My Japanese New Year Feast - A Lewis Tradition

Having been married for 41years to a Japanese-American, New Years to the Japanese ( and myself) is very special and is celebrated ( on New Years Day) in a big way.
Japanese New Year's food is called osechi-ryori, and colorful osechi-ryori dishes are packed in layers of lacquer boxes, called jubako. Each dish and ingredient in osechi has meaning, such as good health, fertility, good harvest, happiness, long life, and so on. The kinds of osechi dishes eaten at Japanese homes vary from region to region.
It's a Japanese tradition to eat osechi-ryori throughout the New Year's holidays (until Jan. 3.) Traditionally, people finish cooking osechi dishes by New Year's Eve so that they have food for a couple days without cooking. Most of the dishes can last a couple days in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature. Nowadays, people buy ready-made osechi dishes at stores instead of cooking them at home. It can be time-consuming to cook so many kinds of dishes. You can even order a set of osechi-ryori at department stores, grocery stores, or convenience stores.

Osechi Dishes

• Kobumaki - Kelp Rolls
• Kuromame - Simmered Black Beans
• Datemaki - Rolled Sweet Omelet

• Kurikinton - Mashed Sweet Potato with Sweet Chestnuts)

• Kinpira Gobo - Braised Burdock

• Tazukuri - Candied Dried Sardines

• Namasu - Pickled Daikon Radish and Carrot

• Nimono - Simmered Dish

Nimono includes gobo (burdock root), satoimo (taro), renkon, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and more. Oh! my gosh, so much more.....................you spend all day eating, I mean all day!!!

Eat Your Last Meal NOW! What Would Be Your Last Meal?

In her newest book ( I Love Nora Ephron), Ms. Ephron talks about getting old and eating your last meal now, instead of later, she writes..
"You do get to a certain point in life where you have to realistically, I think, understand that the days are getting shorter, and you can't put things off thinking you'll get to them someday," she says. "If you really want to do them, you better do them. There are simply too many people getting sick, and sooner or later you will. So I'm very much a believer in knowing what it is that you love doing so you can do a great deal of it."For Ephron, there was a moment that helped bring that realization vividly home. She was with friends, playing a round of "What would your last meal be?"

(Her pick, by the way: a Nate & Al's hot dog.) "But (my friend) Judy was dying of throat cancer, and she said, 'I can't even have my last meal.' And that's what you have to know is, if you're serious about it, have it now," Ephron says. "Have it tonight, have it all the time, so that when you're lying on your deathbed you're not thinking, 'Oh I should have had more Nate & Al's hot dogs.'"
This set me to thinking ( as I love food and think about it all thew time) what would be my last meal....
My picks to follow....what are yours?

 

A New Sensual Champagne Find.............Tsarine

Last Month in London, one of the most beautiful and sensual ladies I know, introduced me to a new Champagne ( well, at least to me). It is called Tsarine and the bottle itself is worth the price of admission, as they say!
Created in 1730 by the brothers Jacques-Louis and Jean-Baptiste Chanoine during the reign of Louis XV, it is the second oldest champagne house and was the first house to be authorised by the city of Epernay to dig a cellar in Champagne. Champagne of the Tsars, Tsarine was created in honour of Tsarist Russia (the No.1 export market in the 19th Century). The attractive and unique bottle was inspired by the Kremlin where Tsar were crowned. Tsarine Premium Cuvee Brut
With lightness and finesse, the streams of delicate bubbles rise through the glass, reflecting hints of green and of gold.The aromas gently reveal lime flowers and lemon balm mingled with notes of bitter oranges and of quince. Freshness and elegance are confirmed on the palate. The dominant notes of citrus fruits combine with white peaches and raisins.

It does not come cheap ( but what is anymore), at 80 pounds sterling a bottle.
So find that right lady and sucumb to her charms along with a bottle of Tsarine, you won't be sorry!

London Comfort food from 1742!

