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The silver lining to the place I had intended to dine tonight being unexpectedly shuttered was that I stumbled upon this gem about 20 minutes later trying to find some place that looked good. Yakiniku Gen is an unassuming little place in the basement at 250 E 52nd St., just off of 2nd Ave, and purports to offer authentic Japanese barbecue. I don't know squat about authentic Japanese barbecue, but the kalbi (isn't that Korean? but all - literally all - the other customers I saw were speaking Japanese to each other and the staff) was wonderfully marbled and flavorful. Just some beautiful, beautiful beef. There are a bunch of other cuts (mostly of beef) on the menu, and you grill it yourself at the table. I made the mistake of ordering chicken thighs with my short ribs, before I realized I would be doing the cooking, and overcooked it all in fear that I'd undercook it. Oh well. The meal was worth it for that beef. They serve beer, sake, and some other alcoholic drinks, but the selection is very limited (and not that interesting). Most of the menu is 20% off through this coming weekend in celebration of their one year anniversary, in case anyone is in town. Here's a nice little review of the restaurant from chopsticksny.com. -
I finally had the opportunity to have lunch at Ippudo last weekend while I was in the city. As expected, the place was packed and luckily I could get right in since I was dining alone on this particular occasion. I was seated at a communal table and ordered their Hirata Pork Buns and the Akamaru Modern ramen. The buns were on the thicker side and had that nice fluffy gooey consistency that reminded me of the siaopao I used to eat as a little kid. The pork had that rich fatty flavor that you would expect but I was thrown off a bit by the lettuce in the buns. I don't know if I've ever had lettuce in buns and it was just a foreign taste to me when associated with these. I added a soft boiled egg and some pork belly to the ramen. The egg was a good choice and provided some extra richness. The pork belly was surprisingly flavorless and didn't have a ton of fat. The pork chashu that came with the ramen, however, more than made up for it as it seemed to have ample time to soak up the broth. The noodles were tasty enough but I think I prefer them to be a touch on the thicker side. The broth had a great depth of flavor and, at least to me, tasted a bit lighter than the ramen I've had in the past since I think they used considerably less pork fat in this broth. I'm glad that I finally got to try out Ippudo since it had been recommended to me by one of the owners of Sakuramen way back when they opened. I don't know if I prefer it over Momofuku Noodle Bar but I'm glad to know that it's out there in case I want another option. -
My last post of this morning--I felt I had to share of this special little place before I forget about its details. I cannot remember how I came upon reading about Sakaya, a mom-n-pop-owned store by Rick Smith and his wife, Hiroko Furukawa, but I knew it had to be on my visit list before I left Sunday evening. A super quaint little shop in East Village, its decor and organization are remarkably Japanese in its Zen-like serenity. I could have probably spent an entire afternoon in here, looking at the different bottle sizes, options, price-point, and descriptions. Ever so patient, Hiroko-san asked questions much like a skilled-sommelier with a first-time wine novice: dry vs. sweet, clean vs. fruity, et al. It was a very non-intimidating exchange for this unskilled, novice sake-drinker. I came away with something within my price point (under $15) without feeling like I got a "two-buck chuck." If you are interested in learning more about sake, or already are an expert, I would recommend visiting. They also offer online ordering, although, of course, selection will be restricted on your delivery location and state laws. 324 East 9th Street New York, NY 10003 212.505.7253 (SAKE) -
Not sure where to post this -- is there a restaurant in the area that makes authentic okonomiyaki (not a riff on it)? I came across this article with a link to a recipe, but it simply made me think I'd like to actually eat it/try it prepared authentically first before making it myself.
