Bobby Flay meets some of his biggest fans from western Massachusetts.

After reading this post on AnnArbor.com yesterday (“Dear Bobby Flay, please stop”) I had to laugh. I like Bobby Flay, and I enjoy the “Throwdown” series where he sneak-attacks and challenges hometown chefs known for their iconic recipes. I like it better when the hometown people prevail, which they seem to about 90% of the time.

Flay is a brand by himself, opening restaurants all over the United States (two now in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun – Bobby’s Burger Palace and Bar Americain.) And when chef/personalities verge on overexposure, criticism builds. So I wasn’t surprised to see this blogger, John Moors, ripping on several Food Network stars. He put Flay on blast for his partiality to Southwestern ingredients. “Really Bobby? You’re going to add green chiles to this recipe? No way.”

Yes,  Southwestern flavor is Bobby’s thing. But if you’ve watched enough “Throwdown” episodes, you’ll sometimes marvel at what foods Bobby chooses to “spice” up. Competing against a Rockland, Maine cafe owner famous for her lobster club sandwich, Flay concocted his own version with saffron mayonnaise, crispy serrano ham and watercress. If you’ve ever visited that area of Maine – where my grandparents once owned a summer home – you’ll know that A.) the lobster is so incredibly fresh and delicious that it hardly needs clarified butter) and B.) fancy Southwestern food probably won’t impress or entice your average coastal Mainer, ayuh. Come on, dude. Definitely rolled my eyes during this episode.

I sent the link to my foodie friends Kat and Ben, some of the biggest Flay fans I know. They met him at the Mohegan Sun WineFest at the end of January, where Bobby signed Ben’s bottle of ancho chile powder and he cradled it like a baby on the ride home to Springfield. Needless to say, Ben was not impressed by this blogger’s rant and made a point to comment.

This got me thinking about overexposure. Obviously, the Food Network is a massive moneymaking machine, and people are buying these chefs’ cookbooks/overpriced Kohl’s kitchen equipment/tickets to personal appearances. But at what point is it too much? The Rachael Ray backlash came fast and furious, with critics slamming her cutesy kitchen abbreviations and exclamations (and let’s not forget those creepy Maxim photos.)  I truly love Guy Fieri and “Man v. Food” host Adam Richman, just because they seem like genuinely awesome guys you could invite to your house party. But I’m sure they have their haters, too.

So: love them, or hate them? Do you have a favorite food personality?

Harpoon Oyster Stout, brewed with real Island Creek oysters

I’ve been reading a lot about Harpoon Oyster Stout this week – a new, limited-edition dark beer brewed with Island Creek oysters from Duxbury, Mass. And I became a little obsessed with finding it. But it seemed like the tasting events set up to accompany the beer’s release were all located closer to Boston. And if you’ve ever lived an hour or more outside of Beantown, you’re familiar with the “Boston gets everything good” jealous-stepchild mentality. (Or if you’re in Hartford, it’s: “New York gets everything good.”)

But the beer heavens must have aligned, because a rather serendipitous check of Facebook led me to Lattitude’s fan page. Could it be? Yes! The trendy West Springfield restaurant had Harpoon Oyster Stout on tap, paired with Island Creek oysters. Within 45 minutes, my favorite foodie friend Kat and I were seated at Lattitude’s bar, awaiting a pour.

Now remember, I’m new to beer. Though I’ve tried my share over the past year, I keep going back to pale/light/flavored varieties, like Blue Moon. I feared that I wouldn’t enjoy a thick, dark stout. But one taste of the brew proved all my theories wrong. It was smooth, sweet with hints of chocolate and surprisingly light. (Where I’d describe Guinness as a heavy beer dessert.)

Harpoon’s tasting notes describe the beer as “…[having a] rich body and smooth mouthfeel derived in part from a combination of roasted barley and chocolate rye malts. The roasted malt notes blend beautifully with the briny, mineral flavors of the Island Creek oysters.” While I didn’t pick up any shellfish hint in the beer itself, we picked up emerging hints of flavors in the brew once we sampled the bivalves themselves. (I’ve done wine and cheese, wine and chocolate…now beer and oysters!)

Though the concept was new and exciting to me, oyster stouts apparently have a storied history. Read more about them here.