I am just back from my sojourn to France and London. When I recover from jet-lag in a few days I will add more to my blog about my ventures in both countries. As usual, as I have done for decades; a trip to London without eating at Wilton's would be unthinkable and so this last weekend, I once again for the umpteenth time, had a lovely meal at one of the worlds great restaurants. I could say so much, but let the late W. R. Apple say it for me I an piece he wrote shortly before he died. I agree 1000% with everything he says about this historical restaurant.
LONDON Wilton’s, 55 Jermyn Street, SW1;

Clubbish in location, in looks, and for the most part clubbish in clientele, wonderful Wilton’s in fact affords a cheerful, courteous welcome to all who show up in properly sober clothes, ready to pay the sobering prices. The best English food (as opposed to the best food in England, which is so grandly cosmopolitan these days) is still that which has been least messed about with. That is just what Wilton’s delivers. “Noted since 1742 for the finest oysters, fish and game,” it says of itself, with every justification.

You might start with a half-dozen oysters. They will set you back a pretty penny, but then they are imposing creatures, five inches across, pale beige rather than silver-gray, in shells as flat as saucers. They come from West Mersea, on an island off the Essex coast, from beds that are harvested exclusively from rowboats, lest oil or gasoline pollute the waters. They are opened by London’s best oysterman, Patrick Flaherty, a 40-year veteran when I last checked. None of the briny juices escape. No nasty bits of shell creep in. Then maybe a wild salmon from the Spey in Scotland (increasingly rare), or a snowy hunk of halibut . But whole Dover sole is the overwhelming choice of English connoisseurs: brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with salt and pepper, turned quickly on the grill so that the grill bars burn a dark lattice pattern into the fish, then cooked under the intense heat of the broiler for roughly 12 to 15 minutes. Perfectly simple, simply perfect and entirely sufficient. This is the porterhouse steak of fish. No sauce is needed, partly because cooking the fish whole (“on the bone”) helps to keep it moist. You may well come across an occasional apostate who insists upon tartar sauce (much too robust, in my view) or hollandaise (too rich). In game season, both partridge and grouse are exemplary.

~ Howard's Note:The Grouse as usual was out-of-this-world and the sole was the tops.

An American single dinner a few tables away ( his first time at Wilton's) remarked to Patrick that he had never had sole that tasted like this and I want to stand up and yell, 'You are right!, Its the best in England!'. but I did not, as I was engrossed with my savory of Anchovies on toast.

A musical accompaniment ..when did they start playing music in restaurants?

My worst dining nightmare is the above.

Don't get me wrong, I love music as much as the next person, but there is a time and a place for everything and it's not when I want a quiet meal to enjoy my dinner.

I'm mad a hell and I won't take it anymore.............when did this annoyance begin? I don't remember dining the 1950's/60’s and having music accompanying my meal.

It’s bad enough having to put up with restaurants where the noise level is on stun! Where the patrons and wait staff look like they need a shave and a bath. OK, I’ll stop………..

You're Only Old As The Era You Love!

30 years ago , Dr Ellen Langer, experimented, involving two groups of men in their late seventies and early eighties. One group remained in a 1979 environment, but was encouraged to reminisce about life 20 years earlier. The second group was placed in a house surrounded by props from 1959 and encouraged to watch Fifties’ films and debate Fifties’ news topics. The study, Langer found, revealed that the elixir of youth may lie in the workings of the brain. When tested, the second group emerged with improved physiological performances: their blood pressure dropped; their cognitive abilities and memory greatly improved; one man was even able to cast aside his walking stick.
That study only proved (what I have always thought was true) –that thinking differently can help wind back the clock. “If you go back to an atmosphere where you could do things, where you were king or queen of the heap, it will bring back those memories. And if you truly believe [that you’re in that environment] then your body will follow where the mind has gone.” To work in business environment and to remain current, one must have all the trappings of the 21st Century - Ipod, Ipads, Blackberries, multiple cell phones, multiple computers , you know what I am talking about. Well, unfortunately to survive, I have all of those and more in my life, but as soon as I leave my office, I turn all of that off and go back to the future to live 100 years ago.

