02.20.08
Review of Ariyoshi Izakaya, Wednesday January 2008
810 Broadway & 11/12th St., 212-388-1884
Great for: gyu-tataki, lovely Japanese decor, cheap food
It was a ridiculously cold night, and the Boyfriend and I were in Union Square at Barnes and Noble. We wanted to go somewhere low-key for dinner, and when we stepped outside we instantly decided it had to be very, very close by. We tried to go to Republic, which is basically kitty corner, but it was too packed. So we walked a bit farther through the freezing wind to Ariyoshi. I’m a big fan of tapas and related dishes in other cultures’ foods, so izakayas, which basically serve Japanese tapas and bar food, are right up my alley.
The menu is enormous. It’s like a diner menu, it’s so huge. They offer appetizers, sushi, teriyaki, yakitori, udon, rice bowls, etc. It’s a little overwhelming. We started with edamame and pork gyoza, which were impressively yummy. The gyu-tataki was seared beef slices topped by scallions – delicious, spicy and salty. Unfortunately, the meal went downhill from there. Next up was the yakitori combo. The menu doesn’t say, nor did the waitress know, what the skewers were going to be – pretty annoying. They turned out to be chicken meatballs, liver, pork fat (?), kidneys and chicken hearts. The only good one that we could even eat was the meatballs. Neither of us are much for non-muscle meats, but we can still tell when things are good even if we don’t like them and these were nothing to write home about.
The kalbi don with kimchi was tasty though the meat was clearly low-quality. There’s something about searching out little scraps of meat that is usually very satisfying in such dishes – chicken wings and spare ribs come to mind. Here there was just too much fat and gristle to go through. The kamo udon with duck, tofu, crunchies and scallions would have been good if the duck hadn’t been tough and strangely liver-tasting. The rest of the soup was pretty good, though.
Our favorite part of the meal may have been the decor of the restaurant. It’s really Japanese-looking, very soothing and zen, with blonde wood and what looks like rice paper. The Boyfriend said it reminded him strongly of Tokyo, where he lived for two months. Our service was ok, a bit slow and inattentive, but she got the job done. Basically the big dishes were uneven at best, while some of the appetizers were good. We were fairly disappointed. I am wondering if other people were too, because when I looked up “Ariyoshi” to find the exact address, I kept getting listings for an Ariyoshi in midtown. I called in mid-May 2008, though, and they still seem to be open.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $70 (no drinks or dessert)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: high.
