POLL & FIESTA

Thank you for participating in this poll!

1) OK, I can talk about the boys more.
3) Tokyo Fun Things, too.
6) This was a trick question. (;_;) I hate you all!!

Just kidding. Here's a Tokyo Fun Thing!

In Roppongi there is a karaoke bar that has an enormous collection of English songs called Fiesta. For ¥3,000 you can sing all you want, all night, and the entrance includes three drink tickets. John and Akiyo--being the karaoke-loving city slickers they are--already knew about this place and introduced it to all their wedding guests at their nijikai, or after-party. Fuuuuuuuun!

It's not one of those karaoke boxes that you pour into with your friends. No, this here has one open stage, so anyone can sing, and people you may or may not know can (and will) hear you. Even though I sing in front of people voluntarily as a psudo-profession, it still took quite a bit of courage to go up the first time. Thankfully, this is where those three drinks come in handy. Smile sweetly and ask the super-duper bar tender lady to make yours extra strong and you'll be hitting the stage in no time! Actually, that seemed to have been the case with a certain someone. Hmmm, who was that?? Let's recap!! Or shall I say....



"Leeeeeeeet's do the tiiiiiiiiiiime warp agaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiin!"

BTW, yes, that is who you think it is. Get a few bloody Mary's in her and she sprouts blonde hairs! Dammit, let go of the mic!!

Fiesta features tons of English songs, plus they seemed to have a good number of Korean and Chinese songs. (Check their site for their song list to be sure.) They do not have many and perhaps any Japanese songs. Many of their songs are from six months ago or older, but for people my age, that's not a big problem cuz we luuuuuuuuuuv the mid-80's to early-90's. Fiesta!! It's party-time, it's excellent!!

August 1st Edit



That's me at Fiesta! Isn't that a great pic? John & Akiyo's friend Hugh took it. At the wedding, Hugh sat at our table but we didn't really get to talk, as he was busy running around being the official photographer. At one point John tried to get Hugh's attention but I saw him first and proceeded with "Hey, excuse me,....... Camera Man!!" I had forgotten his name!! Holy crap. He was a good sport about it though.

Also, super-coincidentally, speaking of Wayne's World, guess who I got to talk to? GUESS WHO I GOT TO TALK TO?? The lovely, modest, superstar with a major sparkle, Tia Carrere. Uh-huh. If she were president she's be Babe-raham Lincoln. I'm not even kidding. You can hear the interview on__________ in a few week's time. Shh....



I had forgotten about Stacy! She and Wayne's relationship was so funny.

FOOD BLOG: TOKYO A LA CARTE

To satiate my increasing urge to write and get published about... well, anything... conbined with my gourmand nature, and in response to the fact that all you really care about are, as shown on the poll to your right, not me nor my breakfast adventures but my canines (this does prove you have good taste, readers) (guess you knew that...), I have started a separate food blog about Japanese food called Tokyo a la Carte. This will be a way for me to focus on one topic and not babble about myself too much. Like I do here. Plus, it's a test to see if I can actually put together a book proposal in 2007. WEEEEEEEE! Interest, feedback, fan mail and hate mail accepted! In that particular order! E-mail me at missai at gmail dot com por favor. Arigatts!

Coming soon to Tokyo a la Carte...

(Tokyo's best curry udon. Shhh... I'll even get you a discount coupon if your patient!!)

Coming soon to Life of Ai...



You win, peeps, you win.

KTHXBAI!

"Zelly"

Zelly is the phonetic vernacular of the international super star, jelly, in Japanese. (Of course no one spells it zelly, silly, but what the heck, I will.) I am a huge fan of anything remotely gelatinous, be it not too sweet (sorry, Jello-O) but better yet, slightly savory. Think: chilled consomme gelée over salad greens, or onsen tamago: fresh eggs simmered long and slow (and perhaps even relaxing in) a hot spring, or a simmering pot of hot water.

Ya, you heard me: the hot spring. Don't believe me? Check this out:

(Onsen tamago is my favorite and can be deliciously prepared at home and served on and in various dishes. I promise to talk about this in a future post soon.)

Yes, peeps, if it wiggles, Miss Ai giggles. I don't think I am being overly zealous in declaring my love for the buoyant and the chilled, a splash of flavor swirling in after the bounce of texture. And so, perhaps this is why Japanese zellies are high on my list of good things. Refreshing, satisfying, not terribly sweet and so often completely not what you expected. Take for example my morning cup of coffee...



..or is it actually my 4pm pick-me-up coffee zelly...



... made approximately six hours earlier with cold-brewed iced coffee mixed with gelatin?? Pour some coffee cream over the jiggly substance, and you've got yourself an afternoon delight. (And if you don't think zellies are the best thing ever, I will fightchu. No lie.)

The popular Kyoto tea house and dessert company Tsujiri often turns traditional Japanese teas like hojicha and matcha into delicious zelly (see the first photo of this post for hojicha zelly). (What this requires of us, readers, at home, is to brew that perfect cup and include a dallop--just one--of honey. Mix with gelatin, and chill.) What's more, Tsujiri features seasonal specials every month, like the sakura parfait (cherry blossom parfait) which was available in April this year. The sweet and slightly salty sakura zelly (salty because the cherry blossoms are often treated with a saline solution to help preserve it) and the bittersweet matcha zelly make this parfait what parfaits were born to be--a very special treat, of course--at ¥1,400 (about $10-12 USD).

