横濱人

横濱人
〒231-0861 神奈川県横浜市中区元町１丁目31 (ie, 〒231-0861 Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Motomachi, 1-chōme−31)
tel: 045-681-5225

what was consumed: japanese bar food!

when good friends come to town, you take them someplace where they'll get a taste of the local cuisine. d took the train from tokyo to see us in yokohama; we, in turn, took him out to japanese food.

my experience with washoku, at least until this point, had been limited. there were things i knew because of my various experiences around the world, but is that really japanese food? who knows. that said, i was once told that if there are "salary men" who dine at whatever location you're at, especially during the week, that restaurant is probably a safe bet. lucky for us, when we got to 横濱人, we joined quite a few other tables of salary men.

i can't say that 横濱人 offered dishes that were incredibly out of the ordinary; it felt like a typical japanese restaurant. but that was exactly what we were looking for - a little bit of sushi, a little bit of tempura, some agadofu, and of course onigiri (which i love). they had both the more typical onigiri as well as the grilled onigiri. both of them, please!

american house

american house

〒231-0801 横浜市中区新山下1-2-8 港山下ナナイロビル1F (〒231-0801 Yokohama City Naka Ward 1-2-8 Shinyamashita Minato Yamashita Nanairo Building 1F)
tel: 045-228-9760

what was consumed: fajita skillet, fried chicken

on a rare weekday where nanny-san was watching bebe, bjl and i head out for a little lunch date. we opted for the nearby nanairo building to check out some of the newly opened restaurants in the building. always craving american food (especially now that we're not stateside), we gave american house a try. friends had gone and said they were pleasantly surprised with their dishes. we wanted to go and see/experience for ourselves.

american house has a pretty typical "family restaurant" menu, akin to friday's or bennigan's (are there still bennigan'ses in america?), from the menu to the seats to the decor ... and even the food. and so, american house hit the spot.

one of the reviews on yelp described american house as "a cross between applebee's and a burger joint you might stop in while on a road trip back in the states" (note: same restaurant, different location). i wouldn't necessarily disagree, but when you're not in the states, sometimes what you want is somewhere that's a cross between applebee's and a road trip burger joint.

online: https://www.americanhouse.co.jp/

lee's kitchen

lee's kitchen
神奈川県横浜市中区福富町西通48 (48 Fukutomicho Nishidori Naka-ku Yokohamashi Kanagawa Prefecture)
tel: 045-253-3044

what was consumed: lunch menu! yukgyejang and dolsoht bibimbap

as much as i try, i can't hide my korean-ness (at least that's what i've been told, and contrary to what the korean koreans may say). korean food is also my comfort food. so, in my new town of yokohama, i asked my japanese teacher to take me to the "koreatown" of yokohama and asked to eat korean food while on our "orientation tour" (i later had to talk about this adventure, in japanese, to my colleagues, so language learning wasn't lost through this excursion).

yokohama's koreatown is super small, just a couple of street blocks, if that. we ended up at lee's kitchen where the comforting sounds of korean and the delicious smells of hanshik made me feel right at home. as usual, i ordered yukgyejang and lee's kitchen did not disappoint. they had a small banchan selection as well, though i didn't ask to see if refills were included. in japan, smoking is still allowed in certain restaurants; such is the case with lee's kitchen. admittedly, it took me back to my gradschool years in seoul where smoking inside was still the norm. ahh, the memories.

thank you, lee's kitchen, for making me feel at home!

online: http://leekitchen.jp/

hasamu grand

hasamu grand
神奈川県 横浜市中区 本牧原 12-1 ベイタウン本牧5番街 2F (12-1 Honmokuhara Naka-ku Yokohama-shi Kanagawa-ken)
tel: 045-228-9846

what was consumed: burgers!

sometimes, it's when you're away from home that you are most wanting comforts of home. and so, when overseas, i often want to eat typical american things. hamburgers it is!

bjl and i had an hour for lunch (our first lunch out, together, sans bebe!) as we were waiting to pick up my bike. so, we walked across the street from the aeon bike shop to the baytown mall? shopping center? strip mall? to grab a bite to eat. while bjl had had sushi there before, there was something about the burger place that called our name.

we were excited to enjoy our burgers and were not disappointed (for the most part). the burgers were cooked well and the toppings were quite a treat (avocados are super popular here! and who doesn't want an egg on one's burger?). and thick fries! made from fresh potatoes or not, there's something about fried potatoes that i will always welcome. we only regret not being able to relax, sit, and enjoy our burger; we had to race out of there soon after our food arrived.

online: https://hasamu.com/

kaoris

kaoris
〒231-0861 Kanagawa, Yokohama, Naka Ward, Motomachi, 3 Chome−141-8 エイシャント元町
tel: 045-306-9576

what was consumed: casual lunch set (main dish from the menu (we chose the pasta and the hamburger steak as our main dishes. yeah, hamburger steak is a thing) + bread + tea)

when you live right off the posh motomachi shopping street, you have quite a few cafe options at your fingertips (this was told to me). so, when i head out to meet a new friend, kaoris was a good option.

kaoris is part bakery, part cafe. so if you're looking for a cute place to grab a bit to eat or just wanting something to take on the road (aka to eat once you get to your destination. apparently, it's rude to eat en route here), put kaoris on your list!

kaoris doesn't have a large menu, but the dishes they were serving all looked delicious. fresh ingredients for yummy dishes, comfortable environment ... a great experience!

