Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya, NYC Review: Photos of Food Recommendations

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To thank my husband for taking me to Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse for a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner, I took him to Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya (187 Orchard St  New York, NY 10002). In Japan, white-collared workers hang out at izakayas (sake shops) during “happy hour” and spend a few good yen on “tapas” and drinks. Afterward, they return home to eat full meals.

We arrived at Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya at seven pm and entered through the 187 Orchard entrance, and not through the Thompson LES hotel entrance. Large hanging lanterns with Japanese text transform an NYC restaurant into a place you might find in Tokyo.

We were immediately greeted by the maitre d’ and seated at a “booth.” By the bar near us, semi-tipsy and carefree yuppies drank and spoke loudly to each other.

We received hot towels and then a sampling of yummy sakes, from the sweetest to the driest. We settled on a sake with a hint of peach flavor. Having done some research in order to make my surprise to my husband great, I knew what to order.

For appetizers, we ordered the scallop skewers bathed in miso butter (delicious), the chicken liver mousse (good but was served cold), the blue fin toro (expensive for a little piece), the hamachi tataki (yellow tail tartare with a quail egg, fresh and delicate) and the leek sunomo (authentic, amazing ponzo and bonito-flaked flavor).

(The hamachi tataki is the dish that looks like a boob with a yellow nipple. The blue fin toro is a small slice of fish in the back for $17.00 USD. Scallops are self-explanatory in the picture and the leek sunomo is the bowl with a bonito flake afro.)

Our appetizers were pretty satisfying and despite being cold, I enjoyed the chicken liver mousse the most. It was like spreading exquisite protein-filled butter on a slice of crispy toast. Toast was abundant and you can ask for me. This appetizer is great for foodies who care about portion sizes. The portion sizes tend to be small here and the prices a bit high.

The tour de force of the night was definitely our entree. We picked the oxtail and bone marrow fried rice. The fried rice came with a fried egg that looked un-special until we broke it and realized that it was filled with delicious buttery cubes of bone marrow. For me, the rice was a little on the oily and salty side. The meat from the oxtail is separated from the bone and tasted amazing. The hot sauce that the rice came with completely transformed its taste. For me, I preferred the rice with the hot sauce. My husband liked it with or without. He said he had never had more heavenly fried rice. I’m really spoiling my man.

We’re delighted to discover the gems in the city. Hopefully, after our Tokyo visit this year, NYC Japanese joints will continue to delight us.

After finishing our rice, our waitress asked if we wanted to order more food. She was a bit pushy and wanted us to order more. After finishing the bowl of rice, my husband was about the explode. We politely told her that we’re full but can order dessert. For dessert, we had a green tea ice cream mochi and a black sesame ice cream mochi, taking our waitress’ recommendation. I definitely recommend the black sesame one. Our waitress asked if we also wanted to order the green tea creme brulee. Tempting as it was, we were already suffering from food coma.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience the night after Valentine’s Day. We weren’t rushed. The total for the night: $142 USD with tips. We would definitely come back to try the omakase, or go to the original Blue Ribbon Sushi in the city.

Kat’s Review: 3.5 out of 5

Photos Taken with Jake’s Sony Alpha 99. Photos Copyright (c) Nummyz Productions 2013.

How to Fight a Common Cold. Step One: Don’t go to your doctor.

Chances are, you’re going to fight a common cold this winter season. Common colds are often caused by viruses that are not as dangerous as the flu viruses. You don’t get colds from being cold.

If you do have a common cold, get plenty of rest, sleep, water, chicken soup, and cough and sneeze, but don’t spread your germs. Coughing helps clear your lungs and blowing out your nose also helps clear out your system. Saline nasal washes are great, and so are salt-water gargles for your throat. For a common cold, don’t take antibiotics. Antibiotics kill bacteria, along with the good bacterial cultures in your stomach and body. Antibiotics don’t kill viruses. Have warm tea, fresh orange juice, and eat healthy. You’ll be better in no time.

If you’re highly congested, I suggest taking Mucinex and go by its instructions. Don’t take cough suppressants. Productive coughing will help you get better sooner.

Now if you have a flu, that’s a different story.

For symptoms, treatment options, and more information, visit: http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/common-cold/overview.html

For a simple, common cold, a visit to a doctor is unnecessary. Chances are, he or she will prescribe antibiotics for you… If so, let him or her know that antibiotics don’t kill viruses. I’ve had that conversation with an ENT (ear nose throat doc) last year. He gave me antibiotics anyway. I just got better on my own.

