raysrestaurants

Hello everyone!

My exploration of Brooklyn continues! At the recommendation of Jason, a friend who was nice enough to stay at his place in Brooklyn, I went to the local Sushi join, Koto - sushi and steak. Now, I think that I’d like to just express my excitement at first hearing the name of this place, simply because my two favorite foods just happen to be sushi and steak. Anyways, I found my way to the place and entered what seemed like a pretty legit Japanese sushi restaurant. I ordered the the Sushi and chiken teriyaki lunch special, which was only about 12 dollars - a great deal. The chicken teriyaki was so-so; it was a little dry and a liitle bit over-drenched with sauce (but it was still tasty in my opinion). What was wonderful was the sushi! It melted in my mouth and made me want to order more (although I was stuffed from the meal). In addition to the teriyaki and the great sushi (Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, and Yellow Tail, along with a California Roll), the lunch set also came with three gyoza (Japanese dumplings), salad, and soup.

The service was extremely nice, and I really enjoyed the meal. The chinese sushi chef did a great job doing justice to his craft, and though the place was rather empty, it felt nice and cozy (as do most things in Brooklyn!).

I’d definitely make a return trip, though next time, I’d definitely try some of the chef’s signature rolls (Koto Narudo). There’s even one roll that has gold leaf in it! Maybe when I’m feeling rich, I’ll get that.

Here is the info on the restaurant:

552 Henry St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Get Directions
(718) 222-8055
kotosushi.com‎

Happy eating everyone!
Rayray

Hi all,

So at the recommendation of one of our friends Jason, we went to this small French brunch joint called Patois (pronounced Pat-twah just in case you don’t know any French like me).  On Sundays, they have this great set deal which allows you to get bread and butter, an entree, and unlimited mimosas all for 13 dollars.  Suffice it to say that the unlimited mimosas were worth every dollar, but to add on to that we had complimentary bread of three types with some of the creamiest butter I’ve ever tasted.

In any case,  I decided on the Quiche Lorraine, while Eri had the fritatta, which was equally as delicious.   Both of the selections were quite good, and the portions were very large (the quiche came with a mesclun salad).  Though the place was packed (as expected given the deal), it was cozy and the service was very friendly and quite attentive.  I highly suggest you check it out, and if possible, get there early and you might get to sit in the garden in the back.  I hear it’s quite beautiful.  Again, the brunch deal is on Sundays from 11am to 3pm and costs only 13 dollars.

Anyways, here is the information: 
Patois

255 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
+1 718-855-1535

Happy eating everyone,

Ray

Hi everyone,

So Friday at work, I experienced a funny situation, wherein the in-house lawyer was talking to an Indian fellow (who grew up in America).  Throughout the conversation, Bob, the lawyer was talking to said Indian fellow, while the Indian fellow - who happens to be a genius technologist and a very high up director in the firm nodded his head patiently.  Finally, the Indian fellow stopped and said Bob, I’m Raj, not Ravee…You need to talk to Ravee, because it says his name on the contract.  I thought this was funny because Ravee and Raj are two Indian account directors at my consulting firm, and clearly, Bob did not know the difference between because of this.

I suppose when people say that white people can’t tell the difference between Asians because they think all Asians look the same, the same can be said about Indians.  Perhaps, white people can’t tell the difference between South Asians because they think all South Asians look the same.  However, Bob is also old, so it could just be because he’s old.  In which case, I think old people are silly too.

O Bob, you will be missed.

Anyways, funny story that I just wanted to tell,

Rayray

Hello yall,

So for today’s featured restaurant, I want to talk about a little restaurant I go to on most Friday’s called “Kopan House” in Arlington, V. This place is by no means a wonderful restaurant, nor is it a place I’d take anyone on a date to . However, if you’re hungry, especially for sushi and Chinese food, it’s the place to go.

Kopan offers a 11 dollar all you can eat buffet which includes about 8 different kinds of sushi, fried rice, 4 other kinds of Chinese dishes (orange chicken, green beans, egg rolls, and others). IT’s a great deal, at least for poor college students who don’t feel like walking far from work to get a good meal deal.

Of course, I prefaced earlier that this isn’t a five star restaurant, but I’d argue that it’s a great deal for the amount of money that you pay.

Also, I’m a little bit biased because the lady who cooks the food and makes the sushi is cute little lady who likes to call herself “mama”.

Just today, in fact, she looked at me, and in her accented English, says, “I see you like Mama’s cooking.” Haha, it was pretty cute, and I can’t lie to yall. I really do like Mama’s cooking, and I will be back for more affordable goodness.

Here’s the information:

Kopan House

2200 Wilson Blvd

Arlington, VA 22201

(701)248-9417

Happy eating everyone,

Ray

Hey everyone,

So this week’s weekly rant is going to come a little bit early.  And this is for two reasons.  First, I haven’t been to any particularly cool restaurants recently, and second, I believe today was the release of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 aka The Worst Movie Ever 2.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all about sisterhood, traveling and pants.  I just hate these movies.  They make me want to pull an Oedipus (not the sleeping with my mom part but the gouging out my eyes part).   

