Since a large percentage of my dining out is actually comprised of Asian foods, it's ironic that back when I would actually formally review restaurant for fun, I never wrote a review for a Japanese restaurant. Even more surprising, when asked which Japanese restuarant in Chicago is my favorite I always have to stop and think about it. The answer really depends on what you're looking for in a Japanese food and what you're going to order. I mean, there are certainly standards of freshness, but I there are also just variations in taste expectation.

Here are three worth trying for different reasons:

Kaze
2032 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60618
773.327.4860

Kaze may be my overall favorite of the bunch for it's creativity and quality. However, it is for that same reason that many may not enjoy it as much. For example, on this summer's omakase Chef's interplay of savory and sweet is very well done, but for those expecting a more traditional Japanese menu this may not be the best choice. While they can certainly handle more traditional items, it's just not worth the price.

The summer omakase:

Homemade tofu garnished with slivered almonds, mozzarella, boiled shrimp & black caviar paired with a tofu skin shooter in a soymilk & blue curacao liquor


Tuna Zuke Maki - Avocado & scallions wrapped inside out served with zuke tuna, cucumbers, wasabi mayo & tobiko

Awabi (Abalone topped with Kaze’s homemade sauce finished with yuzu & tempura flakes), Spicy Tako (A mixture of octopus, okra, fried garlic, tobiko & spicy mayo), White Tuna (East coast tuna topped with a bananawasabi puree), Katsuo (Bonito topped with a puree of garlic-infused enoki mushrooms & tomatoes garnished with pickled onions & fried garlic), Ika (Japanese baby squid topped with a spicy tobiko sauce)

Baked Whitefish - A crepe wrapped around slices of ankimo, minced shrimp & whitefish finished with Macku’s strawberry sauce served with a smoked salmon & cheese-filled dough







Mizu

315 W North Ave

Chicago, IL60610
312.951.8883

Yakitori is actually surprisingly hard to find in Chicago. But Mizu in old town has a nice selection of Yakitori (including gems like chicken skin and tongue) made fresh on the grill along with its sushi and ala cart menu. While not quite as good as pure yakitori restaurants in LA and NY, Mizu fills the much needed void in Chicago.

Chicken and Scallions








Squid, Chicken meatball

Sashimi

Chicken Skin









Chicken Wings







Ginza

19 E Ohio St
Chicago, IL 60611-2707
Phone: (312) 222-0600

Ginza, a small restaurant next to the ultra-shady Tokyo Hotel, is more of a tradition Japanese restaurant. The menu may not be flashy, but it full of value. Included on the menu are hard to find classics like Gold Don (uni, squid and ikura on rice).

Yi Jiang Nan just off Hollywood Rd. on Staunton St. tucked along more Western style restaurants in Hong Kong is a small restaurant for regional Chinese cuisine. One of their particular specialties is a fish soup which is a pure white. The soup is made simply with turnips a whole bony fish (very bony) and a drop of milk. It is simple, clean and delicious.

After I tasted the soup, I knew that I had to try to recreate it (with a few additions):

I started with the basic soup stock (turnips, ginger, whatever fish was fresh at the market). After straining the stock into another pot I added the milk and enoki mushrooms. The beech mushrooms were roasted in the oven and finished with a flame.

Gongnam Fish Soup with Enoki Mushrooms and Fire Roasted White Beech Mushrooms

It is a matter of preference but I generally do not like sitting at the sushi bar. I think it can be traced back to my distaste for being watched while I eat. But, there certain undeniable advantages to sitting at the bar; the obvious being that it is only at the bar where you can meet and actually converse with the person who is preparing your dinner.

JW's Sushi Bar
Pacific Place, 88 Queensway
Hong Kong SAR, China
+852 2841 3899

It was at the JW 's California Sushi Bar in the JW Marriott in Hong Kong, where I had the pleasure of sitting at the bar and meeting Toshitaka Kasseki. It is at this quiet section of the JW complex that Kasseki has been working for over ten years. I'm not sure this hotel restaurant qualifies as a hidden gem, but some of the food that Kasseki is preparing is certainly worth some more attention.

The omakase on this particular night was provocative, balanced and immense.

Octopus w/ Stewed Turnip
Seared Toro w/ Black Bean and Mustard Sauces
(a memorable savory creation - uber tasty)
Clam Medley
Grilled Hamachi
Sushi Course

Trio of Uni (US, Hokaido, Russian)

Mak's Noodles
Phone Number: +852 2854 3810
Address: 77 Wellington St, Central
Hong Kong

For a while now, whenever I would order wonton noodles, I would hear from Grace about this small noodle shop which she would often frequent in Hong Kong and how much better it was. And since I make it a point to try to eat everything that is ever mentioned to me with even just a smidgen of smug (either to prove they are wrong or provide myself with a good meal; win-win), I knew that we had to go while in HK.

