13
Oct
09

“Zack the Ripper”?

By Tim 5 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

Attn: Loyal viking fanatics.

I am considering putting an end to this blog and starting a new one. Now before you freak out, I’d still keep I am a viking online as a sort of archive, but I’d migrate everything post-Japan to a new site. When I started this blog I meant to keep it thematic, and since I left Japan, I’ve had to stretch and bend the theme to such an extent that it’s become unrecognizably amorphous. This wasn’t meant to be a travel blog, a beer blog, or even just a food blog – it was meant to be an exploration of Japanese (food) culture and a showcase for the art that it inspired, and obviously it is hard to keep that up now that I’m living in London.

But I’d like to start another, more focused blog – and OH MY GOD THIS PUB HAS A CAT!!! Awwwwwesome. I will be coming back here!

Sorry. So I’d like to start a new blog, maybe two new blogs, more befitting my new habitat and my new creative priorities. I’d like to make a blog that can actually be a resource to people on some specific topic – like I am a viking was for risotto recipes or Japanese culinary tourism. Here are a few ideas I had for new blogs:

  1. West is West: Locating American West Coast food and drink in London, from burritos to Sonoma County chardonnay
  2. BYOLondon: good local BYOB restaurants, and what to bring as a proper pairing
  3. The Insular World of Mr. Squirrel: the webcomic
  4. some other webcomic, possibly autobiographical
  5. an illustrated guide to beer, from brewing to food pairing
  6. a guide to real ale in London: news, pub reviews, beer reviews, etc.
  7. A Few Good Men: in search of fine noodles in London, especially the elusive ramen (points to you if you understand the pun in the title)
  8. The Meibutsu Map: not a blog, but rather an interactive map of Japan highlighting the local specialities of each prefecture
  9. Last and least, Zack the Ripper – Observations of an American in East London: my flatmate jokingly suggested this, noting that “Zack” is possibly the most American name out there

Any other ideas? Any other names you think are distinctly American?

12
Oct
09

A First Taste of the Second City

By Tim 2 Comments
Categories: Food and Travel
Tags: , , , , , ,

A snack in New York is a meal in Chicago.

Middle American Proverb

theskyline

The aphorism quoted above doesn’t mean that Chicagoans eat meals so insubstantial that New Yorkers would only consider them snacks. Actually, the meaning is something close to the inverse: Chicago is known for appropriating, embellishing, and augmenting New snack foods to the point that they must be called a meal. I have a theory that Chicago’s “second city” status has driven its citizens to assert themselves against the hegemony of Gotham in sometimes outlandish ways; it’s connected, I think, to the fact that Chicago is the American capital of comedy. I have read somewhere that being in a “second fiddle” cultural position (e.g. being a comparatively small country right next to a much larger country) creates a sort of collective inferiority complex that engenders a good sense of humility and humor. Canada, always drowned out by their loud, angry neighbors to the south, has also produced droves of famous comedians. I hear New Zealand is also famous for comedy, as is Osaka, Japan’s second city.

So, like being funny, perhaps turning ordinary New York food into bold, italicized Chicago food is a way for the Windy City to declare cultural independence. However, in truth I can only think of two foods that substantiate the proverb. The first is pizza. Both first and second city are famous for pizza, but Chicago deep-dish is so much more deserving of that fame. It’s two or three inches high, dense as a black hole, drunk with sauce and toppings, and it achieves a sort of Golden Ratio of crunch-to-chew. Chicago pizza is to New York pizza as a bowl of Ippudo Akamaru ramen is to Cup Noodle.

But of course, the Chicago specialty most distinguished from its New York counterpart is the hot dog. Hot dogs are fundamentally uncomplicated things, and this is exactly what makes people want to complicate them. Hot dog localization isn’t a Chicago-only phenomenon, of course. But as far as I know, the Chicago hot dog is the only variation that has any sort of reputation outside of its own metro area. The words “hot dog” follow “Chicago” as naturally as “cheesesteak” follows “Philly.” It is among a very select group of American local foods that are truly famous on a nationwide level (Wisconsin cheese being another).

