Signs of Umami-ness in the Universe

From the Umami Reader:

An article on miso in the NY Times, with an absolutely superb title:  "Umami Dearest"

And an article on the discovery of the fifth taste, National Public Radio.  "Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter ... and Umami"

Umami himself has been frequently called bitter, often salty, sometimes sour . . .  and, rarely, sweet.  Turns out, he was unique, just not recognized as such.

Hole in the Wall - Chili with Little Smokies

Chili with Little Smokies

With Camille's on Wheels gearing up for testimony on Bill 59 (aka "Da Food Truck Bill"), Umami, Ms. D and Makizushi were forced to find other lunch options.  The ended up at Hole in the Wall on Chaplain Lane.  Umami had always wanted to try the Chili with Little Smokies ($7.50) and finally gave in.

The chili is pretty good, more of a savory, rather than sweet, style.  With optional cheese and onions, and hit with a couple of shots of Tabasco, it's a seriously filling lunch.  Especially since it comes with two scoops of (oddly bland) mac salad.  Enough for two meals . . . and it's more economical and less guilt-inducing that way.  Umami's finishing the rest of his tomorrow.

Hole in the Wall
1154 Fort Street Mall (Chaplain Lane)
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 532-9911

The Famous Hiroshi Mayaki

Umami and Elle were walking along Kapahalu Avenue, looking for a place to eat lunch.  Rainbow Drive-In was, not surprisingly, prohibitively crowded, so they moved on.  Passing Hee Hing Plaza, they looked up and saw a noren proclaiming "Healthy Japanese Food" and, under that "Hiroshi Mayaki" and, under that "Shochan."  Who was this Hiroshi Mayaki?  What was his healthy Japanese food like?  Intrigued, they went upstairs to check it out.

The place looked like it had just opened.  A hand-lettered sign said that more menu items and liquor were on the way, but, for now, they were serving okonomiyaki.  "What's that?" asked Elle, she was ready to pass on it.  "Like a frittata" said Umami.  Not quite correct, but close.  And Elle, who loves her breakfast food, was sold.

Okonomiyaki

The food is cooked to order, so, while they were waiting, Umami googled "Hiroshi Mayaki" and discovered, to his amusement, that they had been reading the sign wrong.  Because "Hiroshi" was on one panel of the noren and "Mayaki" was on the another, they had assumed it was two words:  "Hiroshi Mayaki."

So wrong!

It's one word:  "Hiroshimayaki," a particular style of okonomiyaki, in which the ingredients are layered, rather than mixed together.   Another blogger had made the same mistake.   http://nakama-m-photos.blogspot.com/2009/05/shochan-hiroshimayaki-restaurant.html.

The restaurant is actually called Shochan Hiroshimayaki and it used to be in Puck's Alley on University. And the food . . . ?

Oh, Hiroshimayaki!

Very, very good!   Their standard okonomiyaki has a bottom layer of cabbage, topped successively by a little pork, bacon, yakisoba, and, finally, a crepe-style omelette.  It's covered with mitsuwa sauce and served on a sizzling cast iron platter.  Mayonnaise and extra sauce can be added and it makes a perfect late breakfast.  Total tab for two - $20 with the tax and tip.  Not bad at all.

Umami and Elle will definitely be back.  But they'll probably always call it "Hiroshi Mayaki."

Shochan Hiroshimayaki
Hee Hing Plaza (3rd Floor, next to Tokkuri Tei)
449 Kapahulu Ave.
Honolulu, Hawaii  96815

Happy Valentine's Day!

Umami and Elle (aka "Woman-to-Blame") were discussing what to do for Valentine's Day.  Elle said that she wasn't really that into the fancy dinner and roses scene (though chocolate would certainly be acceptable).  Umami doesn't know if he should take that at face value . . . or as some sort of devious test where he's supposed to go all out anyway.  Such a quandry!

But, at Punahou Carnival, at Art Gallery, they were both intrigued by a little winged apple sculpture:

Guardian Apple

"Guardian Apple," by Johanette Rowley, is a not quite 5" tall earthenware apple, with inexplicable black spots, gold lustre wings, and three feet.  Umami and Elle bought it as a Valentine's Day present to themselves.  They named him "Chester."    

Sugar Factory - Frozen Hot Chocolate

Umami and Elle wandered into the Sugar Factory - American Brasserie at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.  Why?  Because they were hankerin' for something sweet.  And they needed a walk after eating and drinking their way through the AFC Championship Game (Won by the Pats!).

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Umami's tried Serendipity's Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate and was curious to see how Sugar Factory's Classic Frozen Hot Chocolate ($8) stacked up.  It's undoubtedly a great looking drink, and is plenty chocolate-y,  but it's also a little thinner in feel than Serendipity's.

A couple of days later, Elle tried Serendipity's Frrrozen Hot Chocolate.  And, in the frozen hot chocolate challenge, by unanimous decision, the winner is:  Serendipity!  Serendipity's version is just richer, more decadent.  Which is not to say that Sugar Factory's is bad . . . but if you like chocolate milk, go to Serendipity, and if you like Yoo-Hoo, go to Sugar Factory.

[Note, however, Sugar Factory's Vanilla Milkshake ($10), made with vanilla ice cream and vanilla sauce, is very good indeed.]

Sugar Factory - American Brasserie
Paris Las Vegas Hotel
3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 331-5100

Prima

Elle took Umami to Prima his birthday (thanks, Elle!).  It's (very) loosely an "Italian" restaurant, but people that think they're going to an upscale Spaghetti Factory are in for a suprise.

