Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Japanese Izakaya experience in NYC



I had been on an incessant hunt for one of my favorite recipes my mama used to make for me when I was a kid: Omu-rice (pronounced Oh-moo Rai-su). It's basically an omelette with chicken, rice and vegetables inside it. Imagine my delight when stumbling upon Kenka,  a basement level izakaya on St. Marks! Their menu offers all of the things an izakaya in Japan would, including my favorite Omu-rice! They also have another personal favorite:  Okonomiyaki, (which is sort of like a Japanese pizza, if you will), Croquettes, Yakitori... And wait for it... $8 pitchers!!! Yep. That's right. This place is great for people on a budget as the family style dishes are no more that $9 each. Most range from about $5 to $7. The decor is interesting... definitely radical and politically themed, which most likely wouldn't happen in Japan, but hey, It works. The food's pretty damn good, can't beat the prices, and at the end of your meal, you get to make cotton candy in a real cotton candy machine!

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