Maid for Me, Too

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indie author, kat lieu, maid for me, maid for me sequel, maid for me too, ya comedy romance suspense, ya love story, ya novel

Kat Lieu’s long-awaited e-book, MAID FOR ME, TOO is here!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AXFEJSQ

Two years ago, Jaiden Daniels met spunky, spitfire Mina Lin, and fell for her. Hard. Son of a billionaire, Jaiden could have anything or anyone he wanted. And yet he couldn’t have Mina’s heart.
After Mina rejected him, Jaiden thought that she would eventually be nothing but a whisper of a memory to him. Oh how wrong he was. 
Two years later, Jaiden attends prestigious Kingston University as a medical student and dates a gorgeous and intelligent girl named Ivy Blackwood. One day, he bumps into Mina again on campus and pretends he doesn’t know her. Has he lost his memory? Or is he playing a game and seeking revenge against her for breaking his heart?

Mina discovers that she always had feelings for Jaiden. A series of sweet events draw Mina into Jaiden’s arms. Does he still love her? Or is he toying with her heart?

And what about his girlfriend Ivy? Lurking in the shadows is someone more dangerous than a jealous girlfriend. Mina has a secret admirer, a shadowy and terrifying creep who would do anything to have her, including taking Jaiden’s life.

Will true love prevail this time around for Mina and Jaiden or will it all be too late for our star-crossed lovers? Find out in this exciting conclusion to the Maid for Me series, Maid for Me, Too!

This book is intended for older teens. There are some scary situations and sexual innuendos. It is appropriate for readers ages 13 and up.

Young Adult Contemporary: YA Romantic Comedy, Action, Suspense, Thriller

15 East, NYC Review: Photos of their Tasting Menu

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Zagat: 26 / 30 

15 East 15th Street  New York, NY 10003 (212) 647-0015

For my husband’s birthday, I decided to surprise him and take him to 15 East, an upscale sushi restaurant by Union Square in NYC. If you’re willing to splurge (but not splurge-splurge like you would at Masa), you’ll be in for quite a treat, a delectable and fun culinary adventure. 

We decided not to sit at the sushi bar, even though every other reviewer will tell you to do so. My husband and I like to sit at a table, where we stuff our faces in front of each other and not in front of the sushi master. 

 

The hostess led us to a corner table at the front of the house. We looked through their extensive wine list and menu and decided to have a glass of white wine and a glass of bellini.

We then ordered the tasting menu for one person and shared it. Each of our plates from the tasting menu came separated into two. That was nice of the chef and servers. We also ordered the Cherry Wood Smoked Duck Entree, an order of Uni Flight, and an order of Home-Made Tofu with Ginger Soy. 

The entire experience lasted a little under three hours. First, we received a yummy cube of tofu with a dab of wasabi to cleanse our palates and prepare us for the feast to come. 

Then came the first dish, an appetizer with four components: A shot with a quail egg and seafood, a baby turnip (so fresh and delicate), a slow-poached octopus (massaged over 500 times) and a small dish of cooked fish.

Then came a delicious bowl of hand-made cold soba noodles with caviar and uni.

 

That was one of my favorite dishes of the night. Then came the fresh and light tofu with a bowl of soy sauce. We were told to put freshly sliced ginger into the soy sauce. I’ve never tasted tofu creamier or softer than this one.

 

After the tofu, we were back to items from our tasting menu: Sashimi! Fresh and delicious. No frozen taste, no bad after taste. Once you have sashimi from 15 East, you probably will become a sashimi snob. Notice the live shrimp head. Don’t eat it. It’ll come back as a surprise later. 

 

Here’s our Uni Flight, three small plates of creamy, buttery and fresh Uni. No soy sauce or wasabi needed here.

 

As promised, the shrimp head returns, deep-fried, crunchy, seasoned and completely edible.

 

 

Here is our Smoked Duck entree. At this point, we realized we’ve over-ordered. This was good, though I did like the Duck Breast I had at Matsuri more.

The double entrees: filled conch shell and corn fritter. The entree portions of the tasting menu were a bit scant in my honest opinion, though scrumptious and memorable. 

 

Here’s the last dish: Sushi! No complaints here. Fresh, delicious, and creative. Under the leaf is a pleasant morsel of surprise. 

The waitress surprised Jake with a cake and happy birthday.

And we ended the night with complimentary truffles. Chocolate, sushi, wine, duck: the ways to my man’s heart. An expensive but highly enjoyable and memorable night. I would definitely return to 15 East. 

