124. Portland - Back to Portlandia for More Food Carts (Portland: Southwest/Downtown)

It is time to travel again! This trip involves a stop in Portland, about a week romp in Tokyo, and a two week stay in Taipei.  The first leg of the trip began last weekend with a flight to Portland to attend a wedding.  Since I had just finished writing 12 posts about Portland last month, this quick weekend trip came at the right time... yay for more posts on food from Portlandia!

Allison and I flew out of the newly remodeled Long Beach Airport on JetBlue on Saturday morning.  If you've flown on JetBlue before, you know exactly what that means... raiding the snack basket when the flight attendant swings by! When we landed it high time for lunch.  Those in-flight snacks can only hold us over for so long...

As soon as we checked into the hotel, we headed straight for the food pods at the intersection of Southwest Alder and SW 10th Avenue.  Originally, we wanted to try the famous chicken and rice at Nong's Khao Man Gai, but this location was not open on the weekend.  No worries, we quickly found the Euro Trash cart and ordered something we could not get in California... foie gras.  Duck Butter, as it is listed on the menu, is a sinfully seared piece of foie gras laying on a bed of freshly cooked potato chips dripping with garlic aioli (known as their house made Nah-Nah Chips just by itself) and the drippings of the fat foie.  I felt hunger, heaven, and a heart attack all in one bite.  Bewilderment.

While foie gras on potato chips is delicious and all, it doesn't quite make a full meal.  Just around the corner and a few carts down from Euro Trash sits the E-San Thai cart, one of the many, many carts serving Thai cuisine in Portland.  There are six Thai food carts just at the pod at Alder & 10th intersection alone.  I ordered a green curry with tofu, eggplant and other vegetables, plopped myself down on a parking curb and let the sweat drip down my face.

Allie had a hunkering for meat, so she ventured over to the Number 1 Bento cart for the galbi bento.  The flavoring was not far from what we know as Korean barbecue in LA, and for just six bucks, it was a steal.  One thing though... the food comes in a plastic container, so beware of the heat from the steaming white rice while holding the box.  Ouch!

Sitting and eating on a parking curb is no easy task, but the good food makes it all worthwhile.  We won't let the food take away from the main focus of the trip... the wedding.  Which, come to think of it... this was about the time that we dropped the food to head back to the hotel to get ready.

We clean up real nice now don't we? I kid, I kid.  These Instagram filters make us look extremely airbrushed, so they look best on IG.  Congratulations Sarah and Ray! Allie and I wish you two all the best.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130622

Post 121: Portland - Salt & Straw Offers Ice Cream of All Kinds (Portland: Northwest/Alphabet)

I love ice cream... all kinds of ice cream.  From the simple strawberry by Haagen Dazs to the ghastly garlic ice cream from The Stinking Rose, I love them all.  Some of the creative flavors that the chefs from Iron Chef America put together even seem intriguing to me.  I'm down to get away from plain Jane vanilla, and I'm constantly on a quest for a nutty chocolate flavor that can top that dollar scoop of Thrifty rocky road.  Really, it's the best.  While in Portlandia, we visited Salt & Straw, an ice cream shop on bustling Northwest 23rd that serves anything but ordinary flavors.  In fact, it was even featured on an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  But ice cream... how bizarre can it get?

Well, if it's from Portland, it can get pretty weird.  After all, as Portland residents always say, "Keep Portland weird."  And if it can be done with ice cream, then it shall be done.  From Brown Butter Popcorn with Pink Peppercorns to Pear with Blue Cheese, Salt & Straw offers it all.  And yes, there is a Double Fold Vanilla for those who are a bit more traditionalist when it comes to dessert.

There were quite a few people waiting for the all natural, organic, local Oregon ice cream offered in 15 different flavors.  Everyone in line tasted samples of as many flavors as possible.  Many of the flavors were creative, whimsical, even unimaginable... I mean, Aquabeet-Kroqstad Aquavit and Oregon Beets? What in the world is that?

The best way to try them all is to get the tasting flight and share.  Four scoops, two spoons, nine dollars, unlimited possibilities.  Okay, well, there are a limited number of combinations, but who's going to do the math? Writer here... not a mathematician. 

