Okonomiyaki

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with the anime Ranma 1/2. One of my favorite characters, Ukyo, is an okonomiyaki chef. I had never heard of this dish before but it looked good in the anime, so I decided to learn to make okonomiyaki at home. Back then the results were pretty bad - I ended up with a plain, bland cabbage pancake. This was before the internet, so I had no readily available way to look up a recipe and learn the correct ingredients. 

Fast forward twenty three years and I've enjoyed real okonomiyaki many times at various izakaya. Leah and I were thinking about making something different for dinner one night, and the idea just popped into my head. With online shopping at our fingertips, we were able to easily procure the necessary ingredients and condiments, i.e. okonomiyaki flour, dashi, tenkasu, aonori, okonomi sauce, and bonito flakes. We didn't buy kewpie mayo because our Sir Kensington's is already much tangier than typical American mayo. 

I was also able to look up the proper technique for cooking the dish, i.e. laying strips of pork belly (or bacon) over the top while it cooks on one side, then flipping to render the bacon, and then flipping again to let the first side cook a few moments longer in the rendered pork fat. I'm happy to say that these came out identical to the taste at our favorite izakaya, so after almost two and a half decades, I can say I've accomplished my goal of making authentic okonomiyaki at home. 

Beer From Harlem Hops

A while back, Leah did a favor for our friends Doug and Marisa. They kindly reciprocated with a generous gift certificate to a bar in our area, Harlem Hops, which we had been meaning to visit but never made it to. Harlem Hops specializes in a wide variety of craft beers, so we were very excited to check out their stock and bring some cans home. 

Over the course of two trips, we sampled a dozen brews, collected here in this craft beer extravaganza post! Below are all the cans we tried, including my rating and review for each as posted on Untappd. 

Harlem Hops
2268 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY
harlemhops.com

Even More Jesus

Imperial Stout

Evil Twin Brewing

4.0 / 5

Less sweet than expected. Very dark and roasty, like burnt toast. A little bit salty. Oily and viscous. Almost no head. Good for a cold winter night next to the fireplace.

Triple Swirlpool: Coconut, Strawberry, Orange

Milkshake IPA

Brix City Brewing

4.5 / 5

Aroma of mangos. Surprisingly sweet with only mild hoppy bitterness. Huge coconut flavor up front. Light fruit flavor on the back end. A bit of dankness as the flavor settles. Thick, creamy mouth feel. A very nice surprise. 

Imperial Biscotti Break

Imperial Stout

Evil Twin Brewery

4.0 / 5

Very boozy but very nice. Strong coffee flavor and more carbonated than most stouts. Would be great paired with dessert, i.e. the eponymous biscotti. 

W8 Belgian Wit

Witbier

Transmitter Brewing

3.0 / 5

Lighter and clearer than expected for a Belgian Wit. Subtle notes of spice and citrus. Dry and crisp but not much flavor. Serviceable but nothing special. 

Blueberry Drip

Imperial Stout

Finback Brewery

3.75 / 5

Nice thick, oil, deep brown stout. Vague jammy hints but tastes more of prune than blueberry. Very minor peanut butter flavor. Good but not as exciting as the description. 

EKU 28

Doppelbock

Kulmbacher Brauerei

4.25 / 5

Strong alcohol taste up front, quickly fading into sweet bourbon barrel or brandy flavor. Smooth caramel finish. 

Stimulus Package

Imperial Milk Stout

Hackensack Brewing

4.5 / 5

A great straight up stout. Nice coffee flavor but not overpronounced. Minor cocoa bitterness with subtle sweetness. Delicious and very drinkable. 

Matsurika

Czech Pilsner

Japas Cervejaria

2.5 / 5

Light and crisp with mild bitterness and floral essence, but not much to write home about. Supposedly brewed with jasmine, but basically no flavor of that. Not bad but not really worth it. 

B7 Session Milk Stout

Milk Stout

Transmitter Brewing

2.5 / 5

Thin in flavor and texture, especially for a stout. Strong burnt coffee flavor, but not much else. One-dimensional. Fine but nothing special. 

Essential Juice

New England IPA

District 96 Beer Factory

3.25 / 5

Juicy, full of tropical fruit flavor but very bitter. Nice creamy texture. Good for IPA lovers but a bit too bitter for me. 

C Lime Pie

American Pale Ale

Equilibrium Brewery

4.0 / 5

Very interesting. Both sweet and bitter. Creamy, milkshake-style mouth feel. Lime and coconut fruit flavors. 

Capsule I

Vienna Lager

Hudson Valley Brewery

2.0 / 5

Disappointing. Drinks way more like an ale than a lager. Quite bitter and only the smallest amount of oak barrel flavor coming through. 

Dream Wave Inception

Double IPA

Equilibrium Brewery

4.5 / 5

An IPA that I can get behind. Huge, juicy mango and citrus flavors as well as something unusual I can only describe as dried apricot. A bitter finish but not overwhelmingly so. Very unique, a real eye-opener.