Now in Tokyo - Much to Report!

Hey, everybody. We are now in Tokyo, comfortably ensconced in what has got to be the most unbelievable hotel in the world. If I haven't mentioned it before, the Park Hyatt Tokyo is where the movie Lost in Translation was filmed. It is without a doubt the most incredible room I have ever seen. The view of Tokyo is absolutely breathtaking, and the room itself is simple, but very elegant.

WARNING -- most of the remaining thoughts on this blog are about food. So, if you're not interested in the culinary landscape of Hong Kong, you might as well save yourself some time and stop reading now.

Okay. The past few nights in Hong Kong were memorable, to put it mildly. We had dinner on Friday night at a Chinese restaurant that seemed to be a favorite of the locals. The food was great, but the atmosphere was what really made the place special. Hong Kong residents of all kinds were around us -- even the owner himself, whom we had the pleasure of meeting. I think we were the only foreigners in the place. Some of the stuff was a little weird (ie. the thousand year old eggs) but the meal overall was definitely one to remember. Any objection I have had to duck in the past has been obliterated by the duck we had a this place. MMMMM!!!

For those of you keeping score, we had a fairly mediocre meal at an Italian place our first night in Hong Kong. We took another shot at Italian fare at a restaurant called Va Bene, and I can say without hesitation that it was the BEST Italian meal I have had in my life. Perhaps one of the best meals period. Outstanding antipasti, great salad and a pasta/ravioli dish that I cannot even begin to describe except to say that it had beef inside and shavings of black truffle on top (!!!). It was so good that we felt compelled to compliment the chef in person -- and after a few glasses of wine (Antinori Tignanello -- oh yeah!), those of you who know me well KNOW that I just HAD to give him the double-cheek kiss. I didn't hear him say it, but apparently he said to someone else in our group that I could move into his kitchen if I wanted to. How sweet. :) I found out later that this guy has three Michelin stars to his name, so he's certainly no slouch.

Va Bene is in the expat district of Hong Kong, which also is home to a slew of great bars. So, after dinner, we went clubbing and met a bunch of great people, including two pilots (father and son) from Cathay Pacific and a VP at Credit Suisse in Switzerland. Oh, and a Chinese Elvis.

The following night, our last night in Hong Kong, we had dinner at Petrus, a French place that just happened to be in our hotel. Yet another great meal prepared by another great chef. We didn't get to meet the chef at Petrus, but the food was incredible and the service was top-notch. Had the weather been better, the view of Hong Kong would have been out of this world.

So, that's the wrap-up of our Hong Kong trip. I cannot wait to go back. It is a wonderful city full of wonderful people and great things to do. Definitely on my list of favorite cities.

Now we are in Tokyo. As I mentioned, the hotel is spectacular and I can't wait to see the rest of the city. We have meetings for the next two days, and then we leave, so I'm not sure how much we'll be able to see. But it's great being here all the same.

I miss everyone like crazy, and hope you are hanging in there. I heard the weather is getting bad again, so I hope you all are safe.

Take care, and hopefully there will be more to report tomorrow!

Lori