My Edwardian grandfather lived always a measured life - meal at specific times daily, time to sit alone in a room and enjoy for its own pleasure – a good cigar and drink his whisky, time to read and write and reflect. Nothing every changed, he enjoyed life on his own terms and in his own time frame and I believe that helped him live comfortably into his late 90's. No stress. There was no multi-tasking in his life. Well before Martha Stewart, his life was always surrounded with beauty and beautiful things. Not expensive things (although he did have those) but with items that pleasured him and gave him solace and comfort. He taught me to enjoy a drink and a cigar, a love of books and their bindings, of eating a great meal in quiet and pleasurable surroundings, to enjoy just sitting in a room alone and quiet. The world today, in my opinion is going stark raving mad, but for me, its 1908 and it is here you’ll find a very happy man!

There is Always a Moment in Childhood When The Door Opens and Let's the Future In"

                   (Cary Grant - The man I most wanted to be like ,act like and dress like)
That quote from author Graham Greene is so true to many of us, to me it's perfect to describe my love of life and food.
For me that door openned very early in my childhood, in 1952 to be exact. The generation of my parents and their friends as rule, went out to dine, never with their children. We stayed at home with a baby sitter. They vacationed away from us, except for once a year when we where taken along. But god forbid, if you were unruly or not well behaved, you where never taken out again for many years to come. Fortunately for myself and my brothers, we had Edwardian grandparents who taught us how to comport ourselves in every thing social. They were based on the mores of the 1900's to the early 1930's. I am forever grateful to them for their instruction as it has made my life that much richer.

The moment that 'door' opened for me was during our 2 week annual stay at the Hotel Del Coronado Hotel in San Diego.

As the rule, for dinner for my brothers and I, it was brought to our room and my parents ate later in the formal dining room. Not until we were in our late teens were we allowed to dine with them when we vacationed, save breakfast and lunch. Dinner was their time together, for in those days, our parents, certainly loves us and took care of us, but they did not live their entire life for us, unlike most parents today. I always thought that was more civilized and a wise approach to raising a family.

So, one evening, I asked my father if I could go down to the dining room and have dinner by myself. Being well brought up, dressing well and knowing all the rules of dining, they said yes.

So I wore my best suit and tie, shined my shoes to a polish and went off to the formal dining room. Here I was treated as an adult, because I acted as an adult. Even as a child of 13, I recognized how important that was and that has served me all my life.

It was a wonderful meal and I found that dining by myself was something I enjoyed. I enjoy the theatre of eating a great restaurant and the good service along with well prepared dishes. That dinner proved to be a very happy affair for me and I knew at that moment that was going to be very important in my life and living.

I have become attached to restaurants, some are old friends -the atmosphere, the food, the staff - all become a pleasing part of existence. Restaurants such as d'Chez Eux in Paris have enhanced my life of 67 years.

I must say that most dining today is like dining in a playpen -the buzz, the trendy, the noisy, the slovenly dressed clients, and the silly food concoctions etc.

What I expect from a restaurant (and that is why no one today would want me as a critic) is a grownup restaurant: An attentive reception, a civilized ambience, a well groomed staff and clientele, polished service and a halfway intelligent menu and wine list.

Fine dining (to my mind) like great art , music, and literature ought to be keen-minded, luminous and uplifting.

June 28, 1682 - Happy Birthday Champagne!

On this day, French history tells us that a Benedictine monk by that name of Pierre Perignon who was the head cellarer of the Abbey of Hautviliers invented Champagne.

That a drink now so glamorous, associated with seduction and the good life, could have been created by an ascetic monk makes a pleasantly ironic tale that has been carefully cultivated by the Chanpagne house, Moet & Chandon , owners of the abbey of Hautvilliers since 1822. It's a romantic myth, be that as it may ( I love romantic tales, if truth be told) but the good Dom's real achievement, truly dramatic for the time was to make clear still white wine from black grapes. He understood the climate of Champagne, that blending wines from different vineyards did produce a better wine than ones from a single vineyard and so in 1682, he made his first sparkling wine and we are so grateful for that.