Island Creek oysters

And let’s not forget the oysters themselves. I’ve had Island Creek twice (both times at Lattitude) and they’re pretty freaking fabulous. Large, briny, fresh and perfect with a hint of cocktail sauce and a few drops of lemon juice.

We were having such a good time at our little ‘happy hour’ that we ordered three more plates: smoke-roasted pulled pork tacos, topped with pico de gallo, green chili and cheese; ‘popcorn’ calamari made with crushed Smartfood and topped with seaweed salad and a delectable trio of chocolate mousses. While the calamari lacked some crispness, the pork melted in the mouth and the mousses were topped with a perfect tangy raspberry coulis.

'Popcorn calamari'

Pulled pork tacos

Chocolate mousses (milk, white, dark) served with a raspberry coulis-topped graham cracker

According to Lattitude, they only received two barrels of the stout. So if you’re jonesing to try it, give them a call first to check on availability. But if you can get your hands on a glass, do it. (Then again, there’s always the Mass Pike to Boston…)

Crawfish po'boy at Wood-n-Tap

The popular Wood-n-Tap chain, with locations in Hartford, Farmington, Southington, Rocky Hill and Vernon, is offering a Cajun-themed menu for Mardi Gras this month. Items include jambalaya, pulled pork, fried catfish, crawfish, blackened swordfish and bananas foster. There’s even a cocktail list to  match, including a Hurricane, red and white sangria, a berry mojito and Louisiana-brewed Abita beer. (I’m a big fan of their Purple Haze.)

We ate there Sunday and I tried the fried crawfish po’boy, pictured at left. The crawdads are lightly cornmeal-battered and served on a thick hoagie roll slathered with coleslaw, with tartar sauce on the side. I could have done without the coleslaw and I would have preferred tangy remoulade to tartar, but the sea creatures were plump and flavorful. The sweet potato fries, which I substituted for an upcharge of 99 cents, were delicious.

Bison Bites

Since it doesn’t feel like a W-n-T visit without ‘bar bites,’ we also got a plate of miniature bison burgers. Bison meat, touted for its flavor, is said to have less fat, calories and cholesterol than even chicken.

While the meat itself was plenty tasty, the burgers were missing or lacking the promised toppings of avocado aioli and fried onion strings. Rob missed the pickles and Dijon spread that normally come standard with the regular beef Bar Bites.

Nothing that would keep us from future visits, though. I’m still pulling for a W-n-T to come closer to Enfield.

Would you like your vodka infused with...Twizzlers?

My friends and I went to Worcester last night for a post-holiday get-together. We only had one stop planned: our favorite pub, The Boynton, for dinner and drinks. But through some impromptu exploration, we realized that Central Massachusetts has more going on than we knew…

I’ve written about the Boynton before, here and here, and that’s because I just love it. Good comfortable atmosphere, tasty pub food (we love the pizza) and perhaps the most fun drinking vessel in New England, the Bucket. For $13, you and a friend or two are served a mixture of rum, vodka, flavored brandy and fruit juices in a sand pail with long straws.

So we took down two of those last night, plus two pizzas, some appetizers and beer flights…

Bucket of love

The Boynton's irresistible pizza (it comes in a gluten-free version too)

After a good time at our tried-and-true favorite, we decided to check out what Shrewsbury Street had to offer. It’s known as Worcester’s “Restaurant Row” so we knew we’d find some cool place to have dessert and more drinks.

We started at Mezcal Tequila Cantina, one of the hip, trendy Niche Hospitality restaurants, for margaritas and sweets. Feeling adventurous, we ordered some of the spot’s more unusual concoctions: the El Diablo with habanero-infused tequila and tropical fruit juices (left a nice burn at the back of the throat); the Guava Cava margarita, topped with Spanish sparkling wine (subtly sweet and very refreshing) and the Cilantro Tequila martini, made with cilantro-infused agave nectar (the herb was better left to the entrees.) We also tried their fried ice cream and churros with chocolate dipping sauce.

Guava Cava margarita

Fried ice cream

Fresh warm churros and addictive chocolate dipping sauce

Cilantro tastes a lot better in salsa.

Mezcal’s tequila menu is staggering, but it’s arranged nicely by blanco/reposado/anejo categories, and each tequila’s ‘flavors’ are listed for quick reference. Our bartender was really knowledgeable and helped us choose.

