EATAKU

Puerto Rico’s answer to the cheesesteak… The...

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:23:39 -0400

Puerto Rico’s answer to the cheesesteak… The Tripleta!

Grilled chicken, steak and sausage with mayo, mustard, ketchup and cheese whiz!

This one came courtesy of the Tico Tripleta food truck parked at Plaza Darsenas in Old San Juan!

A mountain of fruit to choose from at the Mercado in La...

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:42:47 -0400

A mountain of fruit to choose from at the Mercado in La Placita…

Alcapurrias and mojitos… an afternoon snack in San Juan! Now...

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:28:00 -0400

Alcapurrias and mojitos… an afternoon snack in San Juan!

Now with an update from a different angle. :)

The Banana Oreo McFlurry is back at McDonald’s Japan this...

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:35:00 -0400

The Banana Oreo McFlurry is back at McDonald’s Japan this summer…

This is just too cool! Be sure to head over to Kotaku today and...

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:20:25 -0400

This is just too cool! Be sure to head over to Kotaku today and check out the 3D latte art of Japanese barista Kazuki Yamamoto!

http://kotaku.com/3d-coffee-art-reaches-new-dizzying-heights-509019180

Thanks, comicblah!

Just landed in Puerto Rico!

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:48:21 -0400

Just landed in Puerto Rico!

I love watching chefs create and conceptualize dishes. It...

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:25 -0400

I love watching chefs create and conceptualize dishes. It reminds me a lot of comic pages actually, where an artist turns in their layouts, speaks with the editor and writer, and then makes changes, tightens and improves the art as they move to final pencils.

Here’s a look at what Ramen Lab’s Chef Nakamura came up with on the first pass at his beef mazemen dish, and what the final, fine-tuned dish looked like when served days later…

Opening soon on the corner of 38th St. and 8th Ave… Tabata...

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:04:46 -0400

Opening soon on the corner of 38th St. and 8th Ave… Tabata 2!

Meat Feet socks, designed by chef Chris Cosentino! Hopefully on...

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:00:20 -0400

Meat Feet socks, designed by chef Chris Cosentino! Hopefully on sale soon from Betabrand. Please go to their site and show your support:

http://www.betabrand.com/think-tank/mens-meat-socks.html

Subway goes Korean with Beef Bulgogi and Pork Kalbi subs in...

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:20 -0400

Subway goes Korean with Beef Bulgogi and Pork Kalbi subs in Japan!

I was preparing a write-up on my favorite yakitori joint in...

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:27:13 -0400

I was preparing a write-up on my favorite yakitori joint in Tokyo, ONITEI, when I came across this video from my last trip over. So I figured I’d give you a look at the place this way to whet your appetites for now…

ONITEI

1-9-4 Shibuya

Tokyo

+81-3-3797-1002

Given all the advancements in modern genetics and agriculture,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:55:00 -0400

Given all the advancements in modern genetics and agriculture, the best new use we can come up with is how to engineer melons to grow with Hello Kitty faces?!

(Yes, this is real.)

Image courtesy of Sanrio

Dear Burger King Japan- Miami is not the place to look for...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:34:00 -0400

Dear Burger King Japan-

Miami is not the place to look for inspiration for BBQ! Please reference Kansas City, Texas and the Carolinas for any and all future burger ideas.

Love, Eataku

Diced rabbit with peanuts in hot chili oil… Started...

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:45:38 -0400

Diced rabbit with peanuts in hot chili oil…

Started exploring menu items beyond my usual Pork Belly with Chili Leeks and Cumin Lamb at Szechuan Gourmet and this was a winner!

SZECHUAN GOURMET

21 West 39th St.

New York, NY 10018

212-921-0233

http://szechuan-gourmet.com

The Bian Dang Food Truck, NYC

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:30 -0400

For months, X-Men editor Daniel Ketchum has been raving about the Bian Dang truck that parks on the corner of 50th St & 6th Ave every Monday, pretty much right in front of the Marvel offices. A Taiwanese food truck, he swears by their fried pork chop! But unfortunately, I’ve always had lunch meetings or alternate plans every Monday afternoon, so have not been able to check them out. Until yesterday.

