The Mitsuwa Tuna Cut

Bill Pitcher’s post on the upcoming Mitsuwa Tuna Cut in early November prompted me to put this 2006 OTB post back into the foreground. Don’t miss this great event on Saturday, November 8 and Sunday, November 9. — Jason

Mitsuwa Marketplace
595 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ
(201) 941-9113

web site: http://www.mitsuwanj.com

In a previous post, I spoke a bit about Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese shopping center in Edgewater, New Jersey. This weekend was the re-Grand Opening of the shopping center since it underwent an extensive reservation in Mid-2006, and some new stores and restaurants were added. Among the things that were going on was a Tuna Cut, where an entire 400lb Bluefin tuna, caught by a Japanese fishing boat, is reduced to sashimi for a huge crowd of onlookers.

Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for some serious Bluefin Tuna devastation.

Richmond VA Dining: Full Kee

Full Kee Restaurant
6400 Horsepen Rd, Richmond, VA 23226
(804) 673-2233

I’ve been spending the last couple of weeks in Richmond, Virginia. While not as ethnically diverse as Washington DC, its nearest major city, there are still some dining gems to be found. One of these is Full Kee, probably one of the best Cantonese restaurants I have ever been to outside of the New York Metropolitan or San Francisco Bay areas. This place is so outstanding that I’ve taken to eating there as much as twice a week in the month I’ve been traveling back and forth to Richmond.

Full Kee literally translated from Cantonese means “Magical” or “Prosperous” Place. From what I’ve experienced of this restaurant so far, it is indeed.

Full Kee has branches in the Washington DC area as well, which are apparently even more impressive. But there’s no doubt that this is the most serious Chinese restaurant in the Richmond area.

The taste of Hong Kong delights at Full Kee. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Columbia SC Dining: Blue Cactus Cafe

Blue Cactus Cafe
2002 Greene St #H, Columbia SC 29205
(803)929-0782

Web Site: http://www.bluecactuscafe.com/

When I inquired about other good Asian restaurants in the Columbia area, the folks over at Baan Sawan suggested that I check out the Blue Cactus, another Five Points restaurant for lunch.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Its kind of a funky combination of Mexican and Korean” said Sam.

“You mean like Kimchi burritos and stuff? Like what David Chang makes in New York at Momofuku Ssam Bar?“

“Yeah, sorta, but they’ve been there for like 14 years, at least as long as we have been around.”

Given how much I trust Sam’s judgement on good food, particularly Asian cuisine, I had to go check this place out.

As it turns out, an American guy who was familiar with Tex-Mex cooking married a Korean lady, and they opened Blue Cactus in 1994. The menu is an eclectic mix of Korean and Cuban/Mexican/Tex Mex cuisine. I didn’t try much of their Latino/Mexican stuff, but what I will say is their Korean is very good, given what they have to work with in Columbia and not having a lot of access to Asian markets.

Mexican…. Korean! Which one is it? Does it matter if it tastes good? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Turn off the computer and get some sleep

Let’s face it, the last month or so has been a challenge for just about anyone’s tolerance of stress and has made even the most “stable” of us question our own emotional and mental health. But I’ve discovered that IT workers in particular, or anyone who is tightly tied to the use of technology is now on the border of becoming a quivering pile of jelly.

Read the rest of this article on ZDNet Tech Broiler.

The New Deal in Personal Computing

Can Linux replace Windows? Well, ask the Atlanta Public School district, which is deploying 25,000 Linux thin-client terminals in its classrooms as a result of a successful pilot of 2200 Linux terminals in 7 schools. Ask companies like Ndiyo who have successfully deployed pilots in 3^rd-world countries in educational environments and Internet cafes.  Ask the Ubuntu project which can genuinely claim millions of downloads of its free end-user OS.

Read the rest of this article on ZDNet Tech Broiler.

Columbia SC Dining: Burger Night at Gervais and Vine

Gervais and Vine
620-A Gervais St., Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 799-8463

Web Site: http://gervine.com/

Columbia is a town very much steeped in Southern tradition and lags behind from a culinary perspective to its more high-tech rival capital city in North Carolina, Raleigh. However, this is not to say that there aren’t some real dining gems to be found in South Carolina’s state capital. One such restaurant I really enjoyed was Gervais and Vine, which is part of a Columbia restaurant group that also owns Mr. Friendly’s and Solstice, both of which are also well-received by the city’s more sophisticated diners.

Gervais and Vine, which is situated in Columbia’s historic “Vista” district is a Wine/Tapas bar which serves a Mediterranean-focused menu and is targeted towards the city’s professionals and more cosmopolitan scene. I happened to stop by on one of the various theme nights that the restaurant is known for — BURGERS. Having not had a decent burger in quite a few months, I was lured in.

Ready for some seriously upscale burgers at Columbia’s premier wine bar? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.