My favorite food cities in the world...

1) Paris, France - food, wine and cheese paradise.  The sights are pretty good too.

2) Tokyo, Japan - an endless array of extraordinary culinary possibilities - sushi, ramen, soba, udon, yakitori, sake, beer, shabu-shabu, beef, gyoza

3) New York City, USA - incredible diversity and quality, the best wine city in the US by a large margin

4) San Sebastian, Spain - a food lover's paradise attached to a beautiful small seaside town

5) Burgundy, France - nothing like home style Burgundian cuisine paired with the best wine and cheese in the world

Best Pinxtos (Tapas) Bars in San Sebastián, Spain

San Sebastián is a beautiful city and a perfect place for the traveler who is also a food enthusiast.  It is here that there are more Michelin star places per square meter than any other place in the world.  More my speed was the Parte Vieja (old town) with its incredible array of pinxtos (tapas) bars.  At first it can be a bit overwhelming.  Where to spend your stomach capacity?  There are literally hundreds of bars to choose from. However, with a little research and common sense (packed bar versus empty bar) you can quickly isolate where to visit for a bite and a drink.

Standard operating procedure in a pinxto bar is relatively simple.  Figure out the specialty of the house and order it.  Usually this is a hot pinxto versus a cold pinxto that you will find on the counter.  Order a drink - Txakoli is a great choice for a white wine as it goes with almost anything.  Plus, it is cheap and delicious.  Should you need a red wine, ask for a Rioja Crianza.  Have a few bites but not too many as there are many more places to explore.  Throw your napkin on the floor instead of putting it on the counter.

The following are the best San Sebastián pinxtos bars per my taste:

Bar Nestor - the specialty of the house is grilled steak.  Other stand outs are the grilled peppers, tomato salad and Basque cheeses.  

Ganbara - the specialty of the house is grilled mushrooms and the signature dish below was just mind blowing.  In addition, all of the hot tapas are superb.

La Cuchara de San Telmo - everything is ordered fresh from the kitchen here and the quality is just fantastic.  Signature items include the foie gras, beef cheeks, grilled octopus, duck dumplings and pigs ears.

Atari Gastroteka - a modern pinxtos bar situated right next to a large church.  Signature items include foie gras, rice of the day, grilled octopus and an unbelievable dessert of basque bread with honey ice cream.  Gin and tonics are the specialty drink of the house.

Go Go Curry, Shinjuku

Ground floor entrance

As a long-time customer of Go Go Curry in New York City, visiting this curry house was an absolute must while in Japan.

I've long been of the belief that Go Go Curry serves the best Japanese curry in New York City. The place is often packed and is generally filthy but the curry is awesome.  I have a hard time selecting my second favorite curry shop in New York because there aren't just that many of them around.  Curry-Ya possibly although I found the roux there a bit thin and lacking in flavor.  The space is cool and super clean though.  And they have a Japanese toilet. +++

Go Go Curry was easy to identify on the street near my hotel in Shinjuku due to the familiar big gorilla logo.  The restaurant is down a short flight of stairs.  You will first come to a vending machine to make your curry selection.  No English but the pictures get you most of the way there. The space is ridiculously spotless, much different than NYC.  Service is efficient and the place is quiet so can enjoy your plate of curry.  The taste is basically the same as in NYC - a dark, thick and rich roux with nicely fried pork on top and cabbage on the side.  I find this curry very satisfying and delicious although Co Co Curry Ichiban is my favorite in Japan.  I like how you can customize the curry experience there and make it spicy.

Go Go Curry is a fantastic place for rich and hearty curry in the Shinjuku area. If you can visit, you won't be disappointed.

Hanamaru Udon, Shinjuku

A sharp recommendation from the staff at the amazing Park Hyatt, Tokyo. Looking for something local and delicious for breakfast, preferably noodles, this was the suggestion. Simply put, an awesome way to start the day.  Close to the massive Shinjuku station without any English spoken.  No problem as there are photos you can point to.  Luxurious udon noodles in a beautiful broth.  On the side take your pick of excellent tempura.  Easy on the wallet and delicious.  Came back a second time and it tasted even better.  Places like this are the reason I keep coming back to Tokyo.

