When you eat as much as I do...

It's sometimes hard to take a break. But hubby and I decided that right before the holidays, when both of our offices are overwhelmed by holiday treats and candy, would be a good time to do our first ever juice cleanse. Really, we didn't put too much thought into what the process would entail--we like being healthy and figured we'd give it a go. And now that I'm half way through day one I can already see clearly just how much and why I love eating as much as I do.

The Blue Print Cleanse involves drinking 6 juices a day for 3 days and to be honest some of the juices are quite delicious. I also like the thought of putting good into my body and having bad vacate it. But all that being said, I miss food. And not because I'm hungry, which I'm not. I miss the idea of food. The ritual of food. The reward of food.

For the most part, every day of our lives can feel like a routine and for me food is the miniature vacation I can take with myself and friends 3 times (or sometimes more) a day. I relish dining. I look forward to eating. I live for food. And now, having self-imposed a mini break from eating I can pin-point so clearly what about food I love.

For me, food is more than sustenance. It's entertainment. It's art. It's reason. And it's beautiful. It's beautiful in the mundane and expected feeling I get from having my morning cereal. It's a gift during a busy work day when I take a break (even if only briefly sometimes), step away and have lunch. It's the event of my evenings - sometimes simple and quick, sometimes full of pageantry and joy. And it's the highlight of my vacations, often dictating where and when we travel.

And even though I miss food I know how much I'll enjoy it again soon. But 3 days is feeling longer than ever before.

You don't need to be able to pronounce it to enjoy it.

Ushiwakamaru. U-shi-waka-maru. This Japanese restaurant is a mouthful in more than one way (I didn't intend for that to sound dirty if it did). But just like the restaurant's name each piece of sushi that you eat floats around your mouth before entering your subconscious and changing you for the better. Incidentally, Ushiwakamaru is actually the childhood name for a legendary twelfth-century Japanese war hero. They must have chosen it because Ushi is a hero in the NYC sushi scene, swooping in and offering incredible fish at reasonable prices.

The decor of natural wood, clean lines and elegant lighting help the patron focus on what's really important. Sushi. And the sushi is worth focusing on. Considering that within a few blocks one could pay a lot more money for sushi that is only a little bit better quality Ushiwakamaru is fast becoming a go-to establishment for sushi aficionados around the city (of which I count myself). The menu, much like the environment, is simple; you won't find complicated, fancy rolls or heavy deep fried appetizers, but instead quality, elegant fish.  And that's heroic to me.  
Ushiwakamaru
136 Houston St. nr. Sullivan St

Dearly Departed: I really miss LAN sushi.

LAN sushi was my favorite restaurant. Period. End of post. just kidding.

LAN was my go-to place when I wanted to celebrate a personal triumph like a getting a raise, running a new long distance or when a cute guy winked at me on the subway (this was before I was married obviously). But it was also the place I went when I wanted to drown my sorrows on rainy days & grey Tuesdays, after a stressful day at work or when a cute guy hit on my friend (this was before I was married obviously). In short, LAN was the perfect catch-all restaurant through good and bad times and I really reveled my evenings spent reading on my own or playing follow-the-leader sushi with friends.

The fish was incredibly fresh, the sake selection was really extensive, they had a chocolate molten souffle on the dessert menu and it was perfect. Never so crowded that you had to wait long for a table but never too empty that you felt strange dining alone. So when LAN closed a few years ago it became a challenge to find a replacement but I recently tracked down the man behind LAN, Tadao Mori, at his latest restaurant, Dieci (Japanese Italian food - yes Italian) to find out what happened. While I couldn't get a straight answer about why LAN closed other than "it just didn't work out" it's comforting to see the owner, chef and much of the old staff happily settled at this new establishment.

Anyway, now on those evenings when I'm in need of some celebratory sushi or some drown-my-sorrows sake I make my way to one of the following non LAN spots; Shima when I want no muss/no fuss quality fish, very low key and mid-level good. Kanoyamo when I want to step it up a notch but I still don't feel like getting dressed up. The fish quality is slightly better but the prices go up quite a bit. And relatively new to me is Ushiwakamaru on Houston--friends introduced me to this spot over the summer and I'm really glad they did. It's casual, non-pretentious, absolutely delicious and fresh. You may need to go elsewhere for the chocolate molten souffle but I think these spots have helped to fill the canyon size void that LAN left in my heart.

1000 pageviews! Where should we go to celebrate?

Whoa! 1000 pageviews! Sounds like a reason to celebrate if I've ever heard one. How about cocktails at our place and then onto the main event...

Here are some of NY's best restaurants that (gasp!) I haven't been to. Vote on which should be next:



a) Per Se (Sam Sifton's "best restaurant in NY." Caveat: we won't be paying for the full experience just the salon menu.)





b) ABC Kitchen (love the furniture why wouldn't I love the food too)





c) Momofuko Ko (David Chang's turn with tasting menus, sounds good to me)







d) Dirt Candy (because a meat-eater can be a vegetable-lover too)




e) wild card write in?