But the best surprise of all came at our last stop of the night. We happened upon Allgos, a dessert and drinks lounge, almost by accident. (We made an attempt at Victory Bar and Cigar, but the smoke was too much for us. Bars have been smoke-free in  Massachusetts since 2004 and we’ve gotten used to it.)

The first thing we saw upon entering the Allgos bar area was a row of clear jars packed with fruits, candy and other edibles, and the bartender explained to us that these were infused vodkas. He nicely poured me a small sample of the pineapple version.

Expecting just a hint of flavor and searing vodka pain (or at the very least, artificially-flavored Skyy,) I was blown away at the pure fruit taste. Had I been blindfolded, I would have sworn on my life that it was just pineapple juice. It was so delicious and smooth that I ordered – for the first time in  my life- vodka on the rocks with a lime wedge. Two of those and you would have had to scrape me up with a spatula.

Also infusing that night: grapefruit, Strawberry Twizzlers, cranberries, raspberries, grapefruit and baby carrots. The bartender told us the items normally infuse for about four days. I smell a DIY project in my future…

Allgos apparently has a full dessert menu, but we didn’t see it last night. However, the cocktail menu choices were really inventive – our friends tried an ‘R-rated root beer float’ made with root beer vodka and vanilla ice cream.

It’s funny what you discover when you go exploring. Worcester has really stepped up its dining and entertainment scene in the past five years and new, trendy places pop up every few months. It’s finally working toward becoming the ‘college town’ that it should be…

Island Creek oysters by way of Duxbury, Mass.

Our friends Kat and Ben are even wilder foodies than we are – they’ll spend their weekends scouring Whole Foods for exotic ingredients, traveling all the way to New York to visit a Bobby Flay restaurant or in Ben’s case, smoking a pork shoulder for 12 hours and topping it with homemade ancho-chipotle sauce.  So when they recommended we try Lattitude in West Springfield,  we sat up and listened.

They didn’t steer us wrong. Small but cozy, modern yet warm and inviting, Lattitude is an exciting and welcome shot of upscale in otherwise pedestrian, chain-heavy West Springfield.

Grape champagne martini

The vast cocktail menu stumped me right away. How was I expected to choose between a pineapple upside-down cake martini, an eggnog martini, a special Christmas punch and a watermelon Cosmo? Instead of ordering one of each, I settled on the sophisticated-sounding  grape champagne martini, made with 3 Olives grape vodka, white cranberry juice and sparkling wine. The drink was smooth and tasty, with a subtle grape flavor. It could have used a little more bubbly, but the blueberry garnish was a nice touch. My dining partners stuck with beer and wine.

Clam fritters

Last summer, the four of us  spent a whirlwind foodie weekend in Maine, where we cleared an upscale sushi restaurant out of its Friday-night oyster supply after ordering their remaining mollusks for ‘dessert. ‘ Which means there was no way we were skipping Lattitude’s offering of Island Creek oysters. A dozen good-sized bivalves arrived on ice with cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, and a dark sauce that we thought was soy, but turned out to be balsamic-olive. The oysters were briny with plenty of fresh ocean flavor.

Lamb shank. no mint

Kat and Ben also ordered the Kenyon’s grist-mill clam fritters, eight or so hefty nuggets of crispy, doughy goodness with plenty of clam chunks. They were somewhat disappointed by the accompanying caper-pimiento aioli. The fritters stood well on their own without the dipping sauce, though.

Venison loin

Choosing entrees proved to be difficult, as everything looked great. Ben asked about the bison steak special, until the waitress kindly shared that it cost  $46. He ended up with the mint-and-Guinness-braised domestic lamb shank, which came with whipped sweet potatoes, carrots and a ‘spiked’ apple sauce. Curiously, the dish arrived with absolutely no component of mint, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the meal.

Following in the red meat path, Kat chose the venison loin special, sided by purple fingerling potatoes and topped with a ‘huckleberry jus.’ I sampled a bit – it was my first taste of venison and probably won’t be my last. Very juicy, very flavorful. She cleared her plate.

Beef tenderloin

Rob finally decided on the grilled beef tenderloin, which turned out to be spectacular. Nestled on a bed of whipped white sweet potatoes, the beef was topped with asparagus and a beer-infused bearnaise sauce. It was a rich, delectable plate of comfort food.