Unlike burgers, I think hot dogs actually demand to be festooned with all manner of toppings. Hot dogs, even high-quality, well-prepared ones, are just too bland to eat on their own. The Chicago hot dog addresses this inherent flavor deficiency with the “Chicago Seven,” an arpeggio of tangy, lively fixings that harmonize with the mellow umami of the sausage: onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, a dill pickle spear, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, and celery salt all piled into a poppy seed bun.* These ingredients alone would actually make a pretty tasty veggie sandwich; the hot dog itself is just a foundation, a meaty gesso onto which crisp, zesty colors are painted.

The Dog

Strangely, I have never had a Chicago hot dog, even though I grew up in Chicagoland and visit the city often. It has long been on my culinary to-do list, but for some reason it has escaped me every time I’m back home. It’s probably because Chicago offers an overwhelming abundance of dining choices, and I’m usually tempted by pizza or Mexican or Chinese or Japanese or vegetarian or Italian or whatever it may be while I’m down there.

But not this time. This time I was determined. I had always thought I would have my first Chicago dog at the Weiner’s Circle, a local institution where they serve a textbook sausage with a hearty side of profanities. Stephen Fry went there when he was touring the United States. But after consulting with local friends and perusing the internet, I settled on Hot Doug’s, consistently named Chicago’s best weinermonger – and it had a block-long line outside to prove it. Lines are always a good sign.

theline

Hot Doug’s ain’t just a hot dog stand – they are a self-proclaimed “Sausage Superstore,” and much of our 45-minute wait was spent mulling over what to order from the surprisingly exotic and epicurean menu. For me, there was no question that I would have “The Dog” with everything. But I couldn’t leave without trying one of their specialty sausages: I considered the tequila and black bean chicken sausage, the cherry-apple pork sausage, and of course, the Salma Hayek (“Mighty, mighty, mighty hot!”). Ultimately I decided to splurge on the foie gras and Sauternes duck sausage with truffle aioli, foie gras mousse, and sel gris (a recent re-addition to the menu following the repeal of a citywide ban on the king of offal).

themeal

The resultant feast – a Chicago Hot Dog and a Foie Gras Duck Sausage – was like a culinary odd couple, an utterly wrong combination that nevertheless must exist, if only to act as foils to one another. The Dog was brash, spicy, and snappy, but also humble and inviting. It does have something to prove, that’s for sure, but it can’t disguise its Midwestern geniality. The Duck was silken, ripe, and decadent – yet somehow just as loud as the Dog, an ostentatious display of conspicuous consumption. Both sausages were perfection, especially between sips of the perfect accompaniment: old-fashioned birch beer.

thefoiegras

I cannot recommend Doug’s duck fat fries, which sound awesome and smell fantastic, but taste like nothing at all. But the fries are immaterial anyway, since the Dog really is a meal in itself. Certainly, it is one area where Chicago is second to none.

themenuthesign

Hot Doug’s
3324 North California
Chicago, IL 60618
773-279-9550

23
Sep
09

The Fukuoka Beer Guide ザ・フクオカ・ビア・ガイド

By Tim 1 Comment
Categories: Drink, Restaurants and Travel
Tags: , ,

This is another article for FukuokaJET.com. Each establishment’s address, phone number, and opening hours can be found at the very end of the post. Please leave a comment if you need directions!

In response to comments graciously informing of new beer developments in Fukuoka, I have updated this article on September 23, 2009.

Kyushu is known across Japan as a veritable Shangri-La of shochu, with distilleries galore and a glut of shops and bars well-stocked with the beloved spirit. But many foreigners may be unimpressed with such a wide selection of shochu when all they’re craving is a decent pale ale.