while i went solo this time. that said, there was a table with a couple of moms and their kids who looked like they were having a good time! it's on my list of places to bring the kiddo <3 span="">

online: http://www.kaoris.com/

costco

costco

2 Chome-6 Sachiura, Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0003

tel: 0570-032-600

what was consumed: hot dog (100% pork here in japan) with lots of sauerkraut (no limit! just a vat of it next to the mustard!) and mustard; matcha and vanilla swirl soft serve.

i love costco. don't judge me. i understand that japanese don't really have the storage/space to buy in bulk; that said, costco is always packed (granted we usually go on the weekends). it's so popular that people will line up before opening time. every time we've been, we've made sure to get to costco at least 30 minutes before opening and yet it's already bustling with people by the time we get there. i don't get it. there will also always be those who are at costco just to ogle at how people will buy "in bulk"; photos are also taken (i sometimes want to as well. i mean, who needs 20 gallons of mac 'n cheese? well, i do, but that's besides the point!). costco is also great for their pre-prepared foods, which, in the case of japan, includes platters of sushi.

i will also note that the costco i've been to in korea, and now in japan, have at least one item on the menu that is a reflection of the local culture. in japan, it's the matcha soft serve. they took it off the menu for a little bit, but then brought it back. yay! the line for food is often 30+ people deep, even at 10:30am. you can bet that we've stood in that line. i can't not!

online: https://www.costco.co.jp/

時遊陣

時遊陣
address: 〒231-0861 神奈川県横浜市中区元町３丁目141
(3-chōme-141 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 231-0861)tel: 045-641-2224

what was consumed: washoku (aka japanese food). as we couldn't read the menu (and still can't read many japanese menus for that matter :/ ...) we asked for recommendations and then took them all. we had sashimi, roasted dry fish, shu mai, chicken wings ... and it was all pretty yummy.

first meal (out) in japan!

i've been looking forward to eating in japan. with some new additions/changes in my life, however, eating out had taken a back seat over the last 6-ish months (and from here out on, child-friendly dining options are going to become the norm). that doesn't mean we can't have good food, though, right? right.

soon after arriving, while MIL was still in town, we got our first chance to go out and eat in yokohama. BJL and i met up with our colleague friend who arrived in yokohama a few months earlier than we did. we told her, "dealer's choice," and suggested we go anywhere she hadn't been. so, by chance, we ended up at 時遊陣.

時遊陣 isn't on the main motomachi road; rather, it's on a side street of a side street. like many washoku places, they have a bar and just a few tables. the server spoke some english, but they didn't have an english menu. in japanese, we asked for recommendations, but the server responded with a few words in broken english until all of us told him that japanese was ok (this is usually how it goes). 

a good first go at eating out in japan, imo. and when we saw some salarymen/women enter, we were reassured that our selection was legit (haha).

online: http://www.m-jiyujin.com/

timber pizza co.

timber pizza co.
809 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC 20011
tel: 202) 853-9746

what was consumed: the mina (salad), the green monster, pretty in pepperoni (mix and match! that's ok!)

more pizza please!

and while there are lots of options in most of DC's quadrants, be sure to visit timber pizza co., preferably more than once. all of their pizzas are made to order in their wood fire oven. what's more, they used to be a food truck and now they have their brick and mortar location! yaaassssss ... 

online: http://www.timberpizza.com/

    

cafe divan

cafe divan
1834 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 338-1747

what was consumed: mixed mezze platter, doner kebab, iskender kebab (with yogurt!)

k wanted turkish food (note: k also spent a foreign service tour in turkey, so her opinion and expectation for turkish food is much much higher than average), i wanted anything that a preggers lady could get her hands on (haha). cafe divan it is!

cafe divan is a great little turkish restaurant in georgetown. cafe divan offers a wide variety of turkish dishes. i loved that we could get a sampler appetizer plate with the lentil kofte that is just ... so so good. and be sure to get lots of yogurt with whatever you order. it's just so delicious that way!

online: http://www.cafedivan.com/

    

the smith

the smith
1314 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 250-3900

what was consumed: crab cake tots, kale caesar, daily special (fish and chips) ...

i passed the smith out on u street countless number of times, wondering what it was all about. japanese language partner and i decided to check it out. note: be sure to specify which of the 'the smith' locations you're meeting at so that you don't end up at the chinatown/penn quarter location while the other is at the u street location. just sayin'.

the smith has a pretty traditional american fare menu, imo. they do a good job with what they offer and the service is great. i do like that the u street location has a seating section that is inside, but outside at the same time (the street-facing wall of windows opens up! great feature). one don't miss thing, though, are the crab cake tots. if you're a fan, definitely grab the few bites that makes up this dish. the tot-shaped crab cakes, along with the dressing and the toppings, are super delicious bites!

online: https://thesmithrestaurant.com/location/u-street/

    

convivial

convivial
801 O St NW, Washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 525-2870

what was consumed: happy hour! cheese plate, spicy lamb sausage, bacon cheese burger, panisse (chick pea fries), floating island (dessert)

yay for happy hour! friend k and i head to convivial for some delicious eats and good conversation.

even on their HH menu, you can sample so many delicious things, as well as get a sense of the creativity that those in the kitchen offer their patrons. the chick pea fries, for example, are a great and creative alternative to traditional fries and the dipping sauce! oh so delicious.

be sure not to skip out on dessert! we wanted something interesting and opted for the floating island dessert - a meringue ball in a pool of delicious caramel "soup" topped with crunchy nuts. a great way to end our delicious meal!

online: http://www.convivialdc.com/