After living in Alabama, North Dakota and Minnesota, I am now living in northern Florida - Tallahassee, to be exact. I have many friends who lived in Tally for a few years or who currently live here, and they all had their favorite places to eat. So I started exploring those places first - Kool Beanz, Food Glorious Food, Clusters and Hops, and so on.

After spending 4 months in Tally, the restaurant I and my husband frequent the most is…Kool Beanz. It’s usually very packed and noisy, and service can be slow. But this restaurant has a charm and flavor that appeal to me. I also like the fact that they try to use local, seasonal, and organic ingredients. They change the menu daily, but some items do come back. Here are a few things that I like: coconut cream cake (very sweet but so smooth and delicious!), any fried fish (a lot of their main dishes are fried or deeply sauteed, and they are usually yummy), crab cakes (when Steve is in the kitchen - other times they were not as good). My husband likes their fried chicken (not drumstick or bone-in, but a big piece of chicken breast!) and flank steak with gorgonzola herb butter. The price is not too expensive, although some people might feel it is bit pricey considering the atmosphere. To me this restaurant feels like a fun place to try out a lot of southern style or southern inspired food.

Both my husband and I need to eat super hot Thai food every now and then. We tried every Thai restaurant in town and decided to go to Reang Thai when we have that need. Reang Thai’s price is a few dollars more than one would expect from a Thai restaurant, but this was common in other Thai restaurants in Tallahassee as well. Some common dishes (Pad Thai, Pad See Yu, Khao Pad) might come out a bit different from the most common style. (for example, the chef might not put egg in the noodles unless you specifically ask for it/ curries are not as sweet or thick as some of the other Thai restaurants I tried) I like that the vegetable and other ingredients are fresh and well prepared. Thai-hot dishes are quite fiery and flavored with Thai chili peppers, not with some chili sauce or hot sauce. We usually order Crispy duck, Larb, and Green curry with tofu.

Oh, and I am very happy that there is a locally owned French style bakery in town - Au Peche Mignon! I try to go there when the croissants and brioches just come out of the oven, which is about 10:15am. The brioches are very nice with soft texture and yeasty flavor. (I like their brioches more than the croissants.) APM’s croissants are good, but I prefer the Patisserie 46 style with a bit sweeter and crusty exterior. But still their croissants are folded by hands and have buttery, soft flavor. I also like a few of their pastries - mocha tart with chocolate casing, coffee flavored butter cream, and almond flavored tart/ hazelnut merringue/ tiramisu. Their chocolate truffles are also fine. The only thing I did not like here was probably macarons. (I like macarons with finer texture and more inventive fillings, but again, this is probably a personal preference.)

Other things we liked so far:

* Mac and Cheese with collard greens and tasso at Food Glorious Food - this is quite yummy!!!!

* Fun menu and good food at Cypress (food was also good, but I only ate here once so don’t remember much)

* Mac and Cheese from Cluster and Hops.

I have yet to try out and find some good pizza places, Italian restaurants, seafood and BBQ joints, and Cajun restaurants. I hope I will find many more good places to blog about in and around Tally!

P.S. I will write about Liam’s and Grassroot coffee in Thomasville later.

I and my husband stayed in Minneapolis for 10 days in October, in an apartment on 9th Street above Hell’s Kitchen. On my last day (Sunday) I needed to grab some brunch before our performance at The Cowles Center. It was around 11:30am, and the wait at Hell’s Kitchen was 90 minutes. Key’s Cafe down the street was no better - 30 minute wait. Both places were totally packed and so loud. When it seemed almost impossible to grab a seat or any food, my friend who invited us to the brunch had a brilliant idea to go to a hotel near The Cowles Center - Graves 601. We headed to the 4th floor and voila, there was no wait and their brunch was one of the best I have had in a long time. (Later I found out that this is a very well rated and highly favored hotel/ restaurant.)