Fortunately, Fukuoka prefecture is not the beer wasteland it may appear to be upon first glance; you’ll just have to make a bit of extra effort and spend a bit of extra money to get your beer of choice into your gullet. Unlike most Western countries, bars and restaurants in Japan usually serve only one kind of beer – or, if they do serve more than one, all of them tend to be pale Pilsener-style lagers. Though there is currently a budding interest in craft beer throughout the country, imported and microbrewed beers are still in fairly low demand and are considered a specialty item, so expect to pay a bit more for them. The Sam Adams or Sam Smith’s you may have enjoyed back home as an everyday beer will most likely be twice as expensive here, so be prepared.

Now then, let’s enjoy beer in Fukuoka. Kanpai!

Beer Bars and Breweries

If you’re looking for beer diversity, your first stop should be Cotton Fields コットンフィールズ in Fukuoka City’s salaryman-packed nightlife district, Nakasu-Kawabata. Cotton Fields has only one beer on tap – Sapporo – but their bottle selection is truly formidable, with over 400 varieties of beer from around the world, including some rare gems like Aventinus Eisbock from Germany, Lion Stout from Sri Lanka, and Anchor Old Foghorn from the United States. Bottles run fairly steep at about ¥600-1200, but bear in mind they’re pretty much the only game in town for many of these beers. Cotton Fields is also well-known for their ribs, tacos, and (among Americans) controversial décor.

Your next best bets for beer will be Fukuoka’s English- or Irish-style pubs, especially if you’re craving a silky-smooth Guinness on tap. Draft Guinness may seem like a fairly common thing in Japan, but be warned that many bars advertising “draft” Guinness (nama 生 or tarunama 樽生) actually pour the stout from a bottle and then employ a contraption called the Guinness “Surger” that sends electromagnetic waves through the beer to froth it into a pathetic forgery of real nitro-tapped Guinness. These draft Guinness impostors are disturbingly common, and the Surgers are made to look like real taps – so bars can get away with charging draft prices for bottled beer. Beware!

Rest assured that your draft Guinness is the real McCoy at this sextet of charming pubs: Morris, The Craic and Porter, and The Three Kings in Fukuoka City; Ye Olde Little Monkey in Kurume; and Booties and Bravo! Public House in Kitakyushu.

In addition to Guinness, Morris offers Yebisu lager, Vedett White, and Old Speckled Hen on tap. They also have a respectable bottle list with the likes of Fuller’s, Hoegaarden, Sam Adams (Boston Lager), Grolsch, Bass, and Newcastle, and their happy hour is a fantastic bargain – only ¥590 for any draft beer, including Guinness or their tasty half-and-half (ordinarily ¥850 a pint). Just up the road in the entertainment district Oyafuko-dōri, The Craic and Porter’s Irish-American owner Mike has amassed the best draft selection in town: Kilkenny, John Smith, Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier, Heineken, Marston’s Pedrigee and a rotating Rogue beer in addition to the standard Guinness (¥650-850 per pint) are all available on tap here, plus a handful of special bottled brews. The Three Kings is Fukuoka’s newest player on the British pub scene, and the first to bring authentic, cask-conditioned real ale to the city. Rotating offerings such as Old Speckled Hen, Greene King IPA, and Abbot Ale (¥800 or ¥600 during happy hour) are all well-kept and properly hand-pumped for that soft real ale mouthfeel. They also pour a variety of ales on normal tap and operate a retail store in Maebaru.

Ye Olde Little Monkey, or “the Monkey,” as it is more commonly known, is perhaps the only UK-style pub in the Kurume area, so if you live in Chikugo and don’t want to truck it to Fukuoka for real draft Guinness, this is your bar. It’s near Nishitetsu Kurume Station but it’s easy to miss – look carefully for the painted hanging sign with two monkeys next to a car rental shop.

