Shame on me for not writing this up sooner. My birthday present to myself this year was a trip to Los Angeles to see old friends and to finally dine at the mythic Urasawa. There was as much anticipation in approaching this meal as there was in going to the French Laundry for the first time; so much has been written about it and its masterful chef, that one can almost anticipate disappointment. I mean, how special and remarkable can ultra-expensive hunks of raw fish be after all? Suffice to say, that nary a meal in my past can surpass what I experienced at the hands of Hiro Urasawa. Yep, its true. It is the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life, bar none. No mis-steps, every taste a revelation, every offering better than the last.
The continuation of the birthday celebration occurred with darling friends, Becky and Max at Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. Beautiful, charming people -- the camaraderie outshining the food, which was fabulous. We started with what was probably my favorite dish of the evening, soft shell crab with fried greens and a green sauce. Beats me what the green sauce was, but these had to be the largest, freshest, and most stunning example of a soft shell crab I have ever experienced. Perfectly fried with a nary a touch of grease, all future crabs will be compared with these. We paired this with d'Herbert Champagne, Blanc de Blanc Brut (all wines brought by the generous Max!)
Next was a sashimi of fluke and tuna tartare with sevruga caviar served with a light ponzu sauce. I am such a sucker for great crudo and the combination of fluke served alongside the tuna with its avocado smear works exceptionally well.
I have become a broken record on the state of Yakitori in San Francisco; you can't throw a dead cat in any neighborhood of that illustrious city and not hit a Japanese restaurant, yet there is a not a single yakitori establishment anywhere in it's small confines. Yeah, I have heard of a few in South San Francisco or down on the peninsula, but in San Francisco proper, there is nary formal barbeque utilizing the essential Kishu Binchō-tan, or charcoal wood. This means my occasional trips to Southern California always necessitate a visit to a Yakitori restaurant, of which there are a plethora (go figure). Shin-Sen-Gumi has been my go-to yakitori for years but on the occasion of hitting L.A. for my birthday, old friend and local food writer Richard Foss suggested a new joint he had heard good things about, Yakitori Bincho in Redondo Beach. It was slightly surreal because Redondo was where I called home for almost a decade and left over seven years ago for the wiles of Napa (eventually decamping for San Francisco). Odd to walk the boardwalk, hear the Saturday night mating calls from nearby Naja's, a local watering hole, and see the changes in a neighborhood I had known so well...
I have really amazing friends. No - REALLY amazing friends. Several weeks ago I decided to head to my old stomping ground of Southern California for my birthday weekend. As I usually plan these events, I e-mailed all the principals to determine who was free when and a pell-mell few days are planned with me driving from Orange County to Los Angeles and back several times; seeing this friend for lunch and that friend for dinner. But my first day was wholly and entirely spent with my darling friends, Lita and Vere.
Now it is true that normally when I travel, I maniacally plan all the restaurants and eating establishments I want to frequent, but I knew that Lita liked to cook and that something quiet, small and intimate would probably take place in their home instead of the informality of a stuffy Orange County restaurant. What I was not prepared for was the stunning extent to which she would go to give me the most special birthday dinner I have ever had. You see, being a cook myself, most friends don't usually cook for me. We go out. And as cooks know, having someone else cook for you is that much more special. Click through and read the tasting menu which left me speechless and literally brought tears to my eyes. I love you guys so much.
My visit to Charleston, South Carolina was a very quick one – barely two days. But there were two very specific things I wanted to experience whilst in Charleston; true southern barbecue, and McCrady’s. I’m not sure where I first heard about McCrady’s, but when I suggested to my friend that this is where we were going on my last night in town, she quickly assented and confirmed it was well-regarded in town.
I waited until the very end of my weeklong report to really get into the food on the cruise. I was very fortunate to meet with head chef, David Reihana from New Zealand, who gave me a private tour of two of the twelve kitchens aboard the Liberty of the Seas. Engaging and gregarious, it is easy to see how much Chef David loves his job. While admittedly not four-star dining, I am actually more in awe at the overall quality of the food served considering what is accomplished on board in these kitchens. It is all very, very impressive.
I am an admitted snob in that I prefer to have my vacations centered around old cities, good restaurants, and museums with lots and lots of art. It was surprising then that I found the Royal Caribbean’s® Liberty of the Seas ship to be studded with some fairly decent art. The ship has two main stairwells both starboard and aft; the starboard side goes twelve floors and the aft side of the ship spans fourteen decks. On the wall in between each deck is a different piece of artwork – all two-dimensional (no multi-media, sculptures, textiles, etc.) There are acrylic paintings, watercolors, photographs, and digital art – and much of it is very evocative, which is good when you are trapped in a stairwell waiting to depart the ship for an excursion.
Waking up with a sore throat and the fear of the onslaught of something worse sadly marked the arrival into Cozumel. But I was not going to let that stop me for this was the part of the trip that I had looked forward to the most; seeing and walking amongst the Mayan ruins.
In typical cruise boat fashion, we gathered at a certain time in our groups before heading to the ferry that would take us to the mainland. The ferry ride took a little more than 45 minutes. From there, a mile-or-so walk to the busses in 100°+ heat. This walk was through a crowded little shopping district where locals beckoned the tourists to depart with their money. Finally, we are back on the bus for an hour-and-fifteen minute ride to the ruins. This means that we started getting ready to head to the ruins around 10:00 a.m. but didn’t arrive until well after 1:00 p.m. – and in stifling heat.
The most astonishing thing one notices upon arrival is the color of the water; I have never seen such pristine, crystal blue liquid before. As with all our previous stops, we had pre-arranged the day’s tour – this time, a turtle farm and the stingray encounter. In typical cruise fashion, we waited for the requisite bus to carry us to our destination. Our first stop, the turtle farm, was a fabulous experience (albeit, a tad touristy, but I can look beyond that just to see these amazing primordial creatures). For $3.00, you can buy a bag of kibble to feed the larger animals and they allow you to hold and pet the smaller, four month-old turtles. Given the instruction that when they start flapping a bit, a simple stroke under the chin calms them down.
There is a Seventh Level of Hell and it is a place where a cruise ships dock and the 4,300+ inhabitants must disembark and attempt to board waiting travel busses to various excursions. I’ve invoked the term abattoir in this cruising experience and that feeling is no more prevalent when thousands of people are sardined in on staircases, waiting to pour out of a small hole in the side of the boat. Once the exit is achieved, the feeling continues as one walks into a giant room where lines are being formed to get on the travel vans.
