09.17.09
Review of Yakitori Totto, Thursday July 2009
251 W.55th St. & 8th Ave./Broadway, 2nd floor, 212-245-4555
Great for: skewers, kara age, sake
After a busy day I had an hour to grab dinner in the area. I picked this place out of my trusty Blackberry list, and also because I’d heard there’s a formidable woman in the kitchen. I like to support the girls, you know? Especially in the closed, mostly male Japanese chef world.
I got a bunch of skewers, of course. The scallions were the most flavorful part of the negima chicken thigh, while the Berkshire pork with ponzu sauce held its own against them. I wasn’t a fan of the rubbery fat but I still liked it. The big scallop was pretty good; there was a bit too much oil, so maybe the option with soy sauce instead of salt and pepper would have been better.
My favorite was the harami skirt steak skewer