These are the kinds of movies that I’ve often seen huge groups of girly girls go to watch together and then afterwards go home and mourn their loneliness but hide it in a.)ice cream or b.)a tough girl “all I need is my homegirls” act (forgive my use of gender stereotypes and norms, but they do it to themselves).  These are the same girls who say they love the single life, but really deep down inside it’s just because they can’t find a boyfriend because they’re too busy watching horrendous movies or being dumb. 

What’s worse is that this movie’s concept makes me want to cry for humanity’s future.   Congratulations, you are a group of girls who travel in different directions, and magically, the pants fit EVERYONE single one of them – even the big girl, who I’ll get to later.  Now I haven’t seen the movie, but there’s probably no magic involved. What happened was probably that the skinniest girl started off with the jeans, and then progressively, the jeans got stretched out with each of the larger girls, until of course we get to the big girl – the big one who plays UGLY BETTY and is in fact actually ugly.  

So, Ugly Betty’s name is actually, wait for it…AMERICA.  That’s right, perhaps when I go to Japan, and live there for awhile, I’ll consider naming  my child Japan. Or even Djibouti if I ever venture out there.  Honestly though, America seriously?  I know it’s an actual name (Americo Vespucci, yes I know).  But still, nowadays when you name you’re kid America, at least make sure she’s attractive, or else she’ll just perpetuate the stereotype that Americans are ugly and gross people.  

Okay, I’m done with my rant,  if I have anything to add, I might return….

Screw The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and Screw America.  

But I love food,

Ray

Hi everyone,

Today, I want to rant about mumblers. Mumblers are the people who, as their name denotes, mumble when they talk.  Now, I’m usually pretty tolerant of the different levels of communication that people have. I grew up with a mom with a pretty thick Filipino accent, so I don’t judge when people have different levels of speaking English.  What makes me want to shoot myself in the ears is when people mumble under their breath or speak incomprehensibly (not because of an accent or any kind of disability, but because they are mumblers).  I suppose when they were younger, their teachers didn’t teach them about enunciation or the importance of speaking clearly.  But now as adults/young adults, they have developed an office skilled called “talk in ways that no one can understand.” It’s a useful skill when…o wait, that’s right, it’s not a useful skill at all.  

And the thing is, it’s not like mumblers can’t help it.  They can, but they’re just too lazy to open their mouths a little bit so that everyone can hear what they’re saving.  Of course, sometimes mumblers mumble because they don’t want anyone to hear what they’re saying, which means that they are grumpy and mean people who are too cowardice to say what they want to out loud.  

To give you context, there is this guy across from me who mumbles when he talks.  What’s worse is that he often calls his wife/girlfriend at work and then proceeds to mumble in Hindi.  So I really don’t know what he’s saying.  He’s probably talking mess about me.  What a douchebag. 

By the way, he’s talking right now on the phone and mumbling…Kill me now. 

Happy eating everyone lol,

Rayray

Hi everyone,

It’s Ray again.  I can’t sleep because I just had a very strange dream about illegal immigration.  In the dream, I was serving as a judge before a woman who was on trial to be deported but was appealing to the court because she wanted to stay for her son’s wedding and her father’s funeral.  The prosecuting lawyer was slamming her with every single statute that substantiated the movement toward deportation.

As the judge, there was nothing I could do. I sympathized with the woman because she was staying in America for very valid reasons, and she promised to leave after her son was married and her father buried.

I just recently woke up, and on cnn.com and Google News, I see several stories about the issue.  I see stories about policymakers struggling with the issue.  I see stories about ignorant and often racist people who want to keep the illegal immigrants out by building walls around our nation.  I see stories about people giving aid to immigrants.  From the sad, the happy, the disappointing, to the uplifting, the news stories make me happy and sad about the future of our nation.

And as we enter into the final months of the election, I wonder what the verdict will be in the end.  I’m happy I’m not the judge who has to make the decision, and I realize that perhaps one of the very many reasons I write about food is that food is something that is cross-cultural and vast.  It is something that can be shared.  Food is something that transcends borders and leaps over walls.

I only hope that one day the flexibility that people have in taste can be extended to our borders.  But then again, we’ll always have our picky eaters. The trick is the show them that new things aren’t so bad…that in fact, the best food is sometimes the food that doesn’t seem to belong.

Because you see…the beautiful thing about food is the same thing that’s beautiful about people.  There are so many kinds, so many flavors.

A very sleepy,

Ray

Hey everyone,

I was eating pizza today, listening to Nirvana, and as I was ruminating upon the deliciousness of the Philadelphia pizza that I was eating, I thought to myself, what ever happened to the rest of the people in Kurt Cobain’s life after he committed that dreadful suicide. So, like any good wikipedia loyalist would, I wikipedia’d Kurt Cobain and realized he had a daughter.

