Cheer Up With Food

I had to save my best dining experience in Japan for last at  Sushi Bar Yasuda !  When my husband and I entered the small, intimate restaurant, we saw Chef Yasuda standing alone at the bar.  He had no facial expression (maybe he was getting into the zone?).  As everyone sat down, he was preparing our foods and began talking to us in a calm, friendly manner.   As the night progressed, we all were having interesting conversations with Chef Yasuda from his life back in New York (he was the former owner of Sushi Yasuda ), sushi making techniques (and secrets!), him getting to know a bit about his patrons, and so on. I had told him that we were from Las Vegas, NV and he made fun of how it was impossible to get great sushi to the desert.  Well, after eating my omakase meal, I would have to agree with him! Now onto the food, if you haven't recognized him yet, Chef Naomichi Yasuda is featured in CNN's Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown  episode ...

Continuing on from my last post, Japan Trip '16: Osaka , when we left Osaka, we travelled up north to Kanazawa then travelled to Tokyo where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. We made a stop at Kyoto to do some sightseeing and snacked from bento boxes before we went on our trek: The Japanese make cute stuff out of everything.  Yes, even food.  Kawaii desu ne: After a long walk seeing the Arashiyama Bamboo Groove , we saw Taiyaki for the first time!  This fluffy fish-shaped cake is made out pancake or waffle batter and is usually filled with green tea, custard, or red bean paste (from sweetened adzuki beans ) as seen here: Hacchoya was the first restaurant we ate at when we arrived in Kanazawa .  This was a very nice and chic izakaya (Japanese tavern).  When we arrived it was crowded with business people dining and had a smoky atmosphere.  I hate smoke, but it won't stop me from trying new foods!  Ot...