Teriyaki Boy, Oh Boy!

tempura: tempting, temporary. the deep-fried shrimp and vegetables at teriyaki boy-a tokyo-meets-mcdonalds fast food joint-tempt me. they are so inexpensive ($4 for three shrimp and three vegetable pieces), but the satisfaction of eating them is so temporary, with the deep-fried casings melting in my mouth. "sayonara!" "sayonara!" the teriyaki ladies wave cheerfully as i leave past the line snaking out the door. i want to march right back in to get another order. it is that good.

the golden rules of tempura: the deep-fried batter can't be so heavy it is soggy, nor so light that it falls off the food at the merest tap of a chopstick. it must be light enough that you think you are eating something healthy, and you kind of are. the deep fry preserves the crisp snap of the thinly sliced sweet potato, the broccoli and onion. take your vegetable-phobic children to teriyaki boy. mine will eat a brussels sprout if it is deep-fried this perfectly. and what about the mystery of the shrimp? they must have been uncurled, trained, like tomato vines, to skewers so they look like crystallized rock candy sticks-which are not as delicious as this fried fix.

-- teriyaki boy 885 ninth ave. (betw. 57th and 58th

got a snack attack to share?

contact nbrand@aol.com