Tonkatsu

The most expensive Tonkatsu I have ever had was at Mai-Sen in the ritzy Omote-sando neighborhood. This was a special lean Black Pork cutlet and came with a spicy-sweet apple sauce for drizzling over the finely shredded cabbage and rice.

To make this at home, dredge pork cutlets in a cracked egg, then flour, back in the egg, then in panko and deep fry. Cut it into thick strips with a sharp knife, and serve with shredded cabbage. Tonkatsu sauce is key, and you'll probably have to find that at your local Japanese market. For those in my hood, check out Hana. What to do with leftover tonkatsu? layer it between slices of white bread with some sauce for some delicious sammies.

Standing Bar in Tokyo

Crepes like San Francisco's

When Dave and I visited SF over spring break, we had the pleasure of eating at both Crepes on Cole (17th and Cole) and the The Crepevine (7th and Irving). Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to hit Ticouz this time, but as we dined in the little bohemian chic creperies, two thoughts occurred to me:
1. Why the heck can't anyone open a crepe place in DC, it can't be that hard to do, and DC needs more better eateries.
2. I bet I can figure out how to make these crepes and it would be perfect for Dave's mom's birthday brunch.

So, having not the startup cash or restuarant business know-how to open a creperie in DC, I settled for making it for brunch this last weekend. On the menu were home fries and chicken pesto crepes. Here's houw you do it:

First of all, you need a good flipper. My flipper is named Dave. I can't flip a thhing in the kitchen without it either breaking into a pathetic crumpled mess or flopping naked onto the stove-top.
Then, you need a basic crepe recipe, like this one. Make a bunch of crepes and set them aside.

Then you make the filling. this can be anything you want, sweet or savory. I like browing onions, garlic, and chicken pieces with some red pepepr, mushrooms, and olives.

Then you put the crepe back on the pan, and fill it with your chicken filling, some tomatoes, a ton of shredded cheese for melting, and some pesto sauce* (or tomato sauce or salsa, or whatever) on one half, fold the other half over, and let it sit until lightly brown on one side, and flip to the other side for a few mintes too. Then it's ready for serving!

* for the best fresh pesto sauce, put a bunch of basil, some olive oil, lemon juice, a handful of pinenutes, some grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth.