Avocado Burger — YEN 1,500

The most popular item on the menu is the avocado burger. Ripe avocados, fresh tomatoes, and the flavorful buns all meld to make this delicious burger a consistent hit. Although it’s usually crowded during meal times, its well worth the wait. Kua ‘aina is originally from Hawaii but has migrated over to Japan.

Maison du you Bldg. 1F, 1-10-4 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03 34 09 32 00

Saslik Kebab — TRL 20

This dish comprised of barbecued slices of specially marinated beef and onion rings. This marination is a specialty of Turkish cuisine. This restaurant was recommended as the ‘best’ for classic Turkish kebabs, however, the restaurant both tried to double the bill by both adding extra items and by increasing the quantity of drinks we ordered. The dish was, nonetheless, very seasoned and tender.

Çamlık Sokak No:15, Levent, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 270 24 33

Iskender Stylized Beef Fillet Escalopes — TRL 34

Sitting above Istanbul with panoramic views of the mosques and skyline this restaurant offers a spin off traditional Turkish cuisine. Served with yogurt, tomato confit, and a charliston pepper. The meat has been marinated for 24 hours to offer an extremely succulent taste. Underneath the steak lie soaked bread pieces that are also very soft and add a bit of texture to the tender beef.

Istiklal Caddesi, Misir Apt, 34330, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 251 10 42

Zucchini Basil Soup (Low Fat) – $3.45 (cup) $5.50 (bowl)

I visited this outdoor restaurant as I was looking for a quick lunch around Coconut Grove in Miami, and was recommended to try this healthy summery soup. What’s surprising was that it might look very creamy, neither butter nor cream was used! The soup was very soothing, and had a very fresh and distinct flavor of basil. The texture was not too thick and not too creamy, and there were minute chunks of zucchinis here and there. I was very happy to have found such healthy comfort food!

3468 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133
Phone: 305 444 0244

Sliced Pork with Garlic Dipping – $6.95

A Taiwanese appetizer with thinly sliced pork with diced lettuce and parsley served with their house-made garlic dipping sauce. The freshly boiled sliced pork is warm when it arrives so you get the warmth of the meat and coldness from the diced lettuce and parsley; adding the garlic dipping and you get a mild sweetness to the bunch.

97 Glenville Avenue, Allston, MA 02134
Phone: (617) 782-1688

Tonkatsu – $11.00 (lunch)

This pork loin, tender part of the pig, is from the Berkshire pig or kurobuta as the Japanese call it. The decision to use kurobuta instead of the conventional American pig, gives its meat a juicier and  more flavorful taste because the meat is genetically predisposed to be fattier even though loins tend to have little fat. The pork loin is breaded with panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and deep fried. This dish from Shiki shall be well praised for not being over-fried and for its juicy and tenderness. Most places use cheap meats and tend to be dry and chewy. Tonkatsu sauce made from vegetable and fruit puree is provided along with mustard wasabi for you to dip. There are the cabbage and mayonnaise mini cucumbers on the side, but I never eat them.

9 Babcock Street Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 738-0200

Dhaba Chicken – $13.99

Dhaba Chicken at Kabab and Tandoor is a tandoori chicken equivalent at other Indian restaurants. Several chicken drumsticks are marinated in yogurt and several spices including cayenne pepper and turmeric to give its distinct red color. This dish is a little bit spicy, but definitely toned down for its more western audiences.  Don’t be fooled by the ‘hotness’ associated with the deep red color, its bearable and good judging from the fact that the meat is favorable and NOT dry. Eaten with the parsley and onion, definitely cool down the spicy overtone. Did I mention it is baked in a traditional tandoor oven (clay oven).

699 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: (781) 899-0022

Anmitsu

Sobaya is an authentic Japanese Teuchi Soba noodle restaurant in East Village. Soba is Japanese buckwheat noodles, and Teuchi means that noodles are hand-made at the restaurant. Sobaya is famous for its variety and authenticity of soba noodle dishes, but they offer other dishes and desserts as well.

Anmitsu is a popular Japanese dessert consisting agar jelly, sweet red bean paste, Shiratama (soft mochi ball), variety of fruits and often a scoop of ice cream. Pour some Kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) over Anmitsu before eating!

229 East 9th St. New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 533-6966

http://www.sobaya-nyc.com

Crispy Pad Thai – $7.25

Pan-fried noodles with minced chicken and shrimp with bean sprouts, egg, scallion, and grounded peanuts thrown in. This dish is very light with crunchy noodles slightly glazed with a sweet sauce. The sweetness isn’t overdone to the point it becomes a sweet dessert.

168 Brighton Avenue, Allston, MA 02134
Phone: (617) 254-8488

Thai Fried Rice with Crispy Duck & Fried Egg – $15.95

Thai fried rice with slices of still juicy duck on top. Each piece of duck has its skin fried till crispy, so with each bite into the duck you get tender meat and crispy skin. Think crispy fried chicken skin. Sweet and sour sauce is provided in case you want more strong flavors with your duck and rice. Most importantly to the dish is to break the fried egg with the still runny yolk on top and mix it in with everything. The typical tomatoes and cucumber are there to offer ‘coolness’ in your mouth if you choose to do so.

411 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA, 02446
Phone: (617) 232-2955

Steamed Minced Pork Buns (6 pieces) – C$5.99

Steamed minced pork buns in English and 小籠包 (xiao long bao) in Chinese, a world renown Shanghainese dish from the also world renown Chinese joint Ding Tai Fung which started in Taiwan. Although not the original store, the restaurant still does their buns right. The buns’ skin is thin enough so that the focus is on the core. The generous amount of minced pork in the middle coupled with a decent amount of strong pork flavored soup provides the perfect explosive kicker when eaten whole. Vinegar on the side for the buns is a nice acidic complement to the appetizer.

