07.06.10
Posted in Environment, Restaurants at 2:29 pm by site admin
Check out this article at nytimes.com titled Tuna’s End. Gist is: Man is over harvesting the oceans. Shallow water fishing has given to deep sea fishing. Countries now compete for fishing quotas in every major body of water, leaving no quarter for fish to thrive. Not many fish species left…
Here are two reasons that a mere fish should have inspired such a high-strung confrontation reminiscent of Greenpeace’s early days as a defender of whales. The first stems from fish enthusiasts who have for many years recognized the particular qualities of bluefin tuna — qualities that were they land-based creatures would establish them indisputably as “wildlife” and not just another “seafood” we eat without remorse. Not only is the bluefin’s dense, distinctly beefy musculature supremely appropriate for traversing the ocean’s breadth, but the animal also has attributes that make its evolutionary appearance seem almost deus ex machina, or rather machina ex deo — a machine from God. How else could a fish develop a sextantlike “pineal window” in the top of its head that scientists say enables it to navigate over thousands of miles? How else could a fish develop a propulsion system whereby a whip-thin crescent tail vibrates at fantastic speeds, shooting the bluefin forward at speeds that can reach 40 miles an hour? And how else would a fish appear within a mostly coldblooded phylum that can use its metabolic heat to raise its body temperature far above that of the surrounding water, allowing it to traverse the frigid seas of the subarctic?
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05.26.10
Posted in Restaurants at 8:29 pm by site admin
Kinda cool. Check out this article about Congee.
Congee, for the uninitiated, is basically rice boiled with water until it has a porridge-like consistency. I know, it sounds pretty boring. But don’t stop reading yet. The genius is in the garnishes — which can be seafood, sausage, pork, duck, thousand-year-old egg and a kazillion other tidbits. Before digging in with a Chinese soup spoon, you dose your congee(known as jook in Cantonese) with chile paste, soy sauce, cilantro and peanuts.
I’m crazy for dishes in which every bite is slightly different, which is to say, don’t mix up your congee to make a homogenous mass. Those Chinatown congee were mostly seafood, brilliant because the cook adds the bits of squid, fish, shrimp to each bowl just before serving. The rice is so hot it cooks them right in the bowl, and as a result each element has a pure, bright flavor.
And heres a bit about preparation:
It’s laughably easy to make at home. Basically, it involves boiling one cup of rice to eight cups of water. (Use more if you like your porridge looser.) Remember to wash the rice well beforehand until there’s no floury residue. Some aficionados use brown rice or mixed whole grains. Find your preference. Some like the rice cooked until it’s broken down almost into a slurry. Others like to stop while the grains of rice are still intact. (That would be me.) Some like to build in a little flavor by cooking the rice with sliced fresh ginger or a few dried shiitake mushrooms.
Making congee is a great way to use up leftovers too small for anything else. If you have a few slivers of pork, half a chicken breast, shredded duck confit, a little ragù, a couple of shrimp left over from some other meal, put them in a congee. When I went to check out the new McCall’s Meat & Fish in Los Feliz, I picked up a small piece of Kurobuta pork loin, just under half a pound, that was sitting in the case. Stir-fried, it would be enough to garnish congee for four.
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08.06.06
Posted in Restaurants at 5:28 pm by site admin
Check out this review on my favorite Indian restaurant in Houston, Bombay Brasserie. You can read the article for the review. I thought this one part was funny:
The screen shows a continuous loop of dark brown, gloppy-looking Indian curries to passersby. I wonder how many would-be customers have changed their minds after looking at the disgusting tape and decided to go to Kubo’s and eat some sushi instead.
I’ve never noticed whats on the tv, but I know its there.
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03.26.06
Posted in health, Restaurants at 8:51 pm by site admin
I stumbled upon this brief discussion/explanation while surfing the internet. The article says that dog is eaten in the following south east Asian countries: China, South Korea, Phillipines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
“Dog meat is fine, tasty and can warm the body” (Beijing Youth Daily, September 16, 1999).
The article also states that dogges are slaughtered rather cruely- by baiting their flesh to soften their meat.
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10.08.05
Posted in Restaurants at 8:16 pm by site admin
It seems like Japanese sushi restaurants are popping up everywhere in houston. Every other day I see a new one. Some of them have good names and character, some of them are just another wannabe place. The last couple I have seen that have stuck in my mind are:
1. Sushi King. What a name. I went in briefly and I saw a really fancy place with over priced sushi. It just seemed they were just another one of those places. I didnt eat there, and I probably wont. AND they didnt have ramen.
