"Ryori" and our experiences with food

Joe and I went to Japanfest in Gwinnett County for a few hours on Saturday, where we saw dozens and dozens of vendors selling beautiful arts and crafts, martial arts presentations, and cooking demonstrations given by various chefs.  One of the presenters happened to be the personal chef for the Consulate General of Japan to Atlanta (serving the entire southeast United States), who we had the pleasure and honor of meeting.

Ryosuke Murakami seemed incredibly passionate and humble as he explained his journey to his current position (which is quite a prestigious one).  When the MC first introduced him and described his incredible accomplishments, I looked over at Mr. Murakami, who was struggling to keep himself composed and had tears of joy in his eyes.  He felt truly honored to be doing this demo.

Mr. Murakami didn't speak much English, so he had a translator by his side.  After briefly describing his background, he started his talk by introducing the Japanese word for "cuisine" or "cooking" -- "ryori" -- which translates to "purpose" or "reason."  He described how when he prepares food, he does so with reason and purpose.  Admittedly, his talk focused less on his cooking demonstration and more on the philosophy of Japanese cuisine, but we actually appreciated this.  Unlike chefs of other cuisines, Murakami's goal in serving food to a customer, friend, or relative, is not to make them full (although this would be ideal, of course), but to given them a truly authentic, original experience as they interact with their food.  This means appealing to multiple taste bud types with both flavors that pop, as well as flavors that are more subtle, throughout the meal.  Japanese cuisine is very unique in this regard.  There is more emphasis in what you taste and feel as the food touches your mouth, as it sits on your tongue and you slowly salivate and chew before swallowing -- in other words, the food experience.  In my opinion, we often forget to enjoy our food in an attempt to save time while multi-tasking -- or even worse, we sometimes don't care what goes in our mouths because we eat to "make it" until the next meal because of a jam-packed day full of work (I'm guilty of doing this all the time, by the way).   

Because I had such a strong background in music growing up, I sometimes hear songs playing in my head when I am savoring something particularly delicious.  I know it sounds silly, but it's true.  Most often, I'll hear "Jupiter: Bringer of Jolity" from The Planets Suite, by Gustav Holst, which is not only my favorite piece from the suite and one of my favorite songs of all time, but just a perfect accompaniment to eating a great meal.  For me, it serves as a reminder that good flavor comes from the marrying of several (or more) ingredients, and of course, a lot of love.  Oh, and that good food just makes me happy.  Really tasting and savoring our food can change our experiences with meals!

Source: http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/27150/japanese-cuisine-to-be-showcased-at-japanfest-sept-20-21/

My "Best of" list of Atlanta!

The last few weeks haven't been easy for me, I'll admit.  I'm exploring different dietary options based on some health issues I've been having.  Without disclosing too many details, I'm closely following components of my health as I add and take out certain things from my diet so I can examine any significant changes.  This leaves me to crave many of the foods I've eliminated from my diet temporarily, with the fire and intensity of a thousand burning suns.

My cravings have motivated me to put together my "best of" list for restaurants in Atlanta.  Thinking about some of these foods gives me something to look forward to at the end of this experiment!  So, without further ado, here's my list of favorites, by cuisine (in no particular order):

1. Best burger: Grindhouse Killer Burgers.  Grindhouse offers many options for meat-lovers and vegetarians alike, and even has turkey burgers on their menu for those avoiding beef (like me).  They allow you to build your own burger and there are endless options for customization!  It's hard for me to limit my intake when I go into Grindhouse.  I often go with the Gringo style turkey burger (add bacon for an extra layer of decadence!) and a large avocado salad.  The avocado salad is absolutely delicious and PACKED with flavor and heat.  For those avoiding major sources of gluten, you can top the salad off with a meat / veggie patty for a delicious entree.  Also, I have to say, the crinkle-cut french fries are some of my favorite fries in Atlanta.  My only issue?  They don't give you nearly enough in a single serving!

