"bento box" news and stories

Fresh hops. Photo: david.nikonvscanon, Flickr.

• A guide to beer additive hops, and the differences between what's fresh and dried.
• The Minimalist makes Bok Choy with Shiitakes and Oyster Sauce.
• Why do San Francisco residents eat local so fervently, yet drink European wines? Plus: A look at the primo vino locales in the Bay Area.
• Room for Debate peeks into bento-box culture, wondering what aesthetically pleasing food says about Japan.
• Michael Bao Huynh may think he's just a businessman, but he's building an empire of Vietnamese-inspired restaurants.
• Avenue C's Summit Bar serves up classy cocktails with a side of laidback conversation.
• Free and clear of "Gourmet," Ruth Reichl partakes in a Q&A with the Times.
• A Good Appetite amps up wild salmon with brown butter cucumbers.
• Recipe Redux takes a recipe for homemade Worcestershire sauce from 1876 and compares it to modern concoctions.
• Food and Travel: Restaurateur Terence Conran starts new establishments in London, exploring the food of Charlevoix, Quebec farm country and Singapore's culinary melting pot.
• Central Park South's Marea offers pricey seafood and atmosphere that's "unfussy, as welcoming as a luxe clubhouse."
• $25 and Under finds a bunch of notable and classic Manhattan food carts.
• Food Stuff finds: Kobe-style beef, fresh meats at Chelsea Market and crab apples.
• New York's openings and closings and food calendar.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are embarking upon a Bento Boom. The prettily packaged (often very elaborate) box lunch has been around in Japan since the 1600s, has its share of obsessives stateside, and now boasts an upscale San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneur as its, uh, bentoperson. Meet Peko-Peko (Japanese for "hungry").

How can a simple, typically cheap boxed lunch go upscale? Well, owner Sylvan Brackett's restaurant background is at Alice Waters' famed local eatery Chez Panisse. His tribute to the food of his childhood -- his mother is Japanese -- do not come cheap. When they're so gorgeously presented in beautiful "to go" boxes, or on traditional servingware when catered, we'd be inclined to shell out the $25 minimum. (Full disclosure: We sampled Brackett's incredible potstickers as college acquaintances). Seasonal, organic ingredients might include Marin Sun Pork Kakuni (soy and sake-simmered pork belly) with chrysanthemum greens or a layered box of Dungeness crab, pork cutlet, local pickled ginger and Brackett's house-brined umeboshi (pickles).

Though gourmet bento has not yet charmed all of America, Brackett studied the cuisine in Japan and declares, "Beautifully laid out food is common there." How does Mom feel about him taking the casual food she served him as a tot and bringing it to the Alice Waters crowd? "She thinks it's amusing."

For your lunchtime pleasure, I'm presenting a series of my favorite bento boxes. Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. The boxes can range from austere lacquered trays to multi-tiered Hello Kitty confections of neon pink plastic. The meals themselves are anything from rice and leftovers to elaborate themed affairs of Pikachu-shaped dumplings with sesame seed eyes and carved radish trees. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.

Today's adorable creation, courtesy of Aylanah, is a seascape where a kumquat fishie swims atop a dried plum-filled rice ball, blowing sesame seed bubbles. Below, a ginger root fish wriggles past a colorful reef of blueberries, raspberries, squash and cucumber.

I've always enjoyed the energy and care that people put into packing bento box lunches. I love checking out the stuff that Biggie creates on Lunch in a Box and Jennifer McCann's Vegan Lunch Box was once one of my daily blog stops (she doesn't update as regularly as she used to). Today's bento image comes to us from Kate, a regular commenter and photo uploader around these parts. She's packed up a delicious and abundant lunch that has me wishing she'd come to my house and pack me a mid-day meal.

Thanks for adding your image to the Slashfood Flickr pool, Kate!

Source