After yesterday’s trip to Mitsuwa, I was stoked to be able to have natto for breakfast.  I haven’t had natto nearly as much  as I’d like in the past few months, so I bought three packs at the store.  I’ve already eaten 2/3 of the first pack; I wish I had bought a ton more, though I’m not totally confident about how long it lasts.  It comes frozen, so presumably awhile, but I guess a part of me is still a little sketched out by the fermented nature of it.  It was as awesome as I’d remembered it, though I wish I had some wasabi paste to spice it up.  The container comes with a tiny little bit of spicy mustard and a tiny litle bit of soy sauce, so that was welcomed, but it needed a little more.

This afternoon, after my second helping, I searched Twitter to see what else folks had to say about natto today, and I came across a video with a few different serving sugestions.  (I decided not to embed the video for fear of offending those nattophobes out there.)  This is the dude that made it.

The three recipes: sauteed garlic+cumin+red pepper; avocado+wasabi+soy sauce;cheddar cheese.  I’m pretty interested in trying out the first one, cause nothing is worse with the addition of garlic (except maybe raspberries).   I like avocado, though I kinda worry that the mush texture would be a less than stellar compliment to the mushy texture of the natto.  As for mixing it with cheddar cheese?  Probably not, though one of the commenters suggests natto on cheese+toast, which I could probably see happening.  I think I’ll probably try the first one tonight as an appetizer before my real dinner.  With any luck, I’ll be inspired to try something out myself.  (As noted, it’s kinda weird to eat it with a fork, but I’m chopstickless.  I’ll have to go through my boxes from my move to see if I can find my old ones.)

The best way to start the day: wake up, make coffee, take a shower, listen to a couple records while drinking said coffee.

Unfortunately, it’s rare that I get to start my day like that, on account of my ridiculous obsession with going to the gym every morning when I’m not too tired (read: hungover) to do so.   But, regardless of whatever else may be going on, the most important aspect of the morning ritual never changes: the coffee.  Man, that stuff is fantastic.

Chicago is a great city for coffee.  Like most places in the country, there are about a billion Starbuck’s, which isn’t necessarily a sign of good coffee, but it means that, worst case scenario, you’re never more than a few blocks from something that hasn’t been sitting out for three days.  Beyond the abundant supply of Pike’s Place or whatever, Chicago also has a handful of fantastic roasters.  Intelligentsia, a behemoth in local coffee production, has a handful of stores and roasts great coffee.  Many, if not most, good restaurants in the city serve Intelligentsia.  Good for them.  As good as Intelligentsia is, however, it’s not my favorite, which is Metropolis.

Friends of mine can attest that my first concern when New Wave ,  a new independent coffee shop, opened a few blocks from my house was what kind of coffee they’d be serving.  I assumed it would be Intelli, so I was stoked and stoked when I found out that they’d be serving Metropolis.   Most mornings I’ll cruise over toe New Wave to get a cup of whatever dark roast they’re serving that day.  (An added bonus: They always serve both a dark and a light roast of Metropolis, and while I generally prefer the dark roast, it’s nice to know that there’s another option.)  On occassion I’ll buy a pound to make at the house to save some time and money, but it’s nice to go to the store where the particular roast they’re serving changes most days.

Though I’m nearly always thinking about coffee, my reason for posting this particular item today is that the Straight Dope’s Chicago edition has recently tackled what the best coffee was in Chicago, and, not surprisingly, they chose Metropolis.  The competition was only between them, Intelligentsia, Starbuck’s, Dunking Donuts, and Star Lounge, which I hadn’t heard of though I’m eager to check it out.  The results indicated that both Intelli and Star Lounge were both also top notch, and gave the Starbuck’s regular blend the best-value honor.  Dunkin’ Donuts, also not surprisingly, came in last, though it’s worth mentioning that the DD coffee they brewed themselves was substantially better than what they bought in the store.  Anyhow, it’s a cool article, and any Chicagoan that enjoys the stuff should read it.