NY eats: Kodama Sushi

The discovery of this little (well, actually huge on the inside) sushi joint was entirely by accident, and a blessing it was indeed!
(Doesn't it look like it says Obama Sushi?)
My half-sister Nina and I had just come from Equus. We nearly missed it because 1) we hadn't had dinner and 2) I got struck with one of my terrible stomach-aches. Both of us frequently get terrible stomach pains that are impossible to explain... think heartburn meets acid reflux meets appendicitis-- basically a lot of stabbing, tingling pains. It was so bad that I was in tears!
Either way, it lasted about an hour, so that by the time we got out of the taxi (in the middle of traffic), I was able to SPRINT to the theater. We were literally dodging people and screaming "ALMOST THERE!" It was around 6:59 and the play started at 7:00.
One little kid said "Mommy, why are those people running?"
Luckily, we literally sat down in our seats as the lights were dimming... whew, close call!
AND WHAT AN AMAZING PLAY! My friend Kaitlyn had told me that it was really strange and that Daniel Radcliffe was really short, but I loved it! I loved the minimal set, the way they portrayed the horses, and the acting was great! The show was bizarre, and very different from Amadeus, also by Peter Schaffer. HOWEVER, I'm really glad I ended up going with my sister and not my dad. I knew there was a full on nude scene, but was NOT aware of the context. Talk about x-rated!
Anyways, I had packed a peanut butter roll and a banana, but my stomach hurt too much to eat it, so I didn't eat dinner till after the play. Nina had scarfed down a smoked salmon sandwich beforehand, so she wasn't as hungry, but we decided to go find a place to eat. Earlier we had been craving sushi, but there hadn't been enough time. I spotted a place called Kodama Sushi a block away from the theater, looked inside the window, and started to walk away in disappointment, because it looked as though it was a takeout joint with only prepackaged sushi.
Nina was more observant than me and said "Look, there's a door in the back!" Sure enough, once you got past the tiny cashier area that sold t-shirts and maki to go, there was a door that led into an enormous space with a winding hallway.
*They had a Spring Awakening poster on the wall!
The second we set foot in there, I knew we had really stumbled upon an authentic place. First of all, the menu was in both English and Japanese, and second of all, I could see tons of Japanese people in there. Also, I saw lots of dishes on the menu that you wouldn't see at your ordinary sushi restaurant.
The problem was that with such a huge menu, it was nearly impossible to decide what to get. Despite all the exotic sounding small plates, I was really in need of some plain, comforting, teriyaki salmon... it was just too cold to get all sushi or sashimi!
Because Nina wasn't that hungry, we also ordered a rainbow roll. I don't always order rainbow rolls on purple! It's just that I'm stingy, and those usually get you the most fish. In this case, they claimed that their rainbow roll had 7 kinds of fish! Of those 7, i saw salmon, tuna, some kind of whitefish, cooked shrimp, mackeral, yellowtail, and some kind of pickled anchovy-like thing... hey, that was 7! I didn't look at the photo or anything... I must say my memory impresses me every now and then.

The roll was decent-- fresh fish, fun to eat. I would probably come here for nigiri, though, given its authenticity.
What I found hilarious was that my salmon came with completely Western-style vegetables: corn on the cob, boiled carrots, and boiled broccoli. Luckily, the sauce was salty enough that thir blandness was welcome. I also think that this once again proves how authentic the place was, since Western food has been highly integrated into Japanese culture. I think oftentimes when you go to an "ethnic" restaurant, what they claim are authentic dishes have actually been adapted to fit the American palette.
The salmon was a perfect portion, and perfectly flaky and not overcooked, just the way I like it. There was also tempura (shrimp, eggplant, zucchini), which I shared with Nina. I also ate nearly the whole bowl of rice.

We also got miso soup.

Meanwhile, we also ended up getting hit on by this Asian guy who ended up being from some small ethnic minority in Russia! It was bizarre... he looked Chinese but spoke with a Russian accent. Just thought I'd throw that in there. He also mentioned that this was a really great place to meet people, and like I said, authentic.
The series of blurry Nina photos: you can totally see the guy in the corner.





Address:
301 W 45th St, New York 10036
Btwn 8th & 9th Ave

The Art of the Bagel: NYC breakfasts

This morning after my run, I walked with my mom to pick up a big bag of bagels ("Are they fresh?" "Of course, Lady"), a clay-like brick of fresh cream cheese, and 4 kinds of smoked salmon (nova, gravlax, pastrami, and regular salted lox).
Sadly, I was feeling the aftermath of yesterday's indulgence, and all I really wanted was a nice big bowl of yogurt, cottage cheese, and grapenuts.
All the same, I appreciated that artistically inspiring image that is the bagel with lox and cream cheese, especially with a bite taken out of it. My cousin made fun of me to no end, but can you not see the beauty here?

Off to New York!

