torakris

Wow, Kristin, that looks absolutely amazing! I've only had horse a few times (in Italy) and found the meat quite rich and rather sweet. This would seem to go well, I imagine, with the pungent seasonings, the sweetness marrying well with the deeper flavours of the soy and garlic. Do you eat horse often and is it widely available in Japan? Of course it's unobtainable in England. And even in France I think the boucheries chevalines are these days on the decline (though you still see them in cities and small towns alike, with the golden horse head marking them out). MP ← Yes it was a bit richer and on the sweet side and it really carried the seasonings well. Horse meat is still eaten quite a bit in Japan , some areas more than others, most supermarkets in my area will carry a couple small blocks of it.

Not too long ago I had had yuke at a sushi bar and it was made with whale meat, it was incredible! It got me thinking about trying it with other meats as it can be hard (and expensive) to buy beef meant for eating raw. Last night I made it with horse meat! You would never have known it wasn't beef...

I am surprised no one has mentioned kaisou (seaweed salads), these are probably some of my favorites especially with a nice fruity dressing.

I don't think it was Asahi but I tried a fruit beer a couple months back at a restaurant here. I can't remember what fruit it was but it was red... I hate beer! I can't even be in the same room beer is served in, but this was drinkable. It was much more similar in Chu-Hi to taste, I could only drink half of it though. Oolong chu-hi is quite popular here and probably a regular on the chi-hi menu in restaurants. My husband mixes his shochu with green tea at home as he doesn't really care for oolong cha.

It cost about 800 yen (just under $7) for 170 grams (6 ounces).

Last night I prepared yukhwe (Korean dish of seasoned raw beef) using horse meat, the results were outstanding. I will be doing this again!

1. Welcome torakris - and almost-happy b-day! 2. Is Stir Crazy a chain? I'm assuming it's an Asian-themed stir-fry restaurant? u.e. ← Well thank you for the welcome.... and the birthday wishes. Stir Crazy is a sort of Asian fusion kind of place, half of the menu is a create your own stirfy; you decide the ingredients, sauces, etc and they make it for you. Like Ronnie said their seared tuna salad is very good, it was probably my favorite dish as well.

Legacy Village a new upscale mall on Cleveland's east side has some very good dining options, many of hem with terraces for alfresco dining. Last summer I had excellent lunches at both Brio Tuscan Grille and Stir Crazy. Most of the other Cleveland malls have the typical food courts, but Golden Gate (a strip mall) has Otani's a good Japanese restaurant even though it is sandwiched between a Chuck E Cheese and TGIFriday's.....

Susan, that bacon is the most incredible thing I have ever seen. This book has been in shopping cart at Amazon Japan since before it was out, I have been hoping the price would come down but it is still over $40 here.... This thread is getting to be too much for me, I can feel my credit card creeping out of my wallet....

I had no experience with Australian meats until I moved to Japan where most of the imported beef and lamb currently comes from Australia/NZ. I will take Australian beef over American any day, though I would probably buy the Japanese beef if I could afford it... I never ate lamb growing up and the first time I tasted it was in Japan, it was Australian lamb and I loved it. Last summer I was at a BBQ at my aunt's house (in the US) and she had shishkabobs and I thought it was pork as it had that mild nondescript meat flavor. Later she said they were lamb and I was shocked as I had never eaten lamb that was so lacking in flavor....

I am another who can't live without coffee, but it must be iced! Any time of year...

You could try Kozue in the Park Hyatt (Shinjuku), it is probably one of the most famous Japanes restaurants in the city. Being in a major hotel they take any credit cards and seating is all western. Tokto Food Page review

I have never seen dried warabi either, the very few times I have bought warabi I buy it water packed (mizu-ni 水煮). I usually cook it with a Korean flavor, I saute it with sesame oil then slowly simmer it with soy sauce, sake, sugar and garlic, finally tossing it with sesame seeds.

Here is another interesting article There is a Mother's Organic Market less than 2km from my house (it has been there for about 7 years or so), I stop by every so often but I think am going to go soon and give their macrobiotic bento a try.

Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit in the title... but it is becoming very popular. A couple years ago I noticed some macrobiotic restaurants opening up in my area, they didn't necessarily use the word macrobiotic but that is what they were. They referred to themselves as organic as that was the word of the moment, but the foucs was on vegetables and whole grains, beans, etc. About a year ago I noticed a macrobiotic cookbook and wondered if this was the start of something. Fast forward one year later and macrobiotic cookbooks have taken over the shelves. I also mentioned in the Foodex thread that I noticed a focus on macrobiotic ingredients at this year's show. Here is a Japan Times article on some macrobiotic restaurants

Here are some previous threads you might want to take a look at French Pastry Shops in Japan Western Style Sweets What Desserts must I Try?

Does anyone know if sushi shops ever use real wasabi in their nigiri sushi? I have never been to any really high end shops but I never never eaten sushi made with anything other than the wasabi paste. I know some palces will serve it with their sashimi... There are also some noodle shops (and not necessarily high end) I have been to that serve fresh wasabi, often with the grater so that you can grate it yourself.

The recipe was straight out of Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book, page 44. I hot smoked them grill/smoker (3rd one down).

This is such a great and informative thread that I am going to pin it, so that it doesn't fade away in a couple of months!

I just found out that the one of the two hosts of the show is Yuji Miyake from the Dochi no Ryouri show!! The other is Tetsuya Takeda (from 3年Ｂ組fame). Since almost half of the show is going to be in studio, I am going to meet Miyake-san! I am so excited. The sausage filming went great yesterday.... smoked andouille sausages

The are probably the best ones I have made so far!! andouille sausages just pulled from the smoker

I have just recently started making cheese at home and reallt enjoy it. Currently the only book I have is Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll I think this may be the only book you need as there is a huge variety of cheese recipes and tons of information. I have made most of the non-aged cheeses (I am not patient enough for aged cheese!) and haven't been disappointed. Her 30 minute mozarella is incredibly easy and so much fun that my kids always insist on getting involved. I would love to see more cheesemaking discussion here.....

matcha (green tea) flavored mushi pan It sort of looks like styrofoam and that is exactly how it tasted....

Those are some of the prettiest gyoza I have ever seen! I ran across that trick a while ago but I always forget to try it out...

Sakura mochi ice cream It wasn't awful but I won't get it again. It had litle chucks of "mochi" that tasted more of plastic. Two days ago at Foodex I also was able to sample a sakura natto, with bits of minced sakura leaves, that I really enjoyed. sakura natto