Hafu Restaurant, Kyoto

I found this place on TripAdvisor.com as it was one of the highest rated restaurants in Kyoto and the reviews were universally glowing.  The reviewers were spot on as Hafu delivered a great meal. The sirlion steak was just unbelievably great.  The quality of the steak at Hafu is unbelievable, it melts in your mouth like butter with a perfect texture.

I got a set meal that included an appetizer, soup, salad, steak and dessert for about $60 USD.  A terrific bargain as Japanese beef is usually super expensive.  I sat at the counter, which was a very enjoyable place to be.  The manager here speaks good English as he has spent some time in the US growing up.  A bit hard to find, the restaurant is in a residential section of beautiful Kyoto. Definitely use your GPS or take a taxi.  The name on the outside of the restaurant is actually Hafuu.

Rokurinsha Ramen, Tokyo Station

This place has been on my list to visit for years and finally the day came.  Easily this was some of the very best ramen I have had in my life.  Every component of the Tsukemen is an amazing compliment to the other including the perfect noodles and egg.  Tasting the broth alone is interesting as it is very intensely flavored. However, when you dip the noodles in the broth and eat it as it meant to be, the balance is flawless.  The wait in the line was about 30 minutes around the lunch hour. Just a fantastic meal, I was blown away.

Sasagin sake pub in Tokyo

After an almost four year absence, it was great to be back in Tokyo with the chance to visit one of my very favorite places to eat and drink - Sasagin.  Walking in the door, it was as if nothing had changed.  In fact, I sat in the exact same seats at the corner of the bar that I last sat in during my last visit in 2010. Behind the bar the friendly face of Narita-san, the passionate proprietor, was there to greet me.  He remembered me from years past and I hope that's not a bad thing.  The sake selection is just as it was before, which is to say it is fantastic.  All you need to do is tell Narita-san what you are looking for and he will pour you something beautiful. On this visit I sampled many different unpasteurized sakes, which are rare in the US.  The food is excellent and is a perfect compliment to the great sakes being poured.  Lack of Japanese language skills isn't a problem and if you are lucky, like me, you just might be able to meet some new Japanese friends at the bar.

Day 6, November 9, 2012

Bartolo Mascarello

This was our last day in Piemonte and lucky for us one of the best visits of the week was awaiting in the morning at Bartolo Mascarello with legend's daughter Maria Teresa.  The entire range of wines was incredible here - probably my favorite tasting of the entire trip in terms of the quality of the juice.  We tasted through the entire current release, including her Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa and Barolo.  The 2008 Barolo really knocked my socks off.  Dave and I both bought bottles to bring home.  I only bought one - huge mistake.  I should have bought at least three of them plus a magnum.  Maria Teresa was a terrific guide.  Very passionate, very kind and incredibly knowledgeable about her craft.  Returning to Bartolo Mascarelo on my next visit to Piemonte is a must.  Spectacular wines and a fascinating facility with a long and important history right in the town of Barolo.

Our last lunch was at Locanda del Centro in the tiny town of Castiglione Falletto.  This was hands down, my favorite lunch of the trip.  The food was superb.  We started with the antipasti plate, which was off the charts.  The carne cruda was absolute heaven.  I loved the nice homey decor in the upstairs part of the restaurant. Consistent with most places we dined in the area, the wine list was stellar and fairly priced.  I definitely want to come back here for dinner.  This was a top notch dining experience.  Great service too.

The last visit of the trip was with Paolo Scavino.  It was pretty tough to find the place using the GPS.  We got a little lost and showed up a bit late.  This was a very generous tasting as a huge amount of wines were poured including all of the current Baroli and the big gun riserva Annunziata.  The wines showed well (if you like the style) - all polished and well made, showing the influence of oak.  All very open and accessible right now.  I'm just not a fan of modern Baroli so I was less than excited about what I was tasting.  The facility at Scavino is large and they proudly show off their roto fermenters, which have been the source of much controversy in the region over the years.  If you like wines made in the modern style, it is worth a visit.

