide the selections into area of the city or food category, or both. I had compiled a list of what cuisine we wanted to eat into areas of the city we wanted to visit so that if we were in an area we could find a suitable restaurant instead of traveling across the city for a place. One of the soba places I had chosen sounded absolutely divine and as soon as we had an inkling of hunger we immediately headed to it in Ginza.

After the horrible experience of the night previous, I was anxious we wouldn’t be able to find it, but it was daytime, it wasn’t raining and we weren’t blindingly hungry, so I was hopeful. In addition, the directions were incredibly precise…how could they lead us astray?

The place was shockingly easy to find, although the entrance was nothing more than a set of stairs down below the sidewalk and a small Japanese scripted sign outside with even smaller “Soba Sasuga” written in English at the bottom.

Not my picture; but this shows the small, unassuming entrance.

We weren’t sure if they had gotten an english menu (the review we read said it was forthcoming), so we had a simple list of three things to try, plus the necessary sake. When we entered the astonishingly beautiful and minimal dining room we were pleased to be seated in the more private back area, and even more pleased to get an English menu.

We still went with our initial picks however, and were graced with some simple chilled sake, a set of three tiny hills of pastes (miso, wasabi and buckwheat based, I believe) as an appetizer, and our main soba selections.

The three ‘hills’ of appetizers.

I got the hot broth soba (only served in the winter months) with a tempura of baby shrimp as a side, which was akin to eating a crispy cloud of shrimp flavour. I also received a small grated pile of fresh wasabi root and could do little to control my joy as I ate. Mike got the soba with hot broth.

The basket the soba are served on, if you get them chilled.

His hand made buckwheat soba came on a small basket plate and was made to be dipped into his broth. Just as his soba was down to the last noodle, a small teapot of sauce arrived and our server informed him he should add it to his remaining broth to drink. We said little as we savoured our meals, but noticed those around us were eating almost our exact meals; save for the champagne they were ordering bottle after bottle. Apparently it’s a great accompaniment to delicate soba.

The fresh wasabi and beautiful earthenware.

Our service was divine, and we weren’t sure how much English was spoken, but at the end the server (owner?) asked how it was. She seemed especially interested in how we liked our appetizers which she was was a traditional Japanese item. Her anxiety was unfounded however, as everything was amazing.

It was still really freakin’ cold out, so there weren’t many cosplayers out, sadly.

We spent some time walking through Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi park (and checking out the ubiquitous rockabillies and cosplay kids) and then went to a popular chain of izakaya called Tengu back in Shinjuku. It only became apparent to us upon close inspection of the sign that it was the place we were looking for; there is no english and the sign is described as a “long nosed goblin” painted in red.

See the goblin?

The location nearest our hotel turned out to be the second izakaya we had tried to go to the night previous, so it was somewhat fortuitous.

The place was packed!

We again sat at the bar and ordered item after item. Oysters, salted cod guts, pickles, tempura, and two of the items I had chosen this chain for; whale bacon and horse sashimi (Sorry if this offends my polite reader’s sensibilities). While I found it intensely odd and even somewhat morally suspect to be eating whale, I enjoyed the horse more. The whale was paper thin and had a fluorescent pink tinge to it. The horse was so tender it was like trying to pick up butter with chopsticks, and came with onions and a heaping pile of garlic to dress it with.

Whale on the left, horse on the right.

The drinks came fast and furious as well, many sochu or sake based cocktails in painfully unnatural colors. It was a solid choice for a chain, but I want to go somewhere a little less mainstream on the next trip.

We made plans to wake early to go back to Tsukiji and Sushidai again the next morning (our last day!) and awoke at 5am to get a move on. The city was pretty quiet and as we arrived at Tsukiji it seemed that the market was shut down, even though it was supposed to be open. We were pretty sure it was a public holiday, and we were shit out of luck. Fortunately we had a back up plan; it would require spending a bit more money but that seemed alright. We went to a branch of the Michelin starred sushi restaurant, Kyubey (a common alternate spelling is Kyuubei). It turned out to be the best decision of the trip and was a perfect last meal in Tokyo.

Mike got the omakase and I got one of the special set menus. Our meals differed slightly; I got things he did not (that he later ordered a la carte) and he got some things I did not; yet there was no lag in service or obvious missing items. The bill was about $230 for lunch for two.

The bar and chefs of Kyubey.

The fish was immaculate; chosen and cut for perfection on the spot; even seemingly sized differently for the size difference in our mouths. True made to order sushi and nigiri. Some of the fish would come out of the kitchen and our chef would further trim it at the bar if need be. Again, fresh grated wasabi root (which we did not get at Sushidai) and ginger were served right on the bar.

Although I think there is some merit to the idea that some western tongues could never understand the difference between a $20 and a $200 sushi meal, it was apparent to us what the differences were. We tried several types of clam we’d never seen before, tuna belly, abalone, horse mackerel … some unusual things we may not have until our next visit, to be honest.

It was English limited so we’re not completely sure exactly what we got, but every piece was amazing. Also included were miso and a palate cleanser at the end of refreshing daikon slices with shiso leaf and plum sauce in a sort of sandwich. While we were there our chef also prepared some sushi rolls in elaborate wrapping for a woman to take home with her. I couldn’t think of a more perfect present for a food lover.

We visited Isetan again, picked up some satsumas and other little snacks for the plane ride onward to Bangkok. Our plane was delayed quite a few hours and we spent time drinking beer dispensed by the beer pouring robot in the Northwest Airlines lounge, visiting the origami museum in the terminal (highly recommended) and even getting therapy at the oxygen bar for free.

I can’t wait to return to Japan…so many foods left to try, and eat again. I’ve heard some describe the city as alienating and confusing, but I find it was anything but. We never made it to a kobe, shabu shabu or fugu place, so those are definitely on the list.