Sushi Request

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/17 sec, ISO3200
“Fancy Sushi” Austin, 2019

Bay is visiting us for the long weekend, and he had three dinner requests: Carbonara, karaage, and Komé (our favorite Japanese restaurant). We tend to order our favorites, which for me includes saba and ankimo. When I first started eating sushi in my early 20s, I’d always get maguro and California roll, but I rarely eat those any more. Sometimes I will have some maguro sashimi, but never nigiri. Tastes change and that’s part of the fun – I wonder what will be my favorite sushi ten years from now…

Pumpkin Spice Season

Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/30 sec, ISO285
“Wall of Pumpkin Spice” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Good news if you like all things Pumpkin spice – the season is in full-swing! I was at my local supermarket and noticed they have a wall of Autumn-flavored “foods”. It’s interesting to see how food-designers and marketers up their game year-over-year to take advantage of the pumpkin-spice craze to sell their goods. Alas, I myself only like pumpkin pie and salted pumpkin seeds (and will drink a pumpkin beer if offered) so I am not tempted by the Pumpkin Spice Wall. 🎃 I suppose that’s good for my wallet.

またね~

Curry Time

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
“Pork Curry” Cedar Park, 2019

Tonight we had Japanese curry カレーライス, made with pork. But what made it special was that this recipe is a favorite of Mariko’s friend, and includes plenty of fresh puréed apples. The sweetness tasted great, but I had to add a Serrano pepper (not pictured) from the garden to my curry to bring up the heat level to my liking. 🌶️ 🔥 😄

Now that the weather is changing, it’s time for our favorite Japanese cool-weather foods: curry, oden, and nabé. Those are good anytime, but especially welcome in the colder months.

またね~

Saké and Sushi Pairing

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/45 sec, ISO6400
“Sushi Selection” Austin, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Mariko and I went to Komé Sushi Kitchen for a saké pairing dinner. I don’t know much about saké except that I enjoy it (Mariko makes fun of me because I usually just say, “This is good. I like it.”) but I though this would be a good opportunity to get some education. I admit that I might not have learned much (my fault, not Komé’s that’s for sure), but I sure enjoyed the food that was paired with the saké. The sushi was fantastic. ❤️ 🍣

For the record, I enjoyed the Kuroushi saké the most. 🍶 😊

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO3200
“Kuroushi” Austin, 2019

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Matsutake Mushroom Rice

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
“Mastutake Rice” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Mariko recently bought some matsutake mushrooms and we enjoyed them in a yummy rice dish. Matsutake mushrooms are pretty expensive, but Mariko got a great deal on them and the quality (I’m not the best judge on that) seemed pretty good. I mean, I thought the rice was delicious, so hey, it was at least “good-enough” quality, right? 😊

Mariko also grilled saba (mackerel), shishito peppers, and prepared a simple salad. A perfect Japanese home-style meal to have with the mushroom rice.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
“Japanese Home-style Dinner” Cedar Park, 2019