IKEA Restaurant イケアレストラン 050-5833-9000

Website:  http://www.ikea.com/jp/ja/store/sendai/

Address:  仙台市太白区あすと長町 2-1-1.   Located across the street and to the side of Nagamachi JR Train Station.  Also easily accessible from the Nagamachi Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Not yet, but the Grand Opening will be on Thursday, July 17, 2014.  Until September 30, 2014, the store will be open from 10 am – 9 pm.  But after that the store hours are as follows:  

Sunday – Friday: 10 am – 7 pm.  Saturdays and Holidays:  10 am – 9 pm.

Today, I got a special sneak-peek inside the brand-spanking new IKEA Store thanks to my friends, Tony, who gave me his “invitation only” Family Day at IKEA ticket, and Yvonne, who works there and provided the ticket.

I don’t remember visiting my local IKEA back in the States very often, and I never ate at their restaurant, so I can’t do a comparison, but I was quite impressed with the number of foods available at this Sendai IKEA restaurant, which included salmon, tandoori chicken, and roast beef among its many entrées .

My wife went with the Salmon Lasagna for 616 yen, with a slice of Arctic Bread for 60 yen.  It was the first time for her to ever try a salmon lasagna, and she really liked it, especially the salmon taste.  She also stated that the Arctic Bread didn’t have a lot of flavor by itself but that it went well with the lasagna.

サーモンラザニヤ・アークティックブレット

I chose the Swedish Meatballs for 599 yen, a Mini Bread for 90 yen to accompany it, and a butter packet for 20 yen.  The ten meatballs came with gravy, cranberry dressing, and mashed potatoes.  The meatballs were not extraordinary, but quite good, and the cranberry dressing added a nice touch to the flavor.  I’m not a big fan of mashed potatoes (I’m picky), but I enjoyed these!

スウェーデン・ミートボール

For dessert, my wife decided upon the Apple Cake for 299 yen and a Café Latte from the Drink Bar for 120 yen.  I picked the Cinnamon Roll for 90 yen.

アップルケーキ&シナモンロール

Both the Apple Cake and Cinnamon Roll were not very sweet, and had tastes that were nothing like their traditional counterparts.  Despite this, we still thought they were quite tasty, perhaps due to both having a nutty flavoring to them.

So IKEA is not a traditional restaurant, but that's what they call it.  It's more of a cafeteria, and our two complete meals plus dessert came in at under 2000 yen.  I would say that overall, we were both totally satisfied with our meals.

Since I never experienced eating at an IKEA Store, I don't know if this is standard practice there, but I found it interesting that you don't pay for your meal until you are done with it (unlike most cafeteria-style joints). After placing your selected platters on your tray, you proceed to the check out lane.  The clerk will give you an itemized receipt, and then you go off to find a place to sit.  When you are done with your meal, you take your tray to the disposal area, and then use an automated register to pay for your meal.  I had never seen this before.

If you’re shopping at IKEA, visiting their restaurant might provide a nice needed break from wandering around the huge store..   

But, if you want to save even more money, go to their Bistro on the 1^st floor past the checkout lanes.  They sell hot dogs for 100 yen and soft cream cones for 50 yen!  The hot dog looked good but I was already full from the restaurant.

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Golden Week Wrap-Up (and before)

Gobbled gobs of great grub this Golden Week and in recent days gone by.   

First off, I apologize that this is a rather late notice but Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream currently has their 31% discount off any double scoop of ice cream.  This works out to 280 yen for a small double or 400 yen for a regular double.  This campaign will end on Thursday, May 9^th.

Next, a special shout out to my favorite pizza in Japan, amo la pizza, who is celebrating their one-year anniversary this weekend.  My wife and I feel so fortunate that amo opened up within walking distance to us, and they seem to be flourishing!  Extra staff has been hired and they often sell out of their course sets and, unfortunately, pizzas.  But they have been very kind and gracious to us and we hope for their continued success.

