niche café and darts – Shiogama ニッチ 022-365-1321

Website:  http://www.cafeniche.jp/index.php

Address:  塩釜市東玉川町8-6.  About a 45-second walk from Shiogama JR Station just across from the 7-11.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open everyday except Tuesdays from 4 pm to 2 am.

This was the third year in a row that the company I work for held a Darts Night at niche, and the reason we keep going back is that niche never fails to provide us with good food and great service!

We went for their standard party plan for 3000 yen, which consisted of five dishes and a 90-minute nomihoudai.  I had originally made a reservation for fifteen people, but unfortunately the numbers were short and I notified the restaurant a couple of days in advance that only ten people would be attending, hoping that they would not charge us for the original fifteen.  They said it was no problem at all and we were let off the hook.

The evening started off with a garden salad topped with a tangy dressing and juicy karage chicken.

Garden Salad

唐揚げチキン

Next was a yummy-ful pizza of sliced sausage and cherry tomatoes with basil that was devoured by our group quite quickly.  

Sausage and Cherry Tomato Pizza

The following dish was a tomato sauce pasta (Angel hair? Spaghetti? There was an argument at our table about this) filled with zucchini, bacon, and pork.

Zucchini, bacon, pork, tomato sauce pasta

The finale was a small chocolate brownie-type with cream that really hit the spot.  Unfortunately, I ate this before I remembered to take a photo.

niche is a very small place that holds about twenty people at best and has one electronic dart machine.  Parking is available for about four cars.

I was told by a friend that their オムライスis fantastic, but I have yet to try it.

If you happen to find yourself in this neck of the woods, I highly recommend stopping in niche for a quick bite and a round of darts.  I’m sure we’ll be back again … and again … and again.

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. 

Pizzeria La Gita ピッツェリア ラ・ジータ 022-364-1774

Website:  http://www.mapion.co.jp/phonebook/M01008/04203/G0223641774-001/

Address:  塩竈市港町 1-6-10.   Located across from the Shiogama Marine Gate, or a seven-minute walk from Hon-Shiogama JR Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

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

First off, let me just say that I think it’s commendable that the owners of Pizzeria La Gita set up shop in a neighborhood that was ravaged by the tsunami.  This restaurant opened in May of this year and these small business owners are helping to rejuvenate the area that was destroyed by the March 11^th  disaster, and for this alone I feel that it’s worthwhile to patronize their restaurant.  And for those who do, you’ll also be quite happy with the food!

My friend, Keiko, who knows that I am always on the lookout for great restaurants, recommended La Gita to me sometime back, but I hadn't been able to see what she was raving about.  But the other day I was lucky enough to persuade my friends (Takayo, Rumi, Tony, Michael, Fong, and Yashima-san) to join me for a midweek lunch.  

Upon entering, a couple of my friends were impressed with the décor of the pizzeria:  photos taken from the owner’s personal travels from around the world, which makes sense as “gita” apparently means “trip” in Italian.  I felt that the place carried a warm, inviting atmosphere and I immediately noticed the stone hearth, wood-burning pizza oven, indicating to me that La Gita was an authentic pizzeria.  No second-rate electric or gas ovens here.  But on to the food ….

The lunch set comes with a salad, a beverage, and offers a choice between six varieties of pizzas for 1200 yen.  Despite my pickiness, I had some difficulty choosing a pie as four out of five of them sounded really delicious to me.  At the last minute, I copied Fong and chose the pizza of the day:  ham with arugula sans tomato sauce.  This pizza, with tomato sauce, is one of my favorites at one of my Favorites, Amo La Pizza, so I was a little skeptical on how this would turn out.

本日のピッツァ: Ham w/Arugula (Rucola)

My pizza did not disappoint. The ham was salty and delectable, with the arugula complimenting the ham well, and a light crust (Fong was of the same mind) with a hint of individual flavor.  Although I was very satisfied with my pizza, I think it would’ve been even tastier with a tomato sauce base.

I thought the salad was good, with a tangy vinaigrette that I managed to save, quite noticeably, on my shirt.  But one of our group thought that the flavoring could have used some pepper.  I didn’t realize it at the time but afterwards I could see how this would have enhanced the flavor.

Salad with Tangy Dressing

Our group ended up ordering five of the six pizzas on the menu, and we traded slices with each other in order to get a good assessment of all the assorted flavors.   

My first sampling was Takayo’s カラブレーゼ, with spicy Italian salami, mozzarella cheese, and red onions on a tomato sauce base, which was quite nice, but the salami was sparse and there should’ve been more substantial servings.   But Takayo thought that my ham pizza was better than her salami pizza.  I agreed.

Spicy Italian Salami w/ Red Onions

Next was Michael’s メランツァーネ, with bacon and mozzarella cheese on a tomato sauce base.  This actually comes with eggplant but Michael requested that it be left off, and since I’m not a big fan of ナス either, I was quite pleased.  I liked this pizza and it appeared that there was bacon on every slice.  Afterwards, Michael stated that flavor-wise, this was one of the better pizzas he’s had.

