Celestial Restaurant - Review

Intro

Celestial Restaurant - Dude Grade: D+
1 Nanking West Road 3rd Fl, Taipei, Taiwan
Phone: 886 2 2563 2171

We got a recommendation to check out Celestial Restaurant which serves Beijing style food. Food is decent, but the waits are horrendous. Definitely not on the recommended list.

Our Menu
Vegetable Dumpling

Textures on the skin were a tad too soft, but the bigger problem was the lack of flavor in the filling. Not terrible, but any food stall in Taipei would serve better for 70% less.

Spinach, Bamboo, and Mushrooms *

Solid textures and flavors. One thing that I can't seem to find back home is dishes that serve delicious bamboo. The texture and flavor of the bamboo were pretty killer - pleasingly crunchy and almost nutty like flavor. Nothing like the canned stuff you get in NYC Chinatown.

Peking Duck *

Very crispy skin with great flavor. The meat was tasty, but pretty dry which was the only negative. The surprising thing was the wrap which was incredible. Thin enough, but incredibly chewy and flexible. When you combined the duck skin/meat, hoisin, scallion, and the wrap, you had a pretty damn solid combination of flavors and textures.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way (no stars - poor to average) * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

• Food (C) – Food was generally good, but nothing mind blowing.
  
• Service (D) – Servers were relatively friendly, but the waits were unbearable. After the dumplings and veggie, it took 45mins - 1 hour to get the duck. On top of that, they didn't bring out the duck meat until we finished half of the skin. No bueno.
  
• Atmosphere (C) – Standard Chinese joint where you have big circular tables - wooden floors and yellow walls. The place was packed with a combo of businessmen (with girls have their age) or families. We got there at 7pm on a Tuesday and it took 30 minutes to get seated. It was 100% full when we got there and 100% full with people waiting when we left.
  
• Price (C-) - Price was about $60 which isn't so bad for the US, but pretty pricey for Taiwan. Definitely not worth it for the service and waits.
  

Closing Comments
Definitely not recommended and although the peking duck was pretty delicious it wasn't much better than stuff we had in NY/NJ. I've had Peking Duck many a time and I'm curious to see if even the stuff in Beijing will be much better than the stuff I've had before - my guess is it'll be better but not eye openingly better.

Mango Shaved Ice (Mongwa Bao Bing)

August is pretty hot and humid in Taipei, so most people cool down with some shaved ice. Tai Eee Nyo Nye Dah Wong is supposedly one of the best. Really ripe and fragrant mangoes with some sweet condensed milk. Very refreshing and delicious on a hot Taipei night.

臺一牛奶大王
No. 82, Section 3, XīnShēng South Road, Daan District
Taipei City, Taiwan 106
02-2362-3172

Sashimi Platter for Take Out

If I could get this in NYC, I'd order it everyday.
This is just so fresh, it makes my knees weak every time.

Japanese Fresh Baked Bread

Yatai in Fukuoka 福岡の屋台

Street vendors in the streets of Fukuoka.
Ramen, Yakitori, Sashimi, Grilled Fish, Gyoza, Motsu Nabe...

IH Table

I could really use an Induction Heating unit built into my dining
table at home.
Fantastic!

Tonkatsu Lunch Set ($30)

One of the best lunch meal I've ever had. And the Price to Food
Quality Ratio was ridiculous as well.
I was in Kagoshima Prefecture this week and HAD to have their famed
Berkshire Pork.
It's seriously the best piggy money can buy.
I've had Mangolista, Iberico, American Berk/Duroc and this is clearly
tops in my book.

Kagoshima Berkshire Piggy Tonkatsu

Milk Bubble Tea (Xing Wa Zhwong Nye)

The birth place of bubble tea is Taiwan and although we get some decent stuff in the NY/NJ area, nothing compares to the stuff they serve in Taiwan. Chen San Ding, a famous street joint near Tai Da "National Taiwan University serves the bubbles with whole milk and very soft/chewy bubbles glazed in a brown sugar caramel - kinda like maple syrup. Incredibly delicious and addicting but be prepared to wait in a long line.

Stinky Tofu (Chou Dofu)

Offensive to some, but I love me some stinky tofu. The taiwan kind is much less offensive than the Hong Kong version. If you can get over the smell (think ripe cheese), the texture is crispy and airy on the inside and the flavor is kinda like a blue cheese/tofu combo.