2. Sakana. I just heard about this place. I hear its traditional and maybe worth visiting sometime in the near future.
3. Sage 400 Japanese Cuisine (which is suprisingly located on 2800 Sage #A-400). [713-961-9566]. This place opened about 4 weeks ago so I’m sure they havent worked out all the kinks. I went there about a week ago and had a poor dining experience. While the food was reasonably good, it was not worth the wait or the price. The restaurant had 7 people at the sushi bar and 4-5 tables occupied. Our food took around 45 minutes to get to us. After everything was said and done, we ended up going to Teppay for a followup. It was awesome. While their menu is very small, we were able to order several dishes off the menu. The restaurant was not packed at all, and the service was excellent. Our meal ended with a small dish of freshly cut mangoes, asian pears, and grapes.
We also made a trip to the Cafe Japon on Kirby on Friday night. Sadly, the dumpster for the Taco Cabana is 5 meters from the front door. The smell of rotting mexican food fills the air in front of the place. Even at 9pm on a friday the place was packed. We got gawking stares all the way to our table. After a quick look at the menu, we decided to leave for a place with a better ambiance.
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11.15.04
Posted in Restaurants at 5:33 pm by James
A story after my own stomach: Here Comes Ramen, the Slurp Heard Round the World. I am not a big fan of instant noodles, but the real deal is the real deal. Its like this in thailand. noodle shops everywhere. In houston all we have are vietnamese noodle shops. they are good, but they are not as sophisticated as ramen shops. This is true asian fastfood, not like american fast food made from questionable and unknown animal and plant products that is frozen and flown from distant countries. This stuff is made from scratch with great flavor and a complex array of meat, vegetables, etc. The great thing about soup is that it cooks in a snap. Compare that to american fastfood where u get your potatoes cooked in a a stew of oil.
I think soup shops will change the landscape of quick bites. This was an idea i was considering a while ago.. Gotta finish school first.
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10.25.04
Posted in Restaurants at 10:33 am by James
I went to Central Market today, the first time in about 2 weeks. Turns out shortly after my haitus started, they changed the format of the sandwich bar. They changed the format from two sets of spreads and fixings with meat and cheeses in the middle to 3 sets of spreads and fixings with meat below. This seems good from an efficiency point of view: they can service more people in a shorter number of time. However, they slimmed down the available condiments. The cranberry spread and carmelized onions are no longer available. 
. During the summer they dropped picked onions from the list. The frequent CM shopper will recall that CM limited the type of fixings last year. (ie. avocade, roasted red peppers, squash, zucchini started to be an extra charge) So now my sandwich is reduced to a semi-mundane: bread, spread, meat, lettuce, tomato, onion. Some customers were complaining that they would prefer to see the meat and cheese on the table. I agree. Picking the sandwich meat is like asking for mystery meat. You dont really know what they have… So maybe on my next trip, I’ll write down a note and drop it in their suggestion box.
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08.16.04
Posted in health, Restaurants at 9:13 pm by James
In case you didnt know, monosodium glutamate is a compound in seaweed. Glutamate is a highly regulated chemical of the nervous system, and a proper balance is necessary for healthy brain and organ function. Every major organ contains glutamate receptors. Many foods, such as soybeans and tomatoes, contain naturally high levels of free glutamate.
Reported reactions to MSG include: headaches, migraines, stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma attacks, shortness of breath, anxiety or panic attacks, heart palpitations, partial paralysis, “heart-attack like symptoms,†balance difficulties, mental confusion, mood swings, behavioral disorders (especially in children and teens), allergy-type symptoms, skin rashes, runny nose, bags under the eyes, flushing, mouth lesions, depression, and more. In addition, medical research has demonstrated glutamate relationships in Alzheimer’s Disease, ALS (Lour Gehrig’s Disease), diabetes, Huntington’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.
==Ingrediants that contain Msg==
* Monosodium Glutamate
* Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
* Hydrolyzed Protein
* Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
* Plant Protein Extract
* Sodium Caseinate
* Calcium Caseinate
* Yeast Extract
* Textured Protein
* Autolyzed Yeast
* Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
Check out www.nomsg.com and www.msgmyth.com
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03.31.04
Posted in Restaurants at 6:52 pm by James
I was in an anti-sushi mood for a while. It happened right after I realized that sushi is VERY cheap at the japanese supermarket. I was looking for
a good finger food/snack food and I eventually found sushi again. After trying a couple of places, there is no place like Ginza. They have pretty good sushi and decent prices, AND a good staff. Top on the list is:
1. Spicy Tuna rolls (Extra spicy)
2. Unagi
3. Spider Rolls
4. Miso Ramen with a Raw Egg and Tofu Skin
5. Super white tuna
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