FoodieBuddha.com

I’ve said it before: Taka-san runs an awesome blog!  He’s funny, straight up honest, and also a master of dropping knowledge.  Yesterday, he ran an educational post on tekka-don, natto and a few other healthy Japanese classics (that’s his picture above).

He provides us with a brief history of natto (a fermented Japanese soybean), a visceral explanation, and a detailed break down of all the vitamins, basic nutritional benefits, minerals, and so forth.  I must admit though, I think a good bit of the content was copied straight from the label!  I love Taka’s broken English and much of it was notably well-written.  Thankfully, chief sushi educator that he is, Taka dropped a distinctly classic note at the very end:

Nagaimo, I call Japanese Viagra. This is naturall,  no side effect. Yu can cut it dices or grate. I use this for our okonomiyaki.

The aforementioned typos are simply just the result of Taka’s writing.  Dude’s English is way better than anything I can ever hope for with my Japanese.  Most importantly, Taka’s food and personality make his eponymous restaurant a win-win.

[via S&P]

I’m under a rock right now, hence the dearth of posts since Wednesday.  In the meantime, here’s some stuff you can read elsewhere:

* In case you have joined me under said rock, you’ve probably heard about Eater’s big announcement.  In case you haven’t heard: the online food news outlet launched their Atlanta outpost yesterday.  To head up their Atlanta division, Eater secured the services of Jennifer Zyman, aka The Blissful Glutton.  Zyman, who we learned has a stake in multiple Johnny Rockets, is well known for her work as a restaurant critic over at Creative Loafing.  Fear not avid fans, Zyman confirmed that she will still produce some content for CL, just not at her past rate.
[via Eater Atlanta]

* Speaking of CL, Cliff Bostock just posted his early look of the newly launched No. 246.  The Italian inspired Decatur eatery is the brainchild of Ford Fry and Drew Belline and has gotten a ton of buzz to date.  The weight of said rock has kept me from recapping my visit, but I’ll get to it soon I promise.
[via Creative Loafing]

Continue reading…

Mark August 21st on your calendars ladies and gents.  In a joint event with the Japan American Society of Atlanta (website), Taka Moriuchi, the knife slinging leader of Taka Sushi in Buckhead, is hosting a cooking class.  It starts at 11 am and lasts until 2pm.  For reservations, you need to email axistaka@msn.com.  At only $30/head, this is a steal.  Not only do you get to learn, but you also get LUNCH!!!  Dishes on the schedule include soba and udon soup, okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), and gyoza (dumplings).

[via Taka Blog]

Taka Sushi Cafe Restaurant Address & Information

375 Pharr Rd, Atlanta, GA 30305 // 404.869.2802 // Taka website // Taka menu

It’s been several years since Taka Moriuchi packed his knives, left his position as understudy to sushi God Sotohiro Kosugi (aka the dude who ran the much discussed Soto), and settled in as the leader of Taka Sushi Café.

Much like my father, it took me some time before I warmed to the idea of visiting Taka-san in Buckhead.  Even after Soto departed our fare city, something in me caused this undue shackling of obligations.  Mind you, nothing about that decision had anything to do with the kind and approachable Taka.

Time passed and wounds healed, and so began my long inevitable decent into complacency.  Yes, I finally started to drift in and out of this notable Buckhead establishment.  As it happened, 24-months had flown by since my last soirée, well before the young Buddha was born within.  Rather than try and recall experiences buried in the cobwebs someone might call “my brain,” a recent night cap inspired this infant impression.

Continue reading…

While playing with any convention is dangerous territory, it doesn’t mean it can’t be lighthearted and fun.  I believe that statement is a perfect representation of Taka Moriuchi, the facebooking blogger who also happens to produce some of the better sushi in the city.  Taka-san has a habit of mixing things up a bit, and his burger may just be his best attempt to date.

Japanese food is known for its artful simplicity and its tradition laden techniques.  Still, that doesn’t mean that the cuisine is the least bit static.  Many Japanese chefs, especially those of the sushi persuasion, are at the center of this movement.  Here at this precipice stands the Menchi Katsu burger from Taka Sushi Cafe, that ever popular neighborhood sushi joint located in the glitz of Buckhead.

Continue reading…

Adam (aka guest blogger dude) and I were milling around the Westside a few days ago looking for a place to eat lunch at.  Having spent the previous day gut busting around, I had a hankering for some sushi.  A cheerful banter arose, so back and forth we went until Adam suggested Zen on Ten, an Asian bistro and sushi bar located in the still fresh Ten Side apartment complex.

Having only seen the place in passing, and with no real concrete idea of what to expect, we both settled in on the assumption that Zen on Ten would fill the role of the fast dining sushi option; in other words, what Moe’s is to the burrito, we THOUGHT Zen would be to sushi.  Turns out, we were pleasantly wrong.

Continue reading…

Let’s keep this short but sweet.  Atlanta is full of foodies, full of bloggers, and full of foodies who blog. (I’m looking at you ChowDownAtlanta.com, EatBufordHighway.wordpress.com, EatDrinkMan.blogspot.com, EatItAtlanta.com, TheQuickandDirtyDirty.com, SavoryExposure.com)  The list goes on from there (this is where you take a look at my blogroll about halfway down the page), but those are just a few.

Not surprisingly, more than a handful of local restaurateurs and chefs also put their thoughts down on digital paper.  I have a long list of those that I follow, but here are just a few that grease my monkey (in alphabetical order):

Marla Adams : Babette’s Cafe : http://www.chefmarla.typepad.com/
Adams, who may be the most sporadic of the bloggers listed here, only posts once every handful of weeks.  The blog seems to double as both a inside into some of the goings on at her operation and as a place for her to express herself.  The posts are often deeply personal and it’s always interesting to read someone who puts their plate on a platter (so to speak).

Taka Moriuchi :Taka Sushi : http://sushiandpassion.blogspot.com/
Moriuchi, who has been a fixture in the Atlanta sushi scene since his day’s at Soto, now runs his own joint on Pharr Road in Buckhead, aptly named Taka.  His postings used to be somewhat sporadic, but he’s really picked up the pace since March.  Though there are intermittent stray posts, the majority of them focus on sushi and his restaurant.  He is even kind enough to share a few recipes with us … like this one for okra tempura.

Todd Richards : Lush Life Group : http://cheftoddrichards.blogspot.com/
Richards, who has several establishments around town (Rolling Bones BBQ and One Flew South), drops in about once every couple of weeks.  His posts range from the deeply personal to the deeply off topic.  While it may not always be NSFW, it’s always entertaining and enlightening.

There are a whole bunch of them out there folks, but that list is a good place to start.  Buddha … OUT!