Bacon. That is all.

Umami feels sorry for those whose diets, for whatever reasons of ethics, health, or pretension, do not allow them to enjoy the wonder that is bacon.  Their suffering must be immense, especially if, as this article relates, people are simply hardwired to want to eat it:   "Why Bacon is a Gateway Meat for Vegetarians."

Bacon.  At Bouchon.  What could be better?  Simple:  More Bacon!

Umami once cut out land-based meats (who knows why) from his diet.  He fought the good fight and might have made it, except that Bacon called in reinforcements . . . KFC.  Thus, ended a short, silly period in the life.  On to better times.  Green lights all the way!

More Goteborg Sightings. And some wings

For something that Umami's never seen before, it's amazing how often Goteborg sausage is turning up nowadays.  Here's the Goteborg sausage at TJ's, which Umami frequents mostly because its nearby.

"Goteborg Bites"

Composition:  Goteborg

Five of these little guys will run you $6!  Didn't stop the pau hana crew from going through three orders, mostly because there were lots of people who had never tried them.  And they go really well with beer.

It's an interesting menu.

The food is actually pretty good bar fare, with some interesting items.  The pau hana crew hasn't yet tried the quesadilla, spicy ahi, or black bean shrimp.  Umami has tried the chicken wings, deep fried, salty.

Wings

The place is basically a sports bar, but any games that are on will be drowned out whenever the jukebox starts up.  Mixed drinks can be sketchy, stick to shots and/or beer.  There are a couple of pool tables, darts (electronic), some arcade games.  If you're in to "destinations," best look elsewhere.  Otherwise, it's a convenient place to have a beer and a gnosh.

TJ's Sports Bar & Grill
600 Kapiolani Blvd (Corner of King and Kapiolani)
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 545-2424

Pikachou's Red Velvet Cupcakes

Fellow food blogger, Pikachou, baked some red velvet cupcakes for a belated Christmas party on Sunday.  Her recipe is super simple(!), check it out at Butterfly Wings!  But Umami notes that there is no frosting recipe . . . and the frosting's the thing.  A store that sells only cupcake tops would probably make a fortune!  All right, Umami stole that from "Seinfeld," but, what about this:  Mini cupcake tops!  Must think on it . . .

Oh, here's a pic of the cupcakes on Sunday (which Umami borrowed from Pikachou . . . he hopes she doesn't mind!):

Pikachou's Red Velvet Cupcakes!

They're cute, huh?  With little red velvet cupcake candy decorations, and everything!

Ms. D (Pikachou's mom) brought some in to the office for Umami and Makizushi.  Of course, she left them in her truck for an indeterminate period of time.  Fortunately, Umami asked (very casually):  "so, where's the red velvet cupcakes?"  They were quickly retrieved.  Poor little guys were a little worse for wear . . .

but still very good indeed, rating a full four Noms on the Nom scale. (NOM-NOM-NOM-NOM!)

Gordon Biersch at the Stan

Once in a while, Trish gets her uncle's tickets to the UH men's basketball and invites Umami.  On Saturday, they went to watch UH play San Jose State.  Both teams needed wins; UH was 2-5 in conference and SJSU was 1-5.

It's a good view

They had an excellent view of the floor and plenty of time to ponder such questions as:  Why are there more Rainbow Dancers (16 or so) then Cheerleaders (10)?  Why are there more male cheerleaders (6) than women (4)?  Do the Cheerleaders snob the Dancers?  Or vice versa?

Have to have food when considering such weighty issues of the day.  There was an immediate debate over whether to have garlic fries, chicken fingers, or something more substantial.  Eventually, the Gordon Biersch chicken sandwich with garlic fries (under $6) won out.

Chicken Sandwich and Garlic Fries

It's a nice little chicken patty on a hamburger bun.  Comes with lettuce and tomato, and an overly generous dollop of garlic mayo.  Umami and Trish scraped most of the mayo off to the side, then used it as a dip for the fries . . . so European . . . pomme frittes et mayonnaise!

