A good bite is better with a good sip, and vice-versa. Better still when there are many different bites and sips to be had, and none of them break the bank. Small plates paired with boozy drinks have been popping up in the city for years, mostly in the form of Spainish tapas with sangria, and Turkish meze with raki. But now our ongoing love of noshing and sipping has taken us further east with the Japanese izakaya.
An izakaya is a Japanese pub, and a slew of them have opened in New York since February.
“Sampling small plates has become so popular in NYC,” says Geisha Table owner Vittorio Assaf. “People see value, and are encouraged to try a variety of items on the menu.”
They’re also casual, communal fun, says Bruce Bromberg, who opened Blue Ribbon Sushi izakaya with his brother in April. You’ll find beers like Sapporo and Hitachino nest, and the distilled spirit shochu, straight-up or in cocktails. Bites include karaage (fried chicken), tsukune (chicken meatball) and all sorts of kushiyaki (grilled skewers).
Of course, there’s sashimi, sushi and tempura, too. But don’t look for entree-sized combos. This is happy hour meets late night. So call your favorite foodie friends and drinking buddies and get them together at one of these recently opened izakayas.
And don’t forget to toast: Kanpai!
* Ootoya 8 W. 18th St.
Opened: April 2012
Must try: Tomato wrapped in a slice of pork belly skewer, $3.50; kawa (chicken tail) skewer, $3 Ootoya is not technically an izakaya, but this home-style Japanese chain (think bento box) made our list because of their their incredible yakitori (grilled skewers, left). Of their 17 options (12 of which are chicken), go for the succulent momo ninniku (thigh with garlic, $3), the crunchy kawa (skin, $2.50), and the rich bonjiri (tail, $3), which has limited availability (it’s a ratio thing: one per bird). They do have a seemingly endless amount of small plates, too, including an in-the-works five-appetizer plate to be called Obanzi ($16), plus a selection of Mini Dons — half-full bowls of fish or meat with rice ($9 to $12).
* Yopparai 151 Rivington St.
Opened: February 2012
Must try: Sake, $13 to $21 per carafe; oden, $10
“Initially we were just thinking sake,” says Christy Shibata of Yopparai, the izakaya she opened with husband Gaku, a sommelier. The two lived in Japan for six years where they became experts in their favorite beverage. Then they recruited a chef and moved to New York City to teach us the nuances of sake.
Yopparai means “drunkard,” but this is no underage den. The Shibatas will bring out canisters of rice illustrating stages of purifying. All 50 sakes were chosen to pair well with the menu of rich, Tokyo-style foods. A favorite is oden — vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, and meat or fish stewed in dashi broth. The kakuni clay pot ($14) is another classic: pork belly with soft scrambled egg. And the Slimy Bomb ($15) is a great way to ease into natto, the fermented soybean that’s both crazy healthy and crazy smelly-slimy.
* Ryu 46 Gansevoort St.
Opened: May 2012
Must try: Sake on tap, $10 per carafe; uni, crab and shiso tempura, $19 “What I love about New York,” says restaurateur Jesse Camac, “is you can get izakaya in a basement in Midtown or in a well-designed space in the Meatpacking [District].”
The latter is his latest place, where images of full-back tattoos by artist Horiyoshi III hang on the upholstered back wall. They’re as gorgeous and thoughtful as the 32-item menu.
Camac and senior members of the team ate their way from street food to high end omakase (chef’s choice, multicourse menus), from 25-cent beers to $1,000 sake on a research trip to Japan. At Ryu (pronounced rye-yu) they’ve modified Japanese classics to appeal to the average foodie as well as the average guy. The intimidation factor of, say, uni (sea urchin) and shiso (a leaf from the mint and basil family), is mitigated by deep frying. Tsukune yakitori (chicken meatball grilled skewer, $12), served with a raw egg yolk dipping sauce is already a customer favorite. Average guys no more. Case in point: Kardashian-connected Scott Disick is both a regular customer, and a partner.
* Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya at the Thompson LES Hotel 187 Orchard St.
Opened: April 2012
Must try: Shochu-Hi clay pot service, with fresh squeezed juices, oolong tea, ice, and garnishes, serves 5-6, $75-192 (pictured), and uni fried rice, $29
In Tokyo, says Bruce Bromberg, who took a November trip with senior staff, you learn about a vertical city. “[Customers] are just as comfortable going to the seventh floor of a department store as the street level for dinner.” That works well for Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya’s second floor space in the Thompson Hotel.
Try a succession of small plates: wings ($9); ribs ($13); goma-ae (spinach and sesame sauce, $6); and fried rice (the squid, squid ink and uni, $29, is fantastic), then dip into the sushi and sashimi, as it’s among the city’s freshest and best.
* Geisha Table 2178 Broadway at 77th Street
Opened: March 2012
Must try: Sapporo draft, $6; black truffle tuna sandwich, $18
Over on the West Side, the revival of Geisha, a former Japanese restaurant on E. 61st Street, is a 23-seat izakaya, separate from, but attached to, a Serafina. Small plates share the stage with sushi, and Japanese fusion is still in play throughout the menu, which includes rotating specials. If it’s on the chalkboard, order the grilled skewer skirt steak with chimichurri ($6).
You can also create your own sushi rolls (from $10), so settle into your squishy stool, order a really cold Sapporo draft and then make your way from shrimp lollipop skewer ($10), to black truffle tuna sandwich ($18, pictured above). But eat over your plate; it falls apart easily and you won’t want to lose a bit.