I’ve forgotten to mention that amo now offers a point card!  You receive one point per meal.  Due to our numerous dining experiences at the amo, we have received a free soft drink and a free dessert, and are now six visits away from our 500 yen discount.

This was sometime before GW, but we recently returned to Koan Bakery while out for a drive.  I ordered the Koan Special Plate lunch for 850 yen, which came with a hot sandwich of mustard chicken on a cubed croissant roll, drink, salad, soup, cheese toast, and a sampling of fruits.

The salad was mainly cabbage with some red and yellow bell pepper slices, but it was quite nice.  The soup of the day was minestrone, which went down nicely.  Despite me not caring for cheese, I would rate the cheese toast as not bad, mainly due to the softness of the bread.  I’m sure someone who liked cheese would rate this much higher.  The highlight was the cubed croissant chicken sandwich.  This was very good, the croissant possessing a flaky and crispy outside with a wonderful taste.  The mustard chicken was tender and delicious.  The fruit sample rounded out a nice variety of flavors on one platter.  Oh, and I forgot about the rich coffee!

こうあん特別プレート

My better half ordered the hearty pumpkin chowder soup set with extra bread for 650 yen.  There was also an option for vegetable corn chowder, as well as only the regular serving of bread for 550 yen.  My wife really enjoyed her pumpkin soup, and was quite happy that she was given three different rolls to try.

具沢山スープセット

And although I was quite full, I forced upon myself a delightful lemon danish.

Lemon Danish

We’ve also stopped by on a couple of occasions to another of our favorites, Bistro Ampoule, where we’ve tried a couple of new items.  First off was the pork and duck rillete as an appetizer.  Despite me savoring every morsel, I’m afraid that my description of this plate will not sound very flattering:  it tasted like an exquisite Underwood Deviled Ham.  That was the first thought that entered my mind upon first bite.  But the rillete was really tasty and I would not hesitate to order it again.

豚肉と鴨のリェット

My wife ordered the “Perfectly Round Hamburger Steak” that she absolutely loved!  I sampled it and found it to be extremely soft, almost creamy, and flavorful.

まん丸ハンバーグステーキ

On another visit, Bistro’s Spanish omelette was the appetizer of choice.  I keep saying that I’m not a fan of omelettes, but I did like this Spanish version.  I don’t recall the ingredients, but paired up with the accompanying salad made a nice starter. 

Spanish Omelette

And a special update that my friend, Tony, told me about me.  Barbaresco Pizzeria has a special half-price discount on all their pizzas on Sunday and Holiday evenings.  This sounds like a great deal!

I hope you've enjoyed your Golden Week as much as I have, but hopefully, you haven't packed on the weight like I have. 

April Cat エイプリルキャット 022-246-1140

UPDATE:  THIS RESTAURANT IS NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE.  ALWAYS SAD TO SEE A SMALL, FAMILY RUN EATERY CLOSE.

Website:   Can’t seem to find one, yet.

Address:  仙台市太白区長町南4-12-16.  About a ten-minute walk from Nagamachi-minami Subway Station or a four-minute walk from the Sendai City Gymnasium.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Lunch:  11:30 am – 2:00 pm.   Dinner:  5:30 pm – 10:30 pm.

Closed Sundays and the 3rd Monday of the month.

My wife and I have passed by this place quite often, not noticing what it was because of its hidden-like façade.  When I realized it was a restaurant, I was hoping that it would fall in line with other hidden gems such as Café de Mieux, Bistro Beouf d’Or, and Bistro Ampoule.

A restaurant in hiding.

But April Cat is not like any of the above fancy-schmancy places.

April Cat is about home cooking.  Food your mother would make, if your mother were Japanese.  Nothing fancy here: no pâté, no escargot, no quiche, just nice, hot, voluminous servings of home cooked meals.  

We lucked out on the day that we went, April 30^th, as lunch meals, regularly priced at 680 yen, were only 500 yen throughout the month of April as a special homage to the restaurant’s name.