PHOTOS ADDED
Just thought I'd blog last night and this morning before heading off! I'll be gone till the 2nd, and hopefully eat some awesome food, see Equus (!!!!), hang out with relatives, see museums, and shop, of course.
My cousins came for lunch and we took them for dim sum at Ed's Potstickers, which has a different name now, but I don't remember what it is. Either way, it's probably the only Northern Chinese restaurant in Chicago, and is pretty authentic. We're regulars here, which is a nice feeling.
WE ORDERED SO MUCH FOOD! Most of it was meat, so fortunately, I didn't end up eating TOO much.
For the meat eaters we ordered:
Ed's famous potstickers, which are rolled up in a cigar shape
Shrimp dumplings-- I originally ordered these for myself, took a bite of one and realized that it was mainly pork. Didn't swallow it or anything, but a year or two ago I would have been really upset. Luckily, I'm not as fragile about that right now.

Wonton soup

Stir-fried lamb from Xinjiang province (Muslim region that uses cumin and eats flatbread)
Some kind of pork dish that turned out to be at room temperature
Scallion pancakes with sliced pork in the center
Shao bing, sesame bread, with more meat in the center

What I ate:
(or drank)-- fresh soymilk, which only my dad and I appreciate. It's so light and refreshing!
My favorite dish was a classic peasant dish of cornbread and fried fish. The fish weren't fried as in breaded-- they were just crispy, savory and delicious-- also probably the cheapest kind of fish you can get. I love the cornbread because the only ingredient is corn-- this is very, very authentic.

The weirdest tofu soup ever, but I loved it. The broth was cloudy and tasted a bit like soy milk, but also had undertones of sesame. It had little strips of fried tofu that soaked up the soup. Of course, it also had cilantro.
Vegetarian potstickers-- I'm not really a big fan of potstickers, esp. not vegetarian ones. I tried part of one, and it just had cabbage, carrots, and I don't know what else. I'd rather have the real thing.
Stir-fried sweet and sour cabbage with peppers-- this isn't really sweet and sour like Panda Express makes it. It's just full of vinegar and not too much cornstarch. The vegetables are crunchy and tangy, and I couldn't rave about this dish enough. I order it all the time in Beijing.

Last but not least, vegetarian shaobing (the sesame bread, remember?). Not bad considering you can't really get them in the U.S., but they were a little on the bland side, and not hot enough. Of course, I doubt they were made fresh, so I shouldn't complain.

All in all, I definitely recommend this restaurant, ESPECIALLY if you're a pork fanatic.

Last night I didn't end up going to that birthday party. Instead I went to a family gathering of my friend's-- the same one I hung out with on Wednesday. They're relatively religious (Jewish), so it was kind of like a big Shabbat dinner! They eat vegetarian (plus fish) like me, so the food spread was absolutely ideal. I was in heaven!!!!





There was challah (not homemade, but apparently it usually is!), and then the food appeared. Seriously, this spread had ALL of my favorite foods. Here's what there was:
Baked salmon wrapped in tinfoil
Brussel sprouts
A kind of not-quite kugel-- it was called a baked latke
Homemade apple sauce and sour cream
2 salads: one with chickpeas (dried and soaked, not canned) and those other big white beans, mushrooms, greens, sweet peas, and cherry tomatoes, the other with pears, avocado, and pecans.
I only had half a piece of salmon... I would have gone back for seconds, but nobody else did, so I just hung out. However, when I got home I was pretty hungry and had yogurt, grapenuts, and berries.
I definitely ate more than what was pictured.

Last night I was woken up at 4 by the LOUDEST thunder and BRIGHTEST lightning ever. I love thunderstorms, and just lay there listening to the sounds, but it did make me kind of tired. I was thinking of working out before we left for the airport, but decided against it-- I was really sleepy and there wasn't that much time, since our flight leaves at 11.
For breakfast, I had a really filling bowl of oatmeal... I accidentally dumped in half the bottle of vanilla and had to pour it off, but let's not talk about that.
1/3 cup oats, a little more than 1/2 a banana, 1/3 cup vanilla hemp milk, 1/3 cup water, applesauce, part of a crumbled oatmeal raisin cookie, a spoon of Greek yogurt, and peanut butter (plus spices and wheat germ).
Man, was this filling. Maybe it was that little bit of protein from the yogurt that did it?

Anyways, we have to leave soon and I have to finish packing my carry on. Hopefully I'll keep blogging in NY, but if not, I'll do one of those summary posts where I list the highlights.
Bye!