Bacon and Mozzarella

I didn’t try Rumi’s anchovy pizza because I don’t like anchovies.  And I forgot to try the Margherita pizza that was also ordered.

Anchovy Pizza

Margherita Pizza

My friends all seemed to be in agreement that this was a very nice place with good food, good service, and decent prices.  We also decided that we would definitely be back.

But one common consensus was that it was a bit disappointing that there was no dessert option offered, as a nice scoop of gelato or a light tart would have went well with the pizza.  A related criticism was that the pizza was actually too big, and it would have been better to serve a smaller sized pizza and then a nice dessert.

I took a peek at their dinner menu and it looked very promising, with a wide variety of appetizers, pizzas, and even desserts available.

Stone heath pizza oven

Pizzeria La Gita is a non-smoking establishment and they have five parking spaces available.  It’s unfortunate that there is not a lot of foot traffic (nor car traffic, for that matter) outside of summer in this area.  But if you happen to be near the Shiogama Marine Gate or on the way to Matsushima, stop in and have a great meal (and help the recovery effort) at Pizzeria La Gita.

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Trattoria Blair Marina トラットリアブレアマリーナ022-361-6131

Website: http://blair-blair.com/blairmarina.html

Address:  宮城県塩竈市港町１−４−１マリンゲート塩釜２F.  About an 8-minute walk from Hon-Shiogama JR Station.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open Tuesday thru Sunday from 11 am  – 10:30 pm.  Closed Mondays.

Lunch is 11 am – 4 pm.

A great lunch!  Stuffed to the gills, which is appropriate since I was at the marina … Blair Marina, that is!   This was my first time dining at this establishment and thanks to my friend, Tony, who reserved our table for our company lunch (and Julian, who paid for it!).

My initial impression was a mix of sorrow and joy.  As we drove into the parking lot of the Shiogama Marine Gate, images of last year’s tsunami flashed through my head.  I remembered last April seeing fishing boats that had been dumped in this parking lot and across the road, where boats had no business being, by the hellish tsunami.  I remembered the collapsed houses nearby and the cars piled upon each other along this very street.  

Now, the tremendous effort to rebuild is clearly evident, offering a tranquil and touching temperament.  There are a few reminders of the devastation that was caused just a year ago to this port.  And because there are still reminders, it’s lamentable, but because this area has fought on, it’s awe-inspiring.

And Blair Marina is one of this area’s success stories!  

But on to the food!  The lunch set menu consisted of four different pasta options (980 円 to 1380 円), two different pizza options (1150 円), and a meat or fish option (1200 円).  Each set came with salad, bread, and a drink.  I opted for the meat selection which was chicken sautéed in mustard sauce, but for the record here are the pasta choices that were offered:  A) Chicken and cabbage in tomato sauce, B)  Shrimp with a leafy vegetable in a garlic sauce, C) Mozzarella and mini tomato in a basil sauce, D) Scallops and からすみ in cream sauce.

When the pasta was served the waitress asked everyone if they would like their dishes topped off with fresh, grated parmesan cheese.   I feel that offering freshly grated cheese or ground black pepper from a pepper mill adds a subtle sophistication to the dining experience.

Personally, I was not impressed with the salad, thinking that the dressing was not very exciting plus it was topped with wakame (seafood is a no-no with me), but I lunched with seven other people in my group and they all agreed that the salad was good.  It must be the picky eater in me.

The three fresh bread rolls (tomato, sesame seed, and walnut) also didn’t have much flavor in my opinion, but again, maybe it was just me and my pickiness.

Oh!  But the chicken and mustard sauce!  Wow!  That more than made up for any misgivings I had!  The dish came with a variety of veggies:  sweet potato, eggplant, bell peppers, and beets.  I don’t like eggplant or beets but the mouthwatering mustard sauce made these objectionable objects manageable.

Chicken with Mustard Sauce

Our group also ordered a Margherita pizza and a Prosciutto pizza (mozzerlla, ham, and mushroom).   The thin-crusted Margherita was quite nice, but I didn’t care for the Prosciutto (too salty and just didn’t agree with my palate).  Again, apparently it was my pickiness as everyone else in my group raved about it.

Margherita Pizza

Prosciutto Pizza

My friend, Helen, who had ordered the fish said that it was a bit too oily yet still very delicious.

The oily but delicious fish

And the view!  Don't forget to request a window table, although most of the tables will provide a scenic view of the Shiogama port and the train that passes periodically.

There is a free parking area, but who knows how quickly this will fill up on a busy weekend.  The Blair Marina restaurant is rather spacious yet was a bit crowded when we waltzed in at 11:50 am on a Thursday afternoon.  But when we exited about an hour or so later there were around fifteen or so people waiting to get in.  And this was a weekday!

Oh, and there are other locations (yet untested).   Check their website for Blair House (next to Mitsukoshi Department Store near Kotodai-koen) and Blair Garden in Izumi.

One pasta dish ...

If you happen to try these restaurants, please let me know what you think.  As for Blair Marina, I highly recommend it!!!

And another ...

And another.

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