Yes, the legendary rockstar, suicidal or not, left in his wake progeny. And believe it or not, she’s alive. But here’s the thing- I wonder what’s going on in her head, to know that her father was a beast of a musician, brilliant - truly a genius. What would be going through your mind knowing that Kurt Cobain was your father?

Frances Bean Cobain…it’s weird isn’t it? How I’ve gone from pizza to Kurt Cobain’s daughter….but food makes you think about crazy things.

Yep, I’m weird.

That is all,

Ray

Hi everyone,

So I forgot to do my weekly restauRANT number 2 this past Friday, so I thought I’d make up for it by writing one now.  Anyways, I think this week I’ll do a little rant about how much I thoroughly dislike loud people on buses.  I was on my way up to visit my cousin and my girlfriend in New York riding on the Bolt Bus.  Generally, I have pretty nice experiences on the Bolt Bus, and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling from DC to New York, DC to Boston, and I think there are other routes to that escape me at the moment.

At any rate, on this particular experience, I was sitting on the Bolt Bus enjoying a nice little nap.  Unfortunately, about an hour into the ride, these two female passengers sitting across the aisle from me started talking.  Now generally, I’m all about the talking and the socializing with your friends; however, these two particular girls decided it would be a good idea to speak at about 30000 decibels, deafening my ears.  To make matters worse, they were talking (actually gossiping) about worthless content.  If they were speaking at 30000 decibels about something interesting like literature, poetry, art, politics, philosophy, or even interesting stories, that would be a little bit more tolerable…but no, these brain dead women decided to talk about Sally, who broke up with Justin because Justin was looking at Megan because Megan broke up with her boyfriend and was now available to be looked at.  This kind of banter generally annoys me, but you can imagine how irksome it was to me at 30000 decibels on a quiet bus ride that is pretty peaceful to say the least.

In any case, I slept through must of the ride but putting on my headphones and blasting classical music on them.  Then, I wake up because guess what….the girls next to me are watchin Sex & The City on their computers without headphones, laughing like ugly hyenas at Sarah Jessica Parker do dumb things on her godforsaken show.  Luckily, 30 minutes later, I arrived in New York, and after giving them dirty looks, I bade farewell to the two dumb women who remind me that it’s always important to be considerate of your fellow passengers on any trip.

:)  I swear I’m not always this angry….

Take care yall! I’ll write soon about the tasty Korean restaurant that I just visited!

-Ray

Hey everyone,

So, I decided to shake it up today.  I realized that one of the reasons that I called my blog “Ray’s Restaurants” is because it’s slightly a play on words.   I meant it also as a pun that can be read “Ray’s RestauRANTS”, as in ranting, which I like to do, but have yet to do on this blog.  And yes, I am quite the dork, but you shouldn’t judge. 

Anyways, I decided that on Friday of each weopeek, I’ll just rant about something – a story in my life, a philosophical question I find interesting, dumb people I meet, embarrassing moments for me at which you can all laugh at my expense, etc. 

So, for today’s rant, I’ll tell you about an embarrassing story at work.  I guess it’s not so much embarrassing as it is…well yes it is embarrassing so nevermind. Anyways, so I get to work at 8am like a good worker, and I sit down to start doing my work…or “work.”  And one of my assignments is to figure out the start date of particular projects.  So in order to do this, I often have to ask people who have worked at the firm for awhile for details of the projects. One of these projects in particular was luckily the project of several of the consultants who work next to me.  Unfortunately, none of the consultants were there quite as early as I was so I had to wait like a good intern. Haha, anyways, I waited and waited, meanwhile talking to my co-workers about the happenings of the night before.  As we are talking, a consultant, who seems unfamiliar to me, walks into the door, and sits down in the area next to me.  Naturally, I assume he is a part of the project that I am researching so I ask him if he is a part of the project.  He says no, and I realize I was rude because I didn’t even introduce myself. The following is our conversation:

Me: Hi are you a part of this project? 

Him: No.

Me: O..I’m sorry, I’m Ray by the way.

Him: I know, we met already.

Me: O…yeh

Him: Um…Yeh…don’t worry about it.

It was by far one of the most embarrassing work experiences ever.  Not only did I forget that he wasn’t working on a particular project, but I forgot that I had met him altogether, which probably makes him feel a.) like his not memorable or b.) that I am an idiot or c.) both.  In any case, I felt like a big toolbag for forgetting that I met him because I usually remember people, and I also feel weird that I introduced myself to someone I apparently had already met.   Currently, he is sitting in the desk across from me, periodically glaring at me for being such an idiot.  It’s going to be a great day.  At least I can look forward to good food on the weekend! 

Happy eating everyone!

- Ray