The sandwich and fries were thoroughly enjoyed.  The weighty questions of the day never did get answered and will have to wait for another day.  The game itself was a solid defensive effort by UH, resulting in a 67-61 win.  Fun night!

Umami Cooks "Chicken Thighs with White Wine and Herbs"

Umami does occasionally break out a cookbook from the Collection and venture into the kitchen.  Tonight, he's got a couple of chicken thighs thawed in the refrigerator that have to be cooked.  And he's also got a new cookbook, a birthday present from Dr. Sher, called "Two Dudes, One Pan - Maximum Flavor from a Minimalist Kitchen."  Surely, that might have something appropriate for (1) chicken and (2) Umami's absurdly minimalist kitchen?  A possible snag:  Umami's kitchen is so minimalist that he might have the necessary ingredients, so he's really hoping to find something that he can use as a basis for improvisation.

Chicken Thighs with White Wine and Herbs

Fortunately, there is a recipe for "Chicken Thighs in White Wine and Herbs."  Umami happens to have a bottle of pinot grigio that he got during the office Christmas party (well, technically, he got a box of cookies at the party, but then traded the cookies for the wine!), so that's cool.


The herbs?  The recipe calls for finely chopped "fresh marjoram," "fresh flat-leaf parsley," and "fresh thyme."  Which Umami, predictably, has none of.  He does, however, have fresh rosemary from a plant outside, and some dried thyme.  It will have to do.
Umami seasons the chicken with some "Oak-Smoked  Chardonnay Sea Salt" that he got as a present, then notices that it's a "finishing salt."  And it does seem like ordinary table salt would have sufficed.  Oh, well.


Chicken is cooked in a skillet on both sides until brown, then removed to a platter.
One tablespoon of fat and drippings are reserved, remaining fat is discarded.  Umami sauteed a half a small onion until softened (recipe calls for shallots).  Pan is deglazed with vinegar (Umami used citrus-champagne vinegar, recipe calls for sherry vinegar).  Add wine and some water until reduced.  Add herbs, butter, some salt, pour over chicken and serve . . . 
Served with some brown rice and a glass of white wine, it's a very nice meal.  The sauce is bright and acid and Umami liked it with the salt of the chicken (he over-salted, again).  And you have to have a glass of white wine because, once the bottle's been opened, it's only going to be good for so long.
All in all, good fun.  Now Umami's fed and watered and ready for Hawaii 5-0!  Aloha!

"Black Swan"/Goteborg Sausage at Paina Cafe

Umami and Lis went to go see "Black Swan," starring Natalie Portman as a ballet dancer with, shall we say, issues.  But, let's be clear, this is a psychological horror movie that happens to take place in the world of ballet.

Natalie Portman is phenomenal in the role of Nina, a ballerina competing for the role of the Swan Queen in a contemporary version of "Swan Lake."  The Swan Queen has two aspects, a White Swan, pure and precise, and a Black Swan, sensual and hedonistic.  Yang and Yin.  Nina's perfectionism allows her to excel in the White Swan aspect, but trying to find the Black Swan is harrowing.

Umami would not be surprised if she wins an Academy Award.  She should at least be nominated.

The film is kind of disorienting, so leaving the theater Umami was disturbed to see a tiny older woman with white Daisy Dukes and white furry leg warmers.  Like this:

Fashion Statement?  Or fashion risk?

Umami just doesn't expect to see such things in a theater multiplex lobby.  Hallucination?  No, because Lis saw her too (and was equally disturbed).

Anyway, time for dinner.  Umami suggested Paina Cafe (which faithful readers might remember from last month's post:  "Ward Warehouse: Butter Melter and Paina Cafe").  Umami had the Hawaiian Poke Bowl ($7.25), again, except with the Hot Shoyu Poke instead of the Spicy Ahi.

Hawaiian Poke Bowl

Lis, however, noticed that they had "Jobo's Goteborg Musubi" ($2.99).  This is apparently some Kauai comfort food thing.  Umami had never heard of such a thing, so, had to try.

