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.

Cellar 56

Strawberry Salad paired with Les Jamelles Sauvignon Blanc and Spinach Salad paired with Stuhlmuller Chardonnay.

I was recently invited to a wonderful tasting event at Cellar 56 on East Andrews Drive in Buckhead. I really enjoyed this event and it is clear that this place tries very hard to deliver good customer service. The strawberry salad was a bit bland but the spinach salad, with bacon, boiled egg and dried cranberries more than made up for it. I also enjoyed the seared tuna - I love sushi so anything close usually appeals to me. We tasted a blackened salmon dish (not pictured) which was fine but the tuna was better in my opinion.

Seared Ahi Tuna paired with Burgans Albarino.

I was pleasantly surprised by the BBQ pork egg rolls. At first I thought there would be too much going on with this dish, or that it would be too greasy, but it was great, wonderfully accented by vinegar slaw and BBQ sauce. The spicy mac & cheese was my favorite dish of the evening. Cheesy, creamy with just the right level of spice. I definitely recommend adding it to your order.

All of the wine pairings were really nice as well. I especially liked the Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs served with the decadent desserts. Krispy Kreme bread pudding: need I say more?

Cellar 56 is a fun, well-executed restaurant where you don't have to spend a fortune. Tapas range from $5 to $7.50 for plates and $10 - $16 for larger share dishes. They have a very diverse wine list. Definitely a place for a fun evening for couples, friends or groups.

BBQ Pork Egg Roll paired with Montoya Cabernet Sauvignon with Spicy Mac & Cheese paired with La Postaa Malbec-Cocina Blend



Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding and Flourless Chocolate Cake paired with Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs.

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.

Taka Sushi Lunch

Sashimi Lunch.

After hearing about Taka Sushi Cafe and reading Chef Taka's blog from time to time I finally had an opportunity to venture there for lunch. Lunch service was recently added, which is helpful for me since I work in Buckhead. It is also helpful for the wallet because lunch is most certainly less expensive than dinner. Overall I enjoyed what I had and the fish was fresh. I would have loved a scallop or shrimp to be included also on the sashimi plate. I still hope to try this place for dinner sometime. I've noticed that Chef Taka serves up some home-style Japanese specialties similar to what my host mother made for me when I studied near Osaka in 2003. I am going to have to try their curry rice!

Spicy Tuna Roll.



Soup and Salad.