*Runner-up: The Vortex: Endless possibilities for burgers, funky atmosphere, and oh!  TATER TOTS OFFERED AS A SIDE!  For literally a heart-stopping burger option, try one of the coronary bypasses (single, double, triple)!  Oh, and don't forget to try their decadent potato salad, packed with real chunks of bacon!

2. Best smoothie: Lotta Frutta, hands down, has the best smoothies in Atlanta.  I can name two other places here that are quite popular, but they are: (1) pretty mediocre at best (in my opinion) and (2) much more expensive than Lotta Frutta.  This is a local joint which is a favorite of Joe and mine that also happens to have some of our favorite grilled cheese sandwiches!  For more on Lotta Frutta, refer to my previous blog post here.  

3. Best barbeque: It's hard to go wrong with Community Q Barbeque.  They hosted our post-wedding lunch in Atlanta and did not disappoint!  Their fall-off-the-bone pork ribs are so finger-lickin'-good that you'll have to finish the whole order instead of saving half for lunch the next day!  Oh, and oh, the mac 'n cheese.  Sorry to say, Mary Mac's, but Community wins my vote on the mac 'n cheese.  Decadent and buttery with just the right amount of crispiness on top, you won't want to stop eating this side dish long after you're full.  My other favorite sides include the bone-in chicken, black-eyed peas with rosemary, and sweet potatoes with kale.  Mmmm-mmm-mmm!

4. Best Southern: Despite Community Q winning the award for mac 'n cheese, Mary Mac's Tea Room takes the cake for overall Southern cuisine.  They do serve a decent mac 'n cheese, as well as pork ribs, fried chicken, fried pork chops, tomato pie, and Thanksgiving style turkey.  Mary Mac's serves each table with a basket of bread before the meal, including freshly baked cinnamon rolls and southern cornbread.  But what I go gah-gah over every time I eat there is the pot likker.  For those of you unfamiliar with pot likker, it is essentially a rich and salty broth flavored from collard greens and pork.  Generally, the ratio of greens: pork for pot likker varies across restaurants, and I don't generally love pot likker, but Mary Mac's goes heavy on the smoked pork and it's hard to resist.  Best of all, you get a free serving of pot likker if you're a new customer at Mary Mac's!  

5. Best pizza: Antico's serves traditional Neapolitan pizzas and calzones.  They're pretty bare bones in terms of customer service and there's always a crowd, but they serve the best pizzas in town.  The kitchen is actually right next to the seating benches, which I find to be kind of fun to watch as the customer.  Also, the family that owns Antico's recently opened up Chicken Gio's and a gelateria called Caffe Gio.  Joe and I have to check out both of those soon!

6. Best pho: Pho Dai Loi #2 off Buford Highway, close to Dresden Drive.  We love this place especially because they offer pho (at a reasonable price) with chicken broth.  I know, I know, it's traditionally made with beef broth, but I don't eat beef and there are few places which offer alternatives for non-beef eaters.  They have great shakes/smoothies as well!  We love the avocado and taro flavors.  On a cold winter day, I love going to PDL and ordering a kettle of jasmine tea with my chicken pho.  Comfort food that's healthy!

7. Best banh mi: Lee's Bakery, off Buford Highway and Clairmont Road, right next to the Chevron station.  Mr. Lee is the NICEST man and always tries to get to know his customers.  The meat they use is so delicious and tender and the bread they use is fantastic!  The toppings are traditional -- cucumber slices, cilantro, daikon -- but the flavored mayo sauce they use in the sandwich really seals the deal for me.  Plus, it's $2.75 a sandwich, and if you're going the "take-out" route, you can buy 5 sandwiches and get the 6th for free!  Hooray, you're set for dinner on your next board game night!