 

 

Kat’s Review: 4/5

Photos copyright Nummyz.com

Taken by Jake with a Sony RX100

Indie Author’s Woes: Impersonation (Valuable Tips for Self-published Authors)

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cyberbullying, kat lieu, libel cases, maid for me, nummyz, take a stance against cyberbullies, trolls against authors, twitter impersonators

I google myself a lot. Early on in my career, I’ve learned that if there are people who like you, there are people who dislike you. Some may even hate your guts. Googling myself helps me uncover things that are potentially detrimental to my career. Case and point: earlier this week, I discovered that someone was posing as me on twitter. (The account has been permanently suspended.) This person had twelve followers and was posting updates along the lines of: “Download Maid for Me (my novel) here for free…” and “Justin Bieber rules my life…”

Other updates were flattering. I can tell this person was a fan of mine. The account’s profile picture was my author picture. The account claimed it was my official twitter account. And people believed it.

As an indie author, one who is also self-published, there are many woes I face. I am my own agent, PR person, accountant, and biggest fan. I am my own worst critic and protector. As flattering as having an impersonator was, it was also scary and potentially detrimental to my reputation and career. I realized how easy it was for people to steal your identity online. Indie authors must be vigilant. They must not be discouraged. There are a lot of hurdles we have to overcome. Nasty reviewers online. Cyber  bullies. Poor sales. Haters. And now impersonators.

I’d like to share some tips with my fellow self-published authors out there.

• Google yourself at least once a day. Be extensive in your search. Don’t just look through the first few pages of results. Look through at least 15 pages of results.
• Take action immediately if something goes wrong. For instance, if you find out someone is impersonating you on twitter or other social networking sites, contact the site ASAP.
• Copyright your work. 
• Ignore trolls but report reviewers if they abuse the terms of service on websites where they are reviewing your book. For instance, if they are making false claims against you and abusing you on Amazon, report the reviewer. False claims can negatively affect your reputation as an author, and decrease sales. False claims also fall under the realm of libel, and in some countries, libel is a crime punishable by law.
• Commend yourself on a job well done. This road you’ve taken is tough, but the rewards are boundless, as long as you don’t give up.

Good luck and happy writing!

xoxoxo

Kat Lieu

http://www.nummyz.com

 

 

Maid for Me, Too Book Trailer (Teaser)

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Maid for Me, Too, the sequel to Maid for Me is coming this Fall! Stay tuned!

Cyber-bullying, flaming, and trolling authors face online

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I’d like to discuss cyber-bullying. Though I am not an incredibly famous self-published author, I have enjoyed some success with my Amazon publications over the last two years. As an author, I love reading reader reviews, especially ones that provide constructive criticism. I’m not going to lie. Nothing strokes my ego more than reviews along the lines of “Kat, you’re my idol,” “Kat writes the bestest evr omg,” and “Maid for Me is sooo awesome!” Who doesn’t love dedicated fans?

Not everyone is a lover, however. With my publication readily available to the world, I have left myself open to haters. “You write like a stupid second grader,” “You obviously faked your good reviews,” “You suck donkey-balls,” and “You are to blame for childhood illiteracy.”

I’m not making this up. Though negative and bullying reviews sting, I’ve tried to ignore them. Protected by the First Amendment in America and the anonymity of the web, people openly attack others without a second thought. Flaming and trolling against an author is easy especially when sites like Amazon have lax guidelines for reviews. Besides, published authors aren’t people. They should be perfect like robots. Just like celebrities, authors shouldn’t have feelings and should be able to take any heat that burns their way.

Usually, I would agree the customer is always right. But not in this case when authors face inappropriate cyber bullying. Authors are humans too!

Earlier this December, I noticed a defamatory review on Maid for Me’s Amazon page. (See the “amended review” here: http://tinyurl.com/6no8pdd.) The reviewer openly accused me of faking all the good reviews on my ebook. Unable to understand how anyone would support or like my publication, she concluded I either had all my friends review the book or created forty-plus fake accounts to fake my reviews.

After my supporters told her off, she had her defamatory review removed, replacing it with an amended review. Her current review blames authors like me for promoting childhood illiteracy. Right… Review my book please. Don’t preach to me what you don’t practice.

I openly welcome reviewers to offer constructive criticism. I will even overlook rude comments stating I suck as a writer. But when someone falsely accuses me of something as serious as faking reviews, I will not tolerate that. When cyber bullying becomes defamatory and libelous, it crosses a serious line. Defamation is considered a crime in most civil law jurisdictions, especially Great Britain and Israel.  Even when not considered a crime, defamatory reviews could potentially tarnish an author’s reputation.

Readers and reviewers, I encourage you to avoid crossing the line. Before posting a review, consider the following:

o   Is your review about the book’s content or about the author?

o   Did you make a farfetched and/or false claim about the author out of spite?

o   Is your review helpful or hateful?

