Every time I eat an oyakodon I think of Paul Simon; I can’t help it. It’s not very original (because I write it every time as well) but that’s one of my favorites among his songs. Oyakodon itself is a hard thing – I think it’s not really appealing to foreigners in its truest form. […]
yakitori
Usataro, Monzennakacho （うさたろう）
Usataro is quite close to Monnaka crossing, on one of the southside streets. It has an appealing facade with big windows, lots of bottles, and red paint on most of the exposed surfaces. Looks like the kind of place that could be good even if it’s a bit formulaic. Why did it take me almost […]
- beer
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Baird Taproom, Harajuku
This could seem like a public service, posting something about a very American-style micro brewery and their central-Tokyo brewpub outlets (Harajuku and Nakameguro), but based on the traffic yesterday, when Swannie and I spent 6 hours perched on their stools (holy shit, 6 hours?!), every foreigner in Tokyo knows about this place already. I was […]
- Other treats
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Matsusou, Yurakucho (まつ惣)
When Roofie and I agreed to meet for dinner in Yurakucho, visions of cheerful-cheep-chicken excellence at Tonton danced in my head. Unsurprisingly, they had started dancing in the heads of dozens of others long before we got there. This is why I always reserve these days; it’s just not worth the risk. And that’s how […]
Torikaku, Otemachi (とりかく)
Neuuu, this was not the most brilliant fried chicken lunch I’ve ever had. Nor was the conversation particularly inspiring (sorry You). Combination of the weather, obsessing over the financial markets, and the indignity of having lunch at 11:30 (back at my desk by 12:15 – good lord the afternoon was long). Uhhhhh…Torikaku is very utilitarian, […]
Vin Picoeur, Marunouchi
This is an odd position to be in – needing to recommend a restaurant from the Aux Amis chain. After a series of mediocre experiences at the Maru Biru glamour outlet and the Brasserie outlet, I don’t know what I was doing steering this work dinner toward yet another one (in the same building as the Brasserie, […]
- Other treats
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Toritoku, Kayabacho (鳥徳)
It’s feasting season again…when the winds of change rise up, Putin rears his head and comes out of Russia into Alaska’s airspace, and the company randomly reassigns people to different teams with no apparent motivation or prior notice. Strange humors dwelleth in the heartseth of men, and the only solution is to get drunk and […]
Jidoritei, Kanda (ぢどり亭)
The march of the yakitori chains across the landscape of Japan continues unabated. On the other hand, I feel very satisfied with my lunch today – a freshly-fried chicken cutlet topped with grated radish, some soup, pickles, salad, and a big bowl of rice. What does $7 get you at McDonalds these days? Fry, my […]
Kuruma, Tokyo (車, Tokia B1)
Continuing in a series of “Hey, I haven’t seen you for a year!”-type meetings, Roofie and I met up last night. Somehow these meetings with men from work always devolve into chicken-fests. In this case, I have the rare pleasure of questioning the existence of a restaurant, or at least providing a strong steer about […]
- Other treats
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Denshou, Kayabacho (田昌)
November 18, 2009: Second visit confirms that this place has warm, quirky service and great food – chicken or not. Sashimi was exemplary, I still like the moutain potato tofu, and I believe firmly in electric-grilled chicken. A funny surprise was that the master was working the fish and cooked things – there was a […]