8. Best sandwiches: This is sort of a tie between two different places.  The first is Urban Cannibals, a little "bodega" (I put that in quotes because the restaurant advertise itself as such, but it's not really a bodega) in East Atlanta that also happens to serve food.  Urban Cannibals has spotty customer service but they have gotten better over the years, I'll give them that.  Their kitchen has, at times, poor ventilation and the products they sell in their "bodega" (which, again, is not really a bodega) sometimes seem out of place and random, but this is definitely one of my favorite places to eat in town.  They have quite a large and varied menu of sandwiches, salads, and soups.  My favorites include: the Santa Fe salad, Greek salad, the falafel samich, the urban gyro, and the carnitas po' boy.  They have fantastic soup options in the fall and winter seasons, too.  If you do go there, expect at least a 15-20 minute wait for your food, as they do make everything from scratch (making it extra delicious!).  Another thing to keep in mind -- they have limited seating so I'd recommend going during non-peak hours.  

The second restaurant is Victory Sandwich Bar.  Victory changes up their menu periodically, but my favorites include the Han Cholo (chorizo + pickled red onion + feta cheese = awesomeness) and the Mile-High Club (turkey + bacon + avocado + fontina).  Joe loves the Victory at Sea (anchovies + frisee + lemon mayonnaise) and the Hambo (proscuitto, mozarella, apple, balsamic vinegarette).  Their sides are decent, soups are seasonal and never disappoint, and their house salad is crisp and refreshing on a warm summer day.  Vic's is also famous for their drinks, including their Jack and Coke slushie.  Although their location in Inman Park got torn down (and replaced by a large retail space...grrrr), the restaurant/bar in downtown Decatur has a fantastic patio with beautiful globe lights that is a great place to chill anytime with friends.  

9. Best Ethiopian: Desta, off Clairmont and Briarcliff.  My husband's supervisor at CDC is Ethiopian and he was the one who first recommended it to us years ago.  Desta exceeded my expectations, as my first experience with Ethiopian cuisine was, unfortunately, sub-par, to say the least.  Our favorites are their lamb and fish tibs as well as the shiro, and we love sopping up the curry sauce from the tibs with injera (a spongy form of sourdough flatbread)!  Ethiopian and Indian cuisines have some overlap in spices and flavors used, which makes Desta a favorite of mine.  We love to finish off our meals with hot tea, which they flavor with fresh cloves.  

10. Cafe Bombay: Everyone who knows me relatively well knows I am extremely picky about Indian restaurants.  I mostly avoid them, honestly, because I know I can make most of their dishes better than they do (not to get cocky, but it's true).  Joe can attest to the fact that I go into most Indian restaurants describing where the cooks went wrong with each dish, and I could improve it, and how, oh how, could they charge as much as they do for THIS dish?!  Well, for the MOST part, Cafe Bombay meets my expectations (there are a few dishes I feel they have not mastered).  Check them out during their ever-famous lunch buffets, where they showcase several vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for their hungry customers!

11. Best cupcakes: Yum Yum!  I've reviewed them in a previous post, but they deserve another mention since they're so fantastic.  And, exciting news for them -- they've opened a permanent dessert shop in the Buckhead area.  Plus, they have also expanded their menu beyond cupcakes to macaroons, cheesecakes, eclairs, and pies.  Hooray!

12. Best coffee/tea shop: I have two and a half favorites (one is a runner-up) here.  The first is Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party in the Candler Park area.  They offer numerous types of tea and snacks for customers, and their ambiance is quirky and cute.  The room adjacent to the cash register area has rows and rows of bookshelves filled with all sorts of gems donated by Atlantans (and maybe acquired through other means? Not sure).  Customers can purchase the books for a buck apiece, or just browse while sipping on a hot tea.  One cool thing about Dr. Bombay's is their Learning Tea program, from which a portion of the profits made from the shop, as well as the funds generated from the book program, go towards providing educational resources for young women in Darjeeling and Kolkata.  Dr. Bombay's also hosts a monthly dinner club, in which proceeds go towards this wonderful project.  If I'm not mistaken, some of the folks at Dr. Bombay's make a trip to India every year to help out with building the organization.

