Thursday, March 24

Bad date! Bad!

the idea of "dates" are a completely foreign concept to me.

"hanging out"? that i can do. "grabbing some dinner"? i'm there. "drinks"? i'm a pro at that. but a "date"? that just leaves me baffled.


that having been said, just because i'm "bad" at dates doesn't mean i don't recognize when i'm on a bad date. and i don't think i set my bar too high when it comes to dates. if we're having a good time with minimal awkwardness, then i pretty much consider it a "good" date. is that too high of a standard?

i recently went to Takashi for a dinner blind date. while i may not be a fan of dates, i love that they give me an excuse to eat at new restaurants or restaurants my friends are too poor to go to with me. not that Takashi's expensive per se, it's just not the usual food fare. Takashi hadn't been open that long when i went there, but i'd already read a lot about it's food. it's categorized as a "yakiniku" restaurant, which means barbecuing over a grill. however, it's the type of meat that they serve that really makes it unique. Takashi offers extremely fresh meat because it serves some unusual parts of the cow including offal and tongue. it might sound weird to some of you, but if you come from an asian family, you're probably no stranger to eating those cow parts. when arranging the date, i had offered him the choice of dining at Takashi or Goat Town, which has more traditional fare, and was impressed when he chose Takashi.

unfortunately, that would turn out to be the only thing i would be impressed with. that sounds more foreboding than it's actually meant to be. the date wasn't horrible, it just wasn't really good either. he's clearly a "nice" guy, just a little "boring." he didn't really contribute much in terms of conversation, and in response to my questions/prompts, he tended to give dead-end answers. to give him credit, i'd been pre-warned that he was "a little shy." however, i don't think "shy" should be used as an umbrella for everything. i wouldn't have characterized him as "shy," just "lackluster" maybe? he self-proclaimed that he didn't have many friends, didn't go out (socially) often, and didn't go out to eat (socially) often. hmmm, it's not like i'm an extremely interesting person, but i definitely make sure not to advertise that on a first date. i would at least like my date to think i'm cool, even if they're mistaken.

the view from the counter

the saving grace of the date was the food. Takashi is a perfect date spot. the restaurant itself is pretty small, which gives it a cozy feel. the furniture is clean and modern, so you feel like you're in a izakaya but upscale. i sat at the counter with my date, which is definitely what i recommend if you can get it. it's still intimate because you and your date are thisclose to each other, and if there's any lulls in conversation (or you're just bored) you can watch the chefs behind the counter.

i always find ordering on a date a little tricky. i never want to assume that my date's going to pay, although, if they don't, i will judge them. as a courtesy to them, i try to defer to what they want to order since they'll (possibly) be footing the bill. when Gohm and i went to Matsumoto's for our 1st date, i let him order to his heart's content (and he did pay for dinner that night). this date was a little different because when i asked him if there was anything that interested him, he had absolutely no opinion. instead, he deferred to me (which is also a nice date tactic). so we "hemmed and hawed" for a bit and then i just bit the bullet and ordered for us.

there were 2 menu items that i knew i wanted to order: the Niku-Uni appetizer and the Tongue Experience. luckily for me, my date was also a big fan of sea urchin so there was no disagreement on the appetizer. the Niku-Uni is sea urchin on top of raw chuck flap and a shiso leaf with some fresh wasabi on the side. OMG. if you're a sea urchin fan then you have to order this. the melt-y sea urchin with the texture of the raw meat and shiso is amazing. the order comes with 4 pieces which is perfect for just 2 ppl.

the Tongue Experience aka Tan-saki, Tan-suji & Tan-moto consists of 3 different parts (front, middle, back) of the cow tongue. i think they provide 3-4 pieces of each part. each part is definitely a different texture and tenderness, if not flavor. i wish i could tell you which was which but i was too mesmerized by the presentation and too busy eating to recall. i think we also ordered a Harami or Kalbi order, which was good too, but nothing special.

kimchi is the "it" food right now. it's served with everything!

in addition to the food we ordered, Takashi also serves some banchan which includes kimchi, soybean sprouts, and a cabbage salad with miso dressing. in order to balance out our meal we also ordered a portion of scallion vinaigrette which is essentially julienned scallions sitting in a tangy vinegar-soy sauce and was perfect to eat on its own or with our bbq-ed meat.

the food at Takashi was the saving grace of my blind date. my only complaint about the restaurant is the drinks menu. it's kind of disjointed: a small selection of sakes, beers, and wine. i thought the wine option was weird. and the beers weren't the usual sapporo or kirin. of the few sakes they had, we got a nice dry hot sake although it was really price-y for the size (their large would be the equivalent of small anywhere else).

although the portions may seem small at first sight, the pace of the serving and the style of eating ends up making you feel really full once you finish your meal. it's the kind of place where, with the right company, you could sit for 3-4 hrs and be perfectly content. mind you, it has to be with the right company.

