I like to hide behind my camera.
This is what I wore. Our bedroom is messy. 🙂
Happy Tuesday!
-
Uchiko
So I finally took my camera with me to Uchiko for dinner. We’ve eaten at Uchi and Uchiko plenty of times, but I’ve never photographed anything. I’m not really sure why. Anyway, here’s how our evening went!
I had the pan am, a cocktail made with sake, watermelon agua fresca, and granny smith apples. Justin had the Zero Sen, a sake made just for Uchi and Uchiko. He designed the label for the bottles. 🙂
We were brought a tiny amuse-bouche of grape tomatoes with basil blossoms.
Cobia crudo – Caribbean kingfish, cucumber and jalapeno.
Justin designed the chef’s coat patches. 🙂
Madai – Japanese bream nigiri with shiso, meyer lemon zest and olive oil.
Nasu – Japanese eggplant and sumiso nigiri. This is seriously the best eggplant you”ll ever taste.
My absolute favorite thing in the universe: take nabe – a searing hot bowl of perfectly seasoned rice, Japanese mushrooms, a fried egg, and bonito flakes. When it’s brought to the table, the lid is lifted and the bonito flakes curl up and move a little. It pretty much rocks, and we order it every time.
Gyutan – grilled beef tongue nigiri, fish caramel and sea salt.
Tempura nasu – eggplant crisps with sweet chili sauce.
The obligatory Justin in the corner photo.
The new flatiron wagyu dish (I think it’s called wagyu take), with onion skin crisps, onion paper, and matsutake mushroom puree.
Justin designed the menus. 🙂
This is the new ninjin bacon – pork belly with carrot puree, pecan-olive crumbs (I think) and heirloom baby carrots. Mmmm, pork belly.
Hamachi – yellowtail nigiri with pickled shallot and fresh jalapeno, and sake toro – salmon belly nigiri with ginger and tamari. Heaven.
Justin designed the chopstick holders. 🙂
Justin designed the sign and the modified the logo. 🙂
Uchiko, I heart you. Husband, you rock.
-
Music Monday
Hello, internets! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. On Friday we went to Perla’s for Justin’s birthday dinner, and he ate a bajillion oysters. Then we went to the Alamo to watch Master Pancake mock The Matrix, which was fun.
Saturday was kinda boring, and then on Sunday I went to Fortune Chinese for a dim sum class, which rocked. I tried chicken feet! I didn’t like them. 🙁
So we’ve worked and worked on trying to embed mp3 files on my blog, but it’s just not happening. I have no idea what we’re doing wrong, but its so very frustrating! I may have to revert to monthly 8Tracks updates instead of weekly music posts, because searching for appropriate videos for my favorite songs is ANNOYING. I haven’t decided yet what I’ll do, but for today, here are two videos of songs in my head.
This song got me through the last hour of writing on Sunday night:
Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger
I really couldn’t find a good video for this one, so just close your eyes and listen to the lovely song. 🙂
AA Bondy – Vice Rag
Happy Monday, everyone!
-
Five Senses Friday: Special Edition
Hi everybody! Today’s Five Senses Friday is brought to you by the letter J. As in Justin. Because TODAY IS JUSTIN’S BIRTHDAY!! He’s 19. Plus a few.
First, a letter.
*******************
Dear Justin’s mom and dad,
Thanks for having Justin. Thanks for loving him so much, and for raising him to be a caring, generous, smart, funny, independent, wonderful person. Thanks for being good-looking, because he’s pretty darn gorgeous. Thanks for living in that little town in West Texas, so that we could meet there when I moved there in high school. Thanks for letting him be in sports and theater and all the things he loves. Thanks for being so welcoming to me when I completely claimed him as my own during our senior year in high school. Thanks for never kicking me out of your house, even when I had been there alllll day. Thanks for letting him go, for encouraging him to become whoever it is he needed to become. Thanks for paying for tuition for him to go to college, because he rocked it, and now he’s an awesome designer because of it. Thanks for being understanding about all the choices we’ve made together. Thanks for having a wonderful marriage, because Justin learned from that, and he has made our marriage amazing.
Love you,
Crystal
*******************
And now, five senses of Justin.
Baby, I love:
Smelling: The bedroom right after you shower, because I can smell your soap and your shampoo and your lotion and I know it’s you.
Seeing: Your amazing smile, especially that little dimple on your left cheek.
Tasting: Your lips after you put on lip balm and I always tell you that you taste like marshmallows. In a good way.
Hearing: Your laugh, and your semi-silent laugh when you think you’re laughing too hard and try to cover it up.
Feeling: The safety and perfection of being in your arms.
Happy birthday, my handsome prince. I am so proud to be your wife.
-
Thankful Thursday
I’m really liking these themed daily posts! It gives me a little something to look forward to. 🙂
I also have to add, regarding yesterday’s #11, that I tried the Toffee Nut Mocha and HATED it. I thought it tasted like a buttered popcorn Jelly Belly. 🙁
Today I am thankful for:
- The most loving, gorgeous, wonderful husband in the universe
- Soft, delicious pretzels at The Flying Saucer
- The fact that writing a book about food in Austin helps me to really experience and appreciate food in Austin
- Rainy days
- Hamburgers and pizza
- 1. Nau’s Enfield Drug, 2. Black Sheep Lodge, 3. Rounders, 4. Little Deli & Pizzeria
- Autumn
- Music
- People who comment on my little blog, and those who link to me from their own
- Nail polish