Edwardian SuperSize Me!

The Edwardian era, from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the expiration of her obese but happy son Edward VII from not entirely surprising double heart attack in 1910, was the Golden Age not just of cricket, motoring, amateurism and one piece swimsuits for gentlemen, but of eating!
He generated the first great restaurant boom, an explosion of new and exciting dishes.

I am proud to say, that even in the 21st century, I think, no, I know and comport myself as a latter day Edwardian - to live, dress, exercise, eat and drink like an Edwardian man of means.

Some people for relaxation read crime novels, some play silly games with spiroid balls, while others listen to Mozart and Operas ( you know what they say about Opera - " If it's too silly to say, then sing it!), some jog in tasteless clothes and visit gyms and sweat, BUT…ah! For me, my pleasure is reading old menus, especially ones from 1901 to 1935. It is and has been a pleasure of mine for over 50 years.

Here is one I was reading last night - along with my favorite cat ensconced on my lap and a glass of Maderia close at hand.

From the Savoy Hotel, London - 1905, January 14th 9 courses


Evening wear a must!


Beluga Caviar with native rock oysters (today that would be worth $2000.00)


Pot Au Feu Henry IV - the shoulder, shank, rib and tail of beef braised all day and served in their broth with a blob of Bernaise.


Sole cardinale and Whitebait


Chicken d'Albufera - a roasted bird ( are you sitting down?) served in a sauce of boiled cream, triply-reduced, with mushrooms and black truffles and quenelles of veal tongue and chicken. How I long for that kind of dish! Take that, the Thomas Keller's of the world, that is something you should inspire too. Not the silly dishes you foist on the public!


Saddle of Lamb with spring vegatables and parsley potatoes.


Pressed Rouen ducklings ( the best in the world) in its own juice.


Asparagus hollandaise ( which Edwardians loved as a pre dessert)


Peach melba


and finally Canapes a la Diane.

I love the Edwardian way of life - the great clothes, the staggering food, and the not much having to do.........

Wilton's In London - How Do I Love thee?

I received this today from one of my favorite restaurants in London - All I can say is , I have booked my flight and can't wait until September.
This my friend is true eating, not that insipid food that trendy restaurants try to pawn of on you. And of course, this is not for the impoverished of pocket nor dress. Thank goodness!

The DP Dinner 29 September 2010

29th Sep 2010
Wiltons and Dom Pérignon invite you to experience a very special champagne dinner, tutored by Richard Bampfield, MW and European Champagne Ambassador 2009.

This is truly a unique opportunity to enjoy a variety of Dom Pérignon vintages alongside the exceptional food of Wiltons award-winning celebrity chef Andrew Turner.

Champagne canapé reception served with Dom Pérignon Vintage 2000: 6.30pm

Dinner: 7pm (prompt)
Dress: Lounge suit ( if you have to ask - then this is not for you!)
Menu

Butter poached native lobster and scallop fondant - Oh! My! My favorite!

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2002

Breast of guinea fowl and confit leg with salsify, - OMG - Another favorite!
Wild mushrooms and rosemary

Dom Pérignon Oenotheque Vintage 1996

Pear William Pavlova, cardamom and almonds

Dom Pérignon Rose Vintage 2000

Coffee and sweetmeats

Glenmorangie Signet
£180 per person
.......................too expensive?  Naw!
Just remember what Victor Hugo once said
"As the purse is emptied, the heart is filled'..............and stomach!

Small Pleasures.................

