Dangerous Chicken - Niigata, Japan

Tomorrow I begin the long trek home.  But tonight I'm hungry and on my own so I do a brief search of the internet and find this place.  An Izakaya, which I think means casual eating and drinking place.  Perfect.  And, it's about a 20 minute walk, so there I head.

I sit down and right off the bat I order a Lemon Sour.  From my research I learned that this is the go-to drink.  Fresh Hokkaido lemons and some fizzy and some alcohol.  No idea on either as once again, no English.  

No English no problem.

KAMPAI!

As I look around it's a pretty cool place, small but cool, which are both super typical of an Izakaya.

Here are the menus.  What would you order?  What should I order?

Exactly, who knows.

I am also limited because no one else is eating, only drinkers at this moment, so I can't simply say "me too".

After an extensive amount of pointing, smiling, and Japanese baby-talk, I settle on the fried chicken to start (karrage).

Perfectly fried, super juicy.  It's sprinkled with a light spicy powder that only adds flavor, no too much spice.  This is thigh meat.  A good start.

Next, I'm sitting right in front of this mountain of yakitori so, yes please!  

It's chicken skin wound around the skewers.  Ohhhhh yeah.....

 Obviously they are pre-cooked, which is normal and OK, then finished off to order over a ceramic heating element on the other side of the bar.  The smell is amazing.

While I wait I realize that my drink has vanished....  So I order a larger one to fix the problem.

It's super refreshing, not much alcohol, but there is some.  It's just goes really well with the fried's.

The top 2 are sweet style, bottom 2 are salt style.  Not a dramatic flavor difference, honestly.  

Awesomely delicious though (hard to mess up crispy chicken skin).

 What next?????

I'm eyeing this bread, looks like a brioche.  I ask the dude using my amazing command of the local language (not) and he says (I think) that they have a cheese thing that is a specialty, and he recommends it.  

Yes sir!!

Please do! 

And it begins...

And then here it is.

It's pretty darn good, especially after all of the chicken, a good contrast.  The bread is light and sweet and there are 3 kinds of cheese, cheddar, Camembert, some sort of blue.  There is also a raw egg that he cracked and dumped in the middle as he built this thing.  All and all it's very well balanced, not too cheesy, etc..  A good finish and a nice thick layer in my belly as I head to sleep in a bit, the jet lag I hope is over, just in time to head home.

Thanks for reading, cheers and love to all.

DVA

Pizzeria Vento e Mare - Niigata, Japan

Vento e Mare, Wind and Sea

A very appropriate name for a business in a city like Niigata.  Niigata is located on the west coast of Japan (literally on the coast, a seaside town) and one that is battered by wind, just across the Sea of Japan from Korea.  

While Niigata is famous for the best rice in Japan (not a brag, simply an undisputed fact) and from rice comes sake (best sake here as well) Japan is also famous for perfecting something created by others.  So, as I pass this place I am simply drawn to give it a try, and it doesn't hurt that I'm hungry and out walking around looking for a place for dinner, and I've been eating a shit ton of rice/fish and ramen every day, so this feels right.

Alas, as I'm alone and don't speak the local language, this will be another post that won't have much info, just a few photos and a description of my impressions.

Sit back, enjoy, ciao ciao

Placed at every table is this Italian Restaurant Guide for Japan (I think that's what it is....  :-O)

And earmarked for your pleasure is this spot.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day of work and dinner and karaoke, so I'm enjoying water tonight.  Looks Italian, si or no?

I order the salami picante

The initial looks ends up matching pretty accurately the after consumption impression.  The crust looks legit, however the pizza is over-topped.  Too much sauce, too much cheese, and the cheese flavor overpowers the taste of anything else, I can't even taste the salami.  Bummer.

The highlight is getting to the edge and eating the dough.  It's light and fluffy, delicious, slightly crispy, beautifully burnt in places, I love it.  

Here's the dude.  

Nope, no idea his name or how long he's been here, or any relevant information that I (and you) want to know.

I would absolutely come back to this place, and I have a free night later in the week so I just might.

Put a pie in your mouth and eat it

DVA

Pizzeria Bianco - Phoenix Arizona - USA - Epic Road Trip 2019

http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/

Phoenix Arizona is home to the legendary American pizzeria, Pizzeria Bianco.  Opened in 1988, Pizzeria Bianco has become owner and chef  Chris Bianco's flagship location.  Chris's empire now spans multiple locations throughout several states, and has diversified beyond the brick and mortar, now offering his own line of canned tomatoes and sauce. 

