Thaicoon - Marietta

The Sherlock Holmes Roll - not sure why it is called this but I love this spicy tuna roll topped with more fish and a tiny piece of lemon. Tangy, spicy and delicious!

Recently we dined at Thaicoon in Marietta just before viewing a performance of "The Sound of Music" on Marietta's historic square. This restaurant has a sister located near where I live at the Sage Hill shopping center on Briarcliff Road. For no particular reason, I have not actually had a meal there although I've ordered take out several times. This was a great opportunity to sample the offerings, which are similar at both restaurants. My favorite dishes here include the above fancy sushi roll and the basil duck. The tom yum kung soup was also good. The Panang curry with scallops was too bland for me - one of those instances when the spice stars don't mean a thing - definitely a disappointment after our recent trip to Thailand! Thaicoon was crowded - it was Saturday night - so make a reservation if you're going at a popular time. If you have never tried Thai food this is a great place to start. There is a full Japanese menu available as well including several other creative sushi rolls like the Caribbean Roll, which includes snow crab and shrimp tempura.

Basil Duck - tasty.



Panang Curry with Scallops - not enough spice for me!



Tom Yum Gung - good flavor but not heavily spiced.

Miso Izakaya Revisited + foodie book recommendation

Kimchi Rice - a deliciously flavored perfect comfort food. Love it!

I recently dined with fellow foodies at Miso Izakaya, a place I've blogged about before. Read about my first visit in 2009 and my awesome tasting visit in 2010. Miso has consistently improved since its opening and I found my latest visit exceptional as well. The above kimchi rice is not complicated but the flavors meld together perfectly with just enough spice - definitely a must try this winter. The fried Camembert is also a winner (although I don't want to think about the calorie content!) - do what I did and share with a friend. The sushi is also drastically improved since opening. The white tuna was particularly delicious.

The meal turned into a celebration for my friend and fellow food blogger, Malika Harricharan, who wrote the below book, available for purchase at Amazon.com. I am impressed that she compiled such a valuable resource for Atlanta food lovers. I also appreciate her mention of my blog in the introduction! Thank you Malika :)

Buy this book!!



Fried Camembert. Need I say more?!



The sushi was also excellent. Spicy tuna handroll, white tuna and salmon sashimi.

Sushi Itto

Smokey Mountain Roll.

We recently tried the newly opened Sushi Itto in the shopping center at the corner of LaVista an Briarcliff. The restaurant features light wood and a long sushi bar. We sat at a table and tried the gyoza and several of the rolls. The spicy tuna was good and although at times I prefer to stick with simple sushi combinations, the special rolls we tried pleased the palate. I didn't have any nigri sushi yet but that is usually my test: the taste of the plain raw salmon, white tuna and yellowtail. I'm glad this place has joined the neighborhood since there are not many moderately priced good sushi places around in town Atlanta.

Gyoza. Good but not quite like the ones I had in Japan!



Spicy Tuna Roll and Tiger Roll.

Sushi House Hayakawa

Today's specials with complementary bean sprouts. The green tea hit the spot as well.

I finally made it to Sushi House Hayakawa, an Atlanta area destination sushi spot worth the drive and the cost. Owner/head chef Atsushi (Art) Hayakawa is from Sapporo, Japan and has worked in the sushi business for many years, including in several other quality local establishments. He finally opened his own sushi restaurant in 2008 and it has retained a following ever since. Not only does Sushi House Hayakawa have great sushi, it also has a large menu of Japanese home style dishes as well as daily specials printed on special cards. I enjoyed everything that I tried and look forward to returning again.

Mother's onion miso soup. This was truly outstanding - so different from regular miso with bold onion flavor.



Avocado tofu salad - very tasty, mild and unique and fried oysters - also delicious.



Sashimi platter.



Outside the small restaurant.



Salmon Torch Roll - absolutely delicious! Salmon is my favorite type of sushi and this did not disappoint.



Takoyaki topped with bonito flakes - Wow - finally found another place that serves these tasty Osaka treats. I still haven't found any that equal the quality of the street food in Japan but it's still fun to be able to experience these unique flavors and interesting presentation.



Mochi ice cream dessert - green tea and sesame flavors. These were really delicious and brought back fond memories of Japan.



Chef Hayakawa (left).



Ikura - part of the sushi and sashimi platter - gleefully salty as they should be and served over perfect rice.

Making Sushi at Home

Salmon/avocado and tuna/cucumber rolls + inari tofu pockets stuffed with rice.

I recently made some pretty decent sushi. The best place to buy ingredients as well as fresh fish appropriate for sushi making is at the Buford Highway Farmer's Market where you can get a large portion of sushi-ready raw fish at a low price. However, this time fish from the sushi bar at Whole Foods had to do. Delicious and not as hard to make as I thought!

Chef Amy.



Close up of the sushi - also made some spicy sauce with mayo and Sriracha - yum!

Akaoni - Japanese Cuisine in Carmel by the Sea, CA

Fabulous sushi - love the spicy tuna roll.

When we were in the Bay Area earlier this year we dined at a fabulous little Japanese restaurant called Akaoni in Carmel-By-the-Sea. If the town name is not cute enough for you, the quaint shops, the fountains and the beautiful landscaping will make you wish you could stay longer. The sukiyaki brought back memories from my time in Japan, as did the "sosu" served with the fried squid. The sushi was also excellent, especially the spicy tuna roll.

Fresh squid dipped in panko and fried. Served with the famous "sosu".

Sukiyaki - a homestyle classic. Takes me back to my school days in Japan.

Chef at work.

The unassuming entry.

NYC: Sushi Hana and Veniero's

Giant sushi boat - I've always wanted one of these and with four of us, we handled it pretty nicely. Yum!

Calvin and I took a quick trip to NYC in November to meet with our wedding officiant. We were lucky enough to stay with my law school friend, Nathalie, and her husband Drew, who were both super hosts during our stay. Upon arrival we headed to Sushi Hana for a delicious meal including the fabulous sushi boat pictured above.

Seaweed salad, gyoza, shu mai and fried mushrooms - all delicious.

My law school buddy Nathalie and yours truly outside Hana. It was a bit chilly!

Economy Candy - I had to take a photo of this since it's one of my dad's favorites. Unfortunately it is closed or I would have brought him some candy.

Veniero's, a delicious pastry cafe our hosts recommended - we took ours back home.

Delicious pastries from Veniero's - regular and chocolate cannoli, hazelnut tart and fruit tart.

Osaka Japanese in Cordova, Tennessee

Grilled calamari in Spicy Sauce - very tasty!

While we were in Memphis back in July, Calvin's sister took us out to Osaka Japanese Cuisine, which is conveniently located next to Sheridan's Frozen Custard. We indulged in both, with the grilled calamari above serving as the family favorite. This place is quite a distance outside of the city of Memphis, but certainly a good choice if you are in the Cordova area. The only disappointment was that the owners are Vietnamese and not from Osaka - I was hoping to be able to practice my Japanese!

Osaka salad.



Tempura dinner - delicious sticky rice.

Below: two sushi rolls - the bottom one was spicy and creamy, the top one contained lots of fresh fish. I cannot recall their names!

Miso Izakaya - Better than Ever

Bun selection - crispy duck and pork belly - these alone are reason enough to visit Miso Izakaya - but many more delicious options are available as well.

Black Edamame.

Back in early June I was invited for a sampling of Miso Izakaya's new menu. I'd dined at Miso about a year ago with a review here, but things have changed for the better since my earlier review. The sushi is now outstanding and the buns are drool-worthy - the pork belly and crispy duck buns disappeared from our table in no time at all. We tremendously enjoyed just about everything we tried and plan to go back very soon. I love that Edgewood Ave. continues to improve its dining scene. Miso Izakaya is definitely worth checking out.

Delicious drinks - selections change seasonally but definitely enjoyed the creative cocktail list and extensive beer list.

Tuna Tartare - spicy with a quail egg on top - yum!

Pressed sushi in the Osaka style - delicious and no seaweed.

Baked mussels - one of the only disappointments; I think the mussels were a bit overcooked.

Spicy glazed Eggplant.

Kyoto Lamb Chop: madras curry with infused lemongrass marinade - another great option.

Tuna roll and salmon sashimi. The sashimi = awesome and salmon is my favorite. Calvin is not usually blown away by sushi but he was amazed by this salmon also.

Seared scallops with sweet creamed corn - one of my favorite dishes.

Lovely Exterior.

Excellent Green Tea Creme Brulee.