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ATOMGrilled Beef Tongue in Matsushima
I’m used to tongue being boiled, then sliced up deli style and served with mustard. The Sendai regional dish is made by slicing the raw tongue in scant quarter-inch slabs and grilling it over charcoal. It tastes much like grilled beef steak, but with a different texture and with a beefier flavor from the fine marbling of fat. Try it, and soon you’ll be inviting friends over to throw some tongue on the barby.
Apple Hill™ is where people in Northern California go each year to see apples and apple trees. In some places apple trees grow promiscuously, but in California it likely demands a trek into the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. I’m among those who believe it is well worth it.
Lemon Sorbet at the Tides Wharf
This is not a complex dessert. What sets it off is the fresh lemon flavor not overwhelmed with sweetness. It’s a reminder that good food is often a simple good ingredient that the chef manages to let speak for itself.
Dessert at the Platinum Buffet
Japanese desserts always look delicious, but the taste can be hit or miss. If you ever get what looks like a cheese Danish, but is actually made with macaroni and corn . . . well, it is a surprise. The desserts at the Platinum Buffet were a definite hit, both in appearance and taste. The raspberry gelatin over a raspberry mouse was my favorite.
The Purple Fruit in a Japanese Market
A Japanese friend identified identified the beautiful purple fruit as akebe, or akebia in English. It is a vine fruit native to Japan and Korea, although it withstands cold and will grow in the U.S. When it ripens, the fruit bursts open to reveal pulp and seeds.