Inman Perk is a great place to study/work, catch up with a friend, or hang out reading your favorite book while sipping on a tea, coffee, or an adult beverage.  Inman Perk also offers ice cream, pastries, and light meals, such as salads and sandwiches.  I basically lived here while studying for my PhD qualifying exams!  (Joe and I are also partial to the Inman Park neighborhood, which features many appealing options for food and drinks and is a little more pedestrian friendly than some other areas of town.)

*Runner-up: Down the street from Inman Perk, Parish is an upscale restaurant with a sandwich bar / coffee shop in the basement area.  The basement menu is a bit more affordable, and there are huge wooden tables downstairs which provide a great workspace on weekday afternoons when you might want a quiet spot to work over a delicious lunch!

13. Best ramen: Unfortunately, we don't have too many choices around here, but Umaido has a lot of great options on their menu.  Umaido is a bit of a drive from Atlanta (they're located in Suwanee), but I'd say it's worth it.  We only had one slightly negative experience there when we tried to order a cup of matcha tea.  They had no idea what it was, actually.  We put together later that Umaido is actually owned and operated by Koreans, and perhaps they don't update their menu and keep all of their employees in the loop all the time (it turned out they did NOT have matcha tea).  Despite this experience, I'd still say they have the best ramen in the area.

14. Best sushi: Hands down, the best sushi restaurant in town is Sushi Hayakawa off Buford Highway (notice a trend here??).  The head sushi chef is a gregarious Japanese man who is always cracking jokes behind the counter.  The prices are steep but the quality of fish is absolutely the best I have ever had.  One interesting tidbit -- Hayakawa has a Japanese toilet in their bathroom that I had a little too much fun with the first time I went there.  Actually, one of the employees spotted me headed towards the restroom and said, "You going to restroom?  ENJOY!"  I was initially confused until I walked in and saw ALL THE BUTTONS (ALL THE THINGS!).  Fantastic!

A second place that deserves a mention is Sushi Avenue in downtown Decatur.  We favor the Ponce de Leon Place location over the one on the Square.  The owners are often at the restaurant and say hello to their customers, which adds a nice personal touch to their customer service.  We go to Sushi Avenue a lot more often because their prices are reasonable, even if the seafood is slightly less than the best (it's still pretty good, though!).  In addition, they serve ramen, gyoza, tonkatsu, and other Japanese dishes that are delicious.  They also have different types of bento boxes, in which they include a pretty impressive variety of foods at a fair price.  Joe and I are partial to SA because we went there on our first date 6 1/2 years ago. :)

15. Best Peruvian: Las Brasas is a "mom and pop" shop owned and operated by native Peruvian John Koechlin.  Peruvian restaurants in the US are popularly known for their juicy, tender, flavorful rotisserie chicken dishes, and Las Brasas does not disappoint in this category.  They also offer the traditional aji sauce, a creamy concoction of black mint, aji pepper, and lots and lots of lime, which goes well as a salad dressing or dipping sauce for a side of sweet potato fries (which happen to be my favorite sweet potato fries in Atlanta, by the way).  Once you try this sauce, you won't be able to stop eating it, folks.  The heat of the sauce has never deterred me from finishing a whole container with my meal -- even with all the tears and nose-blowing that accompanies eating this spicy condiment!  This is an excellent review of Las Brasas, which also describes the painstaking process in making their chicken (which is obviously worth it).  Oh, and don't expect fancy silverware and dinner napkins at this joint.  It's run out of a tiny shack off E. Howard in Decatur and only has seating for about 5 people on their patio (no seating inside), but it's fantastic!  *Note: Joe and I had a good giggle when we stopped by Las Brasas for some delicious chicken one night, only to find a note on the door saying the restaurant would be closed for 3 weeks due to their daughter's wedding.  This absolutely warmed our hearts!  For those of you living close to Decatur, they deliver for FREE within a 3 mile radius!

Well, this is a small sample of the full list, I'll admit, but maybe I'll continue this later.  All this talk of food makes me hungry!