B and I have had some Japanese food adventures recently.
B is obviously a big sushi/Japanese food fan, and I've become one as well because of him. Yesterday we drove down to a mall close to the Mexican border just so I could buy some shoes from my favorite store (since they closed their other location in Escondido :-( ). My parents don't live close to the border, so in order to make the most of the mall visit, we drove over to Imperial Beach after our shopping trip. My idea was to eat something over there, maybe on the pier, from which you can see Mexico, two islands, and downtown San Diego in the distance.
Then there was Yoshinoya.
B was convinced it was the same chain as in Japan and we just had to stop for some terriyaki. If you can imagine bad fast food crossed with bad Japanese food and overcharge people for it, you'll have Yoshinoya for you. As we were eating, B said "Maybe it was Yoshiyaki my friend went to in Japan...."
Our Japanese adventures were not over though, because we met up with a friend for, you guessed it, sushi last night. The restaurant we went to was fairly decent though, if not completely authentic. They did have the stretchy, doughy, flour covered Japanese dessert that's hard to find, so they earned some points for that.
This morning we drove to downtown San Diego and walked all around. Right in the center of downtown in the Gaslamp quarter, which is famous for tons of restaurants, bars, and clubs. On Friday and Saturday nights the streets are just humming. About noon we both were starved and I didn't see the Thai place we'd passed at 11am, so we decided to go to Sushi Ito. I thought it was a mistake as soon as we walked in and I saw that the entire staff was Mexican. Not that they can't cook, but I wouldn't go to a Mexican restaurant with an Alaskan cook. The food ended up tasting good, but it wasn't very Japanese in my opinion. On our way back to the car we saw another Japanese restaurant that had traditional tables and looked much more authentic. Maybe one of these days we'll get it right...
Next up: several all American dining experiences. Souplantation with my Grandma, and breakfast two days in a row (you can imagine B's reaction to the idea of eating eggs and bacon first thing in the morning as a French person used to toast or cereal)
2 comments:
I get into long debates with my friend about whether most fast food is "Mexican" because that's who cooks it. Like, McDonalds and Burger King are, to her, technically "Mexican food." But then I ask what about when you make tacos at home? While usually I don't agree with her reasoning, I must agree that Japanese food would definitely need at least a Japanese owner or something to feel authentic.
Hm yeah I never thought about it, but the French never have big breakfasts. It's a damn shame too... I had a delicious all-American diner breakfast today: pancake, two eggs, bacon, and coffee. Clogs the arteries, nourishes the soul!
Tell B to learn to love the big American breakfast. It's great on the weekends!!!
Also good in the States on the weekends: brunch. Find a good brunch place while you're in San Diego, if you have time.
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