The lunch set offerings were rather limited, with only Spaghetti Neopolitan, Stir-Fry Pork w/Vegetables, and Wagyū Beef Gyūdon listed on the menu for today.  Unfortunately for me, the Karage Chicken that is usually listed was already sold out for the day.

My wife and I both ordered the stir-fry pork and vegetables set that also came with rice, miso soup, pickled daikon, sliced vegetables and a beverage.

豚肉の野菜炒め定食

The pork/vegetable platter serving was quite generous, so generous that my wife couldn’t finish her dish.  Luckily for me, I scooped up her pork.  Hmmm, that sounds a bit like a double entendre. 

The pork was tasty, marinated along with the veggies in a simple, yet flavorful sauce.  Tasty, but again, nothing elegant.  This really seemed like a home-cooked meal.  The accompanying rice, tsukemono, and sliced vegetables all were appetizing and went well with the main dish.  The miso soup was good, but I like my wife's better.

Close-up of the Stir-Fry Pork w/Veggies

The coffee, our choice of beverage, was quite good!  Which seemed to round out the cozy, home-type feeling.

April Cat is a mom & pop operation that just opened in July 2012, and by appearances has yet to catch on to a lunchtime following, or perhaps I just haven’t noticed it.   I took a peek at their dinner menu and it seems as if they are continuing with the “Welcome home!” ambience.  The evening menu consists of a variety of  唐揚げ、天ぷら、おにぎり, and お好み焼き type foods as their highlights, with light snacks and a couple of pasta offerings.  Oh, and a WIDE selection of intoxicants!

They do offer a point card but no parking.  I didn’t see any ashtrays around but I also didn’t notice any “No Smoking” signs.

April Cat seems like a place where it would be nice to become a regular.  I would say their demographic audience is single men, aged 35 and older, who want a place that feels like home.  Oh, and people who like pictures of cats.  There are pictures and things of cats all over the place.

We plan to go back and try their spaghetti and karage chicken one day.  I recommend you give this place a try.

**I'm having some difficulties with Google Maps.  For the exact location, please click HERE and click the Search button again. 

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UPDATE #2: amo la Pizza 022-395-5317

Website:  http://ameblo.jp/amolapizza/

If you haven’t read about amo la Pizza before, please read my earlier posts at:  amo la Pizza and HERE.

Address:  宮城県仙台市太白区鹿野2-14-14、グローリアス鹿野102.   Located about a four-minute walk from The Mall Part 2, next to the giant Paradiso Pachinko Parlor in Nagamachi-minami.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:   Lunch:  11 am – 2:30 pm  Dinner:  5:30 pm  - 9:00 pm

Closed Mondays.

We simply LOVE this place and because of our nearly weekly visits, my wife and I have become regulars at the amo (they don’t capitalize the “a” in “amo”).  But getting a table is still a feat since amo was featured on the 仙台放送 program あらあらかしこ.

The skillful owner, Yoshiki Katsuta, has totally revamped the menus for both lunch and dinner and has taken his restaurant into a new, exciting direction, going from a simple pizza joint to a refined choice for dining.

I’ll begin with the new and improved lunch menu.  There are two menu choices for lunch:  the Lunch Course or the Pizza Lunch.  The Lunch Course is only offered on weekends and holidays, but I’ve ordered it during the week after calling in and requesting it.  It includes an appetizer platter, salad, soup, pizza, gelato, and a drink, all for 1480 yen.  For an additional 300 yen, an alcoholic drink can be served.  Unfortunately, only the first ten orders for the Lunch Course can be served daily.  If you'd like to try the Lunch Course, I suggest calling ahead and reserving both the course and a table.

The appetizer platter features three different samplers: an Italian omelette with balsamic dressing, a slice of Milano and Mortadella ham in olive oil, and pickled vegetables.

前菜盛り合わせ

I have never been a fan of omelettes, but I have to admit that the combo of balsamic sauce mixed with this bacon bit omelette is outstanding!  The pickles are delightful, and the ham slices with olives round out a great starter to the meal.