The restaurant itself is small but clean. The noodles were pretty much as advertised; and I would have been more impressed if not for the portion size. Now I'm not asking for US sized uber portions, but at least something more than a small bowl which is barely enough to fill a toddler still in diapers. Surprisingly the best part of the meal may have been the tendons. The wontons were good, but probably not worth traveling across a sea. The tendons on the other hand were a soft and smooth savory delight, rarely available on this side of the pacific.

Wonton Noodles

Beef Noodle Soup

Wonton and Dumpling Noodle Combo

Marinated Stewed Beef Tendons

It is a peculiar (and egotistical) feeling to watch a movie and to think that it was in fact made specifically for you. It is a feeling that while one would think could be quite fulfilling, really is rather unsettling. I had something close to this feeling while watching the Will Ferrell film Stranger than Fiction. I'm not sure why it struck such a chord with me; perhaps it has something to do with the location of the film in an unnamed Chicago, or the strong thematic element of cookies. I have like many people thought, or perhaps hoped that my life was actually a story being written by some kind writer in a far off land. Hoping, of course, in the writers own love for his character. But inevitably it come back to the thought, who would want to read my story?
I think that the last few weeks are so may make some kind of story. If not fine literature, something good enough for the trashier sections of Walgreens' book rack. Somewhere within two graduations, two weddings, three receptions and the start of a new job in the span of a month you should think there should be something to say; if only I could remember any of it. Sadly, most of that story have gone the way of my brain cells during my hiatus, disappeared. Ironically, I think it was the hectic and story worthy schedule of things that made it to difficult to remember.

Luckily, In those precious few moments when I had a moment to breathe, I was afforded the opportunity to eat and enjoy. Which was particularly important being that I found myself in Hong Kong. Delicious.

Grace had lead us to New Cheung Hing, a classic Hong Kong establishment. Classic in the sense that this type of food is distinctly Hong Kong. A type of East West fusion cuisine before fusion was a culinary term.

Milk TeaRamen with Spam and Eggs

Rice Noodle with Preserved Mustard Greens and Pork Strips

Butter Toast

Back in Florida; which means it's time to grill. It's particularly fun to grill when I'm hanging with my parents because I'm the only one that will use the beautiful grill outside, and I always find something to grill. My favorite so far has been the awesome oyster bake we had. 50 oysters for $12 (I never thought eating that many oysters could be difficult, and it wasn't). Good times.

Since I'm not sticking around too long this time and I don't want a big clean up I thought it would be nice to do something clean and simple (nothing kills the desire to make chicken wings than the way it leaves the grill, my nice beautiful clean sparkly grill). So, steaks.

Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake

12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
6 large eggs
3 egg whites, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar Confectioners' sugar and/or cocoa powder, for dusting

Yesterday, we celebrated Anne's birthday, which is coming up this friday. As is the tradition for her birthday (done 3/4 times during medical school), the cake had to be personally made. Which is nice in theory (especially since usually there are 3 of us making the cake); but this year it fell onto me to make the cake. So I thought it would be a nice time to try out a flourless chocolate cake.

For anyone who's counting there is only one more week till match day and the beginning of my super senior slide. Yesterday, we had our monthly M4 class and cookie party, where we all get to bellyache together. It seems like I'm not alone in having these weird occult manifestations of tension. Sadly knowing that hasn't helped me.

So last night, more experiements.
Chicken Enchilada w/ Salsa Verde

In the interim I've been wasting away in the ER. It's not quite as intense as the show of the same name, but it is pretty fast paced (over 200 come through the emergency department a day). I've seen some interesting things; but nothing too crazy - some MVA, lots of chest pain and the occasional bulging rectal abscess.

Just waiting in agony for Match Day. "Beware of the Ides of March" indeed. The only thing that seems to keep me from totally obsessing over where I'll be for residency seems to be cooking. Luckily, I've been able to experiment more and more since I started Dermatology. My sister recently bought me a few jars of caviar which have to been really fun to use.

Crab Salad on Endive with Beet Saffron Caviar, Grilled Onion & Pepper Quick Pickle Salad topped with a Fried Quail Egg

Poached Cod in a Shrimp Bisque with Stewed Vegetables Topped with Truffled Caviar

Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Sauteed Fennel with Panceta Gravy, Roasted Mushrooms, Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, Mint Chutney