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204 East 43rd Street New York City 10017 Phone: (212) 972-1001 Fax: (212) 972-1717 Web: http://www.sushiyasuda.com/ One of my favorite destinations in New York is Sushi Yasuda in Midtown East, one block from Grand Central. I've been numerous times, and my visit last week was typical of the remarkable experience I've come to expect. My meal last Thursday at the sushi bar was omakase and included, in order (all nigiri unless indicated): bluefin toro, branzino, yellowtail, mackerel and jack mackerel (I told the chef I loved mackerel), scallop, arctic char, Australian king salmon, giant clam, sea eel and frestwater eel, oyster, toro and scallion maki (two pieces), uni (on request), and more bluefin toro (also requested). Each was the best of its kind that I can recall and came with perfect (texture, seasoning, and temperature) rice and interesting sauces and garnishes (a lot of citrus in addition to the usual soy and fresh wasabi). The whole meal for two (we each had everything listed), plus 3 Kirin draft was $200, which, though not cheap, I consider reasonable for sushi this good (the truly good stuff can be very expensive, and it was a lot of food). And Yasuda has been remarkably consistent, though the one visit where I sat at a table and ordered a la carte the sushi was only merely "very good." But if you go to the sushi bar and let them choose their best, I doubt you'll find better sushi in the US, and possibly anywhere. -
Sometimes life is cruel. Root canal surgery that goes wrong. Infected dry socket. And sometimes you take a four hour Bolt Bus to New York City and have dinner at Benihana. Sometimes you have a girlfriend. And sometimes she has a friend that is turning 30. Sometimes this soon-to-be 30 year old has a weird thing for Benihana. And sometimes this soon-to-be 30 year old decides that turning 30 at Benihana would be...fun. And sometimes you just have to suck it up and be the good boyfriend. Was it bad...no not really. Was it good...no not really. The onion soup was watery with two strands of something that looked like onion. The salad was at least fresh and crisp. The shrimp appetizer was overcooked. At one point our chef put a pile of teppanyaki-ed onions on my plate for no apparently reason other than they were cooked and he needed room on the hibachi. The sushi rolls didn't completely suck. The spicy tofu was competent. And I would actually give them some kudos for their fried rice. It's a food factory, the place was packed, and I'm sure they made a lot of money Saturday night. I'll chalk it up as one of those life experiences...remember when we took the bus to New York City and had dinner at Benihana. Good times. Good times indeed. -
From Thrillist, a new ramen joint opening on 18th Street, up near Columbia Road... If this place turns out to be any good, it's fairly exciting news (imo) for the cheaper dining options in the neighborhood. I think I'll be able to try it next week, but if anyone else does before then, please report back. -
I'm not qualified to opine on what the best sushi restaurants in New York are. I am qualified to state that 15 East is my current favorite. Note to sushi lovers: the best way to experience sushi at 15 East is at the sushi bar, where the menu does not include the cooked items from the dining room menu. If you are willing to eat most anything, go with the chef's tasting menu or one of the sushi omakases. Be prepared for some unusual items, such as shrimp that was alive moments before it hit your plate, followed later by the fried heads. Chef Masato Shimizu is the most engaging, friendly sushi chef I've ever encountered. In fact the entire staff of the restaurant is wonderful, never batting an eye at one of my stupid questions or requests. I find the service formal but engaging and friendly, similar to European-style fine dining. Chef Masato is known to explain what's special about the fish your eating, famous for taking one of his books from behind him to explain something to you. And the quality of the fish, rice, and accompaniments are superb. Often I find the flavors subtle, such as in the sashimi and tartare of tuna, but in a way that lets the fish shine. So last night my wife and I ate there for the 5th time, but this was the first where we ate in the dining room instead of the sushi bar. We just showed up a little before 6:30 PM without a reservation, on a whim. We asked if they had a table for two -- they offered a seat at the sushi bar, but we turned it down because I wanted to try their soba -- and they seated us promptly. The restaurant was empty, but filled up quickly as our meal wore on. Our meal consisted of: Degustation of 11 varieties of sea lettuces -- for me this was something different to try. Presentation was lovely (I forgot to take a pic), some were pickled, others we were told to dip in the provided soy sauce. I quite liked this healthy, light starter. Sashimi & Tartare of Bluefin Tuna Risotto with uni, matsutake mushrooms, cabbage and chives. Balanced flavors, again not bold but very creamy. As good as most Italian restaurants produce. Hot soba noodles with matsutake -- most expensive soba ($30) I've ever eaten, worth it if you love matsutake. Total including a bottle of sparkling wine, tax and tip about $140, which is about as cheap as I can imagine a dinner for two there. I suggest Don add this one to his dining guide. http://15eastrestaurant.com/ -
