Let’s not call it a grudge match, but I’ve had an animus against Il Ghittone ever since I went there for lunch one time years and years ago (in the scale of my life; that means early 2005, I think). But plenty of people like it, and some love it, so I was pretty excited […]
expensive
- bar
- ...
Trees Lounge, Aoyama
While I usually refer to Aoyama Dori as a dead or at least quiet zone, there are some pretty good places hiding in plain sight. This is one of them, although you should go in with the right expectation price-wise. This being Tokyo, you probably know which end you’ll be surprised on. The main difficulty […]
- Other treats
- ...
Imaiya Honten, Shinjuku (今井屋本店、三丁目)
‘Honten’ means ‘main store’ or ‘original store’ – if a restaurant spawns a chain, they’ll refer to the first one as the honten. Maybe you could call it the ‘flagship’, but for some chains the original store is smaller and less glamorous, and they preserve it for historical reasons. The funny thing about Imaiya Honten is […]
- coffee
- ...
Veranda, Odaiba
Never quite understood the allure of Odaiba, but I certainly understand the allure of sitting on a terrace, looking at the bay and the bridge and the other scenery (which is frankly pretty industrial, but we take what we can get, scenery-wise, here in Tokyo). The Hotel Nikko has a very civilized afternoon tea thing […]
- Chinese
- ...
Zenshutoku, Ginza (全聚徳)
When you’re in Beijing, if you say ‘Peking Duck’, everyone will tell you to go to Zenshutoku (I heard this from the waiter and at least one other source – who actually lived in Beijing – so it must be true). When you’re in Ginza, or Shinjuku, you may say Peking Duck with impunity, safe […]
Ishizuki, Marunouchi (石月)
Lookee, an old-fashioned review with no pictures! And not even a clever concept! Skip if you want, save us both some trouble. This place is on the 5th floor of Shin Maru, which means I should have hit it years ago (well, year ago at least. It’s already 18 months of eating lunch around here.). […]
- Kanda
- ...
Oedo, Kanda (大江戸)
Once in a while my fixation on the word ‘kappou’ gets me into trouble with a place that’s more expensive than I’d like it to be. On the other hand, eel is an inherently expensive item (whoulda thought?), so putting the two together isn’t a recipe for success, cost performance-wise. This place has nice atmosphere […]
Iseju, Kodenmacho (伊勢重)
You might want to skip this post, ok? It’s not really food-oriented until the A5 wagyu starts sizzling at the end, which is marked with the big red text. There’s a reason why I like modern art – to me, it’s more stimulating. The encumbrances of form and realism, while pretty, tend to distract from impact, […]
- bar
- ...
Nashville, Ginza
After more visits than I care to admit to Rocky Top for live bluegrass, it was finally time to try one of the other Ginza country music live venues. Nashville is the obvious contender (there’s also one near Yurakucho called, enticingly enough, Banjo, but I’m not sure if they hav bands or not), but I had […]
- Ginza
- ...
Mogami, Ginza （最上）
Until now, the only kushiage place I’ve really loved (or been to an appreciable number of times) has been Isomura. I’d probably still tell you to go there first for the funky country-style atmosphere, almost like a mix of American tacky country and Japanese farmhouse, and of course for the great fry at decent prices. […]