Up north in Kitakyushu, Booties is an easy-to-find Irish-style pub in Kokura with Guinness, Kilkenny, and Yebisu on tap, and they make a satisfying basket of fish and chips (complete with fake newspaper) with big hunks of blowfish in an herb-flecked batter. They also have a lengthy list of Irish whiskeys. Bravo! is a new pub run by an outgoing bartender named Oti, who trained under the owner of Booties before setting off to start his own bar in Kurosaki. Bravo!’s only draft beers are Guinness and Yebisu, but the menu also lists Hoegaarden, Bass, Heineken, Orval, and Chimay in bottles. Prices run fairly high, but there is a daily happy hour from 6:00-8:00, and Oti is sometimes willing to organize a trade if you get to know him and bring in a rare beer for him to sample.

A couple blocks away from Bravo! is a little bar called Daimaru, which has only two taps, but one of them rotates each month, usually with offerings from Belgium – in the past, they have had Belle-Vue Kriek and Orval. Also in Kitakyushu is Kokura Genghis Khan 小倉ジンギスカン, which pours two beers from the local Mojiko Retro Brewery (Mojikō Ji-bīru Kōbō 門司港地ビール工房) – a pilsener and a Hefeweizen – to wash down mouthfuls of fat-broiled lamb and vegetables. Other options for trying locally brewed beer can be found in Fukuoka at Suginoya 杉能舎 in Hawks Town, which offers a tasting set of all four of Hamachi Brewery’s excellent “Suginoya” beers, or at the award-winning Okura Brewery in Nakasu’s Hotel Okura, which specializes in wheat beers.

Back in Daimyō, two closeby restaurants feature surprisingly good bottle lists: Base Camp and Goo, just a few doors down from each other on the same road. Base Camp offers a large curry menu along with a few other Japanese homestyle Western dishes like omuraisu, with a decidedly non-homestyle Western beer list focusing on Belgium. Grimbergen, Delirium Tremens, and more are all available here for your drinking pleasure. Goo maintains an eclectic bottle selection of beers from around the world, like Franziskaner (Germany), Traquair (England), and Baltika (Russia) to accompany their eclectic tapas-like food. In Kurume, about a ten-minute walk away from the Monkey (see above) is another eatery worth checking out for beer: Brava, by all accounts an excellent Italian restaurant with bottled Guinness and a few Italian lagers.

There are also a few state-of-the-art industrial breweries in the area. Hakata is home to the Asahi Beer Hakata Brewery アサヒビール博多工場, which offers 90-minute tours daily that include a 20-minute tasting session (three glass limit per visitor). From April through September there is also a beer garden serving fresh Asahi and a variety of red meat-based dishes; a two-hour nomihōdai is only ¥1650 and includes Asahi’s hard-to-find, easy-to-drink dark lager (food sold separately). In Tachiarai-machi, near Amagi, you can visit the Kirin Beer Park キリンビアパーク, a gigantic factory complex that includes brewery tours with free samples and a nearby restaurant called the Kirin Beer Farm pouring several varieties of terrifically fresh Kirin beer to accompany hearty homestyle dishes like ribs, Genghis Khan, and roast chicken. The complex also includes one of the largest cosmos fields in the country, which comes into bloom around late October. Slightly further afield in Hita (Just outside Fukuoka prefecture, in Oita), there is the sprawling Beer Forest Sapporo ビアフォレストサッポロ, Sapporo’s answer to Kirin’s Beer Park, offering free tours and tasting sessions, a Hita souvenir shop, a beer and barbecue garden, and a retro-style beer hall.

Bottle Shops

Within Fukuoka prefecture there are two bottle shops that should pretty much satisfy your beer demands: Hiromatsu Shōten ヒロマツ商店 in Kitakyushu and World Beer Hiroshima ワールドビール廣島 in Fukuoka City. Hiromatsu’s several beer coolers and shelves are packed with beers of all different styles from both Japan and abroad: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (England), Delirium Tremens (Belgium), Unibroue Trois Pistoles (Canada), Negra Modelo (Mexico), and many more comprise a very comprehensive import selection. They also sell Samuel Adams’s 25% alcohol Utopias, 750ml bottles of Duvel, and magnum bottles of Chimay – perfect for parties. Hiromatsu also boasts what may be Kyushu’s best selection of Japanese craft beers (called ji-bīru 地ビール, “regional beer”), with offerings from Echigo (Niigata), Hitachino Nest (Ibaraki), Suginoya (Fukuoka), Ginga Kōgen (Tokyo), and Ezo (Hokkaido). The owner does not speak English, but he is very friendly and may be willing to order something special for you if you get to know him. He also runs a yakitori stand next door.