I had a solo dinner at Yuzu this past Wednesday and was very pleased. I discovered Yuzu through a Tom Sietsema "First Bite" column http://tinyurl.com/nbngbtv. The restaurant, which has been open for about a month, is located at 7345 Wisconsin Avenue. Their web page is here: http://yuzubethesda.com/. I ordered nigiri from the menu of specials on offer that day: I enjoyed everything with the exception of the nihon anago, which was oddly mushy and tasteless. From the regular kitchen menu, I ordered the "fried oyster, kakifry" which was just wonderful. The panko coating was crisp, not greasy, and the interior harbored full-flavored, molten oyster goodness. The oysters were accompanied by a dipping sauce (can't recall the name, but it was dark and a little sweet, akin to a plum sauce), and a small dab of spicy mustard. Both perfectly complimented the oysters. I'm reserving final judgement until I'm able to dine here at least another time or two, but I'm hoping that I've found my go-to sushi place near home in east MoCo.
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This is from a poster using the screen name "Professor Salt" and was posted in 2007 on Chowhound. I found it interesting and thought some here might also. I know many here have real expertise and experience with Japanese cuisine so please just ignore if you do. Hillvalley's 'last meal' post just got me looking around and, when I found this, I thought okay to share. Answers the question: What's the difference between kaiseki and omakase? ------------------ "Two different things entirely. Real traditional kaiseki cooking is hard to find in the US for reasons I'll describe below. "Omakase" is short for "omakase shimasu", which means roughly, "I trust you [the chef]." In its American food usage, it's mistakenly interpreted as a tasting menu at a sushi restaurant, but it's deeper than that. It means you're placing what courses come out to the chef's judgment, based on 1. what he's got that day that's really good and 2. his rapport with you and your preferences on what you find delicious or not. Your prior relationship with the chef (if any), his ESP-like ability to read your reactions to his food, are all part of his skill in delivering an outstanding (or not) experience. The chef can adjust which courses he serves based on that immediate feedback, which is different from the Western notion of a tasting menu, where the chef can't watch your reactions. The omakase style of dining happens not only at sushi restaurants, but also other Japanese types of cookery, like kushiyaki (grilled skewers) or kushiage (fried skewers) to name but two. In these cases, a course of two or three skewers are served as a set, and you can say when you've had enough. If you keep going, the chef will serve the couple dozen items he thinks you'll enjoy, and the menu will repeat until you explode. Another aspect of the omakase style of eating is that prices aren't (traditionally) listed on a menu, it's market price and you'll get your bill at the end. This practice isn't as common in the US because it's not the way Americans do things. However, if you're going to Japan, it's still done. This is an aspect that makes many people feel uncomfortable. If you don't feel good about trusting the chef with the entire experience including the value vs. cost part of it, I'd say don't do it at all until you're comfortable with that chef's abilities to deliver a meal you'll enjoy implicitly. If you can't trust, you're missing the spirit of the whole experience. Kaiseki dining is super-traditional formal dining with a set course of menu items, served with a rigorous attention to detail. You'll have private screened off room for your party, and "sit" Japanese style (zaseki), kneeling on mats on a tatami floor at a low table (if you're old school and super formal about it). Foods are prepared in the kitchen, and brought in succession by formally dressed servers. There's no direct customer to chef feedback as you'd have at a sushi bar. You get what you get, and that's that. A key principle of kaiseki cooking is to use only seasonal ingredients from the local area. You should not find ocean fishes served at a kaiseki restaurant far from the sea, for example. You will find fishes caught in nearby rivers, or produce gathered from the local forests. These ingredients are then prepared with precise knife techniques to make them look beautiful before they're even cooked. They're then prepared with the five fundamental methods of cooking, so you'll get courses which are steamed, simmered, fried, grilled, and raw. Because of the emphasis on local ingredients and hyper-freshness of seasonal items, as well as low demand for the formality of the whole experience, it's hard to find kaiseki restaurants in the US which really toe the line of tradition. Hope that helps with a basic description."