My husband ordered Eggs Benedict with breakfast potatoes; I ordered Eggs Benedict and a half order of Belgian waffles.  We also had coffee. Our dishes came with a complimentary shot of fruit smoothie.

Food: Eggs Benedict often comes with overcooked or runny eggs, rancid or sour tasting Hollandaise sauce, and almost burned muffin. But not here! Our Eggs Benedict had very delicate Hollandaise sauce. Eggs were beautifully poached, and the English muffin was soft and warm. Canadian bacon was delicious and juicy. Belgian Waffle was also very satisfactory - not too big or soggy, crispy outside and buttery inside. I think the blueberry compote and mango creme fraiche were almost unnecessary, but the waffles were still delicious with some maple syrup and butter. The coffee was also very good - much, much better than what you can get at any regular brunch joints. And the waiter kept refreshing the pot, which was nice.

Price: Eggs Benedict for $12/ Belgian Waffle for $12. (Our friend paid for it, so I don’t know how much the half order waffle was.) Everything on the menu seemed reasonable. It’s a restaurant in a high-end hotel, and the menu was much better (and better priced) than other hotels in downtown Minneapolis.

Service: A bit stiff, but still very good and professional.

Atmosphere: Sleek and modern. Nice dishes, silverware, and furniture. Not too pretentious.. maybe a bit “cold”

Overall: A great place for a quiet brunch - what a nice surprise and a find! I just hope I am not spilling the beans or anything.  Great food at a reasonable price with good atmosphere and service. I checked out their dinner menu, and it looks great. A lot of restaurants in downtown MSP are over-priced (Vietnamese spring rolls for $11?!) and sub-par, but this restaurant seems different. I would definitely go back for their dinner.

Phone: 612-312-1168/ Website: http://www.cosmosrestaurant.com

George’s is charming and precious. I just don’t know how else to describe this little white restaurant on the Alys Beach.

One of my dear friend - a beautiful Southern lady, who enjoys playing tennis and doing all kinds of volunteer work - introduced this restaurant to me when I was visiting her in Rosemary Beach, FL. One of the owners of this restaurant (Ann Hartley) loves frogs for some reason, so the restaurant is full of frog-themed objects. The menu is simple enough - burger, fish taco, BL(green)T, and some fried seafood plates and salad items. The service can be a bit slow as it’s always packed with people. But it’s just so …charming! If this restaurant was in downtown somewhere, I don’t think it’d be the same. It just works beautifully with the pristine beach, friendly owner who’s mostly there unless she’s traveling to Paris, and fresh seafood.

The food is really great. I have had their grouper sandwich (”misbehaved”, meaning fried), fish taco, vegetarian soba salad, and a few desserts. They always use great ingredients, and whatever you get is not too salty, but always very flavorful.

Some people complain that it’s overpriced, but I don’t feel that way. It’s on a beach that’s a vacation place. And the food and the charm make you happy. I would be OK paying $12-15 (or $20 with a dessert) for my little happiness.

Below was a pecan crust tart with local berries and honey. So yummy! (and big.)

This restaurant opened only about 3 years ago (in 2008), but has many loyal followers. If you are ever in 30-A area, visiting Rosemary Beach or Seaside, make sure you go visit George’s. You may have to wait for your table and it may get very warm and noisy inside, but that’s part of the charm.

I lived in Montgomery, AL, for about a year (2006 -7 ) and visited quite a few times after moving up north. It’s not a huge city but has enough good restaurants to feed a hungry visitor.