Lobster mac and cheese

The star of the night for me was my plate of lobster macaroni and cheese, though. Expecting it to be a heavy gut-bomb, fettuccine alfredo-esque dish, I asked the waitress about it. She said it was more ‘rich’ than heavy. I took a risk and for that, I’m grateful. Orecchiette pasta was tossed in a light cream sauce made with parmesan, brie and goat cheese, mixed with perfect tender-sweet pieces of lobster tail. A small mixed-greens salad came on the side. I will be ordering this again and when I do, I’ll ask for a small side of grated parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Chocolate mint cheesecake

As the portions were somewhere between small and manageable, we all had room for dessert. Rob and I split a piece of the house-made chocolate mint cheesecake, which was made with a chunky, rocky crust of chocolate mint candy and (crushed chocolate chip cookies?) It was kind of puzzling, and the cheesecake itself was on the dry side. Melting fresh whipped cream and candied walnut topping just added to the confusion.

Pineapple-rum, mango and apple harvest sorbet

Kat and Ben fared somewhat better with a sorbet trio of pineapple-rum-Malibu, mango and apple harvest. The pineapple-rum tasted like a pina colada, and the apple harvest resembled delicious frozen cider. The mango flavor was bland, but incorporated real fruit chunks.

Lattitude updates their menu daily and makes a concerted effort to buy the freshest and most local products available, from meats to seafood to produce. Their servers are warm, welcoming and incredibly attentive without being the least bit overbearing. We’ll be back.

Just some tidbits of food and restaurant knowledge I picked up this week:

- A fundraiser was held for Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd at the Connecticut Science Center today. Vice President Joe Biden attended (but Dodd did not.) The menu? Veggie wraps, ham and brie sandwiches. The cost per plate? FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS.

- Got a sushi recommendation from Courant rock critic Eric Danton, who visited Sushi Palace in Hamden last night for their all-you-can-eat special. Yes, apparently for $17.95 on weeknights ($19.95 weekends) you can stuff yourself silly with sashimi, nigiri, special rolls, tempura and more. I have to point out that I asked twice for the restaurant’s ‘given name’ after he would only refer to it as “<Expletive> Yeah!”

- Restaurants I found on Twitter this week: Grilled Cheese to Go in Milford, Griff’s Chicken Shack in Hamden. Social media is DELICIOUS.

Area restaurant reviews:

• Hazard Grille, Enfield (yummy local place, fresh-baked bread, splits of champagne) [Masslive.com]
• Judie’s, Amherst (OMGPOPOVERS) [Masslive.com]
• Flaggstead Smokehouse, Farmington [Hartford Courant]
• The Cardinals Nest, Middletown (where my friend Amy tried a pulled-pork-and-mac-and-cheese quesadilla) [Hartford Advocate]

Happy weekend, everyone. We’re sampling some new restaurants this weekend, so look for new posts early next week.

It's mocking me even now.

Hoo boy. I’ve met my spice match, in the form of a blackened catfish fillet at Chef Wayne’s Big Mamou in Springfield.

I just want to make it clear that I’m not a total wimp when it comes to heat. I’m somewhere in the middle between my Irish ancestors, for whom cracked black pepper is exotic and scary, and people who enjoy food that makes them sweat as they consume it, like a certain spouse of mine. But that blackening spice kicked me hard in the taste buds.

Chef Wayne’s Big Mamou is as close as you’ll get to Louisiana in downtown Springfield. It’s a hole in the wall next to the city bus station with a handful of tables and no liquor license, but that’s all part of its charm. The food’s great. The BYOB option is a blast. The party atmosphere is enhanced by the lively zydeco music and the brightly colored bathroom mural of Pelican State landmarks. There’s also another location farther north in Williamsburg, with a full-service bar and brunch on Sundays.

But it’s not a place that makes any concessions for those who can’t handle its spice and flair. They’d probably kick me out on my pansy ass if they knew I couldn’t hang.

Crawfish boulettes

My two friends and I cracked a bottle of chilled Cortijo rioja blanco and ordered up two appetizers: the crawfish boulettes and the Bourbon Street cheese bread. The boulettes were deep-fried balls of crawfish tail meat, Creole spices, green onion, bell peppers, garlic and thyme, served on top of a pool of tangy remoulade sauce. They were excellent: soft, airy and really flavorful, spiked with chunks of crawfish and colorful jewels of pepper. The creamy remoulade was heavy on green onion flavor. Really delicious.