The first flavor we chose was the Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper.  If whimsical is what is desired, then this is the one.  Strawberry... good.  Honey... good.  Balsamic... good.  Black pepper... good.  Put it all together... what am I eating? My brain couldn't figure it out, but it was so delicious.  And in just a few bites, it was over way too soon.

We also tried Almond Brittle w/ Salted Ganache.  Ah, so good.  The subtly sweet and salty combination was to die for... and I just loved the expected crunch from the almond brittle.  It's shake-my-head good.

Another one we tried was the Coffee & Bourbon.  A little extra drizzle of chocolate on top wouldn't have hurt, but this was already a good way to get in an afternoon caffeine kick.

Here is the ice cream that made no sense but so much sense at the same time.  Our final scoop on the flight of four flavors was the Chef Series of Ox-Foie S'mores, a house vanilla with hazelnut graham crumble swirled in with foie gras, s'mores, and veal stock fudge sauce.  Finally, foie gras, we meet again... but in ice cream.  That made no sense at all.  But combined with s'mores and fudge sauce, all of which are extremely rich flavors, this flavor combination didn't seem as bizarre anymore.  The fatty richness blended together in a complex yet fitting way, but I was more than glad that a few spoonfuls is all it took to finish this insanely decadent dairy dessert.

There is only so much ice cream that anyone can eat in one sitting before becoming sick, so that only means that I'll be back again to try all those seasonal flavors that I missed this time.  The Malted Plum and Horchata Sorbet do sound great on a warm summer day.

The next post will be the final in this first series of Portland eats.  Until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20120915

Post 103: Year in Review - 2012

2012 was a year full of memories, discoveries, adventures, lessons learned, and experiences that will be carried on with me for forever.  It was a tremendous year for food and travel.  I returned to the Big Apple twice and the Windy City twice.  There were also countless trips to San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas.

It was the first time in ten years that I did not do any international travel.  Not Taiwan, not Canada, not even Mexico.  But I did visit some great American cities for the first time... Niagara Falls and Downtown Buffalo (NY), Washington (DC), and Portland (OR), all of which have awesome food and require more visits in the near future.

Thank you to all those that traveled with me in 2012.  Since I did not get to visit Taiwan this year, a special thank you goes out to all those that brought my favorite pineapple cakes from Sunny Hills and Chia Te back from Taiwan for me.  Bonus brownie points for you.

2012 was the year that saw the demise of foie gras in California.  I never thought the ban would go through, but alas, all good things must come to an end.  I will admit I did panic just a little bit, which resulted in an eight course gorge on the fatty goose liver.  Never. doing. that. again. ever.

It was the same year that I had uncontrollable cravings for fried chicken, pork belly, bacon.  It did not matter how it was prepared, which restaurant made it, or whether I made it at home... I just could not get enough of those three things.  Some of the most satisfying fried chicken came in a brown paper box from Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken in Culver City.

It was also the year that I found myself searching for contemporary American fare... restaurants that used farm-to-table, local, sustainable ingredients... and celebrity chef dining.  Yes, Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, Gordon Ramsay, Rick Bayless, Stefan Richter, and Thomas Keller... gentlemen, you did well.  Sir, did you drop that? Let me help you pick up all those names you dropped just now.  Ha.  I also found myself returning to my favorite Michelin starred restaurants on the two coasts: Providence in LA and Jean-Georges in NY.  The most unforgettable was most definitely Dave Chang's $200 succulent pork shoulder at Momofuku Ssam Bar.  What a beast.  My friends and family absolutely annihilated Miss Piggy.  No kidding.

For me, 2012 was all about carpaccio, ceviche, crudo, and charcuterie.  Quartino in Chicago served up an awesome duck proscuitto, and Olympic Provisions in Portland had the best quality and selection overall.  But the charcuterie from Bow & Truss in North Hollywood was tops.  It was fun and whimsical and brought delight throughout the entire meal.  These meals confirmed for me that the age old tradition of curing and salting a quality, fresh cut of meat is the way to go.

There were so many food and travel adventures in 2012 that I did not have enough time to blog about all of them.  Some of the year's best culinary discoveries and most memorable meals were simply unblogged.  For example, at the beginning of the year my eyes were opened to khanom bueang, also known as Thai tacos, on a Six Taste food tour of Thai Town in Hollywood.  They were found in the back corner of Silom Supermarket. The crisp, little crepe-like wafers of skin curl around a layer of coconut cream.  They are then topped with salted coconut or sweet shavings of egg yolk.  Thanks to Lalita and Wanda for taking us on tour.  These little things were irresistible.

