Akemi's latest breakfast bento creation: oatmeal snowman! This morning, we checked out a new place, a cozy little apartment in the ritzy Yorkville district. Pros: Upscale neighborhood, better oven, located close to gourmet shop Pusateri, and the woman who showed us the suite was gorgeous - but, in all fairness, I failed to inquire if…
October 28, 2010: Refuel’s Annual Whole Hog Dinner!
Well, last night was Refuel's annual Whole Hog Dinner. There were three seatings offered: 6:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. In preparation for my senior years, I opted for the early bird special, arriving maybe five minutes before the scheduled seating. As I neared the restaurant, I noticed a group of people milling about…
March 26, 2010: Whole Confit Pig Head Alert! Avert Your Eyes!
When Tom Doughty, the owner of Refuel, informed me that the restaurant served up confit pig's head at a recent industry night dinner, I was intrigued. After all, some of my favorite pork cuts - cheek and jowl - come from that, uh, "upper shoulder" region. And when Tom told me that he'd have no…
December 9, 2009, Part II: Final Feasts and Fond Farewells
When last we left off, I was on my way to my third sushi meal in a row, this time at famed Sushi Saito located across the street from the American embassy in Tokyo. Tucked away in a back corridor of a non-descript office building, it's a tiny, modest-looking place that nevertheless serves some great…