Izumi Marché 2015 this Saturday, September 26th!

Website:  http://www.izumimarche.com/2015.html

Please click HERE for my article describing last year's event.

I was really impressed with the 2014 Marché, and this year's promises to be just as good, if not better.
The difficulty is in choosing which of the delicious delectables to devour!

And easy to find as this festival is held above Izumichuo Subway Station.

Hope to see you there!

Izumi Marché 2014: A Round-Up 泉マルシェ

Please click HERE for my previous announcement on this event.

Goodies, grub, and edibles all around!  Everything looked scrumptious!  It was soooo difficult to decide on what to eat!

But this is what we devoured today…

First off, we ran into the Spica booth (click on the name to see my review of their store) where I purchased a wonderful brownie (I think it was 190 yen).  Soft, moist, sweet, and chocolaty!  What more could you ask for?  Well, maybe a little bit bigger size.

A Brownie done right!

Someone (not me) still had a sweet tooth, so the ふわふわ Waffle Booth was our next stop for a whipped cream with chocolate sauce waffle (350 yen).  Someone (still not me) loved it, but I found it not sweet enough for my palate.

A waffle made for the Japanese palate

Next, was a visit to one of my Favorites, Café de Mieux, to try the Thai shrimp green curry (640 yen), penne pasta with tomato sauce (640 yen), and the broccoli quiche (380 yen).

My wife and I have dined at Café de Mieux countless times, yet this was the first time to see them prepare these dishes, so I was quite excited to see how they tasted.  The green curry was savory!  Spicy, but not too spicy.  The penne pasta was quite good, too.   The quiche, well, my better half enjoyed it.  I thought, “Not bad,” but I really don’t like quiches, so this was actually a compliment.

Thai Green Curry

Penne Pasta in Tomato Sauce

Broccoli Quiche

But I felt I needed a little more substance, so we headed to another Favorite,  Bistro Ampoule, for their homemade bacon (400 yen) that I love so much.  The serving was quite big, and the taste … mouthwatering!

The Bistro Ampoule Staff

Juicy, mouthwatering bacon!

After this, I was hankering for something sweet, so we ventured over to the 札幌北のドーナツ花 stand, where we had to wait in a looong line and watched them make the donuts on the spot.  But the wait was well worth it!  We purchased a few plain donuts, one salt donut, and one sugar donut (all were 120 yen each).  We gobbled up the plain donut right away, and were amazed at it’s crispy outside and soft, fluffy middle.  We haven’t tried the salt or sugar donut yet, but I’m imaging they’re tasty, too.

Making Doughnuts

To quench our thirst, we imbibed on a blood red orange juice (350 yen) that was quite rich and sweet.

Blood Red Orange Juice

For our last treat, we chowed down on some Neumarkt Southern German Sausages:  herb, curry, and garlic (500 yen).   These were all very good, and came with some sauerkraut hidden underneath the sausages.

A great selection of sausages!

Despite feeling completely stuffed, I was still disappointed that another one of my Favorites, Daily’s Muffins, had sold out of their delectable desserts in the first three hours.

Oh, and during a bathroom break, we happened upon this classical quartet of lovely ladies rehearsing Beatles songs for a paid concert later that afternoon.  What luck!

Beautiful Beatles Band

Also, it was quite a treat to see a number of stalls selling antique Americana goods.  I was able to relive my childhood seeing Lil Sprout (Green Giant), the California Raisins, the Campbell Soup twins, and Snap-Crackle-N'-Pop memorabilia on display.

This was my first time at the Izumi Marché, and it was a fantastic experience!  I can’t wait till next year, already!

Izumi Marché 2014 泉マルシェ

Website:  http://www.izumimarche.com/index.html

Located at Izumi-chuo Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 11 am to 5 pm.

Apologies for the very late notice.  I have never been to this event, but luckily I was alerted this morning while perusing a Sendai message board.  And since I have never been, I cannot give a first-hand account, but the reviews I read gave it a thumbs-up.