La Jolla - located in the East Chase shopping center. This is a huge restaurant with modern deco and sophisticated menu. Their lunch is better than the dinner. Ahi-Tuna salad with Asian vegetables and seaweed was my favorite, and their dessert is also very good. Whenever you see something “Southern” on the menu, grab that! (6854 East Chase Parkway/ 334-356-2600/ www.lajollamontgomery.com)

City Grill -I ate here only twice, as this is one of the most expensive places to eat in Montgomery (along with the Olive Room and ) but I really liked what I had. It’s a quiet and elegant place. (8147 Vaughn Rd./ 333-244-0960)

Olive Room - located downtown. A huge place with elegant deco, good service, and good menu. Probably a good place to take out-of-towners or first-time-visitors. (121 Montgomery Ave/ 334-262-2763)

Michael’s Table is also cute and nice. Some things are Tapas-inspired, and they use good ingredients. Creative (sometimes a bit pretentious) menu, and friendly staff. Some inconsistency in the dishes, but I think it’s worth a visit.(2960-A Zelda Place/ www.michaelstable.net/ 334-272-2500)

Cafe M at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has a beautiful view and big windows, and their chicken salad is good. It’s a lovely space with lovely staff, if not the best food in town. And I love the Shakespeare park! (One museum road/ 334-240-4338)

Derek’s Fillet and Vine sells fried chicken, vegetable sides, and selection of soup. I love their seafood gumbo, although it’s not made everyday. (431 Cloverdale Road/ www.filletandvine.com/ 334-262-8463)

Oh, and if you have a friend who has a membership to the Wynnlake Country Club, their food is excellent. (Better than the Montgomery Country Club, in my opinion)

Montgomery has quite a few Korean restaurants (thanks to the Hyundai plant), Japanese, Thai and Chinese restaurants and an Indian restaurant plus a Vietnamese restaurant.

Indian Palace is pretty good. I have a friend who lives in Troy, AL (45 minutes drive) who drives frequently to Montgomery just to eat their food! (3007 McGee Road/ 334-281-1200)

Among the Thai places, I think Ala Thai is the safest choice. It has three locations, and my favorite location is the one on the railroad. Good Pad Thai, spicy and tasty Num-Ttok, and spicy basil stir-fry dishes. Some people preferred Lek’s, which also serves sushi items.

Arirang - their kitchen does not seem to be too clean, but this restaurant serves BBQ on the table grills (and the BBQ items are better than other items on the menu). Try the Galbi or Spicy pork. Their dishes tend to be salty, but it’s a little better than the other Korean restaurants in Montgomery. (1633 Eastern Blvd./ 334-215-3251)

There is no good Chinese restaurant in Montgomery, though. Everything is like fast food Chinese or sad buffet. Emperor’s Garden on McGhee Road was the only place I and my husband would go when it was absolutely necessary.

For sushi rolls, I liked Miyako the best. (I would not order any nigiri or anything fancy like Uni in any small cities in America. Just rolls or other cooked Japanese dishes.) I like the Lobster roll (although it has a lot of mayonnaise) and spicy tuna rolls. Miyako also makes “Hoe-Dup-Bap,” if you special-order it! It’s a Korean style sashimi dish with rice that comes with a lot of raw fish, lots of thinly sliced vegetables, and spicy sweet and sour Gochujang. (8173 Vaughn Rd/ 334-215-2275)

Montgomery did not have a good bakery or a coffee shop that served good espresso. Cafe Louisa or Cool Beans downtown are the closest thing you will find. (Their espresso drinks are far from being excellent, but the best in Montgomery.)

Cool Beans - It’s in downtown. A good place for a quick lunch and coffee. I loved their morning orchard muffins! (115 Montgomery Street/ 334-269-6200)

Cafe Louisa - walking distance from the Huntingdon college. This place has nice smoothies (a bit expensive, but made with real fruit and yogurt) and great bread pudding. Their sausage-cheese biscuit is excellent, too. This place uses Higher Ground organic coffee beans, but their beans tend to be a bit over-roasted and give burned flavor. (1034 E. Fairview Ave/ www.cafelouisa.com/ 334-264-4241)

Tomatino next door to the Cafe Louisa has nice pizza. (www.tomatinos.com/ 334-264-4241)

P.S. I used to like Nancy Paterson’s Bistro, but it appears that they have closed the restaurant. That’s too bad.. I will miss the mocha cake!

