I tried this post year old Izakaya in the second strip mall off I-4 (Disney Springs exit) on Tuesday night. The road the strip mall is on is called Palm Parkway. It's up a block or two on the right. There is another Japanese restaurant on the end. Let me start by saying it will be on the Favorite's List. If I lived down here, I would eat here every week. Too bad it isn't open during the day. I had a sampling. $3 takoyaki (2). $6 Cashu Gohan (rice bowl with pork belly). $7 okonomiyaki (fritter/hash like dish). $5 short rib yakitori (skewer) . 2 $2.50 chicken heart hatsu (skewer). I needed a baby Bjorn for my stomach on the way out. The takoyaki were very soft. The only other time I've had them this way (I believe the proper way) was at a five star yelp rated place in Vegas. These were a little more "runny" than those, but, at least they are failing in the right direction. The octopus was fresh and tender if not pervasive. I think they are a Tuesday only event. The okonomiyaki was served first and could have served as the whole meal. The only other time I've had this was at a little shop near NYU and they were filming it for tv, so, I suppose they did it the right way. This one was thicker and more formed than the one in NY. There they threw some cabbage on a grill and then some batter and other things. That one I think had some sea critter in it. Possibly octopus. This one was disc like. Less greasy. It came with a spatula to cut it into slices/pieces. Very good. The rice bowl was an afterthought that I'm glad I afterthought of. The pork (belly) was unctuous and delicious. Tons of it. The rice was great. It came with other toppings which elude me at the moment. Again, it could have been the meal unto itself. The short rib replaced beef tongue which they ran out of. It was great too. Four big hunks of (once again) unctuous beef. So good, I saved it for my last bite. *Do you ever find that the second to last bite usually is the best for some reason? And even though you have only two bites staring back at you, you always take the wrong one (if you are saving the best for last), the best one. Anyway. The chicken hearts were also magic. Four to a skewer. A half a heart was a piece. Great grilled flavor. Fresh. A soda was even only $2 (with refills). And to think I almost stormed out because they told me there was a thirty minute wait (it was only five minutes) with plenty of open tables at nine pm. And that could be the sole issue. They don't have enough bus people. The hostess had to help out and many tables sat in their grossness for far to long. Not to mention the opportunity cost. The place is a square room with the kitchen in the right rear corner. A high chair area is in front of it. It seats about sixty. It was full and people were still coming in after me. The crowd was all over the map. It's decorated with all kinds of Japanese pop culture and marketing paraphernalia. The menu has five or six sections. I ate a thing or two from most to give you and idea of them (not the ramen though). The Japanese sake, beer and soju selection was good. Not too expensive either. The service was as fast as the kitchen would allow. Polite. The owners (2) are not Japanese, but, you (or I) wouldn't know it. This place has been on my hit list for a while and I've had several hiccups trying to scratch it off. I'm glad I persevered. It's worth a potential battle with I-4 and Disney traffic. I believe they also run Jade in College Park. This is much better.
*Travel Notes - San Francisco : Here are a few things I tried or saw in San Francisco. Salt and Pepper Wings at Dim Sum Corner on Grant. They were ok. Needed a stint in the oven after frying though. They also had a egg custard lava bao that I've never seen before. I also asked about the cheese topped tea that I mentioned I saw this summer in England (and they offered). They said it tasted like cheesecake. I was too parched to take the chance. Went with iced coffee milk tea boba. I, also, had a great lettuce cup dish at R&G Lounge on Kearney. It was like the squab or chicken cups you see at other places. This was made with shrimp and scallops and Chinese sausage. So good. Quality seafood. I also had a really good chicken salad at Trader Vic's and a double double on the Wharf that renewed my faith in In and Out. And since I appear to be going into detail, I had a good brisket sandwich at Big Nate's at the Chase Center of all places and some interesting sour dough options at Boudin on the Wharf.
No comments:
Post a Comment