Yakitori Tour

Most Americans think of sushi when asked to conjure an image of Japanese cuisine. But yakitori—a style of grilled meats, traditionally chicken—is one of the most popular street foods in its home country. Yakitori is prepared simply: a dash of salt or quick dunk in a soy-based sauce is followed by treatment on a smoky, charcoal grill. No part of the animal is wasted: meaty chunks of breast and thigh share grill space with gizzards, hearts, tails and soft-knee bones. Having grown up a rather picky eater—particularly with chicken (boneless, skinless white breast meat was the only part fit for consumption in my book)—I decided to set out in the city to sample some of the more interesting yakitori options and decide how they stack up against a decidedly Western palate.

Yakitori Taisho 5 St. Marks Place, (betw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.) 212-228-5086

A Tokyo transplant of a popular Japanese restaurant, Yakitori Taisho is a small restaurant located a few feet below street level on St. Marks Place. Populated by Japanese ex-pats and a few, more adventuresome NYU students, it’s a casual restaurant whose rough around the edges décor fits in well with the neighborhood. A friend and I opt to sit at the bar, which is similar to one in a sushi restaurant but with more grease and smoke. It’s often said that one can judge a yakitori restaurant by its “meatball,” and Taisho’s homemade version is exceptional. Doused in soy sauce and then grilled, it may be one of the best bar snacks ever conceived. After sampling some kimchee (very good) and cold tofu (don’t bother), my dining companion and I delve into more exotic fare. We order sunaziri ($1.50, chicken gizzards), kimo ($1.50, chicken livers) and motsu ($3, beef guts). Surprisingly enough, the gizzards and beef guts aren’t all that bad; they have a tough texture and charred exterior that make for easier eating. The liver, however, is a different story. Though also enveloped in the characteristic char and savory seasoning, it has a gelatinous texture and extremely gamey taste. As my dining companion took his last bite of liver, he reached across the bar and grabbed my beer (he had finished his) to wash it down. I second that.

Yakitori Totto 251 W. 55th St. (betw. Broadway & 8th Ave.) 212-245-4555

Further uptown is Yakitori Totto, one of the city’s more upscale avian options. It’s slightly more expensive than Taisho, but still relatively cheap (with yakitori generally priced between $2 and $5). With a discreet second-floor location, sophisticated atmosphere replete with polished wooden tables and chairs and a soundtrack ranging from Japanese pop to sultry jazz, it has a more polished look and feel than its downtown brethren. In fact, it could make for an adventurous first-date dinner destination. Gastronomically speaking, Totto is a standout. They only use organic chicken and will cook anything and everything medium-rare unless specified otherwise. One of my favorite items is the hatsu, or chicken heart ($2.50). The hearts are thin, as though they’ve been pounded, and remind me of a slightly gamier thigh meat. Other highlights include kinoko, a very meaty Eringi mushroom ($3), chicken breast with scallion and miso paste ($3) and the grilled rice ball ($3). And though I could tell Totto’s version was very well prepared, not even the deftest grilling skills could change my mind about the chicken liver.

Yakitori Torys 248 E. 52nd St. (betw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.) 212-813-1800

My first visit to Torys, the recently opened sibling restaurant to Yakitori Totto, ended in disappointment: I didn’t have a reservation. The relatively casual atmosphere of my previous experiences had me thinking reservations weren’t necessary (especially on a Monday night). A day later, as I sat at the mostly (but not completely) filled bar, I noticed the hostess speaking to a patron. I may be wrong, but she seemed to be pushing him out the door. Restaurants use reservations to keep organized, blaming the customer for your own disorganization just makes you look bad. Like Totto, Torys is also located on the second-floor at the top of a narrow staircase, and a large bar and grill station dominates the center of the room.

But it’s a much more formal affair: An entire wall opposite the bar is painted in a lustrous red and subtly emblazoned with the restaurant’s logo. An urbane and almost exclusively Japanese clientele occupy the seats at the bar and tables, and even the bathrooms are sleek and modern and at times you feel like props in a design photo shoot. Some of the food at Torys is fantastic, and offerings like chicken sashimi and rice balls stuffed with chicken meatballs ($9) are fantastic. And even though it’s probably one of the better yakitori options in the city, generally speaking everything—from the food to the service—is slightly less satisfying than Totto. Our friendly but high-strung waiter couldn’t do enough to please, but when he brought our food, he informed us that our order was complete—implying we should consume it at a brisk pace. Torys is without question authentic and serves up very tasty food often enough, but I’ll stick with Totto.