Next, comes the vegetable salad topped with the wonderful Sendai miso dressing.  On any given day, the veggies could include red daikon, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, turnips, endive, onions, mizuna, mini cabbage, and romaine lettuce.

Salad w/Sendai Miso Dressing

Following the salad is the minestrone soup.  Along with the salad, the vegetables in the soup scream “freshness” in every bite.

Minestrone Soup

When selecting your pizza from the Lunch Course, there are six varieties of pizzas to choose from (Margherita, Italian Sausage, Four Cheese, Vegetable, Bacon & Mushroom Cream, and Seafood Genovesa), or you can order a half & half pizza.  On some days, I’ll go with the one topping of homemade salsiccia Italian sausage, on other days I’ll go with a half & half pizza.  I’m not sure if it’s because they staff knows I write this restaurant blog, or if it’s because we are regular customers, or if it’s that amo likes to satisfy its customers whenever it can, but my off-menu requests are often fulfilled.  When ordering off the beaten track, I’ve ordered a half & half pizza with either the ham and rucola topping or the grilled chicken with the salsiccia sausage.

A side note concerning the salsiccia (“sausage” in Italian).  To me, this Italian sausage tastes exactly like my mother’s meatballs in her Mexican albondigas soup.  My mother’s albondigas soup is one of my all-time favorite dishes, so to have a 懐かしい moment while dining in Japan warms the cockles of my heart.

The vanilla gelato accompanied with whipped cream and berries is a wonderful finisher to a delightful meal.

季節のジェラート

But if the lunch course seems a bit much for you, perhaps ordering from the regular pizza lunch menu would be more to your liking.

The same six varieties of pizzas are available a la carte or with a drink set.  The pizza sets range from 900 yen to 1100 yen, with the choice of drinks being hot/iced coffee or tea, orange juice, or oolong tea.  Beer or house wine is an additional 300 yen.  A 100 yen discount is deducted if you choose not to have a drink.  Dessert is also available for 200 yen.

Below are photos of the various pizzas I’ve encountered.

Half & Half:  Ham/Rucola and Italian Sausage

シーフードジェノベーゼ

自家製サルシッチャ

マルゲリータ

たっぷり野菜の葉園風

Now on to the restyled dinner menu.  The 1900 yen Set Menu is quite similar to the Lunch Course, but there are a few differences.  First, there must be at least two people ordering the Set Menu.  Secondly, it’s one pizza for two people, but you can still order a half & half pizza.  Lastly, the pasta of the day is included!  

The menu states that, like the Lunch Course, your dining experience starts out with three appetizer samplers.  Again, I don’t know if Katsuta-san was just taking care of us this evening, but we were served four delicious hors d’ oeuvres.   In addition to the lunch course’s Italian omelette and pickles, a delightful mixture of broccoli and shrimp in balsamic sauce plus a refreshing caponata were placed in front of us.  My only complaint was that the caponata was a bit difficult to eat in the spoon/bowl that they served it in.

Dinner Set Appetizer Sampler

The pasta d’jour was chicken and gobou (burdock root) in tomato sauce.  The gobou was soft and delicious, which was surprising to me because gobou has never been one of my favorites, while the chicken possessed a savory soy sauce seasoning to it.

Chicken and Burdock (ごぼう) in Tomato Sauce Pasta

As you can see from the menu photos below, amo la Pizza now offers a fine dining experience with a variety of culinary delights for all. I've yet to try amo's selection of nomihoudai party courses which are available upon request, but their menus are enticing.  And with the lovely waitress, Honami, attending to you, who could ask for anything more?

Dinner Menu

Dinner Menu pg. 2

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CoCo’s Curry カレーハウス CoCo壱番屋

Website:  http://www.ichibanya.co.jp/index.html

Address:  Numerous locations throughout Miyagi, but I often frequent the stores in Nishitaga, Nagamachi, and the one on the corner of Ichibancho and Minami-machi dori.

