A Trip to New York with Samsung

Join me in New York to preview some amazing appliances at the Samsung Living Atelier and chat with some pretty major Michelin star chefs.

This past week, Samsung flew me out to New York as part of their Club de Chefs collaboration. I had the opportunity to preview some amazing appliances at the Samsung Living Atelier (like a pop up shop), and chat with some pretty major Michelin star chefs. Along with fellow bloggers, I had the chance to sit down and chat with Éric Fréchon of the restaurant at the Hôtel Le Bristol in Paris, Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa, Michel Troisgros of La Maison Troisgros in Roanne, and (surprise chef!), Daniel Boulud of the restaurant Daniel. They were…

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Kappabashi Kitchen Town

travel / tokyo / japan

We rounded the corner onto Kappabashi-dori. My eyes lit up, my heart skipped two beats. At the same time Jack let out a big sigh and whined “oh nooo… today is going to SUUCK.” Luckily, there was some free wifi in the area so he could distract himself while I carefully looked through every last copper pot, ginger grater, and tiny painted bowl… I have no words, really. Store upon store, stuffed with stuff (good stuff). Pinch me. click to keep reading, more after the jump:

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Yudofu (Tofu) in Kyoto

travel / japan / kyoto

In Japan, tofu is not a meat or dairy replacement. It’s just a regular food that regular people eat – and hardly anyone there is vegetarian. The very best way to experience tofu is at a yudofu restaurant in Kyoto. You sit down (on mats) to a set meal which starts with a few small dishes made out of various types of tofu. Then comes the big star – the simmering pot of soft tofu. It’s luscious, creamy, and unlike any kind of tofu that has ever come out of a box. This particular meal was at Okutan, a 350…

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Kyoto travel links

travel / japan / kyoto

As requested, here’s a list of some of our Kyoto recommendations!

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Uji & Matcha

travel / japan / matcha

A few days ago, we took this short little day trip to the land of Matcha. Uji is famous for producing the finest Matcha in Japan since the 14th century. It’s not necessarily a “must see,” but it’s an easy 30 minute train ride from Kyoto and it was just so beautiful. We strolled the little main street, saw a (pretty touristy) tea ceremony, drank some frothy matcha, and had a nice cha-soba lunch.

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Fushimi Inari-Taisha

travel / japan / kyoto

…otherwise known as Fushimi Inari-Taisha. (We nicknamed it Starfox Mountain). This shrine is the #1 Kyoto attraction on Trip Advisor, yet last time we were here, we somehow missed it. We really try hard not to fall into major tourist traps… I guess sometimes we try a little too hard. This one is amazing. If you go, prepare to walk up a ton of stairs (it’s about 35 minutes to the top), so be sure to wear good shoes like I didn’t. Some fun geek trivia – a friend of Jack’s who lives here who worked on the old Super…

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A Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast at the Claska Hotel in Tokyo. Miso soup, rice, pickles, and miso broiled fish - SO delicious.

travel / tokyo / japan

We made it to Japan! I think it’s only fitting that our first post is about the first meal of the day. I wouldn’t normally recommend eating breakfast at your hotel, but in Japan you have to (at least once) experience the Japanese breakfast. If you haven’t heard of it, the concept might rock your mind… I mean, it is miso soup and fish for breakfast after all… This particular breakfast was at the Claska, a boutique hotel in Tokyo. We spent our first two nights there and our favorite part was their version of the Japanese breakfast. It was…

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Seattle snapshots

travel / seattle

We had such a wonderful time this past week in Seattle. Thank you to everyone who left recommendations – we went to as many of them as we could!! These are some of our highlights. This is by no means a comprehensive list, just the places we happened to make it to in the short 3 days we were there.

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We’re heading to… Japan!

travel / japan

We’re going to Japan! I know, I’m surprised too… it kind of came up at the last minute, but here we go… Right now I’m en route to Seattle to meet up with Jack. Later this week we’ll be off to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, and back to Tokyo… followed by a couple of days in San Francisco before we head home. We spent some time in Japan a few years ago (pic above), but of course if you have any must-try food suggestions, let me know!! We’re so excited to fill up on sushi, ramen, udon, soba, kyoto vegetables and…

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Barcelona, a surprise trip

Travel photos from our trip to Barcelona.

travel

I promise next week… back to the recipes. Today is the last day of our trip, and I just have one last while-traveling travel post… Last week, Jack and I celebrated our third anniversary in Amsterdam. At dinner, I surprised him with this little detour I had planned to Barcelona for the last leg of our trip. I love a good surprise … and Jack is so oblivious to everything, which makes these things incredibly easy to pull off. We have a special place in our hearts for Barcelona – we were here about four years ago (he proposed to…

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Amsterdam Snapshots

Travel photos from our trip to Amsterdam!

travel

We’re onto our next destination, but I wanted to share some quick snapshots of our few days in Amsterdam… (we had a little snaffoo with the Berlin photos, I’ll share those later). A whole bunch of readers mentioned Cafe Winkel for the best apple pie in Amsterdam… (thanks readers!) It was the perfect stop while walking around the city on a cold and rainy afternoon. And it did not disappoint – it’s not as pastry-ey as American apple pie… it was more of a cross between pie and cake. Which I loved because, well, I like cake. Two nights ago,…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.