Later in the year I was introduced to Vietnamese bun bo hue, a homey beef noodle soup that comes from Central Vietnam.  Instead of rice noodles (pho), bun bo hue uses actual noodle noodles (if that makes any sense), and it is drowned in a beef broth with thicker cuts of beef, beef tendon, pigs feet, and pork blood.  Right before diving into the bowl of noodles, cabbage, banana peel, soy bean sprouts, mint, and a fermented chili paste are added.  Whether I had it for the first time at Bun Bo Hue An Nam in San Jose or at Nha Trang in San Gabriel (twice also), my face dripped with sweat.  Thanks Vickee and Connie for taking me.  Every time was exhilarating.  Really.  If you sweat like me, Nha Trang is probably a more comfortable space for you to indulge in this big bowl of noodle soup.

Some of the best meals, such as the multi-course one I shared with Ken and Tiffany from The Royce at The Langham in Pasadena, were not mentioned a single time on S.O.F.A.T. Blog.  Too much food, too little time to write.

With all these delicious meals and adventures during 2012, I reconfirmed three things that I may have already known.

No. 1.  Breakfast is still my favorite meal of the day.  Huckleberry in Santa Monica has some great breakfast selections.  I love that they can make healthy breakfast dishes without sacrificing taste.  The poached eggs with fresh vegetables and pesto are a personal favorite.

No. 2.  I love Taiwanese food, and Taiwanese people make some damned good Taiwanese food.  Was that enough Taiwanese in one sentence for ya? A bowl of braised pork over rice from Why Thirsty (滷肉飯 or lu rou fan in Mandarin) is Taiwanese simplicity at its best.

No. 3.  Nothing can beat home cooking.  Whether it's mom's beef noodle soup, dad's stir-fried udon or my own pasta dishes, the food that comes from a familiar kitchen is the best.  Familial comforts, parental love, and childhood nostalgia are ingredients that no restaurant has in its pantry.

That is it for this 2012 post.  There are still some food and travel posts that will just have to wait to be blogged.  I just realized I have never posted about any of the delicious food I had in Portland or any of the food in the last five trips to New York.  Insane.  But until the next post, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML

Post 85: Fight for Foie - A Farewell (LA-SGV: Pasadena)

Earlier this year I attended Fight for Foie at Haven Gastropub in Old Town Pasadena.  The event was held in support of keeping the fatty goose liver on restaurant menus in California.  Proponents of the ban on foie gras argue that force feeding geese and ducks in order to plump their livers up is inhumane.  Those against the ban on foie gras say that palatable poultry do not have gag reflexes and that the birds naturally overeat in the wild anyway.  Both sides made their voices heard.  Despite the dozens of protesters outside the restaurant armed with picket signs, iPads, and fliers, drovers of foie gras fiends continued to walk into the restaurant to dine on the delicious delicacy.  I was one of them.  As soon as the restaurant opened for this private event, my friends with foie fetishes and I dined on a multi-course (seven to nine courses depending on how it's counted) tasting menu designed all around the fiendishly fatty foie.

We were first treated to an amuse bouche in the form of a foie gras lollipop rolled in crushed pistachio.  The look reminded me of a See's Candies lollipop because of its rectangular shape, but the texture of this foie lolli was nothing like rock hardness of the See's candy.  It was soft to the bite, but it was densely packed with liver fattiness.  One bite and we knew we were in trouble.  The first course had not even arrived yet.

Our first course was a smoked foie gras torchon surrounded by oatmeal crumb, spiced orange rind, and sorrel.  The pate of foie gras was cooked after being wrapped in a towel allowing it to retain all of its moisture and original flavor.  It was luxuriously smooth with the crunch of the oatmeal, and it was buttery and spicy... and very insanely rich.  Connie and I could not continue savoring the foie gras without ordering some hot tea... but props to Ken for not only finishing his foie but mine and Connie's as well.  Holy...