That wrapped up a great week of wine visits in Piemonte.  The views, wine and food were all spectacular.  I plan to be back here again in the near future.  Next time I won't make the mistake of not visiting Giacomo Conterno!

Day 5, November 8, 2012

Domenico Clerico

Another day, another great Italian buffet breakfast at Corte Gondina.  Soon thereafter we arrived at Domenico Clerico.  His facility looks like a giant spaceship on top of a hill.  The modern architecture sticks out like a sore thumb in the area with all the old, traditional looking structures.  I have been buying and cellaring Clerico wines now for years - largely due to the high scores they receive from Antonio Galloni.  I've had a few of the older Ginestra Barolo that have been delicious at Babbo and Capriccio on Bonaire.  The facility is quite large and completely modern.  No surprise there since it was just built.  The tasting room has a beautiful view and our host was very kind and hospitable.  I found the wines less than interesting though.  Modern and lacking in soul.  This hurt a bit since I have so much of the wines in my cellar.  My favorite wine of the tasting wasn't even a Barolo.  It was the current Barbera d'Alba.  I strongly prefer the traditional wines - I'm sure that is pretty obvious.

After a good lunch at La Salita in Monforte we started our afternoon visit at G.D. Vajra.  I loved this visit.  We were hosted by the young and passionate Francesca Vajra - the daughter of the owner and founder of the winery.  Francesca was a fantastic host.  Her hospitality and passion for the wines was a stark contrast to what we experienced at Elvio Cogno just a few days early.  Francesca poured us through the entire current offering of G.D. Vajra.  The wines showed very, very well.  I have always enjoyed Vajra wines and buy them when I see them.  They can be hard to find - I usually buy them from Astor Wines in NYC.  The tour of the wine making facility was interesting as it was easily the most packed of any wine making facility that we saw.  There is literally no room to move around.  The space constraints certainly aren't hurting the quality of the juice.

Dinner was at Castello Grinzane.  This was the only restaurant of the trip that earned a Michelin star.  The setting is inside a really old castle.  The food and service was really good.  I'd recommend this place for a nice meal.

Day 4, November 7, 2012

Elio Grasso

I had a good feeling about our scheduled tastings at Elio Grasso and Aldo Conterno, both of which were late additions to my schedule.  Fortunately my premonition was correct.  This was one great day of wine visits.

We started on a crisp and clear Piemonte morning at Elio Grasso, just outside the small town of Monforte d'Alba.  Wow, what an impressive property.  Everything from start to finish was fantastic - our host, the wine making facility, the old house, the views of the valley and the young wines poured for us.  The style is purity and balance.  I immediately fell in love with these wines.  This was definitely a memorable visit and I will buy, cellar and enjoy the wines of Elio Grasso for years to come.

The memory of my visit to Elio Grasso was further enhanced by the fact that my top wine of the entire trip was the 2008 Elio Grasso Gavarini Vigna Chiniera from our dinner at Bovio in La Morra.  The wine was not available for sale at Elio Grasso as it was completely sold out.  I bought 6 of these upon my return to the States and look forward to following its development.

Our afternoon appointment was with Aldo Conterno and this was another special, special visit.  The facility looks something like a French chateau - it is huge and artfully designed.  We started with the recent Dolcetto and Barbera and then we were treated to the full range of the 2008 Baroli and they were all very impressive.  I find the style to be a good balance between ultra traditional and modern.  The hospitality at Aldo Conterno was top-notch and the generosity was humbling.  The wine making facility was absolutely spotless - the same was true for Elio Grasso.  

Dinner on this night was at La Libera in Alba. It was easily the most disappointing meal of the entire trip - by a large margin.  I picked this restaurant based upon strong feedback from the wine boards including favorable commentary from Antonio Galloni and several other recent visitors to the area.  The service was terrible, the wine list lacking and the food was unimpressive.  A highly disappointing way to end an otherwise excellent day in Piemonte.  I even heard people at breakfast in our hotel talk about how this was a can't miss place.  Boy were they all wrong.

