Williamsburg Flea Market

I finally set up a little shop at a flea market to sell my potteries. One of the sunniest Sunday in July, Little Miko's Ceramics started a business in this new Williamsburg Flea Market.




Next to me, this lovely jewelry designer's shop with inspiring display was always busy. She actually liked one of my mini-dishes and bought them to use as a display element. So nice to have my piece be part of such a cute store! My dear husband bought me this beautiful, unique necklace. (24 karas by Elizabeth Karas)

Asian Pork Chop

HUGE pork chop from a great butcher shop in Hell's Kitchen. Marinated in Asian seasoning of soy sauce, fish sauce, chili, garlic, ginger, scallion. The side of Italian beans salad with basil and fresh mint surprisingly worked really nicely with this Asian meat dish.

Kimono Gallery in Wabasha, MN

My mother-in-law introduced this interesting gallery that displays Japanese vintage kimono (kee-mo-no). The Wind Whisper West gallery is in a little town of Wabasha, 2-hour drive away from the Twin Cities along Mississippi river. Who would imagine you could find over 3,000 antique kimono from Japan. Richard, the owner, was stationed in Japan during WWII. He then became an art dealer, and in the last five years he's been collecting old kimono from Japan. Why in Washaba? Because his wife (who by the way is not from Japan) and her family are from this town. He was very interesting and told me lots of stories to the unusual Japanese visitor.

I was unable to take many photos due to the gallery's policy. But Richard let me take a few of my favorite piece. Most of the pieces displayed here are wedding kimono. Some with a very rare design and print, some are the work of famous Japanese designers like Hanae Mori and Yoji Yamamoto.



This kimono uses the color palette inspired by Shintoism. Bright yet subtle color scheme is marvelously placed in such charming details.

On the way home, we had a lunch at the Harbor View Cafe in the town of Pepin, WI. They were very nice and welcoming even though it was just the time they were closing.

A charming interior.

I ordered the catfish with hot salsa. It was really good. But a bit too much flavor in sauce—against my expectation for a light fish meal.

Braised Pork Shank was excellent.

Wind Whipser West - Kimono Gallery
http://www.windwhisperwest.com/Home.html

July 4 in Minnesota

We were invited to the annual July 4 party hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Emmings, good friends of my husband's parents. They have a fabulous house right by a lake. The party has a great reputation for a wonderful meal, not to mention the fun group of people.

This year, it was all about paella. The chef from a local restaurant cooked outside—semi outdoor cooking class.

After waiting for over an hour, a huge, heavy dish was carried down to the shore.

Chicken, clams, crawfish, squid, shrimp, mussels... Thanks to my impeccable skill with eating every part of fish, I probably enjoyed this meal more than anyone.

The meal culminates to the famous Judy's flag cake and homemade ice cream: coffee, lemon buttermilk, strawberry rhubarb.

A lovely July 4 weekend had a perfect weather for paddling, too. Almost a ritual activity for summer in Minnesota.

SUIREN

The two fledgling Japanese restaurants seem to have embarked on a tough challenge of appealing epicurean Williamsburg residences. The only place in this hood for good/decent Japanese dining experience is Zenkichi—except for their prices. So I was quite excited about these newcomers with reasonable pricing. According to my friends, 'qoo' that opened first is not worth trying; poor in both quality and experience. Then comes Suiren. My husband got a flyer and he mentioned the owner was a nice person. After reading good reviews online, I tried Suiren with a few Japanese friends.

Verdict: Unless with a major improvement, I'd never go back.
Reason: The food is a not really good. Although friendly, the waiters don't offer a through service. Almost no Japanese staff here. I have no problem with that alone, but their knowledge of Japanese food/dishes was so poor that we, Japanese, felt awkward and unsatisfied. If they introduce a Japanese culture, I'd like it to be done properly, with a good service Japanese are known for.

As soon as we got there, they told us they had no liquor license. There was no liquor store nearby. I wish they told me that when I called. Our friend managed to pick up some drinks. The waiter served our wine in a tiny glass. With less than a few sips, the glasses went empty. She didn't seem to come back for refills, so we asked for bigger glasses. It wasn't even busy at all... She was probably unfamiliar with this business.

We initially ordered Chicken Nanbam but it was out. I got a bit annoyed by this friendly-yet-inadequate service and asked her what else they didn't have; they were also out of a few other items. Hummm....

Grilled Little Neck Clam
As we were four people, we asked if they could make it 4 pieces instead of 3 on the menu. She checked with the chef and the answer was NO. A bit inflexible, I thought . The clam wasn't fresh. Fishy. Lukewarm. Disappointment.

Eggplant with Miso Paste
It should be so hard to make this dish bad. And they did it. They used Chinese eggplant with really tough skin. Miso paste was overly sweet. I can make a better one.

At this point, it was apparent that this place wasn't owned by a Japanese. Weird as the website was in EN and JP.

Black Edamame
One of the few things we enjoyed. Finally a nice and hot dish.

Iceberg Lettuce Salad
Another so-so dish. Grilled on the surface, served with caesar dressing.

Ramen
They were surprisingly ok. Two flavors: Soy sauce flavor with duck meat, and Miso flavor with veggies. Neither was good on its own. The broth was not rich—no complexity like at Ippudo. Miso version tasted so much of butter, probably a gimmick to add richness. We enjoyed it by blending two flavors.

Desserts
Yuzu Cream Cheese Cake: It wasn't bad. But the yuzu flavor and cream cheese were not in harmony.
Japanese Pancake with Green Tea Ice Cream: The dough was too tough and the ice cream melted completely. Not something you want to pay for.

I hope they will get better soon.

Lovin' It!

My new hair salon uses Malin+Goetz's shampoo. According to the stylist, many of organic products are not moisturizing enough for Asian hairs—but Malin+Goetz is an exception. So I walked in to miomia, a cosmetic/body care store who carries their products. Among tons of hair products, the owner and my friend Katie actually recommended me this series called CUTLER, which she loves and uses herself. They are cheaper than Malin+Goetz and very hydrating. I've never found shampoo with such long-lasting scent. It is indeed very hydrating, too. I use the intensive conditioner and extra gentle shampoo, which smells a bit stronger than the regular ones. My relative who was staying with us noticed the smell after I took a shower, fell in love with the scent and became a fan of CUTLER. I highly recommend this product, especially to Asian girls with thick, dry hair.

Another favorite of mine from this store is the Marvis toothpaste. Read the post on this.

Visit miomia online shop