First of all, I promised to link to my new articles, but I forgot to do this on Sunday, when I had a piece in the times about tartines.
[Here you go](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw02042007/2003549663_pacificptaste04.html).
Jean-Michel Omnès, proprietor of [Saint-Germain](http://saintgermainseattle.com/) restaurant, said something that stuck with me even though I didn’t use the quote for the article:
> It’s like you’re eating your plate.
I like that this idea resonates at all levels, from the injera lining the plate at an Ethiopian restaurant, to the bread bowl of chili at the Claim Jumper. And I was reminded of Jean-Michel’s quote last night when we were having steak with arugula and Parmigiano again. We had a nice crusty baguette from Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle (which for obvious reasons I hesitate to call a new bakery, even though it is) and were using it to scrape our plates clean. Laurie suggested that next time I make it, I should put a slice of bread under the salad to be eaten after the steak is gone, and it would be the best part.
It also reminds me of the great beef teriyaki at Hana restaurant on Broadway, which is not a gloppy-sauce version, but thinly sliced beef and onions with a bit of sauce atop a big bowl of rice. The rice left over after you finish the beef is the best part.
Oh, man. I so want a bowl of Hana beef teriyaki. Or katsu curry. Maybe you should do an article on donburi?
I meant to tell you that was a great article on Sunday. So great that I had to make a tartine for breakfast. Mine had fontina, smoked chicken and a sunny side up egg on top. This is going to be my go-to breakfast from now on!
Neil, that’s a good idea, although I don’t know much about the range of things that qualify as donburi. I mean, I know it’s a bowl of rice with stuff on top, but beyond that…care to enlighten me? I know of teriyaki don, tempura don, katsu don. Oh, and unagi don, of course. Hmm, this could dovetail with the fact that I’ve been meaning to buy a live eel.
Lauren, that sounds great. Save me one.
Oooh, unagidon (or perhaps more properly “unadon”) – yum! Though I think the classic and most common is the Oyakodon with chicken and a partially poached egg. Tempura don is usually just called tendon. Aoki on Broadway has a chicken katsudon on their menu, though if you tried to order something by that name in Japan they would look at you like you were crazy since katsu is always pork.
More on donburi, including a list of some of the traditional flavors, at Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donburi
Neil, I am going to pitch this story right now. This reminds me that once I asked a Japanese-speaking friend what the word for tonkatsu made with chicken is, and she said it was “chikinkatsu,” which is totally funny.
Some of the Hawaiian places near me also have chicken katsu on their menus as part of their “plate lunch” offerings.
Recently I saw something on FoodTV that showed a chef offering Spam katsudon that looked good. But then, I happen to like Spam.