6 June 2025
At work today the blessed algorithm played ‘That’s Life’ by Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. Rebecca was belting it and I sang along as well:
You’re riding high in April, shot down in May,
But I know I’m gonna change my tune
When I’m back on top, back on top in June.
Well it’s goddamn June. So let’s have it.
This week we ordered fish from Luxe Seafood in LA, my old stomping grounds. Back in the day, I used to roll up at 10:45. They closed at 11. I made friends with Nan, who would show up at the same time and equally hungover. As you could imagine we were very popular. Two chiselers, Thai and Japanese, who showed up in the eleventh hour to clean up. There wasn’t a fey Santa Barbara spot prawn or an accidental order of red mullet we didn’t lay our hands on.
Nobu buys in advance. Nan and I found the value. Checking the gills. Doubling back. You can tell when they over bought!
“You Japanese are so particular,” the Teutonic farmer Fritz told me on Tuesday. “The absolute worst,” I replied. He brought me Korean shiso. Don’t look at me.
His spring onions will go nicely in the Mapo Tofu. I’ve refined the recipe so it has that flavor of a night when my mom played cards and my dad and I ate Mapo at the kitchen counter watching Iron Chef.
I’ve taken a deep position on scallops. Ten pound minimum. From the East Coast this time, not Hokkaido. I’ll spare you the sentimental backstory, but it hits the spot. A simple ceviche with sudachi juice that accentuates their natural sweetness. Four ingredients. Pan seared is also nice. Marinated in shio koji. Forget about it.
seasonal crudités with sesame miso bagna cauda
temaki
choice of blue crab, hamachi, or ikura
scallop ceviche
raw sea scallops, sudachi, ikura, aonori
mapo tofu bento
local beef and pork stewed in a spicy Sichuan sauce with tofu over Japanese rice with hiyashi salad, pickles
shiokoji scallop bento
seared sea scallops marinated in shiokoji over Japanese rice with hiyashi salad, pickles
vegan bento
chickpea and buckwheat patties over Japanese rice with hiyashi salad, pickles
chirashi
smoked salmon, raw uni, ikura, scallop, itoyori, hamachi over sushi rice
kyuri sunomono
vinegared cucumber and seaweed salad
Japanese miso potato salad
carrot, pickled cucumber, miso mayo
hiyashi salad
local lettuces, radish, cucumber, sesame ginger dressing
miso shiru
fish stock, white miso, wakame
basque cheesecake
sesame miso cookie