Donatella Arpaia
calling out the bullies.
Photo: Food Network.
Last night, we entered a world of pain on "The Next Iron Chef" -- quite literally. With only three chefs left in the competition, we no longer had to rely on the show's Ritalin-addicted cameramen or the barked commands of stoic "Chairman" Marc Dacascos to make us anxious. The misty, unforgiving environs of Tokyo seemed to be doing a fine job all on their own.
Never mind Jose Garces being shouted at by the fishmongers at the legendary Tsukiji fish market, or the now openly evil Jehangir Mehta announcing, "I'm not bothered by bringing other people down to make myself look better." We knew there was pain in the air last night from the very first, utterly geeky "Reservoir Dogs"-style shot of the three chefs walking down a rain-slicked street to get their latest assignment from Dacascos and host Alton Brown. We wondered: Why are they walking so slowly? And why is Seamus Mullen limping along in what appears to be utter agony?
Leave it to "TNIC" editors to have downplayed Mullen's ongoing struggle with rheumatoid arthritis until this late in the game. Whether or not the affliction had hindered him in previous episodes, we're not sure, but last night, attempting to run around both the market and the kitchen for several hours on end, it was clear he was suffering. Add to that the indignity of Mehta leaving the forever-temperamental ice-cream machine (when will you guys throw in the towel on that thing?!) in strategic shambles, and the damning comment of "Have you ever cooked rice?" from guest judge Dr. Hattori, and Mullen was having one of those Very Bad Days we all dread.
But more about that later. The challenge was to cook a five-course kaiseki -- a very formal meal composed of local, seasonal ingredients -- that reflected their own "integrity" as a chef. For Mehta this meant buying half of the food in the market and littering his serving trays with edible flowers ("I'm a happy person! I like beauty!"). Mullen may have dubbed it all "smoke and mirrors," but Mehta still managed to produce a fresh clam salad with chili flower that was a standout of the evening.
The point of fast-food franchises is instant familiarity--every outlet serving the same food under the same sign in essentially the same building. But McDonald's has been messing with that paradigm, opening new restaurants that are hard to recognize as the home of Ronald and the Big Mac. Viva McDonald's recently opened on the Las Vegas Strip, tearing down a 25-year-old golden arches to rebuild a slick new restaurant. The arch is still there--at least one, anyway--stretched as a marquee above a row of 20-foot wide video screens. Inside, there's something of the Quonset hut design of a Chipotle, along with even more screens, all broadcasting McDonald's own in-house TV channel. You can even get a latte and use wi-fi!
Not enough change for you? How about the McDonald's with no branding at all, not even the name. In Tokyo, the fast-food megalith has opened several small restaurants named, simply, Quarter Pounder. There's not an arch in sight--the black-and-red decor looks more like a bar or nightclub and even the wrappers are redesigned, streamlined and logo-free. However, don't get your hopes up about a chic new shame-based No-I-Am-Not-a-McDonald's: The stores are open as part of a promotion for the quarter pounder, which was not previously available in Japan.
Last week I wrote about Rameniac, a guide to all things ramen so detailed and descriptive that it left me jonesing for a hot bowl of the stuff. As promised, I did indeed trek from my native Queens to Manhattan's East Village that same afternoon to satisfy my urge.
Rather than head to one of the neighborhood's longstanding ramenyas, I decided to try out Ramen Setagaya, a new spot that opened in mid-June amid much fanfare and accompanying long lines. Part of the reason for all the buzz surrounding Setagaya's opening lies in the fact that it's the first U.S. restaurant of a popular Tokyo chain. And a large part lies in the fact that they make one kickass bowl of soup.
Now that summer, with all its attendant heat and humidity, is in full swing in New York City, I often find myself indulging in foods that I like to refer to as edible A.C. This includes everything from such main dishes as cold soba noodles and Korean naeng myunto desserts, like Taiwanese shaved ice, various types of psychedelic colored Indonesian ices and the ubiquitous Italian ice.
I admit some sheepishly that I've never cooled down with kakigori,or Japan's contribution to the world of sweet shaved ice desserts. And I've certainly never tried Champagne Kakigori mainly because it was only invented just this summer in Tokyo.
Maxim's de Paris, a posh spot in Chuo makes its version of this decidely adult snocone by starting with shaved ice mixed with fruit and herb extracts. Then the bartender tops it off with what I'm hoping for $18 a pop turns out to be a goodly pour of Dom Perignon.
This gem comes from the press release announcing Cold Stone Creamery's expansion into Mexico and Southeast Asia. I'll admit it's a better turn of phrase than "taking the international sweet tooth by cavity." Full disclosure, I've never eaten the Creamery's ice cream, I suppose I should since there's one in a mall near my house.
