All ingredients from Japan at Shoji at 69 Leonard street. Its chef Derek Wilcox was one of the first and few foreigners who have trained at Kikunoi kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto.

Modern take on Korean gastronomy, ingredients and culture by a young Korean chef Junghyun Park at Atomix, also behind another great more casual Korean spot Atoboy. Some of the dishes I loved…

Fabulous cooking at Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare (3*) by chef César Ramirez yesterday, where best ingredients from around the world were prepared in classic French and Japanese techniques with exquisite technical precision.

Momofuku Kāwi, a new David Chang’s place. (Eunjo Park @eunjoful – executive chef) Absolutely loved it!

Derek Wilcox, chef of Shoji at 69 Leonard in NYC, is one of very few non-Japanese sushi masters in the world to have reached a comparable level to the best in Japan. Originally from upstate New York, Derek trained at Kikunoi in Kyoto for 7 years and at Sushi Aoki…

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.. (Leonardo da Vinci). Slightly warm mozzarella with olive oil, served with crostini at Torrisi Italian specialities (250 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012; tel. (212) 965-0955).

I am not a big fan of chicken-based ramen broth, but I must admit that Totto ramen (specializing in only chicken-based broth) overall quality was better than Ippudo (specializing in pork-based broth). I used to love Ippudo in NY and I still do love their small plates as pork buns…

Some images from Peter Luger, probably the best traditional American steakhouse I’ve ever been… (and no, this trip to NY had nothing to do with diet!)

Forget about artisanal pizzas from fancy, unconventional ingredients. What I look forward mostly whenever I go to New York is the New York style pizza with a crust so thin, and crispy on the sides that you have to fold it in order to eat it without making a mess.…

This freshly baked bread with sage, rosemary and sweet potatoes served on every table at the Nomad could be a dish by itself… Yes, it’s that good.