Day 3, November 6, 2012

Giuseppe Mascarello

Today was the day for the ultra traditional producers - Giuseppe Rinaldi and Giuseppe Mascarello.  We started at Rinaldi near the town of Barolo.  The location was a bit tough to find but eventually we got there.  We were warmly greeted by the young and attractive Marta Rinaldi and given a quick tour of the very old cellar.  Soon we moved on to tasting the wines which all showed very well.

Lunch was in the town of Barolo.  Barolo is a fun little town to walk around in.  It is a bit more touristy feeling than the other small towns in the Langhe.  We picked a lunch spot that was near the center of town without a recommendation or reviewing feedback from other travelers - Locanda della Posta.  This was the most uninteresting lunch of the entire trip.  The food wasn't bad, it was just uninteresting.  The wine service was bad though.  The inside of the restaurant was on the warm side and so were the wines that were left sitting out (some of them under bright lights).  I'm sure there were better choices in the town, we just picked a bad spot.

After lunch we ventured to the town of Dogliani to walk around a bit and check out the public market.  It was pretty small and most of what was on sale was clothing.  Dogliani is known for its Dolcetto - there was plenty of it for sale there as you would expect.

Our afternoon appointment with the legendary producer Giuseppe Mascarello.  I was warned that this location would be very difficult to find and indeed it was.  I asked for directions from several locals in the small town where the Cantina is located and eventually they got us on the right track.  This was a really fun visit.  In a room full of fruit flies we tasted through the complete set of current release wines.  They were all excellent including the 2008 Monprivato.  Our visit was led by Mauro Mascarello and his friendly wife.  Mauro isn't a fluent English speaker and we don't know much Italian but we managed to communicate just fine.  This visit was a definite highlight for me.

We purchased a few bottles of Freisa to bring back to the hotel to enjoy.  The 2006 Freisa was superb - funky and earthy.

Dinner was in La Morra within walking distance of our hotel at Pizzeria Per Bacco, which was excellent.

Day 2 - November 5, 2012

I woke up super early due to jet lag.  I was down at breakfast as they were setting up a very impressive spread of food and caught my first view of just how beautiful this area is through the window of the hotel.  Clear blue skies and the snow covered Alps framing a view of the green rolling hills covered in vines.  Wow, what a sight!

Breakfast at Corte Gondina was excellent and is just one of the many highlights of staying at this great property in La Morra.

Our first visit of the trip was at Vietti in Castiglione Falletto.  We were warmly greeted there by Luciana Vietti, the mother of current winemaker and family owner Luca Currado.  Luciana was a wonderful host and showed us some incredible history contained within the walls of the current structure where wine is made now.  What a fascinating history this family has and it was great that they preserved the historical aspects of the building when they modernized it.  After showing us the facility including where they make and age their wines, we moved to the modern and comfortable tasting room.  I've been a fan of Vietti wines for years now and it was great to see a new set of great wines just entering the market.  The 2008 Baroli are fresh, pure and powerful.  The whole set of wines was great including the Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto and Langhe Nebbiolo.

This was a dazzling way to start the trip.  Such passion and generosity from Luciana.  It was so much fun.  One of the very best visits of the trip for sure.

Lunch was next door to Vietti at Le Torri in Castiglione Falletto.  The lunch was good - pretty much in line with most other places we had lunch.  Nice homemade pastas, killer views of the valley below and good service.  Besides our group there was only one other person in the restaurant.  It lacked energy to me as a result.  The setting is spectacular though.

Our afternoon appointment was at Elvio Cogno.  I was introduced to the wines while in Bonaire on a dive trip at the fantastic Italian restaurant 'Capriccio'.  I have really enjoyed Elvio Cogno's Barbera and more recently some of the 2007 Barolo.  I had high hopes for this visit.  

I made a mistake on the time of our visit; we showed up an hour early.  This caught the people there off guard.  It was a genuine mistake - we apologized and offered to come back at the scheduled time (one hour later) but they asked for a few minutes, so we waited.  The property itself is unbelievable.  Spectacular views, infinity pool, outdoor kitchen and an old building that had been modernized.