And they are every bit as good as Daniel says they are!

I went with what Daniel recommended, a Taiwanese style fried pork chop over rice that’s mixed with pickled mustard greens and minced pork…

First of all, I got pork chopS, plural, Two big ones! And the greens and extra pork? Wow. Such added flavor. This was one phenomenal lunch! All for only seven bucks!

Plus, they had garlic wings on special, so we scored an order of those too. Quite tasty as well!

The Bian Dang truck moves around every day, so I suggest you follow them on Twitter at @biandangnyc.com or check out their webpage at http://www.biandangnyc.com to find out where they’ll be.

The line is long but moves fast, and food this good is worth a much longer wait!

Thor writer Jason Aaron foodhazing me with a Chicken Z-Man from...

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:24 -0400

Thor writer Jason Aaron foodhazing me with a Chicken Z-Man from Oklahoma Joe’s in Kansas City…

Speaking of ramen, I’m surprised no one thought of this...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:04:46 -0400

Speaking of ramen, I’m surprised no one thought of this before!

Thanks to The Hungry Tiger for sharing the image.

Ramen Jiro, Tokyo

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:31:57 -0400

I have two favorite places where I go to eat ramen when I’m in Tokyo.

The first is always Jiro!

You see, if ramen is a religion, Ramen Jiro is the shop the most pious go to worship at. It is Tokyo’s temple to noodles and soup. And I went to pay my respect yesterday morning.

There are usually lines of the faithful wrapped around the building, but we timed our visit to arrive right between the breakfast and lunch rushes.

When you get to the door, you place your order at a vending machine. Your choices are limited and simple: Ramen, Pork Ramen, Large Ramen, Large Ramen with Pork, and Large Ramen with Double Pork…

The man who the people come to see… Yamada-san, the Pope of Pork at work!

My colleagues decided that we had to go big or go home. If we were going to come all this way to taste the true path to heaven, we had to do it properly. So it was Jiro’s Holy Grail, the large ramen with double pork, for us…

There’s a secret to ordering at Jiro though. Five sacred words you must utter when giving the master your ticket: “Yasai Mashi Mashi Niniku Karame”. This lets him know you’re one of his loyal flock and gets you a heaping topping of moyashi beans, garlic and abura!

And they don’t skimp on the garlic as they consider it key to the taste!

Fat is indeed flavor!

The other thing that keep people coming back to Jiro in droves is the extra thick homemade noodles. See for yourself…

The shop’s acolytes believe that Jiro has transcended ramen. They say, “Jiro is not ramen, Jiro is Jiro”.

While I’m not the most religious person, having now eaten the noodles and drank the soup from the Bowl of God, consider me converted… yet another disciple of Jiro!

Originally blogged in June 2012.

New Hello Kitty roll cakes… a face in every slice!

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:56:12 -0400

New Hello Kitty roll cakes… a face in every slice!

Ramen Lab Pop Up at SakaMai, NYC

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:27:39 -0400

The Ramen Lab boys were at it again in New York City this weekend, bringing their notorious noodle know-how to a one-night-only pop up inside SakaMai, the Japanese sake lounge on the Lower East Side.

Curious customers gladly waited over a hour to taste the three original ramen dishes that Chef Naka, Kenshiro and George (from right to left) whipped up in very limited quantities at the event! Here’s a look at what they served…

Lower East Side Miso Ramen with bean sprouts, nira & ground pork…

SakaMai Umeshu Hiyashi Chuka…

A refreshing cold noodle dish for summer with pork, egg and cucumber that came with a glass on plum wine you poured into the bowl…

And my hands-down favorite, their Gyudon Mazemen, which used a classic Japanese “beef bowl” as inspiration…

Grilled beef with a poached egg that broke perfectly over the noodles and provided the sauce for the dish…

Mix it all up…

Might not the most appealing bite to look at, but it tasted like heaven!

Keep an eye on http://sunnoodle.com/ramenlab for future events!