And so i began my week of eating through New York City w/ Sushi Yasuda. When i last ate there, I felt it was a notch below Kuruma & Sawa – his fish couldn’t live up to the excellent rice. I rated it an 8.5/10. I wanted to give it another shot: This year seems to be spectacular for fish quality; can Yasuda measure up? Could i penetrate the philosophical differences between his rice first vs my fish first preference? Would the overall experience raise my score to a 9?

Landed, got dressed, and went solo. I sat at Yasuda’s station and told him “whatever you wants” He didn’t seem to like this – “Sushi?” – “Whatever you want” – Read the rest of this entry »

My 2 previous experiences at Chez Panisse were 2 of my best dining experiences. I would always rank it higher than those Bay Area favorites of others – French Laundry, Masa’s (Ron Siegel’s old restaurant), Gary Danko, and La Folie. Eating at Chez Panisse for the first time is a revelation – how could food so simple taste so good? It’s an awakening – why must chefs fuss around with ingredients when the ingredients themselves can express themselves so much better? A revelation for the typical American taste bud.

Read the rest of this entry »