My manager brought me some saltwater taffy from Maine the other day. The hand-pulled Goldenrod kisses saltwater taffy is made in York Beach, Maine. I'm normally not a big fan of saltwater taffy, but these ones are quite good.
I saw Garden State over the Labor Day weekend. Great film. Natilie Portman really shined in her role. I especially like the music in the film. I would recommend getting the Frou Frou - Details CD.
I've recently been introduced to the world of ballroom dancing by a friend. Just tried it out once and now I'm hooked. I'm currently taking dance lessons at the Starlite Dance Club in Sunnyvale, CA. They offer group Friday night socials for beginners to learn the basic steps. It's a really good way to spend your Friday nights. You'll meet lots of fun loving people!
As I opened the two glass doors to the restaurant, I could immediately smell the wonderful aroma. The restaurant was packed. I spotted quite a few tables with Japanese diners. It’s Sunday night. That’s a good sign.
One quick glance at the menu revealed a wide variety of traditional Japanese dishes like tempura, teriyaki, sukiyaki, and shioyaki. Nothing special really until I started looking at the appetizer menu. There were a nice selection of namamono (raw items), agemono (fried items), and yakimono (grilled items). These were the real gems of restaurant.
The seaweed salad ($4.30) was cool and refreshing. Mixing in cucumber strands was a nice touch. The dish really made my stomach juice flowing.
The soft shell crab tempura ($6.80), along with some spicy radish bits mixed in with a special tempura sauce offered a sharp contrast to the seaweed salad. I particularly liked the way the crab was cut which made it very easy and enjoyable to consume.
The dobin mushi or soup in the teapot ($10.80) was a fun alternative to miso soup. It reminded me of pouring hot sake into little cups, only it’s soup instead. The soup was very flavorful, thanks to the pieces of chicken and mushroom hidden within the teapot.
It’s not often you see amaebi ($5.20) on the nigiri sushi menu, I made no hesitation in ordering it. The sushi included two pieces of raw sweet shimp on rice along with the giant shrimp heads deep-fried placed on the side. I loved the crisp and silky texture of the amaebi. The deep fried shrimp head were done well. I ate the entire head in one gulp.
When I ordered the Alaskan black cod kasuzake ($9.80), the waiteress immediately smiled with delight. I knew I ordered something good. The fish came in two large pieces. One bite into the cod and the buttery meat just melted in my mouth. It was the best cod I’ve had in ages.
I finished off with the unagi don or eel teriyaki over rice ($9.98). The unagi was thick unlike most places. There was just enough sauce to not overpower the flavor of the eel. After the meal, I sipped some green tea and enjoyed the remainder of the night knowing it was one of the best Japanese meals I’ve had in the south bay.
Azuma
19645 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 257-4057
My sister and I participated in Urban Dare in San Francisco yesterday. It is a team race that's part photo hunt, part trivia and part dares. We had to solve clues to find checkpoints throughout the city. We covered more than 10 miles by foot! We finished the race in 5 hours and 48 minutes.
For more information about the race, check out www.urbandare.com.
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| Urban Dare |
I volunteered at the Singles Chocolate Salon at Fort Mason, San Francisco yesterday and wolfed down a whole lot of chocolates from many local chocolatiers while enjoying the chocolate-inspired fashion show. I particularly liked the ones from XOX Truffles, Rushburn Toffee, and L'estasi Dolce.
Andre Crump, the event organizer, also gave me a copy of his book I Know About Dating I Learned in Business School: How to Succeed in Dating by Using Basic Business Practices. A fun read definitely.
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| Singles Chocolate Salon |
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