Chicken Sashimi

I'll probably never do this again.
I don't really care how fresh the chicken is. It just doesn't jive
with this dude.

Cold Sesame Noodles (Liang Mien)

Nothing like street food in Taipei. Homemade chewy noodles with a great creamy and slightly sweet sesame sauce.

Ice Water Pitcher

Why can't we use vacuum insulated water pitchers in the States too?
Oh yes, because no one takes care of their products and it's bound to break in a week as opposed to in Japan (and most of the rest of the world) where people actually have pride in their work and take care of their tools. 

US work force could learn a thing or two. 

Sashimi Platter

And here it is.
The large fish in the bag. All filleted and plated on a bed of
julienned cucumbers. This is the local fishermans' way of enjoying
fresh caught fish. They don't muddle in ice trays/dishware or too much
in presentation.
Making sure the belly is full is their main concern.
I love these guys!

Gift from the Local Fisherman

There's about 30 fish in this bag. All just caught about an hour ago
from the ocean nearby.
Can't wait to grill them up and perhaps imbibe some shochu with the bounty.

アジ刺身なう

Horse Mackerel Sashimi platter for dinner.
This fish is a staple down here in Kumamoto.
So you better believe I'm eating this to my heart's content.
Served with minced scallion and ginger, and the classic sweet soy
sauce from this region, this is one awesome treat.

Giant Watermelon

Yakiniku in Japan

Another great reason why I love Japan so much.
Japanese Wagyu Beef is just incredibly awesome. It's not only tender as can be, there's this unique sweetness from the fat and also great beefy flavor.

This place is a 5 minute car ride from my wife's place in Kumamoto, Japan. What a great place to take the family and have a relaxing meal. Grilling the meat on the table top with a mug of icy cold suds in the other hand.

Toro at Daiwa (Tsukiji)

Pretty darn good piece of fatty tuna.
It's the middle of summer here in Japan and the best tuna according to
the sushi master is from India right now.

This piece literally melted in your mouth. Sweet and buttery. With
good Wasabi kick towards the end. I could eat this all day.

Unaju (Broiled Eel on Rice) at Highway Rest Stop

Another reason why I love Japan so much. Convenience factor of getting
a decent meal at even a rest stop on the highway.

Sausage, Peppers and Onions Pasta

One of my favorite summertime sandwiches is sausage and peppers, but moving out of Hoboken and into the burbs made it difficult to find a good sausage and peppers sandwich. So, I decided to cook me up some sausage, peppers, and onions and serve them tossed with some whole wheat pasta which stands up to the strong flavored condiments. Pretty friggin delish - sweet, peppery, fatty and spicy from the sausage.

Nagasaki Champon

This seafood and pork combo is a match made in heaven. For a
relatively thick and rich tasting broth, it's hard to have just a few
scoops. Addicting is the word I'm looking for.

Usually, the noodles are a bit thicker than most ramen noodles, which
I don't care for much. But the broth is just so magical that I
wouldn't mind if it were served to me with macaroni elbow pasta.
The cabbage in the dish also accommodates perfectly.

Big big fan.

Jinan Ramen (Tonkotsu)

This was right up my alley.
The broth was toned down a bit and was actually palatable.
Noodles were a bit thicker than Hide-chan's and had chew. Rather than
just firm texture.

I think this was as perfect a bowl of ramen can get.

I highly recommend anyone traveling to Fukuoka to visit the Ramen
Stadium in Canal City.

Fuji Black Shoyu Ramen

Tokyo style Shoyu base Ramen.
I reply didn't like this Ramen at all.
Complete garbage in my book.

Hide-chan Ramen (Tonkotsu Style)

The thickest Tonkotsu ramen I have ever had. There is no way you can
finish the broth at the end.
Very powerful flavor and texture. You really gotta love your Tonkotsu.

Turkish Sweets

The wife came back from Turkey and brought home some Turkish sweets. Here are some marshmallows coated with different nuts and spices. My favorites were the ones covered in pistachio and coconut.

