I Like "Iron Chef"!

As you may know, I do enjoy cooking when I find the time and desire to do it.  I learned to cook years ago due to a combination of 1) my wife Mary who is an excellent cook 2) watching cooking shows on T.V. and 3) reading and trying out various cookbooks.  One of my very favorite cooking T.V. shows to watch was none other than "Iron Chef".  I am talking about the Fuji T.V. Japanese version of this classic show, and not the American copy which in my opinion ended up being a disaster.  Are you familiar with the Japanese "Iron Chef"?  My understanding is it went off the air many years ago in Japan.  What a group of characters.  Chairman Kaga, Rokusaburo Michiba, who was later replaced by Masaharu Morimoto (Japanese cuisine), Chen Kenichi (Chinese cuisine), Hiroyuki Sakai (French cuisine), and of course Masahiko Kobe (Italian cuisine).

Just watching the following trailer gives me goosebumps on my arms!!!  What fantastic television.  What great music.  It does not get any better!

So you can imagine my great thrill when I had a chance to visit Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe's restaurant in Japan for dinner.  His place is called Massa and is located in the Ebisu area of Tokyo.  When I visited I asked the people there (through a tranlator of course) if Kobe-san was going to be at the restaurant that night.  He was they said, and not only that, he was going to cook our dinner!!!

So then I asked if it would be possible to meet him, and they said certainly, but only after the meal was over and most of the customers have left.  What followed was a classic multi course Italian dinner.  There was an appetizer, pasta, fish, and beef followed by dessert.  A wonderful meal, and of Iron Chef quality!  This post certainly could have been included in my "Great Dinners in Japan" series.  Afterwards, Kobe-san did indeed come out, and the following picture is certainly to be considered one of my favorites.

To me, Kobe-san is like a food version of a rock star.  However in person he was very humble and quite surprised by my strong interest in the show.  After all, it had been off the air in Japan for quite a number of years.  However, in America, it was at the peak of it's popularity!!!  Does Chairman Kaga really swallow the yellow pepper?  Who cares!!!  Thank you Kobe-san!!!!  Allez-cuisine!!!!