Bourbon Street cheese bread

The cheese bread had just the right amount of garlic and was topped with corn, peppers and herbs. The corn added a nice sweetness to the savory spice flavors.

Then the meals came, and I was staring my new archnemesis in the face. I should have known. The catfish was crusted

Pulled pork with sides

with so much spice that it looked incinerated. One bite and I was gasping for water. Except we didn’t have any, even though we’d asked for it when we placed our entree orders. We had to go to the edge of the kitchen to flag down a waitress. In the meantime, I was chugging white wine to put out the fire. Not a procedure I’d recommend, kids.

The catfish meal came with a side of crisp steamed vegetables (squash, green beans, carrots), rice with jambalaya sauce and two moist hunks of cornbread (yummy.) The sides helped to quell the heat a little.

My friend enjoyed her barbecued pulled pork entree, which was served as large chunks of pork instead of shreds. The meat was tossed in “bayou black” sauce, which was sweet and tomato-based. It went well with the cornbread.

In the past, I’ve tried Mamou’s fried oysters, which were better than some whole-belly clams I’ve tasted, and the Big Mamou Chef Wayne: crawfish, shrimp and vegetables sauteed in a delectable lobster brandy cream sauce and served over rice and puff pastry.

Bottom line: Big Mamou is a ton of fun. If you’re looking for something to excite your palate, this is the place to go. But if you’re any more “Irish” than yours truly, then watch the spice.

In-n-Out Burger in Irvine, Calif.

After my colleague Sandy shared her Sonic Drive-In experience with Fun With Carbs yesterday, she and I got to talking about chains she’d like to visit in the near future. On her list: In-n-Out, White Castle, Chick-Fil-A, Pinkberry, Qdoba, Chipotle and A&W.

I’m sure at this point, my South-dwelling friends are scratching their heads. But none of these chains are in Connecticut. A few of them haven’t even entered New England.

It’s been kind of a mystery to fast-food lovers in New England. Why are these seemingly successful and popular chains skipping their hometowns? Why, for example, would Chipotle set up 10 restaurants within a 35-mile radius of Boston, but zero in Connecticut? Similarly, Chick-Fil-A has a two-restaurant presence in the North Shore area of Massachusetts, and one more at a mall in Nashua, N.H. But again, zero in the rest of New England.

I’m guessing the distribution of restaurants has much to do with area demographics, sales forecasts, real estate availability and proximity to other chain restaurants, which I’m sure can cause some drama. Three years ago, in Shrewsbury, Mass., Panera had a fit when the casual Mexican chain Qdoba moved into its shopping plaza. Panera argued that the shopping plaza’s owners violated a 2001 lease agreement that restricted the mall from renting to another sandwich restaurant. Their argument? They thought burritos were considered sandwiches. Logic prevailed, thankfully, and a Worcester judge ruled against Panera’s claim.

Perhaps restaurateurs could claim that New England isn’t as fast-food crazy as the South and Midwest, where big burgers, fried chicken and sides sopped in butter, cream and gravy seem to dominate. But let’s look at the facts. In the town where I live, with a mid-size population of about 45,000, there are four McDonald’s, seven (SEVEN. SE-VEN. WHAT?) Dunkin’ Donuts, a Burger King, a Wendy’s, a Taco Bell, a KFC/A&W, an Arby’s, a Quizno’s, two Starbucks if you count the one in Barnes and Noble, a D’Angelo’s, countless Subways and a soon-to-open Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Not to mention Red Robin, Friendly’s, Ruby Tuesday, TGI Friday’s, 99 Restaurant, Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse. It’s a wonder any local restaurants garner any business here.

I suppose for now, our lusted-after chains may have to remain road-trip stops. Since I know In-n-Out Burger will remain West Coast-bound, due to its commitment to using fresh produce and meat (no freezers), I’ll stop dreaming that the big empty field near my street will light up with a big red-and-yellow neon sign. And judging from the dismal White Castle lunch we had while visiting a friend on Long Island four years ago, it can stay in the mid-Atlantic states for all I care. (Sorry, Don S.)