Open from 11 am till either midnight or later, depending on the location.

Not to be confused with the COCO’S chain of family restaurants, which uses a similar color scheme in its advertising.  Which came first: COCO’S or CoCo’s Ichibanya?  Who knows, but I wish one of them would change their colors.  

I don’t know how many of your acquaintances have tried a CoCo’s Ichibanya before, but upon taking an informal survey of the Japanese people I know, I soon found out that almost none of them had ever tried the curry here, including my wife.  It's a mystery as to why others have passed on CoCo’s, but I became a convert upon my first venture to the Ichibancho store over a decade ago.  In my opinion, CoCo’s Curry has always been a dependable choice for a meal out.  Sure, this is not gourmet dining at the pinnacle of elegance, but it’s always good and filling, and at a reasonable price.  You can’t go wrong with CoCo’s!

Last week, I wrote of my visit to Kanazawa 18 Curry.  Sorry Kanazawa, you may have the gimmicky pricing and the Challenge platter going for you, but for pure flavor CoCo’s is head and shoulders above you.

I always order the Chicken Katsu Curry for 680 yen, while my wife orders from either their seafood or vegetable curry selections.

チッキンカツカレー

And talk about selections!  CoCo’s offers a variety of seventeen meat curry platters, five seafood entrées, and thirty-seven topping options!  There are also vegetable curry and allergen-free alternatives listed on the menu.  But a word of warning to vegetarians:  I could be wrong but I believe the curry sauce is always meat based regardless of your selection.  You might want to stick to one of the four veggie salads listed on the menu.

やさいカレー

I forgot to mention that you can also order larger or smaller portions of rice on the curry, as well as the degree of spiciness.

On a side note, the Ichibancho locale will always hold a place in my heart.  A few days after the March 11^th disaster, my wife and I headed downtown in search of food and supplies.  We were astonished on the availability of resources on Chuo-dori and Ichibancho compared to where we lived.  But what really thrilled us was that the CoCo’s Curry was open for business.  It was our first hot meal in days and we were so grateful for it.

If you’ve never tried CoCo’s Curry House Ichibanya, I highly recommend it to you.  

Ganesh Indian Restaurant - Nagamachi ガネーシャ 022-247-0071

Website:  http://homepage2.nifty.com/kanri/ganesh/hp/

Address:  仙台市太白区長町5-3-1.   This branch is located in the shopping complex above Nagamachi Subway Station and next to the Nagamachi Library.  There are other branches in Kamisugiyamadori, Tagajo, Izumi, Ishinomaki, and Sanuma.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Everyday 11 am to 9 pm.  Lunchtime is stated to end at 3 pm, but more on that later.

We discovered this franchise of Ganesh by accident while taking a stroll in Nagamachi a couple of months ago.  I had been familiar with the name of this Miyagi chain of Indian restaurants as my friend, Helen, had recommended the Kamisugiyamadori location to me some time back.  I had also passed by their old Route 45 restaurant in Tagajo almost everyday on the way to work twenty-one months ago.  But sad to say, that Tagajo restaurant was wiped out by the tsunami.

On our first visit, my wife and I both ordered the Ganesh “A” Set for 1300 yen that comes with your choice of curry, tandori chicken, saffron rice, salad, pickles, and naan.  My wife chose the vegetable curry and I, the chicken curry.  I thought it was a nice feature that we were also able to choose the degree of spiciness for the curries, with five different levels ranging from sweet to spicy.  We both went with the regular level.

Ganesh "A" Set w/Chicken Curry

Ganesh "A" Set w/Vegetable Curry

First off, I want it known that I highly recommend Ganesh, but on this first visit my first impression was that everything was good, but not great.  The tandori chicken and chicken curry both were adequate in their flavorings but they didn’t wow me.   My wife held the same sentiments for her vegetable curry.   The naan had just enough taste to hold its own, but this, too, was not an attention-getter.  We walked out of Ganesh satisified, but not exactly tickled pink.

On our next visit, we were pleasantly surprised as the waitress kindly told us, “You may order the lunch set if you’d like,” despite it being well after 4 pm when we walked in.  

I obliged with their lunch set that offers a choice of any two curries, naan, saffron rice, salad, cubed pickles, a papad, and a drink, all for 1200 yen,  while my wife stuck with the Ganesh “A” Set.  For my choice of curries, I went with the chicken curry and the chicken butter marsala curry, which is made from a tomato and cashew base.  

Lunch Set w/Chicken Curry and Chicken Butter Marsala

On first bite, I fell in love with the chicken butter marsala!  It was creamy, sweet, and delicious!!!  I couldn’t stop eating it.  I felt bad for the regular chicken curry, while although tasting better than the last time, it just couldn’t compare with the butter marsala.

The naan was also better than on our last visit, with a deeper, rich tasting flavor. I enjoyed the salad and the cubed pickles, but not so much the papad (a cracker made from lentils) nor the saffron rice.  But those are on me, as I don’t like lentils and have yet to eat a serving of saffron rice that I thought was good.  It must be my pickiness, yet again.  

I requested an orange juice for my drink and was rather disappointed that it tasted like the orange drink Tang, rather than real O.J.

My wife was also more impressed with this visit and stated that her veggie curry and naan were better than the first time.  Ganesh was starting to look promising.

Now on to our latest visit.  We entered just before 5 pm and again were told that the lunch set menu was still available.

Both my wife and I ordered the same thing we had asked for on our last visit, but this time the tables were turned on the curry front.  On this day, the regular chicken curry was the star of the show, while the butter marsala, while very good in its own right, took second billing.

And the naan just kept getting better and better.  I love great tasting naan that can be eaten by itself, and this third time was the best of the three.  

Another nicety was afforded to us on this day.  My better half is a chai lover and was going to order it as an after dinner beverage.  The waitress asked my wife if she would like a drink as サービズ.  We thought she meant that a drink from the lower priced beverage menu would be given as part of the service, so my wife thanked her but declined, stating that she would rather pay for the higher price chai.  The waitress said, “Chai, it is.  No charge.”  Actually, she said something else in Japanese, but that’s what she meant.

Complimentary Chai

Unfortunately, the chai wasn’t the best my wife has tasted, but it was the best free chai she's tasted, so that's say something, I guess.

Although Ganesh’s flavors have not been consistent, they do satisfy and seem to keep getting better and better.  If you are not a big eater, the chicken curry from their “Naan Set” for 600 yen might be a good bargain.

There is no free parking available, but you can park in the library’s underground parking lot for 100 yen per thirty minutes.

This review is only directed towards Ganesh’s Nagamachi branch, but I look forward to trying the others soon.  Hope you do the same!

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Weekly Update: November 22, 2012

Again, no weight gain despite the recent, massive, pigging-out.  I’ll post about four recent and exceptional meals.

First, my late birthday dinner at Pastime in Nagamachi.  I again went with the beef boiled in red wine and, again, it was amazing.  Unfortunately, again, it was the petite serving and not a super-sized version.  

The large, fifteen different vegetables, green salad (700 yen) tasted fresh and, compared to the size of the beef platter, was quite generous.  The dressing was tangy and tasty.

15種野菜のグリーンサラダ

But back to the beef:  The mouthwatering, microscopic meat morsels.  Delicious but dainty.  The accompanying veggies were cooked to perfection and with the red wine sauce this was truly magnificent.  If this had been a satisfactory sized serving, Pastime would make my Favorites list in a heartbeat.  On flavor alone, it does deserve this recognition, but due to its proportions I just can’t upgrade it.

Beef Boiled in Red Wine

My wife ordered a fish platter and kept saying 「おいしいいいいいいいい！」after almost every bite.  