The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based purveyor of fresh-made ice-cream that's blended to order with mix-ins on, you guessed it, a cold stone, started scooping up international markets back in 2005, when it opened its first overseas store in Tokyo. Since then Coldstone has opened 22 more stores throughout Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan.
Its first Mexican store will open in September. There's been no word yet as to whether the Creamery stores South of the Border will forgo the signature stone slab in favor of a gigantic molcajete y tejolote to mix the ingredients with the ice cream. The company's next international markets will be Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. I don't think it's gonna happen, but I'd love to see the Creamery's Southeast Asian stores use young coconut, jackfruit and some of the brightly colored gelatinous squiggles that are a staple of the region's frozen confections.
Starbucks has been pretty successful in selling Japan on java. The coffee colussus opened its first Japanese shop 10 years ago and now has some 700 units. Now another American behemoth is giving the Seattle-based company a run for its money. McDonald's, which already has a substantial presence in the land of the rising sun, now plans to help the Japanese rise and shine with a new coffee shop concept it's launching at the end of next month.
The McCafe is the burger behemoth's first entry into buzzing world of coffee shops. Yesterday Mickey D's Japanese arm announced plans to open 15 McCafes in the Tokyo area on August 29. The hook behind the concept lies in offering lower priced beverages in an effort to draw customers, particularly families. If any bigwigs from McDonald's Japan are reading this allow me to suggest offering a drink called the McMatchaccino at Tokyo's McCafes.
I must admit that I've never really understood or enjoyed mochi, the Japanese glutinous rice cakes that are traditionally given as gifts on New Year's Day. Though I am a big fan of the hilarious mochi scene in Tampopo.But I'm ready to cast aside my aversion to the sticky rice cakes after seeing this image of rows of perfectly formed mochi arrayed like some kind of eerie alien gem stones. I'd even fly to Tokyo to visit the Takashimaya department store where this glamour shot was taken. [via Tastespotting]
MSN has posted a list of the top 10 cities for
foodies, as determined by a travel site. The cities chosen are all
over the globe, picked for a combination of unique dishes, celebrity chefs and all-around good cuisine. Barcelona,
Brussels, Lyon and Rome were lauded for their long standing traditions, while Las Vegas and New York were included for
having just about everything. While San Francisco did get a nod for its non-Asian cuisine, it seems to have been
selected mainly on the availability of good Chinese food. Asian flavors are what put Tokyo, Vancouver and Hanoi on the
list, too.
It appears that the definition of a
foodie as someone who is willing (and possibly desperate) to eat anything has been put into
play with this list, as along with Asian flair, Hanoi was picked for "unusual delicacies like dog or snake,"
including "fried snake skin, snake spring rolls, snake soup, and minced snake dumpling." Weird meats are all well and good,
but to plan a whole trip around them seems a bit extreme.
A restaurant in Tokyo has introduced the world's first fast food sweets. These aren't your usual deep fried
apple pies and chocolate chip cookies, either. This restaurant offers sweets that are made to look like traditional
fast food offerings, from hamburgers to french fries. At first glance, a Mamido's Burger hamburger looks quite
ordinary, but the taste reveals something entirely different. The "bun" is made of sponge cake and the
"patty" is actually a molded chocolate cream. Their version of a breaded fish burger features a patty made
from bananas and what looks like a side order of french fries, pictured above, are deep fried slices of custard
cream.
Young people and women are generally the target market for sweets and confections in Japan, but the shop is proving
to be popular with men, as well. According to the owner, a man who might be embarrassed to be seen eating a slice of
cake, can walk along looking as though he is enjoying a burger!
We have mentioned both a $10,000 cake and a $950 cocktail here at Slashfood, but we have never
before seen a cake like this one. Selling at a department store in Tokyo is a cake that costs $1.7 million dollars. The two tiered
fruitcake, created by pastry chef Jeong Hong-yong, is covered in marzipan and a total of 223 diamonds, the largest of
which is a heart-shaped, 5-karat stone. Though the article mentions that there "have been many inquiries," it
does not say whether the cake has been purchased outright.
Now that summer, with all its attendant heat and humidity, is in full swing in New York City, I often find myself indulging in foods that I like to refer to as edible A.C. This includes everything from such main dishes as cold soba noodles and Korean 
Starbucks has been pretty successful in selling Japan on java. The coffee colussus opened its first Japanese shop 10 years ago and now has some 700 units. Now another American behemoth is giving the Seattle-based company a run for its money. McDonald's, which already has a substantial presence in the land of the rising sun, now plans to help the Japanese rise and shine with a 
MSN has posted a list of the 
A restaurant in Tokyo has introduced the world's first 
We have mentioned both a 
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