But I wouldn’t mind seeing a Chick-Fil-A, Jamba Juice or Fatburger around here anytime soon, if only to break up the Golden Arches.

If you’re a fast-food fan, which chains do you dream of visiting? which chains do you wish would open in your hometown?

ETA: I’m a recent fan of Eating The Road, mainly because of this blogger’s hilarious restaurant flow charts. The latest one “Where Should I Eat? Chain Restaurant Edition” fits in perfectly with this post. Answer questions like “Are you obese? Do you like seafood? Are you high? Can you stand Guy Fieri? Do you mind flair?” and figure out where to eat…

Five Guys is opening soon in Enfield, CT. (flickr.com)

Interesting predictions piece in Nation’s Restaurant News about dining trends in 2010. Menu trends analysts at Mintel outlined five predictions for industry trends in the coming year. The bottom line? A return to basics, a focus on quality food and drink instead of price-cutting.

The five predictions: a return to simplicity (the article mentions the ‘white-hot better-burger movement’ exhibited by quick-service chains like Five Guys) ;  menus featuring locally-sourced ingredients and produce; healthful, lower-calorie choices; the introduction of more retail products from restaurant chains; and ‘regional ethnic’ foods (for example, restaurants serving entrees from the Tuscan region of Italy or North Carolina barbecue.)

Restaurants have obviously had a tough couple of years due to economic downturn, and despite a flurry of promotions like prix-fixe multi-course meals and 2 for 1 deals, the industry’s still hurting. Just today I saw news of a local closing: Hops Restaurant and Brewery in Newington, the last Connecticut outpost of the chain. (There was one in Manchester until recently, too.) For those of us who adore dining out, let’s hope 2010 is happier and healthier for restaurateurs.

Amazing Tuna, or American Tango?

This was meant to be a straightforward blog entry/review of our Saturday night visit to Osaka in Northampton. Osaka is hands-down one of the best sushi restaurants in the area, and it’s always a treat to eat there. But through one small misstep, my husband and I were served a sushi roll that contained each of our most reviled foods. What are the odds?

Osaka has a great lineup of special rolls, sushi creations with all kinds of exotic and interesting ingredients. They also have a ‘Japanese-French fusion’ menu where they meld things like tuna and jalapeno salsa, yellowtail seviche with kiwi and grapefruit juice and lobster with apple and mango. Pretty funky, avant-garde stuff, which we gravitate toward anyway. From this menu, we chose the ‘half-and-half’ roll (spicy tuna topped with half-avocado, half-sliced mango, topped with a sweet chili sauce) and the ‘Amazing Tuna’ roll (white tuna tempura, spicy tuna, cucumber topped with black pepper tuna and spicy mango and eel sauce.)

Chicken negimaki

We began with an unusual appetizer of chicken negimaki, crispy white meat wrapped around chunky vegetables (carrot, asparagus and some kind of leafy green) and melty American cheese. It was a cross between a spring roll, chicken pot pie and chicken cordon bleu, we decided. Then they served Rob’s nigiri appetizer (the freshest he’s ever had, he declared) and two more traditional sushi rolls, ebi tempura and spicy scallop. Both were well-constructed and delicious. I also had two glasses of this fabulous Montevina sauvignon blanc, which was clean and crisp with a distinct green-apple flavor.

The bizarro-world moment came when our fusion dishes arrived and Rob snatched a piece of the ‘Amazing Tuna’ roll, took a bite and went pale. “There’s goat cheese in this,” he said, alarmed.

Me: “No, there isn’t.”
Him: “YES, THERE IS.”

And upon further review, yes, there was. I’m a big fan of goat cheese, so I took over responsibility for eating the remainder of the roll. It had seared tuna, avocado and an unidentifiable tempura-fried topper. So we’d gotten the wrong thing, but it still tasted pretty good. No big deal, right?

I checked Osaka’s online menu this morning and surmised that we’d been given the ‘American Tango’ roll instead of the ‘Amazing Tuna.’ This consisted of pan-seared tuna, goat cheese, avocado, cucumber and a strawberry balsamic sauce. Topped with TEMPURA-FRIED SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS.

Let’s recap. Goat cheese makes my husband want to claw his tongue out. I consider mushrooms to be the personification of all evil in this world. Both of our edible nemeses rolled up into one sushi dish.

Other than that, good meal…

Osaka Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon