Gastrolust

This time around, Serious Eats posts my article about Tokyo Ramen Street, and its eight ramen joints in one location. An excerpt:
Just one year ago, Tokyo Ramen Street opened in the First Avenue Tokyo Station retail center, which includes about 100 stores and restaurants….Eight of the best were invited to open at Tokyo Ramen Street, [...]

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(Food photos at the end of the post.)
When people ask about my recent trip to Japan, I’ve been joking that during my short, eight-day stay, I enjoyed four bowls of ramen and survived one earthquake.
Those four bowls of ramen are just scratching the surface of my feeding frenzy in Tokyo. In addition to some [...]

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Racing around to Portland restaurants has become an annual June ritual of late, but with a rare Rothko exhibit in town until May, my partner and I were rarin’ to go to the Rose City sooner than usual this year.
Outings to the Portland Art Museum, the Lan Su Chinese Garden, and OMSI would provide immense [...]

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Last month I stayed at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower Club, as mentioned in this fuller piece about my fuller Portland experience.
When I’m on the lecture circuit (i.e., business travel), I’m loyal to the Hilton family of hotels. My number of stays earns enough points to enjoy a fairly lengthy stay at the Tokyo [...]

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Following January’s four week pizza spotlight, I found it fortuitous to be in New Haven, Connecticut, as it’s famous for its apizza restaurants in the Little Italy section of town. (It truly is “little.”)
Most famous is Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. Frank Pepe is the original pizza restaurant in New Haven, open since 1925. I believe [...]

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With one day in Raleigh earlier this week, I had an opportunity for a couple of quick meals.

For lunch, J. Betski’s would be the perfect place for something different. The eastern European menu attracted me, particularly the pierogies, as I’ve been preparing some at home recently. Unfortunately, the liverwurst pierogies with fennel marmalade and sage [...]

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It was back to Boca Raton, Florida last week for a family visit, and the usual challenge of finding good eats. Boca’s not the best place for food (it’s Cheesecake Factory territory), and I had a variety of personal preferences to consider.
Pushing the envelope a bit, I decided that happy hour at a new place [...]

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Like many world travelers, I love to stare at maps. I’m drawn to distant areas with limited numbers of roads, and am especially intrigued by towns at the ends of such roads, picturing romance in remoteness.
Since well before I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1999, I’ve wanted to visit Tofino on Vancouver Island. Looking [...]

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About a year ago, I reported about a culinary awakening in Victoria, Cowichan Valley, and Sooke. That was based on a summertime trip to Vancouver Island.
Planning a return to Victoria, I wondered: Would I find bliss in more wintery weather?
Snow, ice, rain, and cold weather couldn’t keep me from again enjoying my journey. With thanks [...]

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Actually, let’s first take care of the one November restaurant: Olde World Apizza in North Haven, Connecticut. It’s admittedly sad that my trip didn’t allow even a few more minutes to go a few more miles down the road to New Haven. Being so close to a pizza mecca, I had to settle for a [...]

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