Waldo Lydecker ( AKA Clifton Webb in Laura)
Small pleasures I enjoy...............A club sandwich with a ice-cold martini (dry), A hot dog with a lamb casing, a classic Caesar salad, Women in Summer dresses, Chili with part beef/lamb and pork and NO beans!, Sunday brunch at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles and their Bloody Mary with extra horseradish and garlic, a Lonsdale cigar and a glass of Calvados and taking of course a BATH.Ah, Yes, most defiantly a bath.............
Bathing...is transporting one's senses to new and liquid dimensions of elegance, ecstasy and luxury. It is sensory, it is sensual, it is exotic, it is...sex without sex. In a bath, one's body is caressed by warm, perfumed waters. Your ears are kissed and nibbled by sweet music...your mind is seduced to a different dimension of peace, and calm, and pleasure.

1950's Movies - My Guilty Pleasure

More in detail of my love of the 1950's movies - but until then - a clip from Pete Kelly's Blues - Starting Jack Webb (they don't make them  like that anymore!)
Ella Fitzgerald in a cameo from the movie and a great movie theme song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2VBElCVOvU&feature=related

Give Me Meat, You Philistine, Meat!

I am leaving for France for 3 weeks in a few days and my thoughts turn to some of my favorite places to spend a 3 hour lunch and one is near the spa town of Evian, over looking ( from the French side of course) Lake Geneva.

High on the hill above the lake is La Verniaz et Ses Chalets. A lovely hotel and restaurant run by the 5 generation ,Verdier family.

A treat here is ordering from "Campfire" grill menu  - a large wood fire spit in the center of the restaurant that offers grilled meats.

To be honest with you, I have had one to three star Michelin meals all over France, but when it comes to the 'crunch', give me a spit roasted bird or meat dish and you will find no happier person in the world!

Dining here is one of my most cherished memories and something I come back to year after year. The good part is after a 'thrilling' and full filling ,3 hour luncheon, to be able to walk just a few paces to your awaiting room and to sleep and dream of what you just ate, is heaven on earth. Genesis was wrong, we never left the Garden of Eden, it is here in Evian.

The traditional grill room in the campfire of "La Verniaz":

Bavarian beef filet roasted on a spit (minimum of 2 persons) 30 € per person

Rack of lamb roasted on a spit, flavoured with thyme, (minimum of 2 persons) 28 € per person

Bresse poultry chicken «Miéral» roasted whole on a spit (minimum of three persons)(one hour cooking) 26 € per person

The Last Civilized Smoke in London

The Lanesborough is the only hotel where serious cigar smokers should stay when visiting London. It has a multimillion dollar smoking lounge that is unique in the United Kingdom, and perhaps the world, making it a cigar mecca for visitors and locals alike in the capital city. Because of the Government ban on smoking in hotels/restaurants/cafes/private clubs etc, The Lanesborough moved its famous Library cigar bar (which I adored) in the main building to a ground floor outdoor area in the back of the hotel called The Garden Room. It was first a Moroccan tent-like structure, but now resembles a plush library complete with heating, tiled floor, rare wood paneling, leather seats candles and fireplace. With its seating for about 45 people, it's hard to tell you're even outdoors as you relax with a cigar and single malt or something from the hotel's collection of fine Cognacs in hand.
The Garden Room is open from 4p.m. to midnight, although manager Guiseppe Ruo says that hotel guests can stay as long as they like. Ruo is a cigar legend in the city and travels regularly to Cuba. He keeps a well-stocked walk-in humidor with hundreds of boxes representing 60 to 70 different brands and sizes. Most of the cigars are Cuban, with everything from a Montecristo No.4 for $22.50 to a Cohiba Behike for $2,500. Prices are per cigar and about 30 percent more than U.K. retail. Regulars have cigar lockers as well.
But guests are not obliged to buy cigars from the Lanesborough, Ruo says with a smile, adding that there's a $40 minimum per person clipping charge. Bar food is also available, from snacks to steaks to salads. I like to travel with my cigars myself, so I know how it is. Customers are welcome to bring their own.
With the lounge, cigar selection and amazing offerings of spirits, Champagne, wines and Ports by the glass, cigar loving hotel guests might be induced to spend every waking hour there, Close to two dozen pre-1900 Cognacs are offered by the glass as well as 60 vintage-dated whiskeys, not to mention old rums, Calvados and Armagnacs. There's always a glass of 1970 Warre or 1963 Croft on pour as well.
Since I know the GM (he is wonderful and get you all kinds of extras!) why not consider staying and enjoy the comforts of the rest of the hotel with its sumptuously appointed rooms and superior dining.

