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Tag: Food

  • Kyoto Express in Brunswick, Georgia Is My Favorite Americanized Japanese Food

    a white plate with plain fried rice, fried zucchini, teriyaki chicken, hibachi shrimp and broccoli,

    Another favorite restaurant of mine in Brunswick, Georgia is Kyoto Express. It carries on the tradition of Kyoto Restaurant (lovingly called Kyoto’s) that used to be the go-to celebration hibachi restaurant on St. Simon’s Island, which featured large hibachi grills you sat around, twirling knives, explosive fire cooking, and good times. After Kyoto Restaurant closed, one of the chefs opened Joe’s Japanese next to Glynn Place Mall, which recreated the Kyoto Restaurant experience without the same kind of atmosphere as the original. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long, but thankfully, Kyoto Express opened as a quick alternative without the show and atmosphere but with the same good food. It is located in the Publix shopping center next to the Super Wal-Mart.

    I went there several times during my last trip to Brunswick. My go-to meal is the teriyaki chicken and hibachi shrimp dinner (above). I also like the teriyaki chicken and hibachi steak combo dinner (below). If I’m real hungry, I’ll add on a side of extra veggies (stir-fried zucchini, onions, and sesame seeds).

    There are two key elements that keep me coming back to Kyoto Express besides the overall quality of the food. The first is the way that they make stir-fried rice. It’s simple. They begin with oil on the grill. Then dump the rice. After working it a little, they add a lot of butter while working it over the grill’s surface and then toss in some soy sauce for flavor and color. The second element are the sauces. While most folks tend to like the “white sauce,” I don’t. I only use two sauces: mustard sauce (a concoction I’m guessing of thick mustard and soy sauce) and ginger sauce (both seen below). I use the ginger sauce for shrimp and steak. I put mustard sauce on everything else–chicken, veggies, and rice.

    several plates: one plate of plain fried rice, hibachi steak and mushrooms, teriyaki chicken, stirfried zucchini, a bowl with extra stir fried veggies, and a small plate with three cups of mustard sauce and one cup of ginger sauce

  • Pizza Inn Thin Crust and a Box of Grandy’s French Fries is a Delicious Combination

    A family favorite meal when I was young was a box of french fries from Grandy’s and a thin-crust pizza from Pizza Inn. When I make my way back to Brunswick, I try to get this combination at least once. However, this past trip I went four times during my two week trip! Since my parents live about 30 miles from Brunswick now, my dad and I would eat our pizzas and fries in the car–sometimes in the Marshes of Glynn Overlook Park and sometimes in the back of the Pizza Inn parking lot. Nowadays, my dad prefers a double helping of hamburger on a pan pizza, and I get a handful of different toppings (hamburger, pepperoni, black olives, spinach, mushrooms, and onions) on my thin-crust pie. If you find yourself in Brunswick, both restaurants are recommended!

  • Amtrak’s 97 Silver Meteor from NYP to JSP in June 2025

    roomette side shot

    A few weeks ago, I rode Amtrak’s Silver Meteor 97 train from New York City to Jesup, Georgia. As I’ve reported before here and here, it was an enjoyable experience and recommended.

    I used this overnight journey to catch up on writing several letters, which I mailed from the Jesup post office after I arrived. I also made use of the on-board power to run my laptop to watch some shows and do some light Internet work. One problem on this trip was unreliable WiFi, so I relied on my phone’s limited data plan.

    The roomette was much quieter than on my last trip, which made my sleep much more restful. There was a delay at some point during the night, which made us almost three hours late (we were still on time when I had gone to bed around 1:00am). I’ve learned that delays should be expected.

    Since I was traveling alone, I asked my car’s steward if I could have dinner service in my room. I ordered the steak dinner with chocolate cake and a Heineken beer (one alcoholic beverage is included with the meal service).

    This particular car was like one that I had ridden on before with the roomette having a sink in the room, but the toilet was located at the end of the hallway by the exit. My roomette’s sink worked very well with the hot and cold water dispensing properly when I needed to wash my hands or face.

    Here are some pictures from inside my train car and roomette on this trip.

    interior hallway of a roomette train car
    interior hallway of a roomette train car
    train roomette doorway
    roomette sink and steps for the upper bunk
    right side seat with bags
    left side seat
    table folded out holding a writing tablet, pen, and laptop computer, train tracks are seen outside the window
    in-car dinner service, dinner packages are wrapped in foil and plastic
    beer in plastic cup and salad
    steak dinner with mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots,

  • Remember to Ventilate Your Flameless Ration Heater When In an Enclosed Space

    water-activated mre heater warming an elbow macaroni in tomato sauce entree inclined on a window's sill and next to open window

    While its instructions state that “When ten or more heaters are used inside a vehicle or shelter, ensure the ventilation system is operating or a top hatch or door is open,” it gives me peace of mind to let my flameless ration heater (a water-activated magnesium, iron, and salt chemical heating device for MREs) do its thing on my supper next to a cracked window when I’m indoors as part of its reaction produces hydrogen. Also, it pays to remember that these things get HOT!

  • Green Onion Pancake Tacos

    hand holding a green onion pancake folded in half filled with ground beef taco mix, sauce, and shredded cheese over a flat green onion pancake in a white ceramic plate

    Last night, I made a delightful meal by mixing two things that don’t normally go together–Taiwanese green onion pancakes and ground beef taco mix.

    I asked Y to cook me two green onion pancakes, a breakfast staple back in Taiwan. Normally, you eat them with a fried egg rolled inside with a little bit of soy sauce paste like the one below.

    a green onion pancake with a fried egg and soy sauce paste folded inside resting on a white ceramic plate

    Dubious about my plan, Y cooked me two green onion pancakes while I reheated some leftover ground beef and onion taco mix that I had made on Saturday afternoon. I also set out my favorite sauce, Ortega Medium Original Taco Sauce, and a small bowl of shredded cheese.

    from left to right: a bottle of ortega medium taco sauce, a small bowl of shredded cheese, a large bowl of ground beef and onion taco mix, and a green onion pancake on a plate

    Then, I spooned the beef onto a green onion pancake, poured ample sauce, and covered with plenty of cheese.

    a green onion pancake flat with ground beef taco mix, sauce, and shredded cheese over a flat green onion pancake in a white ceramic plate

    The crispiness of the pancake resisted folding, but it eventually went over and formed a taco-like shape. Biting into the crisp outer layer and soft inner layer of the pancake before hitting the taco mix, sauce, and cheese really was something else. I wanted to savor it, but I made a short order of it because it was so good!