tai and knife

John bought a sashimi knife, an all-purpose knife, a scaler, and a fish bone twizer when we visited the Dougusuji (restaurant equipment street) in Osaka. Our friend Brian let us borrow his fish prep/sushi video so we learned a little bit about cleaning and preparing fish for sushi from it.

John went to the fish market and got some Yellow tail, a Tai, and some other sort of fish and made us sashimi dinner. I didn't watch him prepare the Tai, but I did take this picture of it. The sashimi didn't look super fantastic, but it was truly very delicious!

Given time and practice, John is well on his way to be good at this!

trio

We were hoping to go to Takashi's this Memorial Day, but he was closed, so we decided to go to Trio, since we've heard many good things about the place.

The restaurant was very nice. The decor was clean and sleak, and the little details really made me happy... the menu was lovely, the water pitcher was stainless steel with a towel wrapped around it, and the ticket holder was a simple and clean folded card with "trio" on the cover. Brilliant.

The food was all right. We got the clams as a beginner, and I got the Trio Meatball while John got the Baked Penne for our entrees. I was hoping that I could have the creme brulee for desert, but they were out, so I got the tiramisu cheesecake instead, and John got the other desert that was quite delicious, but whose name I could not quite remember.

The atmosphere was great, and I think it was mainly because of the service and the people. We had our beers with our meals, and on top of that our water glasses were never low. AND the servers are all pretty. ALL pretty. Most of the servers were guys and oi they were all very pretty! Both John and I agreed that when we open up our restaurant we have to hire all pretty people. No exceptions.

I enjoyed my visit to Trio. No Takashi's today, but Trio did it... or should I say the boys did it! ^__^

unagi

The first night we were in Osaka we went to have some neighborhood sushi near the hotel. The place was a bit crowded and the sushi was just all right, but I still remember how giant the unagi (grilled eel) nigiri was!

I bought a frozen unagi from the store yesterday. I think we'll bake it this weekend and see how it is.

big bites

I've been telling people about Cute Overload. It's the cutest website ever. I read it everyday and it makes me happy to see the cute animals and other fun stuff. And guess what I read about yesterday?



that was then...


and this is now!


Too cute, too cute!

hirota cream puffs

It's been hot here in Salt Lake and I've been thinking about the yummy little cool treats we had in Osaka.

We got these Hirota cream puffs the first morning we were in Osaka, after having breakfast in a little market. I had the strawberry one, which was a limited edition, and John had the "standard" one that had been a long-time favorite of the locals.



Maybe I should attempt to make some cream puffs this weekend.

no pet left behind

I had strong opinions toward the "No Child Left Behind Act" while getting my M.Ed. (Master of Education), and the other day I finally read about "No Pet Left Behind".

and i can make tamago

Tamago is a Japanese rolled omlette and it is made of eggs, dashi, sake, sugar, and a bit salt. You make tamago in a special pan, usually square or rectangular, and with careful "rolling" motions.

A lot of sushi shops or Japanese restaurants have tamago, but many times they get them pre-made. Booo. Fresh and good tamago taste a million times better.

back to happy valley

We got back to Salt Lake on the 15th. It was a short little trip, but we had a lot of fun! We're still working on the sushi bar idea, but after seeing a lot of great high-end bars we have decided to change our concept slightly.

Back to espresso making at the caffe today. Gambate ne!

bad day

I'm not very much into pop music at all, but Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" sounds good, and the music video is really cute.



Where is the moment when we need it the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue sky's faded to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carrying on

Stand in the line just ahead of the law
You're faking a smile with the coffee you go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carrying on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carrying on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Sometimes the system goes on the blink and the whole thing it turns out
Wrong
You might not make it back and you know that you could be well oh that
Strong
Well I'm not wrong

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

osaka osaka

It's official. John and I are going to Japan again this coming Wednesday. We will be staying at the same hotel we stayed at last time and visit Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. We will pick up some tea and supplies for the caffe and the new project. We will of course be visiting some sushi bars and eat the oh-so-yummy takoyaki (grilled octopus snacks) and okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pancakes with assorted meats and/or vegetables.)

We will be there from 5/10 through 5/16, and be back to work on the Wednesday of 5/17.

chubby boy

John took the dogs to the vet's to get kennel shots. After a brief check-up we learned that Nuki is now 128 lbs., Naicha is 130 lbs., and Yama is 67 lbs. And we also learned that Nuki is a bit too chubby.

So we have to watch what we give him more carefully now. John did research on Malamute's diet and found that beef is actually not great for Malamutes, and salmon would be a much better choice. He also found that it's actually not too expensive to cook for Malamutes, and therefore I think I'll be making Nuki special food on the weekends. What we can do now, in order to help Nuki lose weight, is to substitue green beans with some of his food, and cut the meat we give him with his meals.

And while I should be more fit myself, I'm starting to take Nuki for more longer walks and play with him in the backyard more often. It's good for all of us.

my ear hurts

There was this little bump at the opening of my right ear and I thought it was a zit, and apparently I scratched it. It was not a zit, and after my not-so-smart-of-a-move scratches, it got a bit bigger.

It didn't really hurt, but it was there and it bothered me... plus I didn't know when exactly it would go away and that sucked. John made an appointment for me at the IHC clinic and I went to see Dr. Ord today.

Apparently the little bump started from a slightly clogged pore, and some infections went into place. The doctor had to numb my ear and cut my skin open to "drain" the infection. It hurt and I was mad.


After all was cleaned the doc stuffed a cotton ball in my ear. I can now hear myself very well. He also said, "It might hurt for a week or two." WHAT!

So he prescribed some antibiotics and ointment for me. Poor John, he'd have to hear me whine for a few days now.

the magic of super glue

I super glued a couple of the cracks on my fingers (for working too hard, in case you wanna know.) It worked! A couple of the cracks had been on my right index finger for a while and they just wouldn't heal because I use my hand so much... until super glue came to the rescue! Yay for super glue.