Gastro Monkey // 美食家

One of my favorite spots in Sacramento is Binchoyaki. I've already posted before about them , but that was two years ago. I think it's ready for a quick update. What's great is the food is still just as good as it was two years ago, and with a few updates. The dollar oyster deal has been going on a bit I think, I just haven't had a chance to go yet. Since it's still May, we decided to check it out. I was enjoying myself too much to ask what type of oyster it was that was included for their dollar oysters, honestly. And, dollar oysters usually mean super ocean-y-gotta-really-like-seafood-and-its-smells kind of oysters. But, I am happy to report that those dollar oysters are good! They're a little on the bigger side than what I would pick for myself, but they weren't overwhelmingly big (I'm lookin at you, Pacific Oyster). They were slightly briney, but not too much. The vinaigrette was very strong. Since I like oysters and their natural flavor, next t

Booknerd preface: If you are early to your reservation like I was, a few blocks down is Green Apple Books . It's a fun place to pass some time. Just don't get lost in there like I did and have to make a semi-run for it (ok, a light jog maybe?) to get to the restaurant in time.  That said, dinner was a few hours after watching the movie, Jimami Tofu , at the CAAM Festival at the Kabuki Theater in Japantown. The movie was about a Singaporean chef in Japan who loses sight of his cooking dreams after a bad breakup with a harsh food critic. He searches for this ex who walked out on him, in her hometown in Okinawa. Instead he finds her sister and father and learns about Okinawan cooking. It was overall very good, but it made me really question food critics. Can you critique if you can't do it yourself? This is why I agree with Andrew Zimmern on why Yelp is useless . That said, I feel self conscious about my reviews and want to offer just a view into places that you might