One of my favorite places for a sunset cocktail in San Francisco is the historic Cliff House. First opened in 1863, it sits on the site of the Sutro Bath House ruins overlooking Ocean Beach. Go early for a walk around Lands End. It’s such a stunning spot! Back at the Cliff House, I recommend the bar downstairs, which faces west and gets the most gorgeous late-afternoon golden glow.

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Since May, our beloved Ippuku of Berkeley has been serving teuchi (handmade) soba. Owner-chef Christian Geidemann recruited Koichi Ishii from Yamagata, a prefecture well-known for soba, to come and cook at Ippuku and start a soba program right here in the East Bay. We are SO LUCKY!

I know, I should have reported on this sooner. But rest assured that I have been able to try many different dishes, to show all the variations of soba that are on the menu.

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In the spirit of getting back into writing and sharing my thoughts more often on Umami Mart, I want to tell you the story of how Johnny and I met.

It was the summer of 2011. I had been going on dates throughout the year, and “putting myself out there” on internet dating sites and meeting friends of friends. The scene was pretty bleak, and I was totally over the whole dating scene.

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I spent my summer of 2012 in California, my favourite place in the world — after my couch (ok, maybe Japan comes in as a close second).

It was a pure blast, from the moment I landed, designed and help build out the Umami Mart shop, just to get on the plane again a month later. Everything is just bigger, wilder, more real and more over-the-top, off-the-hook crazy than anywhere else I have been.

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I love this time of the year when farmers markets set up during the evenings downtown. There’s nothing better at the end of the day than a stroll through the market, basket in hand, the smell of fresh fruit and herbs in the air.

I met Jack after work at the market and we gathered all the ingredients for a dinner of Red Roasted Carrots and a chard quiche.

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After all this talk of fancy dining, 4-star service, Le Bernardin and the lack thereof, I’m bringing it all back to what we’re all about: SOUL. Umami Mart is all about love and sharing and laughter and how food plays a great role in that in our lives.

Yoko and I had an errand to run in South San Francisco, and we decided to try Shanghai Dumpling Shop in Millbrae, right near the airport.

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We all have those comfort dishes that are close to our heart, and transport us back to childhood when biting into whatever it may be. For me, a bowl of chicken udon from Gombei always makes me tear up with nostalgia.

Originally a little diner-style eatery in San Jose’s Japantown, Gombei has been a Bay Area institution since the 80s. Always bustling during lunch, the Akabori’s would walk in and were warmly welcomed by the staff.

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When it comes to matters of eating out, I am pretty inflexible. Since I will travel long distances for good food, I get pretty upset if I don’t get what I had originally intended. By nature, I am quite stubborn (classic Taurean trait), and I am even more so about what I eat.

So when my family and I met up in San Mateo for Ramen Dojo, the line was of course hellishly long.

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Do you guys all know my pops? His name is Kunio, and he is a sushi chef. Classically trained as a tempura chef, he was offered to transfer to Los Angeles where Inagiku, the Tokyo restaurant he worked at, was opening a location in the iconic Bonaventure Hotel. So, the Akaboris all ended up in sunny LA in 1980.

Kuni has a sparkling sense of humor, but you wouldn’t really think so if you saw him working at Sushi Kuni, his restaurant in Cupertino, CA.

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Mr. Thad Vogler needs no introduction. He is a leading barman in the Bay Area and beyond, who opened Bar Agricole in San Francisco in 2011. Named after agricole rum (rum made with 100% raw cane sugar), Thad has put his heart, soul, personal philosophies, and many years of experience into the restaurant — which was the only west coast establishment to be nominated for James Beard Award’s Best Bar Program this year.

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