Edobori Blues, Kawaramachi Blanche, a new pizza joint, and Isetan vegetables

Last weekend my wife went back to her hometown in Kyushu, so I was flying solo. On Thursday, I went out to dinner and a few drinks after work. The name of the restaurant/bar which I went to is Edobori-Blues. It opened about 6 years ago, and I pass it almost every day on my way to or from work. I like jazz, especially the blues, so I was curious about the place from the first time I saw it. Plus Ms. T, who lives right across the street from this place, told me "Edobori Blues is always full with middle-aged or old guys like you when I go home," so I was interested in it. Here is what I thought.
When I walked in, there were two men sitting at the counter, and a group of four,two girls and two guys, sitting at a table. I took a seat in between the two guys at the counter. The counter has about 6 stools. There are two tables. The place is quite snug. The chef/owner is a nice guy about the same age as me. One woman helps him behind the counter. They are both friendly. I like shochu, so I ordered a potato shochu on the rocks and two small dishes to start. The shochu was good and cheap. The food was alright, not fantastic, but not bad either. To my surprise, the place is not a "Blues Bar," but the owner plays a lot of American music from the 1970's...it was nostalgic. Basically, I liked it and it is really convenient for me cause it is on my way home, so I plan to go back there again from time to time. I recommend it if;
you like drinking
like 1970's music
don't mind tight places
don't mind second hand smoke
and are not so interested in food/eating.

Also, I wrote about dinner at Kawaramachi Blanche a while back. But I have never written about lunch. I went there for lunch the other day. I know it is a popular lunch spot, so I arrived at 11:40am because I thought it would get busy from noon and I wanted to beat the crowd. But, it was wrong. It was already packed when I got there. There are tables and a counter. I choose a stool at the counter because I was by myself. There are two choices for lunch, "A", which was breaded chicken something something, or "B", which was a cheese hamburger. Both sets comes with soup, a salad and rice. When I saw the chicken, I immediately knew why it is popular. It looks delicious and tasted even better! It was EXCELLENT! If you are in Honmachi, I highly recommend this place. However, it is a little small, crowded, and smoking is allowed, so if any of these points bother you, then you should better not go I think.

And, I tried a new pizza place which just opened in Honmachi last week too. There was a buzz about this place last week in Honmachi, and every day a long line formed in front of the entrance. This is because as part of an "Opening Sale," everything on the menu; pizza, appetizers, drinks, dessert, was half price for the first 5 days. And lunch, a pizza, soup and salad, was only 500yen!! That is a great deal, and pizza is one of my favorite foods, so I really wanted to check it out. But I was disappointed. The pizza was alright, but it is not worth the regular price. The salad was fresh and good. But the soup, I ordered minestrone, was minute!! In addition, I don't really like the atmosphere so I will probably not go again. I am rooting for this pizza joint to succeed because I root for all new businesses in Honmachi, but I would be very surprised if it made it.

Oh yeah, before I forget, my wife really recommends the vegetable section of the food area at the new Isetan Department Store in Umeda. She said the other food sections are nothing special, but the vegetable section in "Very Great" with many kinds of unique and fresh vegetables at a reasonable price.

Below is the new outside furniture which my folks bought for their house. Don't you think it looks great!?