It appears as if this is the sixth year for this annual grubfest, hosting 150 food/drink/boutique stalls, as well as two stages with live performances throughout the day and a wine festival (advanced ticket purchased required-so that’s probably not going to happen).

What I found notable were four restaurants that I have reviewed previously on this blog, three of them being in my Favorites List:  Bistro Ampoule, Café de Mieux, and Daily’s Muffin.  The fourth, Spica, is listed under my Recommended Eateries.

According to the reviews, it’s best to get there early, as the food stalls do sell out.

I can’t wait till tomorrow to try these tempting treats!  

Hope to see you there!

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The Closing of Kame House Burger カメホウス・ハンバーガー 022-374-5747

Click HERE for a previous write-up on Kame House.

Website:  http://www.sendai-burger.com/index.html

Address:  仙台市泉区中央１丁目22-1.   Located on Route 35, about a three-minute walk from Izumi Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Weekdays lunch:  11:30 am – 2:45 pm.     Weekdays dinner:  5:30 pm – 10:30 pm.

Sundays and Holidays:  11:30 am – 8:30 pm.   Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

It is with a heavy heart that I write that Kame House Burger will be closing at the end of September.

Apparently, the owner is moving on to bigger and better things in Tokyo, so this hamburger joint will soon be history.  

Luckily for me, I’ve already dined there twice within the last two weeks with a couple of good friends to share the moment, and I plan on returning at least once more for ole’ time’s sake.

I was never a frequent visitor to Kame House due to its location in Izumi, which made it quite a trek for me.  Still, it was worth the trek when I did make it.

A week ago I visited on Friday during lunchtime with my good friend, Tony, who had never been to Kame House but had always wanted to go.  He seemed to really like his Double-Burger.  The place had quite a few customers but it was no problem getting a table.

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to have my dear friend, Yvonne, accompany me to the famed burger restaurant.  The place was crowded!  And we ended up waiting about twenty minutes for our table.  I ordered my usual Double-Burger (1100 yen) without sauce, and my companion went with the Avocado-Cheeseburger with Barbeque Sauce on the side. We both split an order of Onion Rings.

Double-Burger

Avocado-Cheeseburger

Onion Rings (Scrumptious!  But pass on the salsa)

The meat patty in my burger on this second visit seemed thicker than my previous encounter, with a strong and delicious peppery flavor to it.  The fries were good and I was quite happy with the onion rings.  Yvonne seemed to really enjoy her burger as well!

My disappointment came as I had my heart set on a chocolate milkshake to go with my burger, only to be informed that shakes are only served after 5:30 pm.  Despite my pleading and puppy dog eyes, I was given a stern “ごめんなさい.”  That’s why I plan to go back one more time, but after 5:30 pm.

If you have never been to Kame House, I urge you to rush down as soon as you can to try one of the best burgers in town!  For those of you who have devoured the greasy goodness, return before it’s too late!

**Yvonne was gracious enough to give me permission to use her photos for this post.  I am very grateful as she is a much better photographer than I am.  Thanks, Vonnie!

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Juan-Les-Pins French Cuisine ジュアン・レ・パン 022-379-6929

Website:  http://www.jlp-sendai.com/menu.html

Address:  仙台市泉区中山1-18-3.   According to their website, located about a ten-minute walk from Yaotome Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Lunch:  11:30 am to 2:15 pm. Dinner:  5:30 pm to 9:00 pm.   

Closed Wednesdays. 

I’d like to thank my student, Aki, for recommending this superb restaurant to me, as this was quite a treat!

Hidden along a residential side street, this small, quaint eatery looks more like a house than a restaurant, and can easily be passed by.

As we were handed the menu, we were surprised that only two different course menu options were available, with no a la carte alternatives to choose from.

My wife decided on the lower-priced soup/entrée/dessert course for 1890 yen, and I went with the Chef’s Recommended course for 2500 yen.  As each course offered a selection from the same number of soups (3) and entrées (7), the only differences between the two was that the Chef’s set comes with an appetizer and a wider variety of desserts. 

