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New York's Best Japanese

At least in my opinion... New York is fortunate to have a sizable Japanese expat community -- and real deal restaurants to serve them. I'm talking about Japanese cuisine beyond sushi, which is just a tiny part of the food culture there, despite its popularity here. Many friends ask me to recommend Japanese joints in the big city, so here I go: Check out the half-dozen restaurants below (listed alphabetically) to discover a world of Japanese cooking from sophisticated cuisine to tapas-like pub food to home style chow. And what about your favorite places? Any Japanese restaurants you want to add? (And not just in New York) Please share your thoughts in the comments!

April 20, 2008

"New York" Hot Pot

Tomatoes, garlic... hot pot? When the local Japanese-language newspaper in New York, Japion, contacted us about doing a story about our hot pot book, Tadashi got inspired to create a New York-style hot pot.

February 19, 2010

Shojin Ryori Arrives to New York

March 22, 2009

"Japanese Hot Pots" in the New York Times

November 25, 2009

New York's Best Japanese, 2010

Hey, Chefs Sono-san and Abe-san are ready to cook for you -- so what are you waiting for? Whew, it's been over two years since I posted a list of my favorite Japanese restaurants in New York -- an update is way overdue.

September 12, 2010

Sakaya New York

October 16, 2007

Hot Pot Book in the New York Times

November 25, 2009

Tadashi Cooks Hot Pot on New York's LXTV

December 1, 2009

Cooking Class at Macy's New York

November 5, 2009

New York Mutual Trading Company

December 4, 2007

Cooking with Atsushi

For the past two weeks, I've had a visitor from Japan stay over at my apartment here in New York, a terrific guy named Atsushi Nakahigashi. All of 22-years-old, he's already an accomplished professional bass fisherman -- and an accomplished chef. Since the age of 14 or so, Atsushi's been working at his father's legendary restaurant in Kyoto, Sojiki Nakahigashi. His dad, Mr. Hisao Nakahigashi, is one of my absolute culinary heroes, a wonderful man who I've had the privilege to get to know and write about. Atsushi's his dad's talented protégé, and since he was here in New York... I put him to work in my kitchen! Actually, Atsushi, wise, thoughtful and mature way, way beyond his years, graciously offered to teach me a few things about Japanese cooking. It's been a seminal couple of weeks.

August 4, 2008

Authentic Soba

I've only recently discovered Soba Koh, a tiny spot in New York's East Village where you can watch Chef Hiromitsu Takahashi roll and cut soba by hand as you walk into the place. I don't know what took me so long.

October 21, 2009

Chef Suzuki's Cured Mackerel

At a recent master class for chefs at New York's James Beard Foundation (organized by the Gohan Foundation -- thanks to both for the invite), Chef Toshio Suzuki of Sushi Zen introduced Japanese vinegar and talked about its uses. He covered a lot of fascinating ground but to me the highlight was his treatment of mackerel. Simple but so subtle and delicious.

October 26, 2008

Meet Tadashi and Harris

September 7, 2009

Shop

September 7, 2009

Steeping Vegetables in Dashi

Now that summer, I mean the real thing - 90 degrees, sticky and humid - has finally arrived in New York, I want to share some simple Japanese dishes perfect for these scorching days.

August 12, 2009

Hot Pot Time! Let Us Show You The Ways...

Okay, folks, time to whet your appetite with a bunch of mouthwatering hot pot photos Harris shot while rolling through Japan with Tadashi, and cooking together at Tadashi's restaurant, Matsuri in New York.

August 27, 2009

Atsushi's Stuffed Zucchini Blossom Tempura

When my friend, and supremely talented young chef, Atsushi Nakahigashi visited New York last summer, he whipped up some terrific dishes for me. Now that he's visiting Gotham once again, I posed a challenge...

July 11, 2009

Simmered Japanese Eggplants

During his stay in New York, Saveur's editor-in-chief Jim Oseland graciously invited Atsushi to demonstrate his cooking at the magazine's test kitchen, and prepare lunch for the editorial staff. Atsushi planned a wonderful menu, incorporating dishes we had cooked plus new ones. After last minute sprints to the farmers market and Sunrise Mart, the Japanese food store in lower Manhattan, we arrived at the magazine laden with supplies, and Atsushi set to work.

August 22, 2008

Videos: Breaking a Chicken, Yakitori, and Yaki Onigiri

Last night my coauthor Tadashi and I gave a talk and demo on Japanese grilling at the Japan Society in New York. But how do you demo grilling in auditorium where you can't grill? With videos, of course!

June 17, 2011

Onion Salad with Miso Dressing

A couple of weeks ago a Japanese government representative here in New York handed me an interesting pamphlet called "A Guide to Japanese Ingredients," listing food producers and their ingredients, as well as a few recipes. One dish in particular caught my eye, for onion salad. The restaurant Yakitori Totto (which I love and should have mentioned in my restaurant post!) features it and it's fantastic. It's a kind of aemono, "dressed things," which, according to "Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art," is Japanese-style salad of several raw or cooked and cooled ingredients tossed with a dressing. Typical aemono dressings are vinegar-based and thickened with pureed tofu, ground sesame or miso. Just like the one in the recipe below. This dish makes a tasty small plate to accompany sake at the beginning of a meal.

May 11, 2008

Tasting Sake

One nondescript conference room. Sixteen bottles of sake. A half dozen of the best sake-tasting palates in New York. Henry Sidel, who runs Joto Sake, pulled together this group last week to evaluate a bunch of brews he recently brought back from Japan. He invited me to join in and observe.

February 8, 2009

Turnips, Carrots and Okra Simmered in Dashi

When Atsushi and I visited New York's Union Square farmers market together we found lovely okra as well as fresh carrots and white Japanese turnips (kabu). I asked Atsushi to prepare a simple dish to bring out their natural, peak-of-season flavors, so he decided to simmer them in dashi, and add a touch of usukuchi shoyu to give the vegetables a little saltiness.

August 6, 2008

kyushu style fried chicken

Takako Kuratani is a prodigious chef who designs menus for Japanese restaurants around the world, styles food for Japanese movies and TV commercials, develops recipes, teaches Japanese cuisine -- and never stops cooking and experimenting. I was fortunate to meet her last year at her test kitchen in Tokyo where she and her team treated me to a fantastic dinner. (Ah, the joys of writing... :)) Besides being incredibly talented, Takako is utterly gracious and kind, and thorough emails has been teaching me about Japanese ingredients and cooking. She just visited New York and one of the things she brought with her was a slender red notebook -- her own personal cookbook, where she records her recipes and cooking inspiration. While she was here, Takako planted herself in a kitchen, cracked opened that little red book and prepared a wonderful homey dinner for a bunch of friends. Her theme: the down-home cooking of Kyushu, Japan's own Deep South.

May 5, 2008

Chowing Down at Japanese Baseball Stadiums

Susan Hamaker, a Japanese Food Report reader and self-described "half-Okinawan Tar Heel living in New York" who writes the Shrinecastle blog, contributed this fabulous account of eating a Japanese baseball stadiums. Hot dogs and pretzels? Oh, so much more!

October 12, 2009

Iron Chef Demonstrates Home Cooking

November 1, 2009

"characteristics of japanese cuisine"

October 21, 2007

About the JFR and Harris Salat

October 2, 2007

Atsushi's Class and Miso Soup

It's always a pleasure to hang out in the kitchen with Atsushi and watch him in action--and you can see what I mean for yourself on May 16th, when Atsushi will teach a Japanese breakfast class at the Brooklyn Kitchen. It's going to be an amazing evening. I hope you can make it.

May 9, 2011

rice 'n robata

June 8, 2006