Fish of the Day

After easily devouring the beef, I ordered a Margherita pizza to satisfy my hunger.  But to my disappointment I discovered that pizza is not Pastime’s strong point.  Though edible and quite enjoyable, it does not compare to the authentic offerings of Amo La Pizza.  I would have been better off ordering a second meat entrée for just a few yen more.

Margherita Pizza

Secondly, came the fabulously fattening pancake lunch at Pancake & Café 38 Mitsubachi.  On this day I introduced this restaurant to a dear friend of mine and we both waddled out of there stuffed and satisfied.

I went with the lunch special selection of hamburger patty in tomato sauce with salad, drink, dessert, and three buttermilk pancakes (1280 yen).  As a kid who had the rare opportunity to visit an IHOP, I learned right away that hot cakes can turn into cold, unappealing cakes in a blink of an eye, so I dug into the pancakes immediately and found them to be light, fluffy, and delicious.    The hamburger patty was appetizing though, as an American, found it strange that it came on the same plate as the pancakes.

**The following photos from the pancake shop were not taken by me, but were taken by my friend who ... A) has a better camera than I do, or B) has a better photographic eye.   I hate to admit it but I think it's B.

Hamburger / Pancake Lunch Set

The salad was good but nothing special, but I never touched the yogurt dessert that came with the platter.

My friend surprised me by ordering the ten-layer pancake special for 1500 yen.  Yet, I was not surprised when my friend couldn’t even finish half of it.  Though the pancakes are rather small, this mountain of goodness would be good for two very good-eaters, or three normal eaters to share.  Thankfully, the kind staff gave us a doggy bag with the remaining pancakes and informed us that thirty seconds in the microwave would revive them to good as new.

Ten-high Pancake Stack (w/o butter?)

Next, came today’s company lunch at La Gita.  The staff was so impressed with our previous visit that we felt it was necessary to acquaint the absentee associates from our last luncheon to this shining star in Shiogama.

I had my heart set on the ham with ricola pizza, but unfortunately, the pizza of the day was octopus.  I switched to the non-tomato sauced based, sliced bologna with fresh tomato and arugula pizza.  The bologna, when tasted by itself, was very delicious, yet seemed to lose its identity when combined with the pizza crust, perhaps due to the bologna's thinness.

モルタデッラ:  Bologna w/o Tomato Sauce. Oops, took a slice too soon.

Still, it was very good and everyone seemed to agree that La Gita offers a first-rate pizza and the best in Shiogama.

メランシャーネ: with Eggplant

But let me backtrack to the salad for a moment.  This time I did notice that the dressing on the salad was merely olive oil and that, true to my friend’s suggestion, pepper should have been added.

And lastly, this evening’s fantastic fare at Bistro Ampoule.  Tonight, I tried something new and went with the a la carte fried chicken, but this definitely wasn’t your neighborhood KFC recipe.

The outer skin was thin, crispy, and peppery.  The chicken meat was soft and delectable.  What amazed me was that each individual vegetable, from the potato, to the eggplant, and even the sweet potato, seemed to be cooked in separate seasonings.  I really don’t believe that they were prepared separately, and it was probably due to the fact that each veggie carried its own flavor stamp, yet it still seemed that the seasoning on each vegetable was unique, which made for a wonderful dining experience.

プール・ソワール Chicken

My wife ordered “A” set dinner special and chose the fish carpaccio for the appetizer and shrimp pasta with tomato sauce as the entrée.   She loved it all!  The carpaccio was quite plentiful so I indulged in the salad portion of it and found the tangy dressing to be terrific.    My wife loved it all and praised the chef over and over again for the amazing meal.

Carpaccio Appetizer

Shrimp in Tomato Sauce Pasta

Oh, I forgot. Last weekend we ordered take-out from Amo La Pizza for the second time within a month, both times with the lovely miso dressed Genki Salad.   Of course, Amo treated us exceptionally well and I expect we'll be taking out again the next time the weather is weary. 

I’ll try and post about a new restaurant soon, but until then hopefully this update will lead you to some great restaurants that I’ve reviewed before.  

Have a great holiday weekend!