The visit starts and is led by Nadia Cogno.  It was clear from the start that this woman had no interest in spending time with us.  She showed no passion or enthusiasm.  Her answers to our questions were one sentence.  Clearly, she wanted to be doing something else.  She gave us a half-hearted tour of the wine making facilities, which were quite impressive.  We were quickly moved to a tasting room and presented with a price list.  This was the only place where we were giving a price list.  I didn't mind paying for the tasting though as I know making wine is expensive.  My issue was with her sour attitude.

The wines showed nice - we tried their Langhe bianco and the 2009 Barbaresco.  I will have a hard time buying these wines again after this visit.  I really like the style of the wines - so pure and elegant but Nadia's cold demeanor really turned me off.  It was, by far, the worst visit of the trip.

Dinner was at Osteria Veglio - a neighborhood place down the hill from the center of La Morra.  I loved this place.  The cooking was rustic and local - exactly what I love.  The service was genuine.  The wine list very good.  I spotted a 2010 Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia Barbera that wasn't on the list on another table and we started with that.  It was fantastic.  My starter was an excellent ravioli that reminded me of the soup dumplings I had in Shanghai.  They were killer.  Our second wine was a brilliant 2006 Castello di Verduno Barbaresco from the Rabaja vineyard.  Polished and fantastic.  Eric and I had the lamb chops and they were just superb.  We walked out very satisfied.  It was probably the best dinner of the trip.

Impressions from my trip to Piemonte - November 2012

Sunday - November 4th

Arrived on the overnight flight from EWR.  Picked up the rental car at MXP airport and headed for La Morra.  The drive was relatively easy until we got close to Alba, then the GPS started getting confused with all the changes to the roads in the area.  Make sure you have an up to date GPS when traveling in Piemonte. We reached our hotel Corte Gondina and met Bruno.  I had to laugh when I first met him because he probably thinks I am slightly mad.  There was a lot of back and forth about appointments, dates, times, changes and questions.  Lots of questions.

Lunch was at the local Osteria More e Macine.  A very cool and boisterous place with the menu written on a chalkboard.  The wine list was deep and reasonably priced backed up by a large walk-in wine cellar.  Food was very good all around.  The white truffles here looked fantastic and the pricing was reasonable.  I wish we had come back for dinner here.  The vibe was really fun.

Our first wine visit was in Barbaresco at Produttori di Barbaresco.  The distance from La Morra to Barbaresco isn't much but with all the twisting roads it takes about 25 minutes or so.  Barbaresco is a tiny little hill town.  The main strip holds a few places to taste wine and two Michelin starred restaurants.  The tasting room at Produttori di Barbaresco is open to the public and doesn't cost anything.  We tasted through a range of wines that included a 2007 Riserva.  The most impressive wine of the tasting was the 2005 Barbaresco, it was the most expressive of that group.  The Riserva was a close second as it showed the most polish and potential of the bunch.  Pricing to buy the wines was much lower than in the US - this would be theme throughout the trip.

Dinner was at Bovio in La Morra.  This is an impressive restaurant that is not to be missed.  The service, decor and wine list were my favorites of the trip.  The food was good but short of excellent for the most part.  My brasato al Barolo was slightly disappointing.  The wine list was a thing of beauty though with excellent stemware and polished wine service.  We had our wine of the trip here 2008 Elio Grasso Barolo Vigna Chiniera.  What an extraordinary wine!  From the moment the cork was pulled this wine was explosive.  The waiter put the wine into a fancy decanter but that wasn't really necessary.  This is a wine of considerable elegance and I'm going to be buying several of these.

Another Brooks Brothers non-iron shirt fabric failure

The non-iron shirts sold by Brooks Brothers have terrible longevity.  Here is another fabric failure in the elbow.  Only a few left now.

The worst pizza I ever had

Trader Joe's Organic Woodfired Sicilian Style Pizza is easily the worst pizza I've ever had.  Frankly, I am surprised as I'm a huge Trader Joe's fan and regular shopper.  Cardboard crust coupled with flavorless cheese and sauce.  A complete abomination.