If Hiromatsu doesn’t stock what you’re looking for, chances are you’ll be able to find it at Hiroshima, which has an equally impressive and surprisingly different selection. While there are almost no Japanese beers and only a few North American beers at Hiroshima, Belgium, Germany, and England are all extremely well represented. They also have an entire wall of official brewery glassware and some random breweriana such as signage, posters, bottle openers, and bar towels for sale. Both Hiromatsu and Hiroshima are slightly off the beaten track, so if you’re looking to pick up a few rare brews while you’re out and about on your usual shopping route, try Alliq オーリック in Daimyō. Alliq’s name is a portmanteau of “all” and “liquor” and its selection of wines, shochu, and liquor is quite impressive. The beer cooler isn’t quite as large or exciting as those at Hiromatsu or Hiroshima, but it does stock some out-of-the-ordinary treats and its convenient location near central Tenjin makes it well worth a visit.

Department store basements are also good sources for good beer. Colet Izutsuya in Kokura has a small but consistent stock of Japanese craft beers and a few miscellaneous imports, and Iwataya in Daimyō usually stocks regional Kyushu brews and a handful of imports. Sometimes uncommon beers turn up in common places, so keep your eyes peeled while perusing the shelves of liquor stores, grocery stores, and even convenience stores. In the past year, certain branches of Lawson have sold Guinness, Hoegaarden, Corona (with a packet of lime juice!), and Yona Yona Ale from Nagano; am/pm has sold Suginoya Beer; and 7-Eleven has recently sold Coedo Beer from Saitama and Hideji Beer from Miyazaki. Special beers often turn up at convenience stores around holidays, especially New Year’s and Father’s Day. Costco stocks cases of Coopers ales from Australia, among other imports, and random branches of Red Cabbage, Maruwa, and Spina sometimes sell a Belgian or two. The imported food chain Kaldi (see article on foreign foods in Fukuoka) also sells a small amount of imported beer. And in Canal City, there is a Fukuoka souvenir store called The Hakata Gift Shop that offers beer from two of Fukuoka’s most famous microbreweries, Suginoya and Brewmaster.

Online Shops

The following are websites that sell imported and craft beers in Japan. Prices tend to be high, but shipping is often surprisingly cheap – sometimes free – and most offer beers that are otherwise unavailable in Fukuoka. Unfortunately only a couple of these sites are in English, but if you ask a friend who speaks Japanese for help, you’ll tap into a whole new world of beer!

Hiromatsu Shōten ヒロマツ商店
This is the online version of the Kitakyushu shop; inventory changes every now and then and the website sells beers that the actual store doesn’t stock, so check back often! To order, send an e-mail to info@hiromatsu.co.jp.

Beer Café Ueda ビアカフェウエダ
Based in Osaka, Beer Café Ueda is one of the most respected sources for imported beer in the country. The proprietor is dedicated to bringing the finest beers from Europe and America to Japan, which means the site often sells rare or exclusive items such as Anchor’s Our Special Ale and Dupont’s Avec Les Bon Voeux. Shipping is free if you spend over ¥6000 yen (a rather easy mark to reach), and they sometimes include free breweriana with large orders. Keep your eye out for limited beers and sale items!

Rakuten Ichiba 楽天市場
Rakuten Ichiba is something like Amazon.com, but with a greater focus on food and drink. Rakuten brings many different retailers together into one big online marketplace, including various liquor stores, breweries, and importers, so its beer selection is wide and varied. Weird katakana transliterations of beer names make searching difficult, but you can browse the entire list of beers as a broad department or by country or prefecture.