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The wait for good ramen in D.C. and environs has finally ended: Ren's Ramen has opened inside of Daruma Japanese Market in Bethesda, serving up steaming hot bowls of Hokkaido style goodness. Ren's has taken over Daruma's seating area and, it looks like, part of its kitchen. The wife, Japanese, had the miso ramen, which she declared very good. I tried the pork shio ramen, including extra pork, which had a very good, rich broth. The pork was a little disappointing, though -- not too tender. They also have vegetable shio ramen and shoyu ramen, as well as gyoza. The noodles are fresh -- frozen or refrigerated, not sure which -- and imported from Hokkaido. Prices are on the high side -- $10.00 for a bowl of miso or shio ramen ain't exactly cheap. Plus, my extra pork set me back another $3.50. Don't plan to order that again. Egg and corn are extra. But the ramen here, while not quite as good as some places in NYC and NJ, beats the hell out of the slop served at other places around D.C., including Temari Cafe in Rockville. My wife and I will surely be regulars. -
Money is no object. A foodie Japanophile wants to eat. Where do we go?
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It's come to my attention that this place doesn't have a thread, so I'm starting one. I don't to be honest, have a ton to say about it. The food is better than Sticky Rice most of the time, which I suppose makes it the best sushi restaurant on H Street. Which isn't the highest bar to clear. I've never had any real complaints about a meal here. -
In a word, wow. This is a theoretical universe of knives used in a Japanese kitchen. -
Before I knew of my food allergies (soy, nuts, sesame) I was a sushi addict. I would be still; however I find sushi in DC to be sub-par to NY, and the same goes for service, unfortunately. I realize this is a generality but it is sadly true in most cases. I often order sashimi from Uni sushi but decided to re-try Tono tonight. When I called and gave my phone number/address, the manager said that he saw I hadn't ordered recently. I explained that this was due to my allergies- especially the fact that Tono had blatantly disregarded them in the past, including soy sauce which spilled all over my order. Major problem! The manager explained that he was the new Sunday floor manager, and would take special attention to make sure my order arrived allergy free. Wonderful.. I ordered the Sashimi-jo, no sauce anywhere, no allergens, please do not even include soy sauce in the bag, and they were happy to sub a salad for the miso soup. Sounds promising, right? Well, I was told my order would arrive within 45 minutes. An hour later, it showed up. Forgivable, whatever. I opened up the order to see some sort of fried crawfish/shrimp(?) along side my sashimi. What is it fried in? What is it? I called and asked to speak to the manager. He told me it was fried in peanut oil. Ok, so obviously you did not pay attention to my allergies. Then the manager had the gaul (balls even) to tell me not to order Japanese food again, due to my allergies to most of the main ingredients. Sir, I eat fish safely. I eat wasabi, ginger, vegetables- safely. But if there is a peanut fried item in my sashimi, I throw out the 25 dollar order which you refused to refund. And, FYI, I regularly order sashimi from Uni sans probleme. And if there ever is a problem they are gracious about it, at least apologizing and not telling me to stay away from all Asian food. No, I am not foolish enough to wander into Thai restaurants. But I can and do eat Chinese food on occasion (steamed of course, no sauce)... If I could prepare wonderful (and safe) sashimi in my kitchen, I would. God forbid I try to pay you for it. -
This has become a regular stop for us in NYC, or at least on the last 4 visits. It is a branch of a chain of two restaurants in Roppongi executed in much the same style here though larger and with the addition of sushi. Our visit last year happened to be when they were having a special event to introduce Ten Qoo farm raised bluefin tuna. The tuna then was amazing in quality and the special tuna cutting ceremony impressed our then 3 yr old daughter enough that this is now her favorite restaurant. The other theatre that they do is a nightly mochi pounding though usually too late for our kids' bedtimes. The main theatrical element of Inakaya is the chefs cook in front of you and serve the food and drinks directly at the counter on long paddles. One warning about