Think you’re obsessed with food and restaurants? Try walking a mile in James Lin’s proverbial Crocs. As our new Senior Vice President of Restaurants and Bars, James lives and breathes F&B (that’s food and beverage for you non-industry types). His epic Epicurean task is to make sure our nearly 70 restaurants, bars and lounges are humming along at peak performance, while also developing the next generation of Kimpton dining destinations. We made a reservation and checked in with James about his new gig and asked him a couple of food-nerd questions, too. Meet the man who keeps Kimpton restaurants cooking. LiS: Describe your job in five words or less. JL: Dynamic, challenging, high energy, fun, beer. LiS: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? JL: Coagulated pig blood soup. Don’t think too hard when you have it — it actually tastes like liver (I think). LiS: What would you like for your last meal on earth? JL: Not coagulated pig blood soup, but a meal made by mom which would probably include her famous egg rolls and zong (Chinese: 粽子), which is made of sticky rice with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo, reed or some other large, flat leaf.

They are cooked by steaming or boiling and served with garlic-soy sauce and cilantro. LiS: What’s your favorite food/restaurant-related movie? JL: Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It’s a documentary that came out a few years ago, and it’s about an 85-year-old sushi master, Jiro Ono. He has a 10-seat, Michelin-starred restaurant in a Tokyo subway station. He has two sons who are also sushi chefs, so there’s some interesting drama around that, but mostly it’s just a great portrayal of someone in constant pursuit of perfection, and having respect and mastery for your craft. LiS: What’s the hardest thing about your job? JL: At this point, it’s striving to be in a position where I can (more often than not) be proactive/strategic vs. reactionary/putting out fires. LiS: What’s the best thing? JL: Working with passionate professionals inside and outside of the restaurant division who embrace the mindset of: “It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.”

And come to work looking to push the limits of what’s possiblesushi club delivery rosario LiS: What’s the short-term goal for your job?food delivery merivale ottawa JL: To stay employed past my 90-day probation period [laughs]. sushi grade fish bcIn all seriousness, I’m working with our team in developing a strategic plan for the restaurant division and where we want to go as a company. food delivery e16 londonLots of exciting things ahead.how much sushi can give you mercury poisoning

LiS: What long-term goal have you set?maru sushi order online JL: Ultimately, my goal is to help create a clear vision for our division so we can continue to evolve. where to buy sushi grade fish in singaporeIt’s a very competitive landscape so we need to continue attracting and retaining top-level talent, and making sure we remain a preeminent player in the hospitality industry. We’ll need to continue to be very focused on developing exciting new restaurant and bar/lounge concepts that attract both locals and hotel guests. And that might include creating some interesting partnerships that bring new daylife and nightlife entertainment to the properties. We’ll also be very focused on maximizing our banquet and catering operations as we continue to develop properties with larger meeting and private dining spaces and evolving the overall hotel food-and-beverage experience, which is becoming increasingly more integrated to the overall hotel guest experience.

Not to mention our chefs are doing some really tasty and creative things for private events.Sushi enthusiasts in New York tend to have a go-to spot. You love Sushi Of Gari? You probably lived on the Upper East Side at some point and don’t worry too much about your monthly credit card bill. You’re always at Momoya? You probably live in one of those big buildings in Chelsea and definitely have a favorite teacher at SoulCycle. You’re a regular at Sushi Yasuda? You’re either a celebrity or someone who’s had a personal food blog since 2006 – either way, you love that the chefs here know you by name. So who goes to Ushiwakamaru? For decades, Ushiwakamaru had two main draws: 1) It was more under the radar than the city’s other best sushi spots, located in an almost dingy, but charming hole-in-the wall space on West Houston. 2) It was less expensive. The crowd was harder to pin down and make sweeping generalizations about, but the sushi was always top notch, and that meant a dedicated following.

And now you can forget all – or at least most of – that. After a long run in Soho, Ushiwakamaru has moved to West Chelsea, and after checking out the new digs, we can report that things are different now. First, the space is bigger, and fancier, with a very long sushi bar. It’s nicer, but also feels a bit less homey, and more sterile. Second, it’s more expensive. The omakase, which is now required if you sit at the bar, starts at $100 for 14 pieces. The simpler nine-piece nigiri platter, which used to hover around $30, is now $48. With soup and dessert included, it’s still a non-outrageous deal, relatively speaking, but it also means this place isn’t really the “cheaper” option it once was. The good news is, even if Ushiwakamaru has lost its price conscious and hole-in-the-wall defining characteristics, the sushi is still excellent. Ushiwakamaru isn’t going to be everyone’s go-to. But if you hang around 9th Avenue and don’t mind paying up a bit, it could certainly be yours.