Tsunami Sushi
6118 Farrington Road
Falconbridge, Chapel Hill
Website
Entrees: $10.95­-$18.95
Sushi Rolls: $3.25-$5.95
Specialty Rolls: $5.95-$11.95

Tsunami Sushi is a small Japanese restaurant that offers all the standard menu choices, including sushi, bento boxes, tempura, and teriyaki. The atmosphere was fine, if a bit plain, with elevator music playing, green walls, and red paneling. Service was a tad slow for a completely empty restaurant.

Luckily, the food was a lot more interesting than the décor. We started with their appetizer sampler platter; my husband and I were starving that evening. It included shumai, a spring roll, croquettes, and goyza, served up in a sushi boat.

I thought all of these were fantastic, in large part because they were fried perfectly. They weren’t greasy at all, but had crunch and golden-brown deliciousness.  The shrimp shumai popped with flavor, the ground beef gyoza had a delicate texture, and the spring roll was stuffed with bright, tasty vegetables. The croquettes were phenomenal. Their creamy inside, a potato and curry combination, was delightful and I enjoyed the drizzled sauce on top greatly, even with a hint of mustard to it. I’m not usually a mustard fan but this wasn’t pungent and had great spice .

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HRM Rex Goliath Shiraz
Woodbridge, CA

This wine has a lot of pepper on the nose, with some rhubarb and caramel coming through also. On drinking, my mouth fills with that pepper, which is not something I ever mind. It is tart. Raspberry is the primary fruit, but there’s some rhubarb, too. It’s a thick, dense wine that probably would have benefited from decanting first, but still leaves you with a lighter presence on your palate than you’d expect. I thought it was enjoyable.

3 stars

Other Bloggers’ Thoughts:

Wine is Life
The nose was full of fruit, with plums and blackberries. Also picked up hints of spice and a little earth. The taste was very fruit forward, with black cherry leading the way. Got some nice bramble fruit notes as well, followed by subtle black pepper and anise notes.

Poor Reds

First the smell: plummy, dark fruits.  Maybe a touch of cherry.  Very pleasant.

The taste is very smooth. Full of berries, but mellow, not overpowering. I think most shiraz I’ve had tend to be a pretty peppery and I like that. But this one is light in that department (despite what the label says) . . . still it is quite good.  No oak and finishes nice and slow.  I would eat this with a good steak or a burger, maybe a nice sharp cheese.  It’s a good winter wine.

A Votre Sante

With some wines all you can do is try! This one had kind of a stinky nose newly poured but that improved as did the flavor once it was able to breath but as soon as it evolved into something kind of interesting it was gone - the taste totally dissipated as the wine made its way down your throat. What the heck? Maybe there is a bigger market than imagined for taste free wines, reminded me of 3 Blind Moose—for someone not into wine it’s probably a real bargain!

Reviewed 2.24.10.

Southern Fast Food Series #3: Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q
More than 30 locations throughout North Carolina
This location: 3578 Davis Drive, Morrisville, NC
Website
Boxes of Chicken: $6.99-$22.99
Platters (2 sides and hushpuppies): $5.89-$6.99
Snacks (Fries): $4.49-5.29

Smithfield’s, obviously getting their start in Smithfield, NC, is a North Carolina chain that focuses on fried chicken and Eastern NC-style barbecue (read: vinegary). They sell their barbecue sauce and hush puppy batter in bulk at the counter. Strangely, the sides were not listed on their posted menu, which would have been helpful when I was asked if I wanted the standard ones or not (brunswick stew, coleslaw, potato salad, fries, and baked beans are the options for your reference). In addition to fried chicken and pork barbecue, they have a seafood section that consists of . . . shrimp. Not sure why it wasn’t called the shrimp section but who am I to question such things? Banana pudding and pecan pie are also available if you have a sweet tooth.

The dining area is very large and very clean, with a staff member always at hand to take your trash, bring you a refill, or anything else you need. There’s also a sink to the right of the counter to encourage you to wash your hands before and after you finish your meal.
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Hawaiian Punch
West 94^th Street Pub
Woodcroft, Durham
Website

This drink, with its bloody trail of maraschino juice, looks like it’d be great for a Halloween party. It’s made with vodka, Malibu coconut rum, pineapple juice, and more than a splash of blue curacao.

It’s a great, simple tropical punch, perfect for sipping on a porch or by a pool on a hot day, or in my case, on a day in the sixties that seemed hot in comparison to our wretched winter weather. Very sweet, but this sort of drink should be. There was a hint of orange from the curacao that gave it depth but I think lime would have added a lot more.  If I discount it watering down too quickly, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

3 stars

Buitenverwachting Rhine Riesling 2008
South Africa

Even after much swishing, the nose is elusive. Some grass, some lime, maybe.

I thought it was bubbly at first, which definitely confused me, but it’s just so bright of a wine that it seems bubbly.  The lime from the nose is there with mellow grapefruit and mint. It’s like drinking a Smartee and has the same level of sweetness as those candies.