(Click on the parfait photo for details.)

It's easy to make zelly at home--if you drink black tea, try mixing in gelatin with a fresh pot of Earl Grey tea; milky, if you prefer. If you like coffee, definitely try the cold-brewed iced coffee zelly. Have Japanese, chai or herbal teas lying around? Experiment to find your favorite consistency of gelatin--the hojicha zelly at the top of this post and the coffee zelly toward the bottom have completely different consistencies due to the difference in ratio of liquid to gelatin. Keep in mind that you must immerse the gelatin--powder or sheet gelatin--in water first, for about five minutes, to insure that it will melt in evenly with the liquid you are trying to gel, otherwise the outcome can get clumpy. If it tastes good as a cold liquid, it probably tastes good as zelly. (Don't quote me on that.) Experiment!

ゼリー jelly
温泉卵 onsen tamago
コーヒーゼリー coffee jelly
都路里 Tsujiri
ほうじ茶 hojicha
抹茶 matcha
桜 sakura

都路里
Caretta Shiodome B206, 1-8-2 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku
T 03-5537-2217
http://www.giontsujiri.co.jp/saryo/

THE AVOCADO

I love the avocado...all 300 calories of it! You say 30 grams of fat? I say 13 grams of fiber. 13mg of sodium? Puh-leez, how about one-third of your daily intake of vitamin C, not to mention lots of vitamin B and folate? The avocado, worthy of such titles as the fertility fruit (the Aztecs) and the butter of the forests (the Japanese), claims a special place in the pits of many of our souls. And while I religiously prepare perhaps what is the best guacamole this side of...errr, well, at least my kitchen walls... I do utilize the emerald fruit to star in more than just my Mexican features. He's suave. He's international! He tastes good with lemon and salt. After all, he is silky-smooth, velvety-soft, and tough-skinned. The ambassador of gourmet. The diplomatic fruit. Oh avocado, your last name may as well be Pitt!

Yes, the avocado does often play a role in my--and many others'--Japanese cooking. It's said that a ripe avocado resembles the texture of toro--one of the most prized areas of flesh of the blue-fin tuna.


In fact, if you can't get your hands on the good stuff, purchase fresh but economical sashimi (not the toro, which is pink from the marbled fat, but the red flesh-only), and arrange the pieces over sushi rice. Scatter blocks of diced ripe avocado on top, and as you take a bite, close your eyes as the lean, red meat of the tuna does a back-flip to salute the mean green yummy machine and feel like what is in fact a ¥500 sashimi-don is a ¥2,000 toro delight!

One fantastic no-frills Japonization (ah yeah... is that a word?) of the creamy avocade is to slice it up and serve it sashimi-style--complete with a a dash of soy sauce in a sauce dish with a smother of wasabi on its rim. Accessorize with a frosty glass of beer. I tell you, avocado sashimi is the best thing that could accompany you for a Sunday night feature on TV, an elegant appetizer to your five-course meal or the dependable sidekick for the take-out-sushi-and-let's-watch-baseball (or whatever) night. Yes, as its emerald hue implies, the avocado is wicked.




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HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Eat a hamburger for me, peeps!

XOXO,

Miss Ai in Tokyo

CARDENAS DINNER

I want to tell you about an old favorite restaurant that turned into a new favorite, yesterday, Monday July 2nd.

That would be Cardenas Chinois in Hiroo. Previously (on Desperate Housewives), it used to be a casual yet stylish hangout, where one ordered a la carte and paid for the waiters (and hence, yourselves) to look swanky. Today, it's a bargain, any-day-of-the-week, semi-posh dining experience with friends, with fam and for non-first-time dates. The only thing on the menu is their ¥3,900 course (plus tax), from which you pick a plate from each of the three categories: cold side dish, warm side dish, and entree. Let the menu unfold!

I chose the Chinese Chicken Salad, which was gigantic as well as delicious. No photo as yet I was unaware of the extremity of culinary delight-ness I had stumbled onto.

Second came my warm dish, mussles and clams steamed in sherry.



Notice how the photography starts here. Ding! Said Miss Ai's brain. Servings Iz Larg N Tastingz Gud. BTW, that plate's just my serving (one often wonders in Japan. One being myself.)

Hey, a little crab!


(I ate it, much to my companion's disgust)

Here I would like to mention you have unlimited access to their drink menu. Unlimited. Beer, nama-beer, bottled-beer, five types of red wine, just as many of white, sparkling wine, OJ, coke, tea... the list goes on for two pages. Literally, the drink menu was two pages. I had a crappy Syrah, but A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-L-Y they allow you to bring your own drinks should you wish. At least, I think I received a press release about that. Check with them before showing up with your vintage in tow, do not mention Miss Ai.


Regardless of the fact it was crap, it looks nice in the photo. (It was Yellowtail.)



My main was grilled lamb rubbed with herbs and spices--juicy, tender, savory and rich. Served atop garlic mashed potatoes.



For dessert, fresh fruit and gelato, slivers of brownie (I was not too crazy about their desserts, but nice presentation. Not worthy of photo, apparently/however).

And with decaf coffee. Decaf!!



Notice the crema. It tasted like it wasn't decaf, too!

So that was my nice Monday night dinner at Cardenas. Ninapod, wanna join me soon? And to all else--two enthusiastic thumbs UP!

BREAKFAST AT MISS AI's

ミスアイん家で朝食を☆彡