Yakitori Tori Shin: A Tokyo Experience in New York
A Tokyo experience in New York, or what I would imagine a Tokyo experience to be. I have never been to Japan… nor even a Yakitori restaurant. But here I felt what you feel when you travel to a foreign country, with a different language, a different culture, and of course, a different cuisine. It was a little intimidating, a little uncomfortable, and a lot delicious.
Yakitori Tori Shin is the only Yakitori restaurant in the United States with a michelin star. The other night as I was browsing Open Table for a Monday night reservation it popped up and well, I had to give it a try. Yakitori directly translates to mean “chicken skewers” but at Tori Shin they use this definition loosely and are unafraid to get creative.
Upon arriving we were greeted by a friendly host who took our coats and let us know our table would be ready soon. Despite it’s michelin start status, Tori Shin gave the air of being a casual place to grab a beer or sake and have some skewers. Our waitress although very kind, was a bit difficult to understand, that mixed with my parents’ less than perfect English made for a difficult ordering process. We decided to leave it up to fate and order the Chef’s Omakase which includes pickled vegetables, grated daikon, a seasonal dish, 6 meat skewers, 2 vegetable skewers, your choice of rice dish, and a homemade dessert for $70 a person.
The Chef’s Omakase started with with some pickled vegetables and grated Daikon which didn’t do much for us flavor wise. You’re better off passing on those to save room for the good stuff. The seasonal dish threw us for a bit of a loop, on one side it was a grilled piece of meat with one slice of a chilly pepper and a slice of lotus root. On the other side there was one chilled shrimp with chilled broccolini on a cubed substance that did not taste like much.
At this point doubts started flooding my mind. What had I gotten us into? How could I entrust a stranger with our palates? This is going to ruin my restaurant track record forever!
My anxious and over dramatic inner voice was quickly shut up as the first yakitori arrived. It was a breast meat skewer with plum and shiso. Upon biting into the juicy chicken all my worries went away and I was jolted back to life once the zesty plum touched my tongue.
Breast meat with Plum and Shiso
The dishes kept coming and my tastebuds became happier and happier as we had the chicken liver, pork belly, and rib. They did a backflip upon tasting the “Sot l’y Laisse” (chicken Oyster) which are two small pieces of dark meat found on the back of poultry near the thigh, a delicate and flavorful cut of meat that I had never tried before. The Special Meatball, a chicken and duck meat skewer was so incredibly juicy with hints of sweetness that it forced you to savor every single bite and still you don’t feel you have savored it enough. Even the Cipollini onions, a welcome familiar taste, were a great compliment to the flavors we were tasting.
The Omakase ended with your choice of a rice dish and a dessert. I went with the Oyako Don (chicken and egg over rice), unfortunately they had no more egg and did not disclose on the menu nor their picture that they add a lot Nori to this dish making it overwhelmingly fishy for me. This unpleasantness was then set right by the dessert: a set of creme brûlées, one sesame flavored, one green tea flavored and finally a toasted green tea.
In short: Don’t be intimidated by the michelin star status, this place really is casual and friendly. If you are in the mood for an adventurous night, try out the Chef’s Omakase, but be prepared for A LOT of food. If not, Tori Shin is a great place to sit with a friend or two have a beer and a couple of skewers. It’s tightly packed tables make this place best for small parties unless you book a “special section” for your group.
The Essentials:
Type Of Cuisine: Traditional Japanese yakitori
Ideal Occasion: Casual meal with a small group
Best Place to Sit: Anywhere if small group, reserve "Special Section" if large group
Ambiance: Casual but at times loud atmosphere.
Service: Great, super attentive, but it was difficult to understand the waitress
Can’t Miss Dish: The "Special Meatball" and "Chicken Oyster"
Open for dinner 7 days a week
TORISHIN
362 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
(212) 757-0108
torishin.restaurant.nyc@gmail.com
