Just random cool things from today's Taste newsletter

OKUI KAISEIDO MARBLED NORI

SQUEEZE BOTTLE MISO!

DUSTIng wand!

Amaro alert : cocktail recipes DC, NYC & Pennsylvania restaurants

At Officina, chef Nick Stefanelli’s tri-level Italian restaurant and market in Washington, D.C., bar director John Filkins helms Salotto, an intimate 12-seat amaro library stocked with dozens of contemporary and vintage releases. Sangue di Gambi "marries aromatic Demerara rum with Varnelli Amaro Sibilla, a rich, alpine-inspired amaro, and Cappelletti Vino Aperitivo, a bright bitter, for a rich and complex Negroni riff."

Got the tip from this Punch article which also lists Luca in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where they make  Inverno Luce , Fresh Kills in Brooklyn making The Mezcaletti, Leo, in  Williamsburg, Brooklyn, makes a gin cocktail  The Local Hanky Panky

A recipe for a Little Italy rounds out the goodies plus a link to an article about which bottles of amaro to consider smuggling back 

Restaurant Reviews - moving from "what" to "why"

LA Review of Books article on the evolution of the form & content of restaurant reviews, by Theodore Gioia

New restaurant alert!

Sushi in Redwood City. We're going...

Fancy Halva

Made in Los Angeles, but they ship and there are local retailers. Gotta check it out, but if it's good, it could be a good gift. And one of the flavors is vanilla :-)

How to Find Vietnamese Bahn Cuon

GREAT article  about Bahn Cuon - fresh rice sheets - lots of SoCal recommendations + a Seattle place, Virginia, one in San Jose I've added to my map...She goes into what names signify and what to look for. Also put her cookbook with a recipe for bahn cuon on my Amazon list and her blog on feedly

Local Chestnut Farm !

Skyline Chestnut Farm is about 2,500 feet above Palo Alto in the Santa Cruz Mountains and open Wednesday through Sunday during harvest season, which typically runs from early October through November, or until the chestnuts stop dropping from the trees. Article from Palo Alto Online 

Lampshades

This is a really great guide from Pooky.com to choosing the right size and shape of lampshade, and the shades they sell are pretty beautiful too. Robert Kime  also has great textile shades (he's another David Netto pick) and the Liberty ones can be wild - they've got House of Hackney as well as their own stuff.

The Cultured Pickle Shop

Whoa!A Japanese Pickle shop in Berkeley, with all kinds of things to explore. They have events, and on Saturday and Sunday they have bowls? There's a blog too...

British wallpaper designer

I think this was on a David Netto list - lovely wallpaper, store in London?

Batik Museum in Indonesia

From an article about places to visit in Indonesia

6. Danar Hadi Batik Museum, Surakarta

Thousands of batik collections from various eras are kept in this museum, including those that are more than a century old. The collection is displayed according to the year of manufacture, the origin of batik and the culture that influences it. Among the items are Batik Djawa Hokokai, Indian Influence Batik, Keraton Batik, Keraton Influence Batik, Sudagaran Batik, Farmer Batik, Indonesian Batik, Danar Hadi Batik and contemporary batik.

Located on Jl. Slamet Riyadi, the main street of Surakarta, Central Java, the museum is easily accessible from anywhere. From the airport, visitors can ride the Solo Batik Trans, which passes right in front of the museum. If you come in groups and want a unique trip, you can rent a steam train tour, which costs millions of rupiah.

The batik museum resides in the same complex with the House of Danar Hadi. The admission fee is Rp 25,000 (US$1.75) per person, or Rp 15,000 for students. The owner, Santosa Doellah, integrates the museum, batik outlets, batik workshops, restaurants and meeting houses in one complex, allowing visitors to tour history and shop in one visit. 

Those not satisfied just by looking at the collection on display can also look into the back of the museum, which hosts hundreds of artisans busily working to make hand-drawn and stamped batik .