P.P.S. I also never ate at any of the BBQ joints or a true Southern places with meat and two..but people seem to like Dreamland. Also there is a popular seafood restaurant called Jubilee in Old Cloverdale. Straight-forward fresh seafood, and fun staff.

Again, I introduce a gem in a very busy area without decent coffee culture - that is Myungdong. It’s always jam packed with young couples, tourists, and shoppers of all ages.

Of course there are a lot of coffee shops in Myungdong, but they are mainly chain cafes such as Starbucks, Beans Bins, etc. There is an old fashioned cafe called “Gamu,” but it’s a place to visit more for the nostalgia not for excellent coffee. (They serve “Vienna Coffee” which is strong coffee with lots of whipped cream, not made from milk fat)

For someone who’s looking for a decent single-serve coffee or a good cup of macchiato using the micro-roasted beans, Jeonkwangsoo coffee is a safe choice. Mr. Jeon is one of the so-called “2nd generation coffee people,” and has almost 20 years of experience in the coffee business. Well trained baristas work here, and the price of the “hand-drip” coffee is between 5000-6000 won ($5-6), which is pretty good for the location and the style. They roast their own beans, and there is a coffee academy next door. Their espresso machine is Dalla Corte.

It has become a bit too famous during the past 1-2 years, and they have a few branches all over Seoul and one in Wonjoo. Sometimes the cafe is just too busy (especially when there is a large group of middle-age women. Oh boy they are loud.) But still it’s a cafe where you can be assured of a decent cup of coffee.

They also serve “Thick-Faced Toast” (낯두꺼운 토스트) with butter and jam, but the toast is a bit too thick and dry. Nice jam, though!

Location: Namsan-Dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea (Take the subway line #4/ get off Myungdong station/ Go out via exit #3/ Take the left fork in front of the Pacific hotel and walk for 1-2 minutes. You will see a small coffee shop with a big window on your left.)

Hours: 10am to 10pm

Website: http://jeonscoffee.co.kr/next

Phone: (82) 2-778-0675

Early morning with a just-baked baguette or a warm and flaky croissant and a cup of double espresso macchiato - these are some of my favorite things in the world. I get happy just thinking of them. Recently I found a very happy place that makes wonderful baguettes, croissants, and French tarts and pastries along with decent espresso drinks, called “Patisserie 46.” (I found it while reading a magazine about Minneapolis.)

Patisserie 46 is located in a nice neighborhood. A tasteful sign that blends well with the red bricks welcomes you.

My first visit to Patisserie 46 was during a sunny, cold weekend in late February 2011. There were a lot of people enjoying themselves and it was quite noisy and loud. I asked if I could take photos, and the manager said “yes, of course - fire away!” There were so many people that I shied away from some details, but I think one can get glimpses of this wonderful place via a few of my photos.

I got a piece of quiche Lorraine with organic salad - crunchy, buttery crust filled with nicely balanced egg, cream and bacon bits. The organic salad had a mustard-y dressing and delicious yellow cherry tomatoes! And this was only $7.  My husband got a corned beef and steamed cabbage on baguette for about $6.5. I loved the jute-string presentation, but this sandwich fell a little short compared to the quiche (nothing special or extraordinary, but still good). I also had a chocolate croissant ($2), Canele de Bordeaux ($2.5), and 3 macarons (Pistacchio, Earl Grey, and Mango with white chocolate, $1.75 each)

Their double espresso macchiato ($2.75) was good enough - nothing to compare to famous espresso bars, but good for a bakery. No complaints! And the condiment bar has organic cane sugar packs. They source their coffee from Wisconsin’s Great Rivers Roastery, and they use an Astoria machine.

I got their macarons purely out of curiosity. Macarons have become the next best thing after cupcake fad in Korea, and people are crazy about them. I understand that these little meringue cookies are super tricky to make, and the flavor selection can be very interesting. I liked the mango macaroon the best - earl grey was too strong, and pistachio was a bit boring. I think these make a very good dessert option when you’re so full but still wanting something sweet to finish off a meal.