3235 Highway 7 East, Unit #18B, Markham, Ontario, Canada
Phone: (905) 943-9880

Corned Beef Hash $7.95

The OPH has their own special recipe of corned beef, not too salty,
and doesn’t leave you thirsty.
The hash brown is not pan-fried, it isn’t exactly mashed,
and doesn’t leave your tongue itchy.
I ordered my eggs over-easy, I let the well-balanced mixture of corned beef  and hash
submerge in the two yolks.
With the silky egg white, this comfort breakfast item is a mouthful experience of textures and
will last you till time for
high tea.

This restaurant serves from 6:30am-12:30pm and till 1:30 pm on the weekends.
Be ready to line up and bring cash, that’s the only big price you need to pay.

Madison
5518 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53705
608-231-3666

It is a chain, though it feels more like a family business,
check out www.originalpancakehouse.com for locations near you!

Linguine ai Ricci di Mare – $19.00 (smaller portion available)

Truly a delectable experience. The linguine has a bounce to it when you chew on the pasta (relatively good indication that they know how to make pasta). Not only was the pasta cooked right, but the linguine was stirred within a huge parmesan cheese mold using the heat from the pasta to slowly cover the pasta evenly with cheese in a laundry-like process. To top it off, fresh uni (sea urchin) was generously scattered below the plate with the addition of the house-made pink sauce. The pink sauce and the uni brought subtle sweetness to the uniformly covered parmesan linguine.

Warm duck confit salad $10 (Brunch) $9 (Dinner)

Warm duck confit with haricots verts, frisée, tomato, lardons, crispy potato and poached egg.

Sardine’s duck confit salad is a phenomenal experience of textures,
pieces of tender duck confit (duck salted and slowly cooked in its own fat),
along with fresh long green beans, some
baby cubes of bacon, and
thick potato crisps,
tangled by the frisée, topped
with a poached egg,
soaked in just enough olive oil,
sprinkled with fresh ground pepper and salt.

A great size for brunch, or as an appetizer for dinner.

Sardine
617 Williamson Street
Madison, WI 53703
608.441.1600

Muzuki Moon – $16.00 (lunch)

A tempura spicy tuna roll surrounded by cucumber and avocado mamenori roll, topped with diced crab, scallops, and spicy shrimp, yuzu sauce, chili tobiko, and unagi sauce. This roll is crunchy from the tempura spicy tuna, but held together with the soft soy-based wrap with avocado that gives this dish a spicy and refreshing taste. Not to mention the diced seafood extravaganza on top with crunchy flying fish eggs.

100 W Higgins Road, Suite J-30, South Barrington, IL‎
Phone: (847) 783-5995‎

Raw Oysters – Market Price ranges from $2.00 -$3.00 each

A small seafood restaurant with the raw bar occupying half the space, this truly is a seafood hole-in-the-wall. Neptune Oyster has a set of daily oysters from the east to the west coast that changes every so often. Their selection of oysters is quite large with every oyster having its own distinct characteristic. On our raw dine out, we had the following. Who knew oysters could have fruity tastes.

Starting from the lemon on top to the center of the plate:
Island Creek: medium-large, medium salinity, juicy, fruity finish
Taylor Bay: medium-large, medium salinity, seaweed finish
Summerside: medium, medium salinity, juicy, citrus finish
Kumamoto: small, sweet, plump, creamy, hints of honeydew melon
Fanny Bay: medium, low salinity, sweet, cucumber finish

63 Salem Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 742-3474

RL Burger – $12.00 (lunch)
Addition of Mushrooms/Bacon/Cheese – $2.00

Another one of those juicy seasoned sirloin burgers brought you to by RL Restaurant. The patty comes with a sesame covered toasted challah bun, usual lettuce, and caramelized onions and mushrooms. Like most quality burgers, this one is teaming with bursting flavorful juices that inevitably cause a mess at this quality diner. And seasoned fries.

115 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 475 1100

Key Lime Pie – $8.00 (lunch)

For those who enjoy the combination of sweet and sour pie, you can add this to your repertoire of dessert must-haves. The Key Lime Pie’s filling is sour topped with whipped cream and a relatively thick gingersnap crust. The crust was done soft enough for your spoon to gently scoop up both crust and filling in every bite.

115 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 475 1100

Escargots de Bourgogne – $8.50

Snails with butter, garlic, and parsley served on a ridiculously hot escargot plate. The escargots have volume and substance, definitely traits to be prized for. My companions and I found that the left over butter, garlic, and parsley in the escargot plate was a great dipping sauce for the complimentary toasted french baguette.

560 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 422-0224

Smoked Salmon Benedict – $12.50

At this American-Seafood joint, they provided an assortment of American food with a seafood twist. Their one entree during their brunch hours was the Smoked Salmon Benedict. The benedict consisted of fresh smoked salmon with poached egg and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin. What makes this particular benedict so outstanding is the poached egg is consistently cooked to the point where the yolk is in liquid form. The blend of yolk, egg white, smoked salmon, and hollandaise sauce is a cause for concern for the weak hearted, but for those daring individuals that want an amazing brunch, go with this entree. The sides it comes with are hash brown potatoes and ratatouille, a nice compliment of starch and cooked veggies.

210 Spring Street, New York, NY
Phone:  (212) 274-0505