snausages2000

MKJR, Dont sweat it if you don't plan every food destination. I found no drop-off between the places I had made a point of going to and the places I just stumbled into because they looked interesting. My general impression in Japan was that the quality of local ingredients - beef, pork, poultry, fowl, vegetables - was so high you could walk into most places and be rewarded with fresh, flavorful food.

Also, I've now captioned most of the photos, so there's a bit more info if you go to the link in my first post.

Colorful Cake: The shop is on one of the main shopping streets in central Kyoto - a street that runs perpindicular to the river. (Maybe Shijo-dori?) It's on the side of the street closer to the Kyoto train station (not that it's close to the train station). I noticed that the store also seems to sell its stuff in the basement pastry section of the Takashiyama department stores. Tempura: I believe it was eel tempura. But I might be wrong. It was ordered in the latter stages of an epic meal. Yes, Gonpachi. About 8 blocks from Roppongi Crossing. Chicken Skin: Yes, chicken skin. In a great little Izikaya on the far end of the Dotombori arcade in Osaka. But chicken skin yakitori seems to be readily available in Japan. Was on the menu in many places and I had it again a couple times in Tokyo.

Yes, 12000 yen for one colorful cake. The picture, happily, was free.

I shared your uncertainty over whether it was food. The first thing I asked was, "Is this food or soap?" Turns out it's a decorative dessert from a fancy little sweets shop in Kyoto. It has a gummy, rubbery, mochi texture. Each color within the cake is a different flavor. It's about 6 inches tall and costs 12,000 yen. I'd say appearance trumps taste. Amazing to look at, but not much flavor. There was also a brick of dense, sweet rainbow gelatin, reminiscent, visually, of Rachel Perlow's rainbow jello.

Thank you to everyone who's contributed to this board. I just spent two weeks in Japan and eGullet, as always, provided much guidance... Here are 132 photos of food from the trip to prove it: Japan Food I didn't caption any of the pictures, but would be happy to answer any questions about them. Though, the catch-all answer is: delicious.

--Spicy & Tasty --Waterfront International Enterprises for the Crispy Lamb with Spices. Delicious. Only Chinese restaurant focusing on cuisine of Liaoning Province that I know of. Just get a plate of the lamb and some beer if you want a snack. But other unique dishes are Country Style Green Bean Sheet, Whole Jellyfish Flower, and Mixed Sweets 40-09 Prince St --I highly recommend dinner at Shanghai Tide. It's an all you can eat (and drink beer) hot pot bonanza for like $20. Throw 100 things in the spicy smoky boiling broth, make your own dipping sauce at the sauce bar, and eat and get drunk. Especially enjoyable in a big group. 13520 40th Rd

Went to Waterfront International Enterprises (40-09 Prince St. Flushing) a couple nights ago. Food is from the northern Chinese Liaoning Province, which borders North Korea. I suspect that the (giant) menu contains dishes from many regions and that a more specifically Liaoningese meal than mine could be orchestrated. The staff was great. Super friendly, though clearly amused by how much food a couple of white kids ordered. After the first round the waitress said, 'you've ordered 7 dishes - you sure you want this much?' Before it was over we'd had 11 dishes. When in Flushing... Country Style Green Bean Sheet Dried Tofu Skin With Peppers Pea Shoots Jellyfish Fried Crispy Pork with Orange Flavor Steamed Buns with Sour Cabbage and Pork Lamb with Spices (Whole Roasted Cumin) Assorted "Sweets" (Banana, Taro, Apple, Pineapple Coated in Hot Sugar. You dip it at the table in cold water and they turn into hard candied nuggets.) Jellyfish Flower with Scallion Waitress (who I fell in love with) cutting up the Jellyfish Fried Eggplant Stuffed With Cabbage and Minced Pork Tendon in Spicy Sichuan Pepper Sauce Consistently good. Definitely worth a repeat visit, though I'd say the success (as in, 'this dish is awesome') rate was only about 50%. But the menu is huge and I think it'd take a few visits to really master it, figure out what the kitchen most excels at. Next time I'd order the Lamb (it was great), the Green Bean Sheet, the Dumplings and the Pea Shoots and then start fresh from there. The Jellyfish Flowers must be tried, but their appearance and texture (crunchy) were a bit too suggestive of...jellyfish. They serve beer by the pitcher, which is fun.

East Village Often: San Loco Chickpea The Malted Guy (Ray) on Ave A. and 7th St. Less Often: Punjabi Angon B&H Moonstruck Diner I would, but I just end up eating there instead: Momofuku Klong Grand Sichuan Kenka Katz's What's Missing: Pizza. The East Village may be the city's worst neighborhood for slices. Actually, Penn Station is terrible too. Haven't found a neighborhood slice that I'm into. A couple borderline options on 1st. and A, but the places themselves are all unappealing to sit in, which is a hindrance. I was spoiled by Fascati in Brooklyn Heights. I used to like Five Roses, but it's 2 blocks too far. Don't believe in delivery.

Oops, I meant to say whole SARDINES. No anchovies.

Yeah, it's a bit steep for me as well - if it was cheaper I'd be there more often. Then again, the food compares pretty favorably with restaurants in its price range, such as Babbo, so I don't begrudge them for my difficulty with the tab (I begrudge my boss).

Oh, and I'm hoping this hasn't changed since I was last there, but they have the most reasonably priced oysters I've found in the city in an upscale restaurant. $1.25-$1.50 each. Seems lots of places are comfortable charging $3.00+ per oyster.

Has anyone been to Della Rovere yet, down on W. Broadway, a block below Canal? I've been a few times since they opened (a couple months ago) and they've been churning out great food. My two favorite dishes: Veal Cheeks (sort of a stew) Whole Anchovies served on Bread with a poached egg on top. Also, the desserts are pretty special. Instead of a rote list of Italian standards, there's a real selection of unique, inspired sweets. The chief creative forces in the kitchen recently worked at Le Cirque and Per Se. My only complaint, and I suppose this is to be somewhat expected at a new restaurant, has been the service. It's been clumsy and amateurish. Oh, and the two-top tables in the front room, though totally attractive, are way too heavy and thick. You need like two people to help you move it so you or your date can slide into the booth. But, those issues are easily forgotton - the food is hearty, both refined and soulful and totally worth checking out. (And they have like 100 wines by the glass) Entrees ($25-$30) Crudi ($6-$10) Della Rovere 250 W. Broadway, at Beach St.; 212-334-3470

You could make a case for Ivo & Lulu in this category. It's not a French bistro, but it's a bistro with French Caribbean cooks. It's BYOB, with a very limited menu. You won't be getting traditional French dishes, but it certainly feels like French cooking and $30 will get you 3 courses, including tax and tip.

But, JJ what did you really have for dinner? Surely you weren't full from your $25 slice and soda. You must have eaten something else, later that same night. I'm hungry just thinking about how hungry I was after I ate at UPN...