The Sunny Days Of yesteryear! ..and Its Music!

In the 1960's, Bossa Nova hit the United States and Europe with a bang! I loved this music and one of my favorite Bossa Nova songs was Tristezza and one of my favorite singers (I was raised an internationalist!, don’t you know) was Italian POP singer, Ms. Ornella VARONI, whom I adored then and now!
Here is her rendition (fantastic musical chart, I must say) of that song!
Gad, how I miss those days of music!

Review Of Animal Restaurant - Los Angeles - I Loved It! BUT Can Never Go Again

The Saddest Story You'll Ever Hear!

Four of us (total foodies!) ate at the Animal Restaurant last night and all agreed, it had exceptional food and service. It's the kind of place you order "Chinese -Style", as the menu is so varied and so good, you must try and share as much as you can.The Chefs do something ,that most American restaurants do not, THEY SEASON THEIR FOOD!
We had:

** baby kale, pecorino, lemon, smashed croutons

** pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg - thin strips deep fried - incredible! Just incredible!

** barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw - WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION! I could have eaten several orders!

** melted petit basque, chorizo, grilled bread - Good but our least favorite - The Chorizo was a bit tasteless.

** crispy rabbit legs, meyer lemon aioli, peas & their greens - The Best!!!

** foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger - Fantastic!
All said and done, it was a wonderful meal, an unforgettable meal and YET, and here is the big YET,The noise level was very intense. I could not hear my partner seated next to me, we were touching shoulders in fact. I could never hear my other diners across the small table the entire evening. I should have learned American Sign Language!
It was the most uncomfortable dining experience I have encountered in a long time. I could not wait to leave, it was so deafening, that when we left, we felt like having to take a valium to calm our senses.

I love the food! It is something I have been searching for a long time in Los Angeles and then finding it, sadly I can’t return.

Why, oh why, do American restaurant have to be designed to have a over powering noise level?
In France, this same kind of design in a restaurant would not have that noise level. Why? You ask. Well the French and Europeans speak at a low level. Any raised voices in a French restaurant and you’ll know who they are immediately……………..Americans!

I am sorry to report, it’s a fantastic restaurant food-wise!, but for ones dining pleasure, a distinct disaster.
You have been warned!

February 24, 2010
Chicken liver toast 3
crispy hominy, lime 5

blood orange, chili oil, castlevetrano, red onion 8

carrot salad, sunchoke chips, green goddess, avocado 8

baby kale, pecorino, lemon, smashed croutons 9

pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg 10

lettuce, beets, avocado, pita, feta, creamy sumac 10

barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw 10

grilled sardines, duck fat gremolata, pine nuts, raisins 10

rabbit loin, parsnip, pear mostarda, benton’s bacon 10

head cheese, cornbread, pickled fennel vinaigrette 10

baby broccoli, pancetta, parmesan, soft egg, bread crumbs 11

ricotta & goat cheese gnocchi, bologenese 12

melted petit basque, chorizo, grilled bread 12

sweetbreads, creamed spinach, capers, hen of the woods 14

duck confit, apple, pecans, dates, arugula 14

quail fry, grits, chard, slab bacon, maple jus 15

poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar 15

fluke, paige mandarins, raita, mint, pineapple 15

lamb loin tartar, fries, greens, toast 22
foie gras, biscuit, maple sausage gravy 22

skatewing, collards, rutabaga, grainy mustard 25

veal breast, polenta, savoy cabbage, prosciutto 25

flat iron, sunchoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue 25

crispy rabbit legs, meyer lemon aioli, peas & their greens 25

foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger 35

and much more!

