P L O W

One of the places I always recommend people to come to when they pass by San Francisco is Plow. Located somewhere in Potrero, San Francisco, this little (and by little I mean seats maybe 50 people) spot servers some great breakfast/brunch. I think I may have come here about 3 times now and I have never been disappointed. Pro's of coming here? House made sausages, amazing light, great flavors, awesome potatoes, and more amazing light. What more could a photographer... I mean foodie look for? No but seriously, come here and come here early. Line ups start by 10:30am on a weekday.

S U S H I S A M S

One of the reasons that I have such fond memories of traveling to San Francisco is the food. Actually I lied. That is the main reason that I love the city so much. I've had the pleasure of going to some good sushi restaurants in North America and Sushi Sam in San Mateo is one of them. In total I have been here three times now. The first time it absolutely blew me away. What were my impressions the next two times? It just reaffirmed my belief that this is one of the best sushi restaurants not in Japan. Located approximately 30 minutes away from San Francisco, the restaurant appears unassuming from the outside. We went this time on a Friday afternoon for lunch and it was packed. As always, we sat at the sushi bar so that we could see how the chef works. Throughout the lunch you could tell that he was meticulous in his preparation and his hands were very quick. He was always on the go, preparing nigiri after nigiri. We ordered the omikase to test the freshness of the fish. Let's just say we were thoroughly pleased. The thing that makes Sushi Sams special is the unique array of fishes that they have available. Honestly, by the time you get there for dinner, you may see the more popular items crossed off on their menu board (see below). We had the following: blue shrimp, butterfish, horse mackeral, copper river king salmon, long necked clam, seared toro, and fatty tuna. The pictures below will do the talking. So how does this compare? It ranks right up there with Shiro's from Seattle which I previously reviewed. The only difference I thought was that Sushi Sam's provided more in quantity. That meant more fish and more additives. In some cases, the citrus was a little heavy on our butter fish but it wasn't so much that we thought it was bad. Sushi Yasuda in New York would still be the most authentic sushi we've experienced. Would we recommend this to anyone? Absolutely!

S H I R O

We consider ourselves to be fairly big sushi people. While we love all kinds of food, sushi is a staple in our diet. That's not really surprising seeing as how we live on the west coast; in Vancouver, you're going to find as many sushi restaurants as you would McDonald's. So when we heard from my friend that Shiro's was the place to go just south of the border, I put it on my radar right away.

For those of you that have watched the sushi documentary, Jiro's Dreams of Sushi, this place is a great alternative to flying to Japan so you can eat under the Ginza train station. For those of you that haven't watched the movie - just do. It is very artistically done and extremely interesting if you're a foodie. The chef that made the tamago, Daisuke, works here! He joined Shiro, a former apprentice of Jiro, about two years ago here, although the restaurant has been here for several decades.
Shiro is located in Seattle, a little bit away from the Pike Place Market. To get in this restaurant though, you need to get there early. Though the restaurant opens at 5:30, you're likely to be waiting a while if you get there during opening.

We both got there early (see picture of Janice below) and we had the omikaze. This restaurant is very comparable to Sushi Yasuda which we visited when we were in New York. Both are equally traditional (Shiro's even more so though given it's size and the clientele that they serve), serve amazingly fresh fish, and the chefs are all from Japan. They know their sushi and you can tell by the quality of the sushi served. Don't come here if you like modern style rolls (ie. dragon rolls, spider rolls, etc, etc), but come here if you appreciate sushi the traditional way. Some of the fish we had included, varieties of tuna and salmon, monk fish, herring, shrimp, geo duck, flounder, squid, and on and on it goes. Honestly, I would say Shiro's and Sushi Yasuda were pretty close. But I would highly recommend Shiro's and intend on coming back soon. Definitely worth the 3 hour drive! Right now, the only thing more authentic might be going to Japan's fish markets themselves.

S H I R O ' S S U S H I
2401 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

S U S H I Y A S U D A

On the second night in New York, we decided to go and get some sushi. Now, coming from Vancouver, you might think this decision a little strange. I did at first too. There is a stereotype that the west coast has the best options for sushi but after this visit, I believe I may have been mistaken. When I knew that I was going to New York, I knew that this would be a foodie trip. We would indulge not in shopping or sight seeing, but in good food. I turned to Alice for some recommendations and this restaurant came up. Between this and Morimoto's, I was recommended this restaurant. Located by the Grand Central Station in Manhatten, this restaurant is central for most tourists to New York. Of course we had a long day of walking around Soho so we were starving by the time we arrived. The menu was simple and typical of most japanese restaurants so we both went with the omakaze menu. The more traditional restaurants will have this option but basically, the sushi chef will give you dishes based on their recommendations. In this case, we got all nigiri style sushi ranging from raw oyster, king salmon, unagi done two ways, spanish mackeral, japanese mackeral, etc. I would highly recommend going with this option if you don't know what you would like. If you do get this option though, do try to sit at the sushi bar, it's a much better experience having the chef personally serve you and introduce each dish. Keep in mind though: no soy sauce or wasabi as the chef would want you to eat each piece as is! Overall thoughts? It was one of the best japanese meals I have had and probably a more authentic experience than anything we have in Vancouver. The bill came up to about $130 per person but we had some warm sake too. Overall well worth it! Sushi Yasuda 204 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017, United States