I like this wine a lot, which is great because I’ve been in a riesling dry spell. They’ve all seemed too sweet and mediocre lately, and I’m glad to have found one I enjoy again.

3 stars

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Worse than a Tequila Hangover

2 shots Two Fingers gold tequila
0.5 shot Starbucks coffee liquor
2 shots heavy pulp orange juice
0.5 shot maraschino cherry juice
1 maraschino cherry

Shake up the first three ingredients, then tip in the cherry juice and plop in the cherry. It’s not pretty, but neither is a tequila hangover.

Yeah, that was my attempt to pretend this drink made sense. It doesn’t. It’s a total failure. Of course, I poured twice as much coffee liquor as I meant to, but I doubt it would have gone well with the cherry and orange juices as I had hoped, regardless. It was way too bitter to combine with the sweet juices. Tia Maria or Kahlua might fare better as the Starbucks liquor is the bitterest coffee option of the bunch. Or perhaps combining any juice with a coffee taste was simply a bad idea for a cocktail. Fruit flavoring works in coffee, but only when it’s very subtle. Otherwise it just tastes rancid. This . . . tasted rancid.

0 stars

Created 2.22.10.

Tom Yum Thai
685 Cary Towne Boulevard
Village Square Shopping Center, Cary
Website
Entrees: $5.95–$18.95

Tom Yum Thai is an attractive, cozy, modern restaurant near the Cary Towne Center mall and Galaxy Cinema. The room is a mix of booth and tables, with burgundy and muted green walls and gold accents.

Our waiter was very nice and had a fun time correcting the mispronunciation of sriracha by one of our friends. He was also concerned that I didn’t eat much of my entrée, and it took several tries to convince him that I hadn’t eaten much because I had a large lunch, and that I wasn’t taking the leftovers homes because I was headed to a film, not because I didn’t like the meal.

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Les Caves Joseph Bordeaux Rouge 2007
France

This Bordeaux smells peppery and tingles my nose. It is dry and tart, with a berry flavor of deep, dark cherries. There’s an extra layer to it that’s like molasses but not sweet  . . . rum notes?

The wine is very drinkable, especially the more you drink of it! It would likely go better with food than on its own.

3 stars

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Two weeks ago, Ben and I took a vacation to the Disneyworld complex. His sister, Erin, had been chomping at the bit to go back since her honeymoon trip and asked if Ben and I would like to come along with her and her husband, Travis. Being a California girl who used to go to Disneyland every year until I was around 12 or so, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I love the cheesiness that comes with theme parks and I’ve never had any beef with Disney, unlike those anti-Disney throngs of our generation. So, yippee! Play time!

I’m not going to discuss each and every ride, or every little thing we did because that would take forever. First, though, a little bit about taking Amtrak to Orlando. Ben and I have wanted to take a train ride forever as both of us, especially Ben, are getting disenchanted with planes the more expensive and securitized they get. We’re both of a mind that it’s too much hassle taking a plane, especially when there’s not even a basic allotment for one checked bag anymore. We’d rather sacrifice some security in exchange for more liberty and the airline industry and consumer demand for security are making that less and less possible. So, time to try the train! With AAA discounts, it cost about half as much as the flights . . . until you consider the $40 taxi ride to the Disney complex both ways. We ended up meeting a nice van operator right outside the train station, who gave us that cheaper price. A regular taxi would be about $60 for the trip-20 minutes of road. So, add in the extra $80, and it’s no longer as much of a deal, but then again, not paying for parking or baggage fees is handy, so I think we still made out ahead. Disney provides free rides from the airport to the hotels; they really ought to provide it for the train, too, don’t you think? Come on Disney, support public transit!

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I received a press release for another fun foodie event for North Carolinians and am sharing in case any of you are interested. It’s being held at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville, which is getting rave reviews, and is sponsored by the Frankie Lemmon Foundation. What is it? A truffle hunt and celebration! Doing a truffle hunt sounds way fun, but I must admit, I haven’t been sold on the flavor prowess of the truffle yet myself. Yes, I’m averse to fungi, but that’s not the problem for me here–I just haven’t tasted what truffle adds to the party. I think I might need to do a comparison sometime, try a dish without truffle then try one with it and see if I can tell the difference. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to find a restaurant willing to make me two dishes for the price of one for this experiment! Tell me what you think truffle adds in the comments. And go truffle hunting this weekend if you can swing it!

The Second Annual National Truffle Fest
http://www.nationaltrufflefest.com/
Feb 25-27, 2010
Grand Bohemian Hotel
http://www.bohemianhotelasheville.com/
Asheville, NC

Satisfy your culinary cravings by celebrating an earthy treasure, the Truffle.  Truffles, described as “diamonds of the kitchen”, are a type of mushroom grown underground and known for their powerful taste.   For one sumptuous weekend only, award-winning chefs and outstanding winemakers pair up to honor the exquisite and highly prized delicacy.Guests will indulge in sumptuous truffle dishes, take part in cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and even a truffle-dog hunting course.
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