Inakaya is that the prices of the a la carte menu are comparable or even more expensive than Tokyo prices, especially for many of the fish offerings. The saving grace is that they have several set menu offerings which moderate the pricing and provide a good variety of foods. Set menus come with a variety of kushi yaki and a main course of some other kushi yaki, sushi or fish. Kushi yaki we had included eringi and shitake mushrooms, asparagus, eggplant, ginko nuts, potato, sato imo/Japanese sweet potato, chicken thigh, chicken meatballs (tsukune), okra, and beef. Nothing out of the ordinary. Also had sushi which was on par with table service at Sushi Taro and much better than sushi ko or Kaz, in my experience at those places. (Kaz is the most overrated sushi place in this city in my opinion). Pieces included were ama ebi, kanpachi, hamachi, salmon, unagi, and what I think was red snapper/tai. Since we were splitting it, I don't remember what some of the other pieces were that others ate. Last main course was the ubiquitous black cod with miso glaze which was very good and a nice size filet. A la carte additions for the kids were grilled onigiri (rice balls) and an avocado roll. Have no idea how the avocado roll was since our 20 month old devoured it and wouldn't share. Kushi is probably the closest comparison with regard to menu, though I've not been to Kushi in a while. The quality of the food is much better at Inakaya and what really sets it apart from Kushi is the service. Servers know how to serve and pace the meal here much better than Kushi ever has for us. Going with the set menus helps to keep the price down here as well.-
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Yakitori Totto is really good. Again, the draft Japanese beer is excellent as well. -
Opening late June in the old Bob's Shabu Shabu space: http://azumaizakaya.com/ -
Has someone already started a thread for this new place? I didn't see one. Anyways it got a sound thrashing by someone on Tom's chat and I was just wondering if anyone else had tried it out. I saw it opened and was reallllly hoping for a go to sushi place near home. -
Izakaya Seki is a small, family-run pub serving casual Japanese dishes along with Japanese beverages. Our kitchen staff is small and the opportunity to learn about Japanese cuisine and techniques is significant. We are looking for a line cook who is available 3-6 nights a week. We value kitchen experience although not necessarily in Japanese cuisine. We are looking for hard-working professionals who are responsible, methodical, and diligent. Pay is hourly and commensurate upon experience. For more information and to schedule an interview, please email us at sekidc@gmail.com or call (202) 588-5841 between the hours of 11am-3pm.
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I tweeted this yesterday afternoon, having a terrible craving for raw seafood - raw bar or sashimi - yesterday at around 3:15 PM. I really tried: Makoto, closed Kotobuki, closed Murasaki, closed Yosaku, closed Blacksalt, closed Black's Bar & Kitchen, closed Clyde's, open but no raw bar (!) I was shocked to walk in and find this out Sushi-Ko, closed Hinata, closed Satsuma, not answering their phone with weird recording on it Freddy's, closed Kanpai, closed Tako Grill, closed I mean, that is *really* trying - I tried *all* of these places, to no avail. Giving up, I saw Maki Maki on my right, heading northbound on Wisconsin, and it was OPEN! :) I walked into a completely empty restaurant, ordered a Pot of Green Tea ($1.99), and gratefully placed an order for sashimi. You simply have no idea how grateful I was to have found this restaurant open - can you imagine having gone through all that rigmarole? I ordered 3 orders of sashimi, and a maki roll: Salmon, Yellowtail, Octopus ($4.50 for 3 incredibly generously cut pieces for each order) and an Alaska Roll ($4.50) which was salmon and avocado. The plate came with standard ginger, powdered wasabi, and the fish was sitting atop shredded daikon radish (a guilty pleasure of mine is dunking this in a little soy sauce and enjoying it, rather than treating it simply as a backdrop). As I was finishing my shocking good sushi (all three items were above-average in quality, and only $1.50 per thick slice), I ordered a fourth order of sashimi, Red Clam ($4.50) to have before I finished my maki roll. The fish was no doubt frozen - in fact, one of the gentlemen brought out a plastic-wrapped cylinder of octopus that was as hard as a brick, in order to let it thaw for