Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Jacque Imo's is one of the few places I ate at on both of my trips to New Orleans. On a previous trip, we had the shrimp and alligator cheese cake, and our own orders of the fried chicken. If you like fried chicken, Jacque Imo's does it right! That led me to my conundrum with this trip. Do I get the fried chicken again? Or try something new?  I comforted myself with the knowledge that I would be getting some fried chicken from Dookie Chase , which I think, hands down, is the best that I've had anywhere, anyway. That left me with the option to try something new on the menu. I knew for certain though, that I needed to have more of that shrimp and alligator cheesecake. It is nothing like it sounds. To me, anyway. Adding cheesecake to the name implies that it will be sweet and a dessert. Instead, this is a savory treat. There is so much flavor in this slice, so much shrimp and gator. It all goes so well with the sauce, which seems to be cheese based. I also love fried gree

When I heard that Sacramento was finally getting a real izakaya, I was intrigued. Who doesn't love grilled meat on a stick (yes, vegetarians and vegans, I know... but grilled mushrooms are just as delicious!)? Newly opened after some delays, we finally made it out to give it a try. Located in the former Doughbot location, it's a bit small but cozy. By the time we left, there was a wait. If you get there earlier, you can pretty much have your choice of where to sit. Their menu is available online, but they also have daily specials. I wanted to try everything, but kept myself in check as I ordered the following:  * Negima (tender chicken leg and sweet green onion) * Nankotsu (cartilage) * Strip loin * Kurobuta jowl *  Tanuki (shiitake stuffed with tsukune, Binchoyaki sauce) * Duck breast with wasabi * Heart * Liver All of the items were grilled to order. Great place to go for a conversation while enjoying some yakitori. Most of the beers are Coedo, whic

Normally, I prefer New York Style pizza. I like thin crusts that aren't cracker thin, but have a little crunch to them. Based on that, I thought I wouldn't like Zachary's Pizza. But, I do! The cheese can stretch across the table and all down your chin. It always comes out piping hot since they make it to order. They are always busy, and the location is very cozy. Luckily, you can put your name down and hang around nearby in the used bookstore or at Peet's. I prefer the bookstore. You never know what you'll find! And anyway, isn't good pizza worth waiting a little bit for? Also, the last time I went, they gave us the wrong pizza (we were so hungry and it was pretty similar so we ate it anyway without noticing). They noticed the error and gave us a discount on our pie! Note: I also find it's a great place to take out-of-towners as just up the hill is Indian Rock and a great (albeit now super crowded) place to view the City and watch the sunset.  Chees

One of the many places I was excited to visit was Artnia. I view Japan as one of the top food destinations, and probably the most innovative country in the world. While they didn't invent the theme restaurant itself, I believe they perfected it. They have the best themed restaurants that I have been to, and I think is at the top of the list for any nerd. I am happy to say I was finally able to go two years ago when I visited Japan. I played my first Final Fantasy game in 2000. Yes, I was late to the show. My first Final Fantasy game was IX. I named them all so oddly that I didn't know the character's real names until years later. Either way, I was hooked. RPGs are fun! It was hard, but I eventually overlooked the poor dialogue and just enjoyed the games.  There is another cafe that I considered. The Eorzea Cafe is FFXIV based and needs reservations. It was hard to decide how to plan for reservations like that because we didn't want to be constrained by time. Wh

I apologize ahead of time for not having more details. I went here over two years ago, and I didn't think to take notes (sorry, busy having fun!--but not too busy to take pictures to document it visually). The Capcom Bar is in a busy area and isn't too far from an Ichiran Ramen. What ended up happening was ramen first ( Link here for my review ), then walking over for some Capcom action. We figured it would just be drinks at the bar, so eating first seemed like a good idea. In case you don't eat first like we did, they do serve food. It's just ok food. Honestly, these theme cafes are more for the themes and seeing how it plays out rather than high quality/taste of the food. I was under no illusion that it would be the best meal of my life.  That said, be sure to arrive early on the weekend. We went during the week so it wasn't crazy, but after checking in at the front desk, it got pretty crowded. It's not the kind of bar where you just walk in and have

I actually shot a wedding at this restaurant before and loved how good it was. I made a mental note to come back some day and eat here again. A few years later, I finally made it for dim sum (when your "To-Eat" list is as long as mine, it really takes a while!). We had a great seat with a view of the city. We got there around 10:30 on a Saturday so there was still plenty of parking close by and a fair amount of seats with unobstructed views. You have a choice of ordering from their dim sum menu, or their regular lunch menu. It was hard to choose. We picked some things that we regularly would order (chicken feet, pork ribs, shrimpy items), along with some specialties (pea leaf, Japanese crab). Most of the items we ordered were amazing. I loved the pea leaf and abalone. The abalone, as always, was tender and flavorful. I think a few of the pea leaf stems were older (read: harder) but still good. I loved the radish cakes (also called daikon cakes, everyone has their pre

I have been eating at Golden Dragon for a few years (since 2009 ish?) and like its authentic Szechuanese fare. I like hearing the employees speak Szechuanese to each other because it takes me back to when my mom, her siblings, and her parents would all speak Szechuanese to each other. It only happened when they were all together. Around others, they would immediately switch to Mandarin. To this day, I can still hear and smell it all. Garlic, veggies, meat, shallots, being sauteed, the sound of the wok, the big chopper hacking away on the big wooden cutting board, and the sound of her and her immediate family, happily catching up after our time abroad. Those are the happy sounds of my childhood in Taiwan. So, Golden Dragon holds a place in my heart.  It is also why I was shocked to see that it changed ownership. The question came up - do we still eat here? I really wanted some Szechuanese food. Honestly though, couldn't hurt to check, right? It sounds really stupid, but we look