Patisserie 46’s chocolate croissant is awesome - lots of butter flavor, really moist inside, and crusty outside without being too messy.  Canele was good, too. I took home a plain croissant, almond financier, and l’Opera cake as well as a baguette. Their plain croissant was one of the best croissants I have ever had, even compared to the ones in France. The almond financier was also very good. The opera cake was a little bit disappointing as the sheet was too thin and there was too much syrup. I think I will give it another try next time I visit. I am just happy that they carry this fancy little cake! The baguette was also very very good..crusty outside, yeasty and fragrant inside that is moist. I like the baguette at Rustica a little bit more, but both are very good baguettes. Lucky MSP people..!

On my second visit, I bought more macarons, one apricot mousse bomb, and a blood orange tart. The apricot mousse bomb was fantastic! It looked so precious, and it had an amazing construction of custard cream and apricot mousse inside the caramel coating. The taste was so refreshing and complex. I highly recommend this! The blood orange tart, by comparison, was just OK. I also tried three more flavors of macarons - mango and white chocolate, strawberry rhubarb, caramel and orange. These are very well made and just fancy enough (but not too fancy like a foie-gras macaron), but I think I would rather spend my money on more substantial desserts from now on. Macarons are just not my cup of tea. (BTW - someone on an online review site commented that the macarons at Patrick’s are better than Patisserie 46’s. I went to check it out and concluded that really people have different tastes and opinions..)

Other good things: The orange colored walls and dark brown furniture create a warm and playful atmosphere. Nice clerks. They also serve many kinds of chocolates and gelato along with many selections of desserts in the showcase.

Something to keep in mind: Coffee drinks can take a while.  It’s always packed and it’s a very clanking, noisy place. It might overwhelm a first-timer as you need to line up as soon as you enter the store and one of the clerks will ask “Do you know what you want?” before you take a look at the showcase and the tiny little menu items. Oh, and you might experience that many things are sold out as early as 11am.

John Kraus is the owner and the baker of Patisserie 46. Quite famous guy..! I talked to him a little bit on my second visit, and he was so pleasant. (He was the winner of USA Pastry Championship in 2002. You can check out his interview with “Heavy Table” here:  http://heavytable.com/john-kraus-of-patisserie-46/

Also you can check out his short bio here:  http://www.usmenuguide.com/frenchpastryschool.htm

I made a few more visits after my initial 2 visits, and every time I am pleased. I hope this charming neighborhood gem will make many more people happy for many more years!

I lived in Fargo-Moorhead area for 4 years and visited Minneapolis as much as I could. One of my husband’s cousins lives in MSP, and he gave me a few recommendations including Rustica, Quang’s Vietnamese restaurant, Little Szechuan, Tampopo, and La Belle Vie. I have visited most of them, and finally decided to write about some of them as well as other favorite spots that I discovered on my own. I am starting with the Rustica Bakery.

This bakery is now quite well known to MSP residents. Sometimes the line is too long and the service gets slow, but it’s a pleasant place to visit and enjoy great breads, very good desserts, and simple and good sandwiches. It also serves good coffee- not my favorite, but good enough. The Dogwood coffee used to run a bar here as a part of “Bull Run Coffee”. They used to serve Hario drip and Syphon. Now Dogwood Coffee has their own coffee bar, and Rustica serves only espresso drinks or brewed coffee with a Clover machine. I used to be curious about Clover when it was getting a lot of hype, but I think any coffee brewed with Clover has a bit of muddy texture and unclean flavor.  I think single-serve coffee using Hario or Bonmac has far superior flavor, aroma and texture. Their baristas are well trained and skilled, but the Dogwood espresso blend is not my favorite. (too sour and, strangely enough, soy-bean like flavor..! I think it’s a personal thing.)