Ezo Beer 蝦夷麦酒
Ezo Beer is actually the Japanese label for Rogue Ales, brewed in Portland, Oregon. In addition to Rogue flagships like Chocolate Stout, Shakespeare Stout, St. Rogue Red, and Old Crustacean (sold as Choco Bear Beer, Brown Bear Rich Beer, Northern Fox Red Beer, and Phred’s Nightcap), Ezo also distributes for a few breweries from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scotland. Shipping is expensive as they are located in Hokkaido, but it’s free if you buy two cases (48 bottles).

Tokyo Food Page (bento.com)
Bento.com is one of the best online English-language resources for learning about Japanese food, and it also offers a long, comprehensive list of online beer sources, with special attention to Japanese craft breweries.

Local Brewery Listing

Asahi Beer Hakata Brewery アサヒビール博多工場
(see description above)
Fukuoka City Hakata-ku Takeshita 3-1-1
092-431-2701
Tours offered 9:30-15:00; closed around New Year’s and the second or third Wednesday of the month (call ahead to confirm)
Asahi Beer Garden
Fukuoka City Hakata-ku Takeshita 3-2-19
092-482-7887
11:30-22:00 (last order 21:30); closed around New Year’s

Bengala Mura ベンガラ村
Bengala Mura in Yame is a unique recreation and relaxation complex consisting of private hot spring baths, a swimming pool, a farmers market, green tea and herb gardens, a restaurant, and a microbrewery. It is a bit out of the way, but its beers are only available on-site, and the baths and gardens make this a unique place to unwind while quaffing fresh, tasty beer.
Yame City Miyano 100-Banchi
0943-24-3339
10:00-22:00; closed Monday

Sapporo New Kyushu Brewery/Beer Forest Sapporo サッポロビール新九州工場・ビアフォレストサッポロ
(see description above)
Ōita-ken Hita City Ōaza Takase 6979
0973-25-1100
Tours offered weekdays 9:45-16:00, weekends and holidays 8:45-16:00; closed every Wednesday in December and January and December 24-January 5
Restaurant open 10:00-22:00

K’s Brewing (Brewmaster) ケイズブルーイング（ブルーマスター）
K’s is perhaps the smallest brewery in Fukuoka, and their beers are few yet creative and flavorful. In addition to a standard pale ale they also brew a porter with coffee and a blonde ale with honey and kabosu (a lime-like citrus fruit) juice. Their beers are on tap at the brewery’s small bar in Befu, and their bottles are available at The Hakata Gift Shop in Canal City and occasionally at department stores.
Fukuoka City Jōnan-ku Befu 1-19-1
092-841-6336
12:00-18:00; closed Sundays and holidays

Okura Brewery (Hotel Okura) オークラブルワリー
(see description above)
Fukuoka City Hakata-ku Shimokawabata-machi 3-2
Hakata Riverain, Hotel Okura B1F
092-262-1172
11:30-14:30, 17:30-21:30; weekends and holidays open from 17:00

Kirin Beer Park キリンビアパーク
(see description above)
Asakura City Mada 3601-Banchi
0946-23-2132
Tours offered 9:30-17:00; closed Mondays or the following day if Monday is a holiday and around New Year’s
Kirin Beer Farm
Asakura City Mada 3205-7
0946-23-2993
11:00-22:00 (last order 21:30); closed December 31-January 1 and erratically throughout the year for maintenance (call to confirm)

Mojiko Retro Beer 門司港地ビール工房
At least for the time being, Mojiko brews just two beers, but in the past they have offered three along with a seasonal special. Their brews can only be found at Kokura Genghis Khan and at the brewery itself, which is worth a visit for its remarkably tasty pizzas and pleasant view of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Strait.
Kitakyushu City Moji-ku Higashi Minato-machi 6-9
093-321-6885
11:00-22:00 (last order 21:15)

