Moroccan dinner in the Nolita District

My friend Hiroko and I were very lucky to find a perfect little table by the window as we entered Cafe Gitane. This is a small Moroccan restaurant located in the Nolita District in NY. Apparently, you are usually expected to wait for an hour for dinner, so we were very lucky.

We ordered cous cous, some eggplant dish, carrot salad, and an avocado toast that I hear everyone raving about... All very nice dishes that went perfecty with the fruity red wine that we had, to catch up on the last few years of our life. It was a lovely start of my NY trip!




Cafe Gitane
242 Mott St., New York, NY 10012
212-334-9552

Dupont Circle in the morning sunshine

I am taking the bus from DC to go to NYC for the weekend. Dupont Circle where most of these "luxury" buses (for only $50 round-trip!) take off, looked lovely in the morning sunshine. Apparently we are to have beautiful weather over this weekend. Happy long weekend to everyone in the U.S.!

The incredible Rachel Zoe Project

The first thing I did once I arrived in my hotel in DC was to watch Bravo TV, and there it was! The Rachel Zoe Project!

It's probably the most institutionalized that styling could ever get (vs. making the clothes) outside of editorials like Elle and Vogue. As such, everything is taken super serious.

You have to watch it to get what I mean. For example Rachel tells her assistant that he can stand by Anne Hatahway as she changes during the Oscar, and he breaks into real tear for 15 minutes and he can't talk. Rachel really gets that this is the moment of his life.

I remember that in season 1, the same assistant made the biggest mistake of his life of not bringing along nipple hider bandage (or some name of that sort) when test-dressing Cameron Diaz, and he gets the treatment beyond being fired.

I seriously love the show and respect the crazy seriousness of Rachel's work. I think serious counts and makes everything beautiful...

Photo credit: Bravotv.com

Back in DC

It's funny to be back in DC. I thought it would be more depressing with people tightening their wallet. But alas, I went to Georgetown and people are still shopping in frenzy. Americans are bravely supporting their macro economy in the best way they know.

Yesterday and today, I was in Charlottsville for a no-substance work thing. The leaves were starting to turn red and yellow here, and sitting by the lake was breathtaking...

Mika Tsutai's anime plates

I saw about this new artist in the ANA airplane magazine as I flew from Tokyo to DC today. This woman Mika Tsutai created plates that are pieces of anime pages and boxes, on which you can put your lovely food on. I thought it's very smart, and would definitely make your food stand out.

Brief dining stop in Tokyo, at Restorante-mondo

Today I made another brief stop in Tokyo, for a very nice Italian dinner in Jiyugaoka at Ristorante Mondo.

My childhood friend Junko’s brother’s friend’s mother’s friend’s etc etc owns the restaurant. The chef has been very well trained in Italy having been with 3-star restaurants, as well as a very well known Italian in Omotesando, thereafter to start his own place.

The food was a combination of very amazing and delicately prepared dishes and traditional home cooked Italian (Japan portion), all served in a course for US$80. I can’t forget the beef carpaccio that melts in your mouth and the dessert made of watermelon bits and yogurt ice cream (photo above). Mmmmmm…



Everything about this restaurant was very, extremely carefully planned. The plates, the windows opening into the different parts of the artistic garden, and the art work scattered there around were so intricate, including this glass object made for the restaurant by a special artisan to warmly welcome guests.



Restorante-mondo
3-13-11 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
+81-3-3725-6292