Consider, the first dish of the evening, Fennel Panna Cotta ($11):

Fennel Panna Cotta

The idea here is to take some of the panna cotta, the puree, the fennel stem marmalade, and the coffee salt all in one bite, giving a complex sweet-savory, creamy-crunchy hit of fennel.  Good fun.

Or, the "Buffalo" Clams ($17):

"Buffalo" Clams

With celery, duck confit, and Franks Red Hot Sauce indicated on the menu, Umami and Elle expected a play on Buffalo Chicken Wings.  And that's exactly what these were, spicy and hot, and intensely flavorful.  They were a bit like Portuguese-style steamed clams, with the duck confit substituting for sausage.  Oh, and there was some ogo included, for some oceanic verisimilitude and some welcome crunch.  Very good dish.

Pappardelle

The Pappardelle ($16) consisted of, well, pappardelle, covered with a generous amount of a meaty curry bolognese that reminded Umami of the Thai-Laotian standard, Larb.  It was interesting that the curry presence was almost stronger in the nose than in the taste.  People watching meat intake should beware, it's a lot of meat.  (It's really good, though, so taste it at least).

Grilled Opah

The Grilled Opah ($21) was adequate, but not a must-have.  Of interest, though, was the opah belly rillette, which is the cube in the upper left.  It's essentially opah belly cooked in fat and made into a paste.  Umami and Elle used it as a spread on the crackers.  It was great with beer.

Bread Pudding

The Bread Pudding ($6) sounds promising:  brioche, streusel, konbu, bacon, maple, vanilla ice cream.  (Okay, Umami and Elle were roped in by the bacon.)  But the dish wasn't quite working, as the brioche lacked substance, it was too loose and, eventually, soggy.  Too bad, too, because the flavors were there, they just couldn't be properly enjoyed.

All in all, a very fun and, as Elle would say, "delightful" meal.  (Thanks again, Elle!).  Umami will be back.  

Prima

108 Hekili St

Kailua, Hawaii

888-8933

Vegas 2012: Serendipity Foot-Long Chili Dog

One of Umami's goals for the trip was to have a hot dog at Pink's at Planet Hollywood, but, alas, they seemed to have closed.  Devastated, Umami wandered north, ending up at Serendipity 3 at Caesar's Palace, because Elle still hadn't tried the Frozzen Hot Chocolate, but also because they did have hot dogs (and were open!).

Foot-long dog is juicy enough.  Chili was beefy.  Bun, however, was either poorly toasted, or plain dried out.  How can you have a dry chili dog?  Very odd.  Umami was just not meant to have a good dog this trip.  Next time.  Or, he goes to Hank's Haute Dogs.

Serendipity 3 (Caesar's Palace)
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 731-7373

Unclear on the Concept

Every so often you have to wonder what a store is thinking.  This gem comes from the Safeway in Hawaii Kai:

Real Picture of Real Sign . . . Not a Fake!

Not that Umami shopped for sushi at Safeway, but it does validate his decision not to.

And, anyway, Hana Sushi is in the same shopping center.

Safeway - Hawaii Kai
377 Keahole St
Ste A10
Honolulu, HI 96825

Hana Sushi

377 Keahole St

Ste C3
Honolulu, HI 96825

The Lament of Umami

And what then shall the makers of golden sponge cake do?

Or "creamy" cream filling?

And what then shall a carnival truck deep fry?

An Oreo?  A Cheeseburger?  *sigh*

A long, last, lingering look good-bye . . . 

Horde them away,

Hide them in a hiding place where no one ever goes, 
Put it in your pantry with your cupcakes, 

For Alas, the Twinkie, has left and gone away.

Hey, hey, hey . . . hey, hey, hey.

Umami Dominates COR Fantasy Football League

The Conquer, Oppress, and Raze (COR) Fantasy Football League inaugural season ended with Umami leading Don Meinel's Teeth to a convincing 136-77 victory over a game, but ultimately outgunned Miller Lite team.  Lite QB Tim Tebow could not deliver one final miracle and The Teeth rode balanced scoring (32, 21, 20, 20, 14, 11, 9, 9) to the title.  The Teeth (as they are affectionately called) finished 12-4, averaged an absurd 125 points per game, and look poised to gloat for a solid year.

Umami Wields the Hammer of COR

The Teeth took an unusual route to the top, surrounding team MVP Calvin Johnson with late round draft picks (Darren Sproles (13th round)), emerging talent (Rob Gronkowski (7th round)), late season bloomers (Percy Harvin (8th round)), castoffs (C.J. Spiller, dropped by Big Island Sausage), a shrewd trade (Matt Stafford for Rex Grossman and A.J. Green), augmented by canny waiver wire picks (John Kasay, 49ers Defense).

A good thing, too, since The Teeth faced their share of injuries (Andre Johnson, Jahvid Best), though at least they weren't injured when drafted (*cough* Peyton Manning *cough*).

They suffered through the frustrating inconsistency that is Ryan Mathews.

They endured the embarrassment for having their draft picks perform well for other teams (Willis McGahee, Reggie Bush), though not as bad as Big Island Sausage, who dropped Spiller just in time for Fred Jackson to suffer his season-ending injury.

Umami, asked for the secrets to his success, summed it up by saying:  "Talent, skill, luck, clean living, and a lack of Brett Favre will take you a long way.   And you can take that to the bank!"

See you next season!