If I had to choose, I would pick croissants from the Patisserie 46 (will write about this soon), but Rustica’s croissants are still very flaky and subtly sweet. Any of their breads would make anybody’s day happier. I like their baguette and multi-grain loaves. Try their bread with butter option - you get to choose what you want to eat, except the baguette.

I also like some of their sandwich selections and dessert selections. (Eclairs are good, but a bit too big/ pies good, cookies good.) All in all, this is a great place and I would make sure to visit if I am driving into or leaving MSP. Oh, and don’t forget the fresh squeezed orange juice!

Rustica Bakery: 3224 West Lake Street, Minneapolis/ Tel: 612-822-1119

Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday - Sunday: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Website: www.rusticabakery.com

The concert choir of the school that I work at is going to Korea for their international tour this summer. Since I am from Korea and spent more than half of my life there (and I go back every year), I was asked to answer some questions from the students. I would like to share my answers to whoever is planning to go to Korea!

Currency… get some before or there? - Korean currency is “won”. As of April 2011, $1 equals to about 1090 won. Change money while you are there, either at the airport or in the city. In my opinion Korean Exchange Bank has the best rate and service. Woori bank is also nice. If you are in Itaewon, you may be able to bargain as well!

Clothing? What is normal? What should we pack? - Weather in Korea is much like weather in America, say NYC. Summer is hot and winter is cold! May is not the hottest month, but the summer weather has been gradually getting warmer and more humid during the past few years.

What clothing shouldn’t we wear? - shorts? - Yes, Korean people do wear shorts during summertime. But it’d be wise not to wear shorts or flip-flops when visiting Buddhist temples or any other religious place. May is not a very hot month, so you may want to bring some cardigans and other spring cover-ups.

Converters for electrical devices? - Korea uses the 220 (same as European countries) with round ends. So you do need to bring a converter.

What are our options for internet access? - Many hotels and coffee shops in the city will have free Wi-Fi. Incheon airport has many free Wi-Fi spots. South Korea is one of the most wired places in the world, so you won’t have any problems!

What is the food like? - Korean traditional food is based on rice+@ pattern. Unless you are at a BBQ place, you will usually get a dish and a few (or many) side dishes consist of various cooked vegetables and kimchi (pickled cabbage or radish). Sometimes noodle can replace rice. Some dishes are hot - usually colored red! Some dishes are very mild.

What food should we experience - ie your favorites - You should try Bibim-bap, which is a rice dish with various cooked vegetables and fried egg on top/ mixed with some hot pepper paste and sesame oil. If you are a meat-lover, try “Galbi” (grilled marinated beef ribs) or “Bulgogi”. “Ttokgalbi” is also good (it’s like a round hamburger patty with sweet and savory soy sauce marinade.) “Haemul-pa-jeon” is very popular and yummy savory pancake with green onion and various seafood. “Nok-du-jeon” is another savory pancake made with mungbean flour and various toppings. One of my favorite dishes is “Naeng-Myun” (cold buckwheat noodle with cold soup/ or spicy paste and some spicy fermented fish), which can be strange at first but becomes quickly addictive!

If you are an adventurous eater, try “Kimchi zigae” (Kimchi soup usually made with fatty pork) or “Kimchi-bokum-bap” (Fried rice made with chopped kimchi and other vegetables and meats). If you are ever in a Chinese restaurant in Korea, try “Tangu-yuk” (Sweet and sour pork) and “Jajang-myun” (stir fried noodle with black bean sauce). Koreanized Chinese food is fantastic and addictive!

If you get tired of eating Korean foods, you can easily find bakeries, hamburger and sandwich shops. (There are McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Papa Johns, Smoothie King, and other American franchise restaurants in Seoul.) Among the Korean franchise bakeries, Paris Baguette and Twosome Place are good choices. There are so many great food places in Seoul, so just explore and have fun!