Next we were served foie for breakfast complete with duck blood biscuits, duck bacon and a sunny side quail egg.  In the world where turkey is the most popular form of bacon made from poultry, this duck bacon was definitely a taste for sore taste buds.  The deep crimson color of the duck was beautiful and had a profound depth of flavor to match. 

The biscuits had a few drops of duck blood in each one, and they were accompanied by an airy whipped foie butter and pickled cherry jam.  The biscuit was crumbly like a cookie but cohesive like a shortbread.  The tartness of the pickled cherry jam peaked through the foie butter at the right moment.  It was almost like an adult version, albeit a very expensive adult version, of the classic PB&J.  This course was creative and clearly set itself apart from the previous course, which was basically an offensively large chunk of foie gras.

After breakfast came a creamy foie soup with strips of chicken skin, bottarga, and hearts of palm.  I'm all for crispy textures against a soft or sultry background, but the chicken skin was not a favorite of mine.  Bottarga, a cured fish roe that is also known as the poor man's caviar, was dotted throughout the soup.  The soup itself was perhaps a bit too airy and not as concentrated as I would have hoped... although perhaps a more concentrated foie soup may have provided the basic elements to trigger a heart attack.

A meal heavy in fatty foods definitely calls for a few digestive walks, so I walked over to the open kitchen to discover the many chefs, servers, and other staff hard at work.  Since the majority of the restaurant patrons began dinner service at the same time, the kitchen was busy preparing dozens of the next course.  Although coordinating a multiple course foie gras tasting menu requires relentless energy and effort, the chefs and staff made the dinner service seem effortless.

After an amuse bouche and three courses of foie gras, a wild escolar with roasted foie gras, petit pois a la francais, and sauce albufera was presented.  The fresh fish and English peas made for an initially lighter dish, but the Hollandaise and béchamel sauces helped tie the richness of the foie gras back in.  This was a sous vide fish, and it was very mild and ambivalent in a good way.  After a heavy onset of fatty foie, the fish dish returned the heaviness back to center, which made for a pleasant course in the middle of the meal.  Many thanks to the crescent of lemon for the help.

A multiple course meal isn't a multi-course meal without a pasta dish.  Our pasta dish was a tortellini in duck tongue brodo.  The pasta was stuffed with foie gras and rhubarb, and beech brown mushrooms and micro celery floated around in the broth.  It was St. Patrick's Day at first sight, but the foie gras didn't exactly start a party in my mouth.  The foie gras was a bit too soft, and the tortellini skin was a bit too thick for the soft foie texture.  A ravioli may have been a better pairing with the foie, but it may also have been too predictable... though the mushrooms did complement the broth well.

The blackberry sorbet intermezzo arrived two courses before the end of the meal... and it could not come quickly enough.  By this time in the meal my friends and I decided that we would only take one bite of the remaining dishes because the foie gras was so rich in fat.  I could feel my heart beating faster than normal.  My body was trying to tell me something... that perhaps banning foie gras in California would be better for my health... although I did not like the idea of having to travel to another state just to satiate a foie gras craving.  The sorbet was quite refreshing, but it was not enough to truly cleanse my palate.  I ordered another cup of hot tea... my fifth or sixth now.

The penultimate course came in the form of a za'atar crusted squab with a foie gras pastilla, fennel, and Meyer lemon.  The dill and fennel done three ways were cool and revitalized my palate a bit.  The dish paired the flavors and textures well.  This was my first time having squab, and it was quite delicious.  The fattiness of the squab was quite similar in texture and flavor to the foie itself.  The foie gras pastilla could be described as an egg roll stuffed with soft foie.  It was something I could have much more of if it was served as an individual appetizer or earlier in the meal.  The crackle of the pastilla wrapper was music to my ears... but half a dozen courses of foie gras in, and I was about to throw in the towel.

Naturally the final course was dessert.  And if there was anything that was both a blessing and a death omen combined, it was this duo of foie gras cheesecake and foie gras bon bon.  The vanilla crumble, hibiscus gel and micro tangerine lace were light and just sweet enough.  The chocolate in the bon bon presented a balanced, chilled sweetness.  Ken exclaimed that he was so happy to see chocolate... whether it was because he actually just likes chocolate, or it was because chocolate seemed so light in comparison to all the foie gras we had just eaten... well, I'm not sure.  But my thoughts exactly... something sweet after all the savory fattiness was quite the blessing.  Connie thought the cheesecake just tasted like cream cheese, but I this was the death omen.  I understand that foie gras and cheesecake blend well together, but something lighter and more refreshing as the final course would have fared better.  One bite of the cheesecake, and the towel was in.  Time for some more hot tea.