the upcoming dinner hour. So I bear no illusions in terms of freshness, but I don't care - the octopus, salmon, and yellowtail were all *very* good, and only the red clam was mediocre (and stingily portioned). The maki roll was okay, but not as good as the first three orders of sashimi. With tax, I got out for $25.95, and considering how strong my craving was, I was happy to pay it. I've never before worked so hard to find raw seafood. Maki Maki is worth knowing about, especially on Monday afternoons at 3:30 PM. Thank you, my friends, for being open. Note the delivery options, and with the takeout menu, they have $5 off of dinner delivery with a minimum order of $50. I'd load up on sashimi, although I suspect that with a mass order, you won't get near the same thick cuts that I was fortunate enough to receive. They also advertise that they serve brown rice, although I don't see that as a particular asset. Cheers, Rocks
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On a whim (or, it could have been a $20 Wednesday) I headed to Han Sung with Erin, several Baltimore chowhounds (BaltoEllen, Britboy, Dzoey, Crowsonguy) friends and spouses to check it out. This is a small, spare, home-style storefront, with friendly staff and lively families scattered around. There were eight Korean dinner entrees listed in English, and about six others only in Korean. The rest of the menu is Japanese. Since the waitstaff speaks very little English, we communicated as best we could that we would like them to bring out a selection of typical Korean dishes for all of us to share, and a couple of soups as well. As a result of the language barrier, and the fact that all the dishes pretty much arrived at once after the soups, without time for explanations, we're not entirely sure what everything was, but it all sure was tasty! This is not a place to compare to what you will find in New York's Koreatown, the panchan are a half-dozen simple preparations, there are no grills, and the dishes generally lack the complexity or fire one would find elsewhere. Highlights included the two soups - Man Doo Gook? - a mild ground meat and ginger dumpling soup with rice threads, and a spicier soup that seemed to have tongue and tendon included. Also, the Pa Jon (Hae mool?) was fabulous- a huge crispy rice flour pancake stuffed with scallion and shrimp. There was a moderaltely spicy squid dish that really was tender and fresh. The pork and bulgoki dishes were not typical brazier style, but also very flavorful and tender. Not sure about the fish - possibly salted deep fried croaker? was more bones than meat - tough going. Bibimbap was home-style comfort food, but we had to ask for the redbean paste that usually accompanies it. By the time we realized we were not going to be served the hwae du bop we were too stuffed to ask for it. We saw it on other tables and it looked wonderful. Total damage was an amazing $16 per, before drinks and tip. All in all, a good adventure into the hinterlands. -
Hikaru is now closed. -
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I'm going to Manhattan by myself for the 4th of July (wife and kids are going to visit grandma in Ohio and then going to Indiana to visit more relatives and I have no interest in spending more time this year in Ohio unless I absolutely have to). I plan on doing lunch at 11 Mad Park with my bro and cousin on July 5th but I haven't made firm plans for the 4th. I wanted sushi and Italian but Yasuda and 15 East are both closed. According to Open Table, the best Japanese restaurant that's open is Morimoto, and the best Italian restaurant that's open is Ai Fiori. Ai Fiori is very good and I'm very tempted to go back there, but Babbo is also open and I've never been there. Fatty Crab is also open. Any suggestions on where I should go eat in Manhattan? -
So, I've been watching this spot at 910 17th Street, you know somewhere between Suntrust Bank and Firehook Bakery, two places not too far from my Metro stops that I visit with some frequency. The place is still under construction, but on the sign that covers the glass front there's a quote from someone I have never heard of raving about Chef Miguel Choy (and making reference to his restaurant Yuzu in London. Instead of being so cynical, I want to say that I hope this place is good! The fact that Mervis Diamonds and (sorry) Chevy Chase Bank are the other two businesses on the block worries me a bit. So, what's the dilio? <edited for fiction and grammar>
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