TakoYaki たこ焼き

Burger Joint - Review

Intro
Burger Joint - Dude Grade: D+
119 W 56th St, New York 10019
Btwn 6th & 7th Ave
Phone: 212-708-7414

I've actually wanted to check this place out for the longest time. Before the big burger craze (shake shacks, minetta tavern, etc), Burger Joint was in the discussion for best burger in NYC. It's still rated highly amongst the various online sites out there. Quite honestly I have no eff'n idea why. Definitely a big disappointment and it shows you how important it is to follow the right food sites...hint hint :)

Our Menu

Cheeseburger
Fries ---
If you follow this blog, I have some basic criteria for burgers. It's gotta have good beef flavor, be juicy, and have great texture (from grind and char). This definitely was juicy and had some solid texture, but it had zero beef flavor. It's like they don't season the burger at all - quite similar to Louis Lunch. I don't care how good the beef is, you still have to season it. Fries were very oily, soggy, and didn't have any good potato flavor - wtf in a bad way.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

• Food (D) – Subpar burger and terrible fries.
  
• Service (C) – Order at the window and pick it up when they call out your name.
  
• Atmosphere (B) – I kinda dug the dive bar feel hidden behind the red curtain of a swank hotel. Place was hella dark that seated maybe 30 people. Wood walls, floors, and booths. We got there before 6pm on a Wednesday and it was 80% full. By the time we left, it was completely full with a line maybe 7 deep waiting for seats. There were a ton of tourists or bloggers there as cameras were constantly flashing in there.
  
• Price (C-) - Cheeseburger is $7 which is OK for a decent burger, but not for the stuff they serve here.
  

Closing Comments
This burger is similar to JG Melon - thicker patty using non aged/prime meat. If you want that style of burger go to JG or Corner Bistro. Taking a cab down 8th avenue, every single burger joint I saw would have been better than this place - five napkin, five guys, island burger, etc. I would have been happier having a double cheeseburger from McD's.

$8 Ramen and Rice Combo (Japan)

Pretty nice way to start off a much needed vacation in Japan. Landed
at Kumamoto airport and was greeted with a lunch combo that rivaled
any I've ever had.
So darn good and it was only 8 bucks!
Sliced roasted pork in Tonkotsu broth with a side of Braised Pork Belly on rice.

Grilled Chicken

Nothing like a little non work multi-tasking over the weekend aka manning the grill with some delicious brews. The wife came back from Turkey and brought back some delicious spices (earthy and bright), so I figured why not cut up some chicken and grill up some veggies. Something about manning a grill and cooking multiple items at once that is so satisfying. Also, these spices are so eff'n awesome, that I definitely need to make me some kebabs soon.

Some quick chicken cooking tips:
1) Brining - it makes a big difference when cooking breast meat. A good 2 hour soak in some salted water and thyme makes a huge difference - the thyme flavor actually permeates the meat completely and it'll ensure you have a juicy piece of chicken.
2) Clean and oil your grates - your chicken will not stick to the grates and it'll help get you some nice grill marks. Rubbing the grates with a paper towel dipped in canola oil will do the trick.
3) Medium Low Heat - a great heat to cook chicken. It'll give you plenty of time to crisp up the skin while ensuring the chicken gets fully cooked. It'll also give you a cushion if you're entertaining guests or prepping another dish. Cooking over medium or high heat and you have to be 100% focused on the bird otherwise it'll be blackened and nasty in no time.
4) Two zone cooking. Another way to ensure your chicken doesn't overcook or get too blackened. After getting the chicken nice and crispy on both sides over medium low heat, put the chicken on the part of the grill with no heat and cover. It'll minimize the chances of overcooking.
5) Rest the meat for 7-10 minutes. If you cut into it right away, you'll have some leathery chicken - no bueno.
6) Finish with some lemon zest - a nice way to brighten up the dish and makes you want to eat more. You can also top the chicken with olive oil and lemon juice, but make sure you do this right away before serving otherwise the skin you worked so hard to make crispy will be flabby.

Keen's Steakhouse

Hung out with the fellas for a dudes night at Keen's Steakhouse. As usual, manhattans, scotch, and mutton chops make perfect fuel for a mindless dude movie - this time, Cowboys and Aliens.

Definitely my favorite steakhouse in NYC and we were lucky to sit in the bull moose room - the wall has a bull moose head shot by TR. Ah the good ol' days - where presidents spent time killing things instead of tweeting.