All in all the multiple course Fight for Foie was quite the experience... one that I would never forget.  The many different chefs all put their best foot (feet) forward in terms of presenting the best examples of their foie gras dishes.  However, the meal was quite heavy and may have helped the protesters prove the point that the ducks and geese are tortured during their overfeeding.  I felt a little overfed and plumped up myself.

But at the end of the day, the choice to eat organic vegetables, sustainable seafood, or meat products that have not been augmented by the human hand should be the choice of the consumer.  This should not be dictated by any government body whether state or federal.  Those who want to eat will find a way to eat what they want to eat.  Banning foie gras in California may cause avid diners to spend their money in states that permit the sale of foie gras.  Nearby foodie cities such as Seattle and Portland or even big dining cities as far away as Chicago and New York may see a slight boost in their economies at the expense of LA and San Francisco simply because a product in demand is offered there rather than here.  Let that be some food for thought.  Let the Fight for Foie continue on.  Until the next fatty meal, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

This post features photography by Ken Lee.

ML - 20120312

Post 48: No Boos for Nobu (LA: West Hollywood)

I bought a Gilt City certificate for Nobu a while back, and since it was about to expire, it was finally time to make a reservation.  Procrastination... isn't that how we all do it?

So Allie and I went to West Hollywood to check out world-renowned, eponymous chef Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurant Nobu.  The Gilt certificate treated the two of us to four tapas style plates and two drinks each.  Dessert was not included, but of course, we caved into the demands of our sweet tooth.

Here's what we ordered:

Shiso Asahi and cucumber martini

A cold beer is simply great.  But throw in the fragrance of shiso leaves that permeate through the crispness of the bubbly Japanese alcohol, and your simple cold beer becomes a truly refreshing beverage.  The combination is as beautiful as the pairing of mint and chocolate chip ice cream.  It's cold.  It's sweet.  The green waltzes across your tongue.  It's calmly exotic.  Pour me another, please.

Yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño
Yuzu, soy, jalapeño

The combination of soy with an Asian citrus and a Latino pepper produces a great blend of salty, sour, spicy flavors.  But the flavor may have had too much strength for the delicate yellowtail.  I like to know that the sashimi is fresh when I bite into it, but the sauce almost drowns out the natural freshness of the yellowtail.  Perhaps if the ingredients were separated upon serving, it would be easier to control the desired amount of sauce, japaleño and garnish.  Personalization... who doesn't love that?

Oysters with Nobu sauces
Nobu salsa, Maui onion salsa, ponzu

Whenever I encounter a raw oyster, I feel like I am holding a newborn for the first time.  It look so squishy, and I'm afraid liquid will gush out if put too much pressure on it.  A part of me doesn't want to touch it at all because... well, it looks gross.  The liquid surrounding the raw oyster is like the saliva that pools up around the baby's mouth.  Ew.  But once the fear has been overcome, whether it's swallowing the oyster or holding the fragile infant, the reward is tremendous.  It's a newfound love connection.  Three oysters between the two of us... sorry Allie, but I'm holding onto the last one.

 
Lobster sashimi tacos
Wasabi aioli, tomatillo salsa in wonton shells

I've had lobster sashimi before, and I'll tell you right now that soy sauce and wasabi alone cannot mask the intimidation that is a piece of lobster sashimi.  But drizzle wasabi aioli and tomatillo salsa over the piece of uncooked crustacean and wrap it with something deep fried and crispy, and the lobster becomes nothing more than a piece of shrimp cocktail.  The citrus from the lemon brings the flavor the creamy spiciness of the aioli and salsa forward, which really tops off the taco.  If there's one way to have lobster sashimi, this is it.

 
Wagyu tacos
Aji amarillo, spicy cilantro in wonton shells

To yin out the yang of the lobster tacos, we ordered the wagyu beef tacos.  Whereas the sauce stood out in the lobster tacos, the beef really shined here.  It was marinated and seasoned right, and the flavor was strong but not salty.  In just one bite, it was easy to tell that the filling was made with beef and that the beef was done right.  The lime and the cilantro cut whatever grease happened to be there.  The wonton shells cracked under the pressure of excitement, which led to beef and sauce getting all over my hands.  But hey, that was just another excuse to lick my fingers.