One of the best places to see and eat a lot of different cuisines is the basement of any department stores. (Hyundai and Lotte are two big department chains in Korea.) The whole floor is packed with bakeries, smoothie-shop, ice cream shop, coffee store, fried food shop, dumpling shop, and many many other restaurants and grocery stores. If you have time, go visit the Lotte department store in Myung-dong area. It’s fabulous! Top floors of department stores present more sit-down, formal (and more expensive) restaurants, but the basement is more fun.

What shopping items are a great value for Americans? - Clothes, shoes and accessories. Koreans make such amazing quality clothes and jewelry at such amazing prices! Many street shops in Myung-Dong area and other shopping centers (Dongdaemun market, for example) exhibit a huge array of fashion items ranging from cute pajamas to high-end looking bags. Also you can find many attractive stationary items as well as traditionally made paper items and potteries. Korean traditional brass-ware spoons and chopsticks would make good souvenir.

Phrases to know? - Hello - [Annyung-ha-se-yo]/ Thank you - [Kamsa-Hamnida] or [Komap-sumnida]/  Excuse me - [Shille-hamnida]

What are the people like? - Younger generation is more outgoing and Westernized. Usually Korean people are very friendly and willing to help foreigners. You may notice that Korean women are very well-dressed, even on a college campus and commuting trains!

How are Americans viewed? - I don’t think there is any conformed ideas about Americans, although many people may think that “Americans” = white Caucasians.

How to conduct ourselves - ie rude loud Americans? - Just do whatever seems polite to you. Public smoking or loud conversations are rude, for example. Korean people are physically a bit conservative, so personal space is important. A lot of people are now used to the idea of hugging friends, but not someone they just met. Also you should get used to the formal bow - a lot of people say hello and goodbye that way.

Character: personal grace, dignity, respect for elders - Koreans are proud people. Also they respect elders, although sometimes you see some conflict between old people demanding unconditional respect/ younger people who want to claim their own rights.  For example - young people would usually stand up if they see an old person standing in front of them. But sometimes old people tell younger people to stand up just because they are older and they want to sit down.

What is a brief history of S. Korea that might help us understand the Korean people - Well, this is not a question that I can answer shortly or easily. However you need to know about the Korean War n the middle of the 20th century and Japanese occupation during the early part of the 20th century. East Sea is a very sensitive issue (Japanese people keep pushing the political agenda to say that is a “Sea of Japan”).

Itinerary details, short paragraphs about each city? - Seoul is the capital city of South Korea. Very dynamic, always changing, amazingly crowded, and incredibly modernized place. Kyungjoo is a very historic place as it was the capital city of Shilla dynasty (3 Countries - Shilla - Coryo - Chosun - and Republic of Korea). There are beautiful temples, towers and tombs in Kyungjoo. Daegu is a very hot and dry place. You may notice different dialect in that area, which is very different from what people in Seoul use.

Do-s/ don’t-s - Don’t lift your bowl (soup or rice) when you are eating.  This is considered OK in Japan and China, but not in Korea. Also don’t blow your nose at the table.

What to expect at homestays? Gifts? Monestary? - Get used to the idea of taking your shoes off when entering someone’s home. Even if there is carpet in the living room, Koreans take their shoes off and keep everything clean. For gifts, Vitamins and Omega-3 are very appreciated. Also things from popular brand names such as Polo and Burberry. (The prices for these brands are 2-3 times higher in Korea.) A lot of people drink coffee, so good coffee beans from famous American roasters (Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, Peet’s, etc.) would be nice as well.

What should we hope to gain from this tour? - Experiencing a country that you have never been before would be a very valuable thing for any young student. Also the standard for classical music performance is really high in Korea as well as the quality of performance venues throughout the country.

What books should we read to help us prepare? - I think the following two websites would do just fine:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea

ENJOY your visit to Korea!

Samurai Japanese Cuisine in Fargo has been open for only a few weeks, but it has already generated a lot of buzz. (Last week I got 2 emails from my friends urging me to check it out!)