I’ll start of with a description of my Chef’s course.  The listed appetizer was a fish with vegetables combination (本ますのポワレと春の野菜の取り合わせ) that didn’t sound appetizing to this picky eater.  I politely asked if the chef would kindly substitute another hors d’ oeuvre due to my aversion to fish.  I was brought a lovely dish of mini-pork steaks with yukina greens soaked in red wine sauce.  The pork was so tender that a knife was not necessary to cut it.  The sauce and the leafy vegetables were delicious!  This would have made a great entrée all by itself!

Pork with Yukina Greens in Red Wine Sauce

With both courses came the piping hot homemade rolls with homemade butter!  When I first picked up the roll, it burned my fingers and I dropped it, luckily back onto the plate.  After letting it cool down for a minute or two, I broke opened the bread and saw the steam arise from the insides of the roll and the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted across the table.   I attempted to take a photo of this, but to no avail.  According to their website, they pre-bake the bread to 80% of its completion, and only upon a customer’s orders will they bake the remainder so that it arrives oven-fresh to your table.  These rolls were quite large in size and, as I had been warned ahead of time by Aki that, since the courses were brought out at a slow pace, I might have the feeling of fullness quite quickly, so I nibbled on the roll at a leisurely pace.

Homemade Butter and Rolls

Next came the onion gratin soup.  My student raved about two things on this menu:  the onion gratin soup and the dessert (but more on that later).   My wife and I both ordered this soup and completely agreed with her.   I don’t like cheese but I was made a convert with this soup.  Oniony yet sweet, with chunks of the homemade bread added to the mix.

オニオングラタンスープ

I selected the beef rib meat steak with a lightly seasoned vinaigrette sauce for an additional 315 yen.  Topped with an assortment of fresh vegetables (string beans, broccoli, carrots, and potato with cheese), this made for a delectable platter.  The steak was tender and flavorful, and although I did enjoy the sauce, I think I would have preferred to savor the succulent beef flavor by itself.  Still, I was not dissatisfied at all.

牛ともバラ肉のステーキをさっぱりヴィネグレットソースで

My wife fancied the three varieties of fish platter as her entrée, which came with shimeji mushrooms and snow peas smothered in a creamy sauce.  She loved the fish and commented on its tenderness.

3種のお魚料理

The serving sizes of all the dishes in both of our courses were more than adequate, and we were absolutely full when we were reminded that dessert was on its way.

We ganbare-ed and took to our 別腹!  The standard lunch course came with the Chef’s selection of desserts.  Luckily for my wife, this was quite bountiful!  Her dessert plate came with pudding, Fuji apple tart, grapefruit cake, and black sesame ice cream.

おまかせデザート

According to my spouse, the pudding was pudding; nothing special, but not bad.  And the black sesame ice cream was unique, but in a good way!

While she was devouring her savory sweets, I was shown the dessert wagon cart with six different treats to choose from.  There was no ice cream available but the three other desserts that were on my wife’s platter were also offered, along with strawberry cake, tiramisu, and cheesecake.

デザート６種類

I was under the impression that I could choose whatever individual dessert I wanted, but no, this was not the case.  I was told by the kind waitress that I could choose ALL the desserts, if I so desired!  Since my stomach was already bursting, I asked for small samples of the strawberry cake, the grapefruit cake, and the Fuji apple tart (I’m not a big fan of tiramisu nor cheesecake, and my wife had already stated that the pudding was just pudding).

The apple tart was fantastic!  And both the cakes were soft, sweet, and scrumptious.  I wish I would have been able to eat larger portions of the desserts, but I was too stuffed.

Grapefruit Cake, Strawberry Cake, and Fuji Apple Tart

As this outstanding feast was coming to a close, we sipped on the rich coffee and admired the amazing view of Izumi through the windows of this hilltop restaurant:  What a perfect ending to this wonderful meal!