The time has come for me to check this place out.  Phoenix isn't that far from San Diego, 6 hour drive, 1 hour flight, so heck, let's go for it.

My partner in crime is none other than the Italian Station himself, Msr. Luigi Ottoboni.

Our flight is before 7:00, but we are professionals, so we're ready to roll.

The cattle call has started so let the party begin!

B for back of the bus, pretty much where we belong...

Arrival, rental car, GPS, coffee please, it's all very much needed.

Thanks to the internet we've made our selection for the first stop. 

Coffee and maybe a pastry, we'll see what they have.

Songbird Coffee and Tea

http://www.songbirdcoffeehouse.com/home

A fairly wide range of of options adorns the menu board.

I'm looking a little closer as I type this and I realize that this is mostly illegible.  Sorry-not sorry.

We order a couple of pour overs, an espresso for the Guido, and a small scone for us to share.  They are obviously focusing on the beverages here (roasting their own coffee and crafting each drink as it's ordered).   It's a one person show.  It was initially very annoying to have to wait for the person taking the order to then make the order, and THEN help the next person.  However,  the tables turn dramatically when it's your turn, and your drink is prepared with such love and care and attention to detail.  

Well worth the wait,

A nice little morning drink and snack.   We enjoyed it outside as the midday temp is expected to rise above 100F

The coffee's were very good and the scone was decent.  Very light and fluffy, but a little mild in flavor. Decent, not amazing.  TOTALLY worth the stop.

More coffee is required, and the pizza place doesn't open till 11:00, so let's roll.  

We're headed to the nearby town of Scottsdale.  Travel time is about 15 minutes, through the desert, which is actually very nice (for a desert....)

Echo coffee, a coffee roaster that also offers pastries made in house.

http://www.echocoffee.com/

I'm told that the espresso here was better than at Songbird, but it turns out that that's all that's better.

The pastries in the case do not look appetizing at all and the pour overs (yeah, it's a thing) are just mehhhh.

Let's wrap this up and save our appetite for some the pizza.

Peace out Scottsdale

Literally we drive right back where we were in Phoenix, a couple blocks or so from the first coffee spot.

As the dude (Chris Bianco) isn't present for us to question, any details or specific or facts provide from here on out should be taken as truths "at-your-own-risk".

The first, and probably only surprise, is the lack of people lined up or waiting for them to open.  True, we are here at 11:00 on a Saturday, but still, I was expecting there to be more than just the 3 other people that were waiting with us.   And, the place was never 100% full during our 2 hour visit.

Oven, check (this is an actual real fact).

We are only interested in the pizzas, and order all of them, 6 

They are presented below, in order, as they appear on the menu (also below), and as we enjoyed them (again, look below...)

2 cooks, working silently, and efficiently, sharing all pizza related tasks, as one, seamlessly.  

The crust is the lightest I've ever tasted.  It's crisp on the outside, more so than an authentic Neopolitan, and super airy on the inside.  All of the pies were minimally (appropriately) topped and composed of deliciously fresh ingredients.

This one was essentially just tomatoes and sliced garlic.  Amazing tomato flavor. Wonderful

Margherita - one of the top 2 pizzas for sure.

Thin and crisp but absolutely holds up on it's own.

Mmmmmmmm

Yes, pistachios.  This almost tasted like a dessert pizza even though there are no sweet or sugary toppings.  Unique and delicious.

This was the other 1 that was top 2. The caramelized parmigiano and arugula was a flavor combination that I'll long for, till/if I return...

This was the least favorite of the day.  The onions were too long and wide and the whole thing just felt a little sloppy,  The sausage was also kind of dry.

 Not surprisingly we are SUPER stuffed!  What sounds good to right now is some hot tea, and to chill somewhere chill, so we head back to Songbird.

How do you know when you are old?

When, on an epic road trip with your buddy, one of the highlights is drinking a cup of tea and reading a book in a recliner in the shade.

Embarrassing, pathetic, but that's kinda what we're known for.

So, the big question is "was it worth it"?

I'm glad to have come and tried the pizza.  It's an iconic spot and it needed to be done.

But, I hope to never have to go to Phoenix ever, again.  It's not the heat, it's the lack of anything to do.  The town seems void of anything interesting or entertaining.  I'm sure there's something, has to be because there are so many people there.  But, for me, Phoenix is sooo bad that even 1 day is just a bit too much.

DVA