 
Wagyu and foie gras gyozas
Ginger, megi, scallions with orange ginger den miso and jalapeño ponzu

If you can imagine a fatty meat mixed with another fatty substance, wrapped in a layer of carbs and then fried to a crisp, you're imaging Nobu's wagyu and foie gras gyozas.  This is the higher end version of the deep fried butter from the county fair.  Fat fried in more fat... mmmmm.  Shivers.  The gyozas, although delicious, hung in purgatorial limbo.  I couldn't tell whether I liked the filling or the gyoza skin more or whether I prefered the ginger miso or the jalapeño ponzu.  Shrug.  I'm guessing that's why both sauces are provided with the overstuffed gyozas.  You can nom and dip repeatedly until you make up your mind.  But it was hard to make up my mind... bring on more gyozas please.

Scallops truffle panko crust
Panko crust, sauteed mushrooms and mizuna, yuzu truffle butter

The scallops dish was the first course that didn't feel like just a small tapas plate.  The scallops were delicate but robust from the panko and truffle combination.  The mushrooms were hearty and provided more substance for the stomach.  And the peppery mizuna, reminiscent of arugula, cleansed the palate from the buttery truffle and the truffly butter.  Compared to the previous dishes, this was like a full entree.  Allie liked this dish so much that we ordered another; it was the only dish that we ordered seconds of.

Foie gras and crispy soba
Shredded daikon, sugar snap peas, aji amarillo with soba crackers

More foie gras? Can't stray from a favorite.  By this point in the meal, Allie and I were both rolling from how unbelievably full we were... but no matter because there was still the fat-bursting taste of foie gras to consume.  And although the foie gras was prepared perfectly, what really held my attention was the daikon that trapped the fatty oil and sauce within its hairlike strands.  It was as if prey had been entangled in the tentacles of a giant King Kong octopus... and devour was the only verb that the octopus understood.  Muahahaha... the analogy only works if you think you are the octopus.


New tiramisu
Tipsy coffee sponge, tiramisu gelato, frozen chocolate, kinako powder, Thai coffee drip

Asian inspired tiramisu? No, this new tiramisu is not from JJ Bakery.  It's from Matsuhisa-san's restaurant, and it is the ultimate example of a deconstructed dessert.  The new tiramisu looked like a house before construction... the coffee sponge, substituted for lady fingers, provided the foundation for the building... the frozen chocolate was the concrete; only it was better tasting and not as hard... the kinako powder, made from soybeans, could be thought of as the insulation for the house.  It was a little chalky, so it was probably best that we didn't breathe it in.  And the roof? There was no roof.  There was only tiramisu gelato.  Sips of the Thai coffee in between each spoonful of tiramisu made me appreciate the dessert even more.  Forget the roof.  This dessert went through the roof.  Let it rain Thai coffee over the house.

We also ordered a second dessert called the Cebu kamameshi, and it came in a metal cauldron that was cooked over an open flame.  It was filled with vanilla flavored risotto, purple yam ice cream, purple yam pieces, mochi pearls, and soba pop crunch.  Although the ingredients and presentation gave it a bit of avant-garde appeal, it was simply not cooked to its full potential.  The texture of the risotto tasted like stale Rice Krispies; but had it been cooked down to its meant-to-be-softness, the dish would have been tops.  The dessert was sweet... but naturally sweet.  Sweet from the roots of purple yam and vanilla rather than sweet from syrups, sugar, and chocolate.  If it wasn't for the cardboard risotto, the kamameshi would have been extremely addicting.

So no boos for Nobu.  The food was tasty, and the service was attentive al dente.  We could tell that our server had a true passion for food, possibly just as much as passion that was conveyed on our plates by the master chefs in the kitchen.  Between the yellowtail and the kamameshi, Allie and I became slightly intoxicated... but from the food more so than the wine.  Oh, did I mention we had a couple of glasses of wine? Nobu is a bit pricey, but the food and drinks make it worth the visit.  We will return! We hear they have great happy hour...

Until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20110122