Bacon with Everything, Even Desert! - My Kind Of Restaurant

I am being taken out to dinner this evening to a restaurant called The Animal. I like the sound of it already! The cooking (I am told is by two hip dudes) is on the rough side of rustic and tends to be greasy (wonderful!), but made with good ingredients. It’s all about meat, meat, and meat! It’s dietary incorrect (that’s a plus in my book) , exuberant and indulgent, with bacon popping up in almost every dish, even with desert!

I will report back to you on Thursday on my experiences.

There is an old Mississippi Blues song called “Everything on the Hog is Good”.

I hope this restaurant proves the song right!

BRING ON THE BACON!

Ian Carmichael - One of the Most beloved British Actors Passes Away

Ian Carmichael personified the affable, archetypal silly ass Englishman in scores of revues ,light comedies, films and television programs. His wide-eyes boyish grin, bemused courtesy and trusting manner was his hallmark. His world of old world manners ( as are mine, if you must ask) were his technical lifeline. I have seen most of his films, once saw him in a revue , but what stands out for this Edwardian wanna-be ( me) is his portrayal Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy Sayers aristocratic detective in the famous British TV series. The style, the clothes, the props, the manners of this wonderful TV series endeared me to him forever. Based in the time between the wars (1918-1929) this era of England is my favorite time to be alive. I was born too late. Sigh!

I have watched over and over the series and have never gotten tired of it.

Mr. Carmichael is will be missed and we shall not see his likeness again.

Thoughts for a Rainy Beverly Hills Afternoon

"I love criticism just so long as it's unqualified praise"
                       Noel Coward

Thoughts for a Rainy Beverly Hills Afternoon

Japanese Soup For The Soul

It’s been raining quite a bit in Beverly Hills for the last couple of days. It’s 2:55pm and instead of concentrating on my work, I am starring out the window, starring at the downpour and dreaming of an event I experienced some 57 years ago and it is as fresh and bright in my mind as it was then.It was a rainy Saturday evening, in Beverly Hills and not having a date that evening, actually to be honest, I rarely had a date ,no I’ll be real honest, I never had a date ( but that’s another story), so I and my buddy Tony Greeley decided to venture out to have something to eat. We had just seen the movie “Sayanara” staring Marlon Brando earlier that afternoon, So we decided that maybe we’d try Japanese food. The only problem was we had never eaten Japanese food. The only Japanese people we had ever seen was either our family gardener or characters in the movies. Actually, two of my favorite Japanese movie stars (character actors) where Philip Ahn and Richard Loo. It seemed they were always relegated most of the time to playing evil World War 2 heavies. But I loved them, because they spoke so well, had very modulated voices – deep and smooth, which of course made them even that much more evil. Of course when they were confronted in the movies as to where they learned their language their response was always, ‘Ah! I went to UCRA”!