I’m posting Juan-Les-Pains (JLP) in my Recommended section, but I’m sure that after another visit or two that I will upgrade this fabulous restaurant to my Favorites!  The menu changes from month-to-month, as JLP offers only what is in season in order to provide the freshest, tastiest cuisine, so don’t be surprised if what I’ve written about is no longer available, but I’m sure whatever appears on the new menu will delight you.

This is a small restaurant with about nine parking spaces available, so I highly recommend that you make reservations ahead of time.  

My significant other and I are thinking of a romantic dinner visit to Juan-Les-Pains, as viewing the moonlight over Izumi while dining on the incredible flavors they provide seems oh-so enticing!

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Kame House Burger カメホウス ハンバーガー 374-5747

URGENT UPDATE:  PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR IMPORTANT NEWS REGARDING KAME HOUSE BURGER.

Website:   http://www.sendai-burger.com

Address:  仙台市泉区中央１丁目22-1.   Located on Route 35, about a three-minute walk from Izumi Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Weekdays lunch:  11:30 am – 2:45 pm.     

Weekdays dinner:  5:30 pm – 10:30 pm.

Sundays and Holidays:  11:30 am – 8:30 pm.   

Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

A great, big “THANKS!” to blog reader Crawford who recommended this hamburger joint to me (read Comments of the Freshness Burger post).  You were spot on with this, Crawford!

Upon entering, I immediately got a kick out of the American-style décor and the 50’s rock n’ roll music livening up the place.  It sounded like they had stolen my iPod!

Looking at the menu you see that Kame House offers a wide selection of burgers starting at 750 yen.  Crawford suggested I try the Avocado Cheeseburger with Bacon, but instead I went with just a basic hamburger.  I guess it’s the picky eater in me but I really don’t care for other “stuff” on my hamburger (Sorry, Crawford).  I feel a good hamburger should stand on its own laurels and not need any other “stuff” in order to make it right.  I love avocado and I love bacon!  But I’ve never really cared for either of those on my burgers.  My twisted taste buds feel that these great singular flavors taint the wholesomeness of the burger.

Sure it looks like a plain, but that's all I need

My plain, basic hamburger was good … very good!  Everything tasted fresh.  I tried a piece of the meat patty by itself to see if it was appetizing enough to stand on its own.  This piece of patty possessed pleasant and palatable flavors!  The menu states that the Kame House chefs make their meat patties from a mixture of Australian and Wagyu beef, which must be the reasoning behind this great burger.

My wife went with a BLT (750 yen), and although I didn’t get to taste it, she stated that it was really delicious!   All platters come with French fries, which I think is a good value, but we also ordered some onion rings for the side (but at five for 280 yen, maybe not such a great value).

BLT

The fries were cut too thin for my textural liking, but there was nothing lacking in their taste: crisp and salted to perfection.  The onion rings, at first glance, didn’t seem too appetizing either, but to my surprise they were great!  I hold a similar sentiment between hamburgers, fries, and onion rings:  they should be flavorful enough to be enjoyed exclusively, without any needed flavor enhancers.   The onion rings, like the French fries, were delightful with or without ketchup.  I did find it a bit strange that they served the onion rings with a spicy salsa that, my wife and I both agreed, didn't really didn’t go well.

And since I’m complaining, another thing I didn’t like was the pickled carrot slice that was on my plate.  Again, I got caught judging a book by its cover, but this time it didn't go in my favor.  I thought it was just a regular, raw slice of carrot.  Imagine my surprise when I bit into it and realized that it was a pickled carrot!  

Hamburgers + pickles = Good!  

Hamburgers + pickled carrots = No, thank you! 

Onion Rings with weird Salsa

This restaurant offers a point card but upon close inspection it really isn’t worth much as you have to spend at least 4200 yen before you get a 100 yen discount.

Kame House is really easy to find on foot and has two parking spaces for those who drive.  If I lived in Izumi this place would definitely make my Favorites list as I would be a regular diner at this diner.  I highly recommend this eatery and am looking forward to my next trip to Izumi.

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