Botan: Put a little sukiyaki fire in your belly
On one side of the battered shōji screen with its panels of flimsy washi paper, the sleet and biting wind. On the other, a small old-fashioned hibachi brazier, its coals glowing softly. There's no contest: At Botan, the charcoal wins every time. But that flickering ...
Nihonbashi Dashi Bar: A dedicated dashi bar you can put stock in
Nothing is more important in Japanese cooking than dashi, the fundamental cooking stock that underpins every aspect of the cuisine. There are many ingredients that can deliver a boost of umami savor, both natural (konbu seaweed or shiitake mushrooms) and artificial (various powders out ...
Suzunari: Who says kaiseki ryōri has to be stuffy?
Kaiseki ryōri, Japan's traditional multicourse "haute cuisine," is known for its rarefied elegance, its depth and subtlety of flavor, an exquisite focus on the seasons and, too often, for being as much fun as a funeral. But there is also another kind of kaiseki, ...
Kyotei Daikokuya: The most satisfying soba in temple town
Few visitors to Asakusa venture beyond the shops and temple precincts around Sensoji. But for aficionados of artisan noodles, the grid of backstreets tucked away behind the mighty temple holds an extra attraction: Kyotei Daikokuya, a quaint little soba restaurant that many consider among ...
Shichi Jyu Ni Kou: Japanese cuisine that follows nature's cues
Japan, as has been said far too often, is a country of four seasons. But that tired old mantra is by no means the whole truth. The ancient lunisolar calendar recognizes 24 distinct divisions in the year, while haiku poets and others attuned to ...
Namikibashi Nakamura: Celebrating spring with sake and seasonal fare
Is it too soon — postquake, post-tsunami and still mid-nuclear crisis — to eat, drink and be merry? It's certainly a valid question. The answer, for us at any rate, is no, especially if we know that by doing so we can provide a ...
Kamikozawa-tei: Shabu-shabu in modernist mode
There's no finer way to eat on a chilly winter evening than sitting around a bubbling nabe hot pot. No matter what the ingredients — meat, fish, tofu or vegetables — just cooking and eating from the same communal casserole is nourishment for both ...
What squids shine in yonder bay
Squid, octopus and cuttlefish belong to a large group of marine invertebrates called cephalopods. The word means foot-headed, and it is an appropriate name for these creatures because their tentacle feet sprout from above their eyes and brain. They are found all over, and ...