Jobo's Goteborg Musubi

$3 gets you three thin slices of the titular sausage, topped with a small scoop of rice, garnished with furikake.  Lis says her grandmother slices the sausage thicker, which is awesome, but there was plenty of flavor in the slices here.   It tastes like a cross between Portuguese Sausage and a summer sausage.  It works fine as a musubi, but Umami suspects it would work really well with cheese, crackers, and a good beer!  Will have to research further . . .


Pa'ina Cafe (Next to Town & Country Surf Shop)
1200 Ala Moana Blvd. Store #24
Honolulu, HI 96814
808-356-2829

Umami Spectates

It all started last year about this time. Umami was offered some tickets to a UH Wahine Basketball game and he figured, "why not?" The team competed ("scrapped," Lis would say) and it made for an entertaining evening. So Umami's gone a couple of times subsequently. Tonight, he and Lis got tickets for the UH Men's BB game versus Boise State, which also allowed them to attend the Wahine game versus Louisiana Tech. It's not a bad deal ($18) for two games.

Also not a bad deal . . . the "Bumbucha Nachos" ($5.50)

Umami likes nachos with his jalapenos

This is a generous serving of white corn tortilla chips, a scary cheese sauce, ground beef, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and a good sized dollop of sour cream. There are two trays of jalapenos off to the side for those who like a little heat with their nachos (Umami likes the heat!).

And, sadly, the nachos might have been the highlight of the night. The UH Wahine lost in overtime to La Tech, 74-69. They had their chances to win in regulation, but couldn't quite get it done.

Still, they played extremely well compared to the Men, who got drilled by Boise State, 79-55. This game did produce one other highlight. The officiating for both games was atrocious and the crowd was on the refs throughout. During the UH-Boise game, a female fan in back of Umami had had enough and shouted, "Get off your knees ref, you're blowing the game!"

Beautiful.

It was a long night, but lots of fun. Umami hope the teams improve, but recommends the nachos (and the beers:  $7 for 30 oz. Heinekein)!

Next home games:

Jan 20 UH Men v. Fresno State
Jan 31 UH Wahine v. Utah State (yes, they're on the road for three weeks!) 

Umami say . . .

Check it out:  All Day.   Good fun.  Free download.  If it's not your speed, sorry about that!  If it is . . . Enjoy!

What Would Totoro Do?

Have you seen me?

Umami has always liked Hayao Miyazaki's "Tonari No Totoro" (My Neighbor Totoro).  It's a film about two girls and their interactions with woodland creatures? spirits? that look like bears of some sort.  Umami says "interactions" because there isn't really any action or adventures in the film, just an acceptance and respect of the others existence.

Umami likes this little Totoro ornament, with its Totoro-grin and pink cocktail umbrella.  It's not very big, and some of the details are wrong (only three chest chevrons??), but it's cute and obviously made with care.  Perhaps the maker intended it for gift, say, maybe for his or her niece or nephew?

It was hanging waaay above the ground at Honolulu City Lights Courtyard of Trees, above the Department of Corporation Counsel tree, above even Patrick and the Golden Snitch.

In flight

So someone must have really, really, really wanted to steal it, because it's gone now.  It must have taken a ladder (unlikely) or someone sitting or standing on someone's shoulders to get at it.  It's sad to think that a Totoro fan would have taken it; is that what Totoro would do?  That person apparently missed the point about acceptance and respect.  Or maybe just doesn't like lawyers.

Maybe the question is better addressed to the Ornament-Maker.  What would Totoro do?  Raging against the injustice of it all won't bring it back . . . it's gone.    Perhaps the best anyone can do is to hope that whoever has it needs it terribly and that is was worth all of that.

Regardless, if this is the worst thing that happens this year, it will be a pretty damn good one.  Umami wishes everyone peace (and acceptance and respect) for 2011.  And maybe we'll see another Totoro next year . . .