Authors often write with their hearts. We expose our souls in our writings. We’re happy when we have fans. Sad when we have haters. Angry when we’re defamed.

We are not perfect. Self-published authors usually do not have the luxury of assistance from a team of experienced editors. Still, we do our best. We work extra hard because we’re usually a team of one. When we’re victims of cyber bullying, sometimes we’re patient and silent. But it doesn’t mean we’re not hurting.

We don’t expect everyone to love our work. At the same time, we don’t need to be victims of cyber bullies. Hopefully this post resonates with other authors and reviewers. Spread love, not hate.

Spoiled Nation, Rotting Americans

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Joel Stein writes in The Awesome Column of TIME magazine, “One week earlier, Cassandra’s (his wife) grandmother, with whom she was very close, had died. She did not cry. The Wagon Wheel rejection, however, led to the Fountain of Cassandra.” Joel refers to the rejection of his two year old from a prestigious pre-school.

Though his column (which cracks me up usually) did not shock me, it makes me believe we’re becoming a spoiled-rotten, lost-cause nation. The petty things that upset us versus the life-events that no longer fazes us, shows me how spoiled our society has become. Joel starts his article with, “I always thought having money would mean not waiting in line. I assumed we would use our money to spend our time doing things we love, like accusing our housecleaners of stealing stuff.” Spoiled much?

The things people cry over feel so ridiculous. Maybe I shouldn’t question why Joel’s wife didn’t shed a tear after her grandmother had died, but to cry over not being able to fork out thousands of dollars a semester for her nose-picking two-year old to go to pre-school (an experience he would never remember or truly gain anything significant from)– COME ON.

Americans seriously need to re-prioritize. Our current generations are already spoiled. In the future, we can look forward to generations of whiny, annoying, and uselessly rotten folks who laugh at funerals and cry when they chip their fingernails.

BUY MY BOOK: Maid for Me

Simple Tips to Help Keep the Breasts Healthy and possibly prevent breast cancer.

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breast cancer prevention secrets, dr. kat lieu, how a massage can prevent breast cancer, how to not get breast cancer, how to prevent breast cancer, lymph massage to prevent breast cancer, massaging the breasts to prevent breast cancer, physical therapy to prevent breast cancer

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Women have significantly higher risks of developing breast cancer than men. According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 200,000 females developed breast cancer in 2010 in the US, as compared to 1970 males. A little less than 40,000 females died whereas only 390 men died.

Most of the men who develop breast cancer usually have larger breasts than other men.

Breast cancer develops when cancerous cells lump together in the breast, blocking lymphatic flow and can possibly form in the lymph nodes as well.

My theory is that because there is so little daily lymphatic fluid (drainage of toxins that may build up in the large breast tissues), cancer cells have a higher chance of lumping together and forming in the breast (mainly in the ducts and lobules). What exacerbates this may be the wearing of constrictive bras that further limit breast tissue movement, which can hinder lymphatic flow.

A remedy for this situation is to not wear bras when sleeping and when in the house (if the female is comfortable with not wearing a bra at home).

To improve lymphatic flow in the breast, females should be encouraged to touch their breasts more often, especially in the shower, to massage their breasts in circular motions.

Another great massage is to stimulate both the armpits, rubbing the area with lotion in circular motions 7-10 times daily, to facilitate lymphatic flow for the lymph nodes inside the armpits.

Adding to this, is massaging the hip junctions, right by the sides of the groin, also in circular motion to stimulate inguinal lymph nodes.

“Risk factors for breast cancer include older age, certain inherited genetic alterations, hormone therapy, having radiation therapy to the chest, drinking alcohol, and being obese. It may be possible to decrease the risk of breast cancer by getting exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. More information is available through the links on this page.”– The National Cancer Institute.

Please spread the word! Don’t be afraid to touch your own breasts, please!

Thank you Lady Gaga

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I was excited to hear about Lady Gaga selling bracelets to support Japan after the recent disasters: the earthquakes, tsunamis, and impending nuclear meltdowns.

The mega star Lady Gaga is selling the bracelets for five dollars. All proceeds will go to Japan’s relief efforts. In addition, the buyer can opt to donate additional money.

It’s a pretty-looking bracelet. So far, in a day or so, her fans have raised over a quarter of a million dollars. I suggest Lady Gaga to tweet about donating to the American Red Cross to her millions of followers. 8 million fans who give a dollar each will amount to eight millions dollars added to the relief efforts.

Still, it’s great how influential people can make helping others fashionable and trendy. Shame on the other influential celebrities who are doing nada so far to help!