Mr. Philip Ahn

                                                                  Mr.Richard Loo
Years later, I was shocked to learrn that both men where not Japanese at all, but Korean. I was fortunate to meet my idol, Mr. Ahn because he was not only a well regarded actor but also a successful owner of a Chinese restaurant; The Moongate and when in town ,he’d make the rounds at the restaurant and always stop by my families table ( we ate there a lot) and say hello. Forget meeting Cary Grant or Clark Gable (which I had the opportunity also to do on several occasions years later) it was meeting Philip Ahn, that I cherished most, even to this day.
OK?, where was I going with this? Ah So! ( Messieurs Ahn and Loo used this a lot in their movies!)
So off, we set, Tony and I went to the Sawtelle district of Los Angeles ( we had heard it was a Japanese-American community) to find an Japanese restaurant. It was raining harder than ever now, with flashes of lighting and thunder. We found a restaurant and stood outside ( soaking wet) trying to get up the courage to go in and order from a menu which we knew nothing about. We finally did and that experience is another long and very funny story, but suffice to say, we did order and the first thing we were served was a steaming bowl of soup, at least we thought it was soup. We waited and waited for the proper utensils, a spoon at least! , but it never came, so Tony, being very impatient and hungry picked up the bowl and drank the soup. I was horrified, I thought we were going to be thrown out! Who ever picks up a bowl of soup and drinks from it straight? As I showed my horror, Tony just beamed and said “My god! you have to try this, its out of this world”. With great reluctance, I picked up the lacquered bowl and lifted it to my lips, turning my head at the same time anticipating that at any moment, my Proper Bostonian Grandmother would come rushing in the door and yell “ My God, Howard! What Are Your Doing?” She did not appear and as I sipped the broth, my world changed in an instant! Maybe because it was cold and rainy outside, or maybe it was just something warm heating me up, but whatever it was, this bowl of soup; we were to find out later, it was called miso ( a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soy beans with salt), was to change my life forever. Tony and I could not get enough of it and we ordered two more bowls. I am sure the owner and his wife thought we were crazy. This event started me on a long and exciting quest to explore all things Japanese, that would culminate in my marrying a Japanese-American and thinking of myself to this day not white, but as an Asian.., ………….But that’s another story! So here I am sitting, it’s pouring and I long for, I ache for, a hot, steaming, lacquered bowl of that marvelous elixir called MISO.

Class and Style Is Still Around - San Francisco

In this day and age, where there is ( in my humble opinion) very little style and class in the world at large - in what we wear, how we live, how we treat each other, how we eat and such, but ( thank goodness) there are still pockets to be found here and there.

One such place is San Francisco, - which has always been to me, a classy city with very stylish people who know how to live in style that I admire.

I attended Prep school there in the 1950's and I remember so well that men and women still wore hats and dressed to the nines for daytime business and daily pleasure outings... It impressed me so that I have always kept my way of dressing based on those early days of San Francisco, its grace ,its charm and its style.

…..Which brings me to one, Mr. Peter Taylor

But first...........

The Ferry Building, that long, tall landmark where Market Street meets the Embarcadero, once was where they brought the injured after the great San Francisco quake of 1906, now it lives to make people hungry. It these days has established itself as a foodie haven like no place Southern California has ever seen. About 40 retailers and restaurants peddle all things organic, artisanal and upscale. One of the liveliest farmers markets in the West springs up here Tuesdays and Saturdays with about 80 farmers and 30 artisanal food-makers Every day, thousands of locals and tourists walk the Ferry Building's main hall -- technically, it's called the nave -- sniffing the oysters and apricots, inspecting the gelato and olive oil, browsing the Japanese deli, the Imperial Tea Court, the rarefied desserts at Recchiuti Confections. Here you’ll find the counter of the Acme Bread Co., where you can score a fresh baguette. Or there's the Cowgirl Creamery, where you can pick up a hunk of fromage blanc Spend big, spend little. Either way, you get to watch the ferries float in and the food fly out and speculate on who's local and who's just jetted in from Nanjing or Namibia.Here among the 40 shops inside is Acme Bread to Mijita, Far West Fungi to Market Bar, Boccalone's salumi to the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, Blue Bottle Coffee to Boulettes Larder, it’s a foodies overload and if you’ve never done it, then you are really missing something.

So,…..Mr. Peter Taylor......................................

Inside this elegant building, at the tableside of the Wine Merchant Shop (wine by the glass to purchase – besides bottles) , you’ll find Mr. Taylor every Saturday sitting at a table graced with one of his elegant tablecloths, eating from his three-tiered silver server overflowing with a cornucopia of food riches purchased from the various shops and farmers booths in and surrounding the building that morning. Mr. Taylor is the epitome of style and grace, not seen much these days. You are welcome to visit him, ask questions about what are the best shops and best buys for that day.

Mr. Taylor adds class to an already classy place.

Visit his website at

http://www.saturdaysatthetable.blogspot.com/

New Years Thought

"Happiness is a good martini, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman... or a bad woman, depending on how much happiness you can stand."