culinary exploration

Bacon-topped scallops from Beso in Las Vegas

Grilled octopus from Cafe Spiaggia

Grilled black grouper tacos from The Fish House in Fort Myers, FL

mmmm sushi

Blackened salmon florentine served on a bed of spinach and a mound of garlic whipped potatoes from Range in Vegas.

Crab cake dinner from Del Frisco’s in Las Vegas

Grilled grouper tacos from The Fish House in Fort Myers Beach, FL

My Japanese co-workers kept telling me that I was having shrimp head soup, and I was so excited about it.  I think they got a kick out of an American who was excited to eat typical Japanese cuisine that isn’t common in the US.  Most of us wouldn’t be very adventurous when eating their food, but I sure was!  There were a couple shrimp heads and bodies in there, along with tofu, mushrooms, onions and bok choy.

Sushi bowl - bottom layer of sushi rice, thin layer of nori, topped with crisp cucumber, tofu, eff, shrimp, squid, tuna, yellowtail, roe and sea urchin.

Quite possibly the best Japanese lunch ever.  While at a tradeshow, the President of the company I work for took us to a fancy hotel restaurant for lunch.  I ordered what I thought was this small bowl of deliciousness.  He upgraded my order to the platter which came with soup, pickled veggies, this sushi bowl and dessert.  It was WAY too much food and I felt awful leaving so much behind.  Plus, it is a Japanese custom to finish your meal.  If you leave any food on your plate, the restaurant/chef takes it as a subtle insult that the food was not delicious enough to finish.  I didn’t want them to think I didn’t like the food because it was one of my favorite meals!

Uni (sea urchin) served in an abalone shell.

Ohhhh uni… sweet, sweet uni.  This was one of my top 5 favorite things to eat.  I’ve had it before, but it never tasted as fresh and delicious as it did in Tokyo.  The texture was so silky and the flavor was much more vibrant than what I thought it was supposed to be.