Hamachi Brewery (Suginoya) 浜地酒造（杉能舎）
Under the name “Suginoya,” Hamachi offers a pale ale, an amber ale, and a stout, plus seasonal releases. They are one of the more expensive breweries in the area (about ¥450-500 a bottle) but they are also consistently delicious. Suginiyoya is also notable for their sparkling sake and their non-alcoholic golden ale, called B-Drive. Their beers can be found on tap at their izakaya in Hawks Town (information below), at the brewery’s small restaurant, or in bottles at Hiromatsu Shōten, Iwataya, Alliq, and other random liquor stores and souvenir shops in the Fukuoka area. They occasionally turn up at conbinis as well.
Fukuoka City Nishi-ku Moto’oka 1442
092-806-1186
Open Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only; 10:00-19:00

Bar, Restaurant, and Bottle Shop Directory

Fukuoka City

Alliq (Daimyō Shop)
Chūō-ku Daimyō 1-3-41
092-737-6240
14:00-02:00

Base Camp
Chūō-ku Daimyō 2-2-51
092-721-6044
Weekdays 11:00-15:00, 18:00-23:00 (last order 22:30); Sundays and holidays 11:00-15:00, 18:00-22:00 (last order 21:30); closed Monday and every second Sunday

California Cotton Fields
Hakata-ku Nakasu 4-2-15
Main Street Building B1F
092-271-5130
18:00-02:30

Costco
Kasuya-gun Hisayama-chō
Ōaza-Yamada Aza-Takayanagi 1152-1
092-931-9092
10:00-20:00; December 31-January 1 10:00-18:00
http://www.costco.co.jp/eng/whs_876.htm

The Craic and Porter
Chūō-ku Tenjin 3-5-15
http://craic.mine.nu/

Goo
Chūō-ku Daimyō 2-2-47
Ono Building 1F
092-741-9560
Lunch 12:00-15:00; dinner 17:00-24:00; Friday and Saturday dinner only, closed Sunday

The Hakata Gift Shop
Hakata-ku Sumiyoshi 1-2
Canal City B1F
092-263-2205
10:00-21:00

World Beer Hiroshima
Jōnan-ku Befu 2-9-1
092-821-6338
Hours erratic; call ahead to confirm

Iwataya
Chūō-ku Tenjin 2-5-35
092-721-1111
10:00-20:00

Morris
Chūō-ku Daimyō 2-1-4
Stage 1 Nishi-dōri 7F
092-771-4774
Monday-Thursday 17:00-01:00; Friday, Saturday, and days before holidays 17:00-0:300; Sunday 17:00-24:00

Suginoya
Chūō-ku Jigyōhama 2-2-1
Hawks Town Mall 1F (Map No. 128)
11:00-14:30, 17:00-22:00 (last order 21:30)

The Three Kings
Chūō-ku Daimyō 1-11-22
Metro Building 1F
092-403-3622
Monday-Thursday 17:00-00:00; Friday and Saturday 17:00-late; Sunday 17:00-22:00
http://www.avondrinks.com/pub.htm

Kurume City

Brava
Tenjin-machi 152-4
6th Tomitaya Building 1F
0942-34-3917
11:30-14:00, 17:30-22:00 weekdays; 11:30-14:30, 17:30-22:30 weekends

Ye Olde Little Monkey
Tenjin-machi 33-2
0942-35-0108
18:30-00:30

Kitakyushu City

Booties
Kokurakita-ku Kyō-machi 1-4-21
093-551-6160
17:00-02:00; Fridays, Saturdays, and days before holidays until 03:00; closed the first and third Tuesday of each month