I celebrated Christmas!! .... sort of

Yesterday was super exciting because for once in my life, I celebrated Christmas... in the sense that I went to a Christmas dinner hosted by the same neighbors we had over two nights ago. What nice people... their relatives and family friends were there and I ended up having a great time.
HOWEVER... It was a very weird day food-wise. I'm not used to eating at irregular intervals, and I think all that really wreaked havoc on my sensitive-ish stomach. I was supposed to head over to my neighbors' around 3:00 and we would be eating at 4:00 ish even though it was dinner (apparently a lot of people do this on Christmas). Therefore, I didn't want to eat lunch. But I was also really tired when I woke up and didn't feel like working out, so I ate a light breakfast.
I had 2/3 of a cup of GoLean Crunch, 1/3 of a cup cinnamon Puffins, soy milk, a sliced banana, some blackberries and blueberries, and a sprinkle of almonds and pecans. I also had a blood orange.
A while after breakfast my parents and I decided to go on a very long walk in Jackson Park, where there's a little Japanese garden. Everything was COVERED with snow and caked in ice... I stupidly forgot my camera, but my mom took some photos that I'll post later. It was a strange feeling, not actually knowing where we were, since everything looked homogeneous. We actually walked for a long time, and my toes were getting numb by the end. The sound your shoes make when they crush the slightly hardened snow is even more satisfying than cracking the top of the creme brulee (yes, I know that's in Amelie). Anyways, we walked for a good 45 minutes, or maybe even an hour. We were nice and flushed when we got back.
This was a perfect opportunity for hot chocolate if there ever was one. I love making hot chocolate in big batches because you can use more and feel like you're not the only one drinking it :)
I used the special Spanish hot chocolate from Zingerman's that my mom got me for my birthday last year. Here are our Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear mugs (the only difference is that I have a bigger mug than my mom).
Along with my hot chocolate I had a tiny little gingerbread cookie that I made... verdict: it was actually delicious! I suppose this was my lunch.

Meanwhile, my parents made what looked like the most wonderful lunch: a sort of zhou (rice porridge) of leftover chicken and vegetables. Think chicken soup and rice. I seriously have never wanted to have a meat dish so much... and I don't think there's anything that should hold me back. I didn't want to eat the actual chicken, just the broth, and God knows how many times I've probably had chicken broth accidentally. Yes, I know it's not the same, but maybe my body was trying to tell me something... If I hadn't been saving my appetite for dinner, I really might have had some. I just don't like always having a label: "vegetarian," "pescetarian," whatever. How about just eating according to my preferences, which usually favor vegetables over meat?

At my neighbors', they had a spread of cheese, crackers, and various dips. The photos didn't come out well, but I had one cracker and a few tastes of dips: artichoke, roasted vegetable, cheddar horseradish, and a little cranberry goat cheese.
The table was so nicely set: even a little place card for me!

"Dinner": pork tenderloin, lasagna, asparagus, and coleslaw.

The difference between this lasagna and the one they brought over to our place was like night and day. This one was melty and not too chewy.


I didn't have seconds because this lasagna is probably 2 parts cheese to 1 part noodles and sauce. I could feel my stomach churning a little. I'm not lactose intolerant or anything, but when ever I eat a lot of cheese, which is rare, I can feel it.
Because of this, I decided to pass on dessert, even though I hadn't eaten that much by my standards.
For dessert, there was homemade mandelbrot (half the people there were Jewish, despite the pork tenderloin), some kind of toffee, cookies, and vanilla cake.
When I got home around 7:20, it was almost time to leave for our movie, Slumdog Millionaire. I was a little hungry but my stomach felt weird, so I just had some applesauce.

The movie was amazing, but a bit of a shock. My parents thought it was a comedy, and it turned out to be super violent, disturbing, and depressing. I was sobbing by the end and that rarely happens.. BUT, I seriously recommend it.
We got home after 11, and I was starving. I rarely eat so late at night, but my schedule was so out of wack yesterday that I had a very strange "dinner": a piece of toast with 1 scrambled egg, 2 pieces of smoked salmon, some leftover squash, and a blob of hummus.
Plus a tangerine.




This morning I woke up and forced myself downstairs to the weight room. I was really sick of the elliptical, so I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and then cooled down, so about 3.4 miles total. I really hate the treadmill, but you can get more of a workout in a shorter amount of time. I was also sweating way more than I usually do on the elliptical. I should probably ice my knee, though.
Breakfast was really more like dessert. Seems like other bloggers are "recovering" from the holiday season, but I never really ate any dessert during the season to begin with, so why not use up some of those delicious cookies?
Today's oatmeal was (partly inspired by Kath):
1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup soy milk, 1/3 cup water, 1 small banana, cinnamon, vanilla. Toppings: a sprinkle of gingerbread, peanut brittle, toffee, and a mandelbrot. PLUS: my new chocolate banana peanut butter!

This was very, VERY sweet. I ended up ignoring the peanut brittle because it was too chewy. The toffee basically melted in, so I didn't have to chew it. The peanut butter wasn't too strong-tasting, but the banana chocolate flavor was definitely there.
I also had a glass of milk and a tangerine.
Today's agenda (feels REALLY weird to be blogging in the morning, but I might start to): cousins and aunt coming for lunch, then tonight we're going to an awesome colleague of my parents' birthday! She's a total foodie, has a black belt in karate, and is from Malaysia.
Happy day-after Christmas!