Barrafina - Tapas Restaurant in London

My favorite meal of the trip thus far has been at Barrafina.  This is a highly regarded Spanish tapas restaurant located in the SoHo neighborhood of London.

Seating is around an open kitchen with a few additional tables outside.  You queue up along the back wall of the restaurant while waiting your turn at the counter.  Looking at all the great dishes coming out of the kitchen was making me extra hungry and impatient.  One of the servers was taking great care of all the people in the queue - taking drink orders or food orders.  I started with a bottle of Spanish white while I waited.  The queue stretched out to the front door so I was happy that I arrived early on a spectacular Saturday night.

After about 35 minutes, my seat opened up on the corner of the bar.  Soon after sitting I put in several orders.  Everything was very good and there were even a few 'wow' dishes that stood out above the rest.  My favorite plates were the: octopus with capers, ham croquetas, fresh clams in garlic, and oil and chickpeas with spinach and bacon.

Service was attentive throughout the meal and the limitation of my stomach capacity was the only thing keeping me from ordering more.  Dining here reminded me of my fantastic trip to Spain.

Barrafina lives up to its billing as the top tapas bar in London.  It was even better than I expected.

Napa on 26, Bangkok

For Western style fine dining in Bangkok, Napa on 26 is a great choice.  I celebrated my big birthday here and was quite happy with the experience.  First, the decor of the restaurant is pure class and comfortable.  The tables are nicely spread out so you can enjoy a bit of privacy and peace during your meal.  The chairs are some of the most comfortable that I have experienced in a restaurant.  The table for two was nice and large.   Second, the service was polished and prompt - almost up to the standards of a fine restaurant in New York City.  Finally, the food was excellent for the most part - highlights were the duck confit (special of the night), braised short ribs and Caesar salad "Napa" style.  I didn't care for the carpaccio though.  Beautiful presentation and wonderful flavors.  My only compliant was that things were slow coming out of the kitchen.   In a very classy move, the chef came to our table to apologize as he was short staffed due to the recent holiday.

The wine list is very good for Thailand although the pricing is absolutely astronomical compared to the US or Europe.    I attribute this to the massive tax levied against wine imports into Thailand.  I was stunned to see how expensive wine was on the shelf at Foodland market.  However, if you are a baller you can choose such trophies as Mouton, Lafite, DRC and Screaming Eagle off the list at Napa on 26.  Corkage is a very reasonable 500 THB so you are much better off bringing your own bottle than buying off the list.    Wine service was excellent with beautiful stems and prompt service.  Highly recommended. 

Mont Nom Sod, Bangkok

On my most recent trip to Bangkok in January 2012, Mont Nom Sod was once again one of the absolute culinary highlights.  First, we visited the original location on Dinso Road after dinner.  This is a beautiful shop (clean and sleek) and a great place for people watching.  Both times I have been here I have been the only farang.  We devoured three pieces of thick white toast smothered with condensed milk and washed it down with a fresh milk on ice.  So simple yet so utterly delicious and it makes for great food porn in the photos.

I just had to get my fix again before leaving for Los Angeles so I dipped into MBK on its second floor for another trip to culinary heaven.  Two pieces of toast drizzled with condensed milk and a glass of fresh milk on ice.  While the MBK branch is much smaller and plain looking compared to the mother-ship, the food is just as delicious!  We need this here in the USA but it will never happen so I'll just have to keep coming back to Bangkok to get my Mont Nom Sod fix. 

Another Brooks Brothers non-iron shirt blows out

Only have a few left now.  Amazing how they all fail in the same place.

Wine visits in Montalcino and Chianti Classico

The two best visits in Montalcino and Chianti Classico were head and shoulders above the rest: Uccelliera and Sestadisopra.  Other excellent visits were Valdicava, Siro Pacenti, Felsina and Fontodi.  My least favorite visit was Ciacci Piccolomini.  It wasn't terrible, it just had a commercial feel compared to the others, which were small and intimate visits.  Ciacci even has a US style wine and gift shop.