Public House Bravo!
Yahatanishi-ku Kurosaki 4-1-2
093-642-1555
18:00-03:00

Colet Izutsuya
Kokurakita-ku Kyō-machi 3-1-1
093-514-1111
10:00-20:00

Daimaru
Kitakyushu City Yahatanishi-ku Kurosaki 4-6-1
093-631-8157
17:30-23:30

Hiromatsu Shōten
Yahatanishi-ku Kumanishi 1-5-1
093-641-3489

Kokura Genghis Khan
Kokurakita-ku Kyō-machi 3-7-14
093-531-6885
18:00~, closed erratically; call ahead to confirm opening hours

23
Sep
09

Boozy Toozday

By Tim 1 Comment
Categories: Drink, Food and Recipes

DSCF5551

Yesterday my mom presented me with a challenge: cook a meal using only what we have around the house. We needed to use up stuff.

It actually wasn’t that tricky. We had flank steak in the freezer, and green beans in the fridge, and fresh rosemary and cheese and whole wheat flour and all kinds of lovely things to eat. But as always, I thought it would be nice to try something new. But how to do it, with all these old things?

I have been craving a Bloody Mary lately. I don’t even particularly like Bloody Marys, but there was a can of V8 in the fridge, and this house seems to never run out of vodka, so the idea simply haunted me. So today I made that Bloody Mary. I made it just how I like it, with truckloads of hot sauce and horseradish, and then I put it in a plastic bag with the flank steak.

That settled the entrée: Bloody Mary-nated Flank Steak. It also settled the theme: cooking with booze. As a side I decided to bake beer bread, fancy beer bread with interesting bits and bobs scattered throughout. And as a veg, I ultimately took a gamble on what I will call haricots verts à la gin gimlet, using my Great Aunt Gloria’s homemade kaffir lime marmalade.

The boozy meal was a success. The flank steak, that most underrated of steaks, was juicy and tender and flush with a peppery tomato tang and the pungent umami of Worcestershire sauce and vodka. The bread was soft and sweet and dense and fragrant. The beans were zesty and crunchy and sweet and moreish.

Booze: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

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Bloody Mary-nated Flank Steak

1 1/4-1 1/2 pound flank steak
olive oil

For the Mary-nade:

12 ounces V8 or tomato juice
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 heaped tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons dill pickle or olive brine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 pepperoncini, chopped
celery seed
celery salt
onion powder
garlic powder
salt
pepper

For the rub (make about 1/3 cup, all of the following in equal measure):

salt
pepper
onion powder
paprika
celery seed

  1. Trim excess fat and pull membranes from flank steak.
  2. In a sealable plastic bag, mix all marinade ingredients. Seal bag and shake to combine.
  3. Add flank steak to bag and marinate, refrigerated, for 8-24 hours.
  4. Remove flank steak from marinade and drain. Pat dry with paper towels.
  5. Mix rub ingredients in a bowl. Rub half into each side of the dry flank steak.
  6. Boil leftover marinade to use as a jus.
  7. Heat olive oil on a griddle to high heat. When oil is very hot, sear flank steak on both sides for 4-5 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Slice against the grain and serve with hot jus.

Parmigiano, Rosemary, and Kalamata Olive Beer Bread

3 cups whole wheat flour
12 ounces beer (use a fairly robust beer, such as a pale ale)
1 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
6 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
butter
pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, reserving 1 sprig rosemary and 1/2 cup cheese. Add beer and knead to combine. Dough should be sturdy but still slightly limp and sticky.
  3. Turn dough into a buttered or oiled bread pan. Bake for 65-80 minutes.
  4. Mix remaining rosemary and cheese with butter. Sprinkle on top of bread about 10 minutes before the end of baking.
  5. Allow to cool at least 1/2 hour before slicing.

Haricots Verts à la Gin Gimlet

about 3 cups green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons gin
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lime marmalade
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt
pepper
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn

  1. Mix gin, honey, marmalade, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
  2. Toast sunflower seeds in a dry pan.
  3. Boil green beans for 5-6 minutes, until just tender. Drain, return to heat and add gin mixture, sunflower seeds, and basil. Toss to coat and serve.
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