Pork Loin with Cabbage and Apple Slaw

I've never cooked pork before on the grill, so I decided to give it a whirl. A really delicious dish and definitely going to work on it some more.

Some quick tips:
1) Smoke pouch - created using double aluminum foil (poked with a fork to release the smoke) with apple wood chips soaked in water for 30 minutes. Cook over high heat until you see plumes of smoke coming out of the pouch. Move the pouch to a section with low heat. Make sure to check up on it to make sure the smoke doesn't die out.
2) Pork - the pork came out surprisingly pretty juicy without brining it. The key was using a big pork loin (3 pounds). Cooked over medium heat until nicely seared on all sides. Then move the pork loin over to an area of the grill with no heat and close the grill so it works like an oven. Cook until juicy - maybe 20 minutes. I don't mind if it's slightly pink in the center as long as you're using a good piece of meat. I had some decent fat in the loin which made the thing taste like delicious bacon.
3) Slaw - After hitting up the delicious Prime Meats and enjoying their off the charts potato salad, I realized that a bright side dish worked perfectly with a rich piece of meat. Instead of the heavy mayo based slaw I used apple cider vinegar, honey, and a vinegar based bbq sauce. It was so bright and acidic and perfect with the tender pork loin. The slaw was filled with apple, red cabbage, carrots, and onion. Figured, this would be some apple on apple crime (apple cider vinegar, sliced apple, and apple wood smoke). It was a friggin awesome combo - crunch and massive brightness with the juicy rich meat.

West Village Meet Up

My go to place to wait for / meet people up is Gottino in the West Village. If you go early enough, you can get a good spot at the bar, enjoy some excellent wine and some fun eats. To the right is some 'nduja, roasted sweet cauliflower combined with spicy salami. Killer combo with the fresh capers and a nice glass of vino.

Rockmeisha Izakaya - Review

Intro
Rockmeisha Izakaya - Dude Grade: B+
11 Barrow St, New York 10014
Btwn W 4th & Bleecker St
Phone: (212) 675-7775

The thing I love about NYC is finding little hole in the walls. Even though I've walked around the west village many a time, I never noticed this little Japanese joint before. Great find and definitely a go to for meeting people up for drinks and quick eats. Apologies for the pix - looked fine on the droid (the original one), but comes out crappy on the computer. This is definitely the year for the new phone with a great camera.

Our Menu

Leek Omelet **
I don't know why, but it's tough to find delicious eggs - usually overcooked or bland. You won't have a problem here, since the eggs are so creamy, flavored with sesame oil and garlic chives. So friggin delicious.

Buta Kimchee *
stir fried pork, kimchee & egg
Fun dish. Tasty pork with some soft eggs and salty/vinegary kimchee.

Spicy Tuna Roll **
I've never had spicy tuna like this before and I don't know why everybody doesn't serve it like this. Tuna was left whole and not pureed into mush. Made for a great texture that still had that spicy mayo shmeered on the inside
Takoho **
octopus pan cake
Thicker than the okonomiyaki I've had in NYC which leads to a more savory and textural dish. Fun with the mayo, sweet sauce, and the savory bonito flakes.

Fried Chicken *
The chicken was battered in something similar to fish and chips rather than the traditional American style fried chicken. The chicken was fun and flavorful, but I wasn't a huge fan of the crust.

Grilled Wings **
I love me some grilled wings and these were so eff'n spot on. Very juicy and great chicken flavor. Really great chicken wings.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience

• Food (B) – Great bar food.
  
• Service (B) – Typical Japanese service - very accommodating and they were always there when we needed them.
  
• Atmosphere (B) – This place definitely whisks you away from the west village with a vibe that could be downtown Tokyo. They have this dark cavernous thing going on with all wood - tables, walls, floors. This place is extremely tiny, maybe seating 30 or less and low ceilings. We got there at 7pm on a Friday and it was completely dead. When we left it was still dead.
  
• Price (B+) - Dishes are around $9 a plate. 2-3 dishes is good for a normal person, but I can definitely see ordering a ton more if you're drinking a bunch.
  

Closing Comments
Definitely a go to place if I want to meet people in the west village for some drinks and quick eats.