I have so far tasted their Chirashi, Mackerel (saba) sushi, Ikura (salmon roe) sushi, spider roll, volcano roll, green curry with tofu, shrimp and vegetable tempura and tempura ice cream. I was skeptical at first as they have such a huge menu that ranges from nigiri sushi to Singapore noodle and general Tso’s chicken, but everything I had was surprisingly good.

First of all their fish quality is probably the best in town. The white tuna and salmon on my chirashi were of very good quality. (although it did not have a lot of fish considering the price at $17.95) Many new restaurants tend to put out their best in the first few weeks and then eventually downgrade. But I hope the ingredient quality at Samurai will continue to be good.

I also liked the way they cook their sushi rice. (In my humble opinion, sushi is as much about rice as it is about fish.) Of course you can’t compare it to the sushi you eat at great restaurants in Japan, where the sushi master takes amazing amount of care for their vinegar, rice, particular kind of salt, etc. But at least it was not sticky or gummy or too sweet as some of other sushi places in town, and the rice-other ingredients ratio was very good as well.

Ikura sushi was good enough, but the seaweed outside was a bit dried out. Probably it would be better if I sit at the sushi dai and eat the sushi as soon as it’s made. Spider roll and saba sushi were good, too. Volcano roll was tasty but probably won’t order again as it’s a bit too big and on the pricey side without being special.

Shrimp tempura was very good. Japanese tempura is not made with panko, and it should have light and crispy texture to it. The tempura at Samurai was better than any other tempura that I had in town. To my taste it had a bit too much little “tempura flowers,” but still very crispy and light. The shrimp quality was good, and the oil was drained very well. Tempura sauce was also good.

Thai green curry  was tasty, too. Unusual to have fried potato pieces in Thai curry, but everything else was well balanced and it was made with good ingredients. Salad and miso soup are OK. I looked at other tables, and all the food looked good. (Pad Thai, Crab cake, tuna dumpling, etc.)

I talked to the manager, John, for a little bit. I asked him how he manages to have such a big menu, and he told me that there is a “master top chef” who knows everything in the kitchen, and there is also a chef only dedicated to doing teriyaki stuff. There are also 2 sushi chefs at the sushi dai. Interior is very modern and minimal, (the blue light makes you feel like you are in the Tron: Legacy!) and the service is good. Since my husband liked eating at Samurai and won’t refuse to go, I think I will be back for sure. At least it’s worth trying for more than once, just to check out the menu.

They don’t have a website up yet, so here are a few essential information:

Address & Phone number: 1775 45th Street South, Suite B/ 701-356-8882

Open hour: Monday-Thursday 11am till 10pm (11am - 3pm, lunch hour)/ Friday and Saturday 11am till 10:30pm/ Sunday noon till 9pm

Sample menu:

Miso soup $2.5, Tom Yum Soup with shrimp $3.95

Samurai seafood salad $10.50

Gyoza $4.95, Beef negimaki $7.50, Crab cake with pineapple salsa $6.95, Shrimp tempura $7.50

Usual items for nigiri sushi and sashimi from $4.50-$7.95

Many choices for special rolls and what they call “sashimi roll” $4.95 - $19.50/ Chirashi $17.95/ Unagi-don $15.95

Fusion Asian entrees such as lychee duck, grand manier shrimp, soft shell crab Thai style

Other items include Thai curry and basil sauce stir fries/ Japanese noodle soup (Udon)/ Chinese items such as eggplant with garlic sauce and Genera Tso’s chicken, Japanese teriyaki, etc.

UPDATE (as of February 10, 2011) - I have visited three more times after this initial review and tried many other dishes. I think sushi is still OK, and some Thai dishes (green curry and pad Thai). Udon was not good at all (broth was salty and not flavorful/ had same vegetables as the Tom Yum), and the tempura had an odd detergent (?) taste.

Still a very nice service, good sushi rice, and variety that a lot of my friends liked. Not sure if I want to keep this in “Good eats in America” category, but it’s the best Asian/Japanese restaurant in FM area in my opinion.