N E W Y O R K

It occurred to us that we both had the hope of visiting New York during the Christmas season not long after knowing each other. Like many, my initial image of Christmas came from watching Home Alone 1 and 2. The shrill cries of the burglars after that succumbed to an alarming number of booby-traps placed by a little kid, the running throughout the streets of New York and Central Park in particular, and the pigeon lady was my idea of the holiday season for many a years. While we were both well older than the little boy in Home Alone, we both wanted to come to this city and satisfy our childish dreams of seeing the City during this time of year. This trip we wanted to accomplish a few things including seeing the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, ice skate outdoors somewhere in the City, window shop just to get a glimpse of the holiday window decorations, and eat to our hearts content. Although we had both been to New York before, one of us seemed to miss out on a lot of the tourist attractions the first time around so we went and did some of that as well. Walking around the city, we realized how small we were. The buildings tower over you from all sides. Vancouver sure isn't like this by any means and neither is London, mind you. T H E A C T I V I T I E S We did a lot during our short stay in the City but without a doubt one of the highlights was seeing the Nutcracker at the Lincoln Theatre. Performed by the New York City Ballet, it was really something else. I think living in Europe introduced me to musicals and orchestras and I'm glad I got to see this after because I wouldn't have appreciated it as much had I not known what to expect. A good way to jump start the holiday cheer I think! Among the other Christmassy things we got up to included going to the Rockefeller Center (we ice skated under the Christmas tree, went up to the top of the rock, and took a crap load of pictures), walking along the decorated 5th avenue, and eat to our hearts content. I N D U L G E N C I E S With all the food options available in NYC, we had to come up with a list of places we wanted to try out prior to our trip. This also forced us to make reservations early considering some of the restaurants that we wanted to go to are usually booked at least one month in advance. Our list included bakeries, food trucks, diners, cafes, restaurants and food stalls at the Christmas Market. Some of the places we visited that we would recommend to anyone? Degustation An amazing restaurant recommended by Alice, this restaurant was located in the east village. The space was small but the food was innovative, extremely tasty, and the portions small enough that you can a variety of dishes. One of the best meals that we've ever had, hands down. We will be writing a review on this restaurant so stay tuned for that. Sushi Yasuda Sushi in New York when we have loads of such establishments in Vancouver? I may have doubted it at first but not anymore. The omakaze was delicious and the sushi was some of the best I've ever had. I would rival it with Sushi Sam's in San Mateo, California as the best sushi I have had the pleasure of eating. Basso 56 I have been to this restaurant before but Janice had not. Located centrally between Times Square and Central Park, this is a small italian restaurant. I had the wild boar ragu with in-house made pasta once again and it was just as I had remembered it - delicious. She had the seafood pasta pictured below. Clinton Street Bakery One of the breakfast spots that I was most excited about visiting was without a doubt this restaurant. We were lucky to get a seat so quickly but soon after there was a queue out the door. We had the caramelized banana waffle and the blueberry pancakes. Sounds simple right? Well, if it is, they simply did it better than anyone else. Could rank as the best breakfast I have had anywhere in the world. Shake Shack One rainy afternoon, as I was pale with hunger, we visited this fast food place that is commonly compared to In and Out Burger in California. I might have been trembling at the time but I was thoroughly satisfied. Great burger and great fries. We were lucky to even get a seat, there was a ton of people there looking for them. Would definitely come back here again. Honorable Mentions We'll let the pictures do the talking :) T H E A C C O M M O D A T I O N S We stayed at the Paramount Hotel in Times Square. Affordable and extremely central. Between cabbing and taking the subway, we got to all our destinations without much of a hitch. Just one oddity we noticed? Cabs will not pick you up during certain times of the day (something like a changeover period). So if you notice that you're failing to get a cab at a point during the evening, that may be it? T H O U G H T S Though it was our second time in New York, I think it's safe to say that we enjoyed New York more this time around. The food we had was fantastic and I can't wait to come back again - if only for the food and coffee. This blog post turned out to be uber long so I apologize for that - it is definitely picture heavy! We hope you enjoyed it though! We will be churning out a few restaurant reviews for this City so tune in for that soon!