Now, full-disclosure, I was NOT prepared for this. But as soon as I got to Cleveland and told people I was a foodie, EVERYONE was telling me about the Night Market. Located in the heart of Asiatown on the last Friday of the month, it's part cultural festival, food festival, and crafts market. There's music, food, art, performance, music... EVERYTHING. I was having a very bad day this particular Friday, and decided to just GO to the thing, even though I wasn't prepared, just because I needed the pick-me-up. And it breaks me, because there were SO MANY GREAT VENDORS THERE, and I only got a few shots off before the phone I had on hand died, but I did see a really cool 'tour bus' for Tour de Cleveland, had some AMAZING little bonbons from Sugar Bomb Confections (those ladies were a HOOT), a jolly man from J. Gumbo's selling THE BEST CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE I'VE EVER HAD, a firetruck-turned-food truck from Firehouse Grilling Co., a Korean-style hot dog... God, SO much food, and I only had $20 to really enjoy it, which is NEVER ENOUGH at a food festival, as you well know. I've since bought myself a digital camera, but moments like this were times I legitimately mourned my poverty.
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Mmm... Bahn Mi. Today I'm hanging out with MANDEM, a painter duo here in Cleveland, OH I know from the Abney Park circles, who do some AMAZING artwork, and are also working out of the Negative Space Gallery in the Asia Town Center. Now, you know me -- I LOVE Asian cuisine, and there's also a grocery st ore in here, which I am drooling over (now I know where to go to get the good stuff...), and for lunch today, we're having Vietnamese.
A PHENOMENAL bahn mi sandwich with pork, in-house made pickles and carrots and a sprig of... Err. Parsley? I need to learn my herbs better. The bread had a nice toasted crunch to it, with a subtle sweetness, which mixed nicely with the meat and pickle in a simple, but delectable bahn mi. I also got spring rolls -- so tasty, fresh and crispy vegetables and perfectly cooked shrimp wrapped in rice paper, with a gorgeous peanut dipping sauce. I was sad when it was over, but SO HAPPY to have had the experience. If you've never had Vietnamese food, this is a pretty simple way to break in without trying anything too terrifying for nervous eaters. It's not unlike the Vietnamese take on a Cubano, in fact! But without the mustard, heh. One of the best bahn mis I've had, simple and clean and not over-complicating anything. The folks who ran the shop also had very prompt and friendly service! Will definitely look forward to coming here again. Also. I love this little cup. I've had it for years now -- it's covered in sashimi and sushi, and I picked it up at a Japanese import shop back in my hometown.
Do you have a favorite sushi roll? Favorite sashimi? I love masago, but I think unagi is my favorite, although I've really come to love salmon lately. This is the face of a man who has no idea what he's doing... Today is the first day of Lent, and we barely remembered to hit a church for some ashes, and to pretend like we totally planned it, we're going to rejoice in the coming challenge of Lent dietary requirements by going to one of the few reliable places in town for seafood: Red Lobster. Just run with it, okay?
Lotus Garden is one of the Tuscon Originals, an establishment that's been around since 1968, and is still the oldest family-owned Chinese restaurant in Tucson. It's a rather nice restaurant, a fine dining experience with Chinese and Szechuan classics, as well as a rather lovely gift shop. The owner's octegenarian mother still works there almost every day, it's definitely a family business, and the love and care is easy to see.
Well, Cookie and I are out on the town trying to find a theatre that ISN'T sold out for Star Wars (like you do), and any time we end up at Tucson Mall... We gotta do a #RumbelleHamburgerDate at Red Robin. HAVE TO.
I'm sure there's a brand name there, but my Japanese isn't THAT good. So, furikake (not to be confused with the other popular -ukake that I know you're thinking of, you pervert) is a 'rice condiment', which might sound weird to an American who doesn't eat that much rice, but to a culture that generally treats everything to a side of white rice, it's like not having ketchup for your fries. Furikake is usually dried seaweed or flavouring as a kind of 'seasoning' which you can mix in with your rice (or just toss on top) to make finishing off that last bit of white a pleasure, or A MIDNIGHT SNACK, like I do. This is salmon furikake, made with dried salmon, seaweed, and a few other spices, AND IT IS AMAZING. I picked up some salmon because salmon is one of Cookie's most favourite things, and sold her on this pretty darned quick. If you are of the Japanese bento box persuasion, eat a lot of Chinese take out, or are generally trying to find a healthier snack, consider some white rice and a bit of furikake for an interesting change of pace.
Ah, Kappy's. A local favourite, Kappy's is a pub/sports bar type place down on Wilmot/Grant. Joanne is an old family friend of the owners and has some embarassing graduation day memories there, but one of the things WE love about Kappy's is their AYCE fish fry on Fridays! This is especially a big deal for Lent, when eating fish for meats on Fridays is totally a thing.
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Brunch w/ BlakeHalf-boricuan, half-corn fed Indiana hick. Stir in a taste of the southwest and serve in LA, on the rocks. #BrunchWithBlake #FoodPorn #LAFoodie Archives
July 2021
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