Friday, March 18

Dream Fulfilled

as everyone knows, i am an avid fan of Restaurant Week. so when RW rolled around for Winter, i got cracking on the menus being presented and the restaurants that were participating. at one point, i had 8 reservations.


but as the fates (and my finances) would have it, i ended up eating at only one restaurant for Winter RW 2011. but i'm satisfied with where i ended up because i've been trying to go to this restaurant for the past 3 years but, for one reason or another, haven't been able to work things out.


you'll have to excuse the pictures tho because my camera was being very tempermental that day with its flash. for some reason, it only liked Bubby's dishes so it only provided flash for her dishes. and then later, it just stopped flashing at all. stupid camera.


as soon as i walked into Aquavit, i already liked it. Bubby and Kiks were waiting for me (as always, i was late) in a modern/retro (is that possible?) lounge area. the hostess and host seated us as soon as i arrived, which i liked because who likes waiting to eat?


the restaurant wasn't packed at all, albeit we were sitting on the "casual" side vs. the formal dining room. however, i'd sneakily peeked over to the dining room side when i'd first walked in and it also wasn't full. the restaurant advocates extremely dim lighting which is probably ideal for romantic dinners, although the night we were dining i saw no couples. every table was filled with 2+ people and usually of the same sex variety.
for the first course, Kiks and i ordered the Swedish Steak Tartar which is served with tiny extremely crunchy bread a la melba-toast-style, firm egg yolk, spicy mustard, grated horseradish, pickled beets and capers. for me, the accompaniments were what really made the dish. the beets were surprisingly sweet and i finished those before i'd even finished my tartar! while it may not seem like it from the picture, there is actually a significant amount of tartar on the plate which was also refreshing since i hate when restaurants skimp on food.
Bubby ordered the Glassblower Herring which is herring with a variety of accompaniments. since it wasn't my dish, i only tasted a bite of it and i'm not really sure what everything was. i had debated on ordering this appetizer since we were eating in a Swedish restaurant, but my love of all things tartar won out in the end. while the herring was good, i think i made the better/right choice by choosing the tartar. if you've had herring before and were "meh" about it, then i'd recommend skipping it at Aquavit.
as for entrees, Kiks and Bubby ordered the Berkshire Pork Belly, which i seriously contemplated ordering because who can resist pork? but, because i wasn't particularly hungry that day and i had already had such a meat-centric appetizer, i opted for the Pepper Seared Mackerel instead. the Berkshire Pork Belly was divine. the meat was super tender, smoky, and flavorful. and the whipped potatoes, pearl onions, and veg were good accompaniments to compliment the pork as opposed to complicating the flavors.

the Pepper Seared Mackerel was also good, albeit a little salty (don't get sauce happy with that brown outer ring). the sear was perfect, giving it a crispy outer skin while still a tender and moist inside. it was definitely a distinct pepper-y taste so there's no false advertising there. the best part of the dish was actually the porcini creamed cabbage which was great for toning down the saltiness of the fish. i could've eaten a whole bowl of that.

as for desserts, there were only 2 options (as opposed to appetizers and entrees in which there was always a 3rd vegetarian option). i went for the tried and true, Hazelnut Praline Terrine. holy density. if you're looking for a sweet dessert, then i recommend this. although the menu says it's served with a hazelnut sherbert, i'm pretty sure mine wasn't served with that. unless hazelnut sherbert has a tangy, lime-y taste. which it could, since i'm no culinary genius.

Bubby and Kiks got the Arctic Circle which is goat cheese cake served with lingonberry "vargtass" sorbet. i have no idea what "vargtass" means but this was delicious. the goat cheese cake was dense but not heavy, and while the use of goat cheese would make you think "pungent", the flavor was delicate and light. weird huh? i never thought i would use the words "dense", "delicate", and "light" to describe the same thing. the cake paired with the tart and sweet sorbet was a match made in heaven, although too much of the sorbet can get a little too sweet so remember to balance.


for the prices at Aquavit, i think i could swing a dinner there once or twice, even without the Restaurant Week deal. or maybe i could get a date to take me there and not feel guilty when they pay...

Tuesday, March 8

do all good things have to come at the expense of another?

does being in a serious relationship mean giving up your platonic relationships?

i know this is probably like asking "which came first, the chicken or the egg" and it will remain a mystery until the collapse of the universe, but it doesn't mean i don't wonder about it.

i'm extremely disappointed with Oppa right now, who just cancelled our dinner plans tonight. if it was once or twice, it wouldn't have bothered me, but it's pretty much all the time now. apparently, all his weekends are booked from here until eternity. and booked with stuff like weekend trips and activities which aren't subject to a sudden "plus one." so i'm really only left with weekday dinners, which are already not my favorite activity mainly because of my work hours and location in central jersey. but for those special ppl, i'm willing to go the extra mile because i know that keeping friends takes effort, particularly as our situations and circumstances change.

so i'm genuinely annoyed when i get a text from Oppa the morning of our dinner that says, "sorry, i forgot i have a work happy hour today."

i haven't seen you in over a month, probably more. think you can forego the-work-happy-hour-with-your-co-workers-that-you-see-everyday just this once? or, what about just making an appearance and then meeting me for dinner? apparently, neither of these thoughts occurred to you.

i know this post seems to be a rant about Oppa. however, it's more like this situation is indicative of a general trend amongst my more seriously-involved friends. and, while i am the "friend" in the situation, i've been the "relationship" too so i truly do understand both sides of the coin and have been just as guilty of the conduct i'm complaining of right now (my friends through the Gohm-period know what i mean).

which begs the question: why can't you keep your friends and have a serious significant other? what is it about these relationships that make them mutually exclusive as opposed to mutually inclusive?

it'd be easy to be really mad if Oppa was ditching his friends for a horrible significant other. but he's not. honestly, Oppa's (and everyone else that i'm including in this situation-i can think of 2 others off the top of my head-but using Oppa as a representative figure) significant other is great. they're pretty much on their way to the altar and mini-Oppas and i couldn't be happier for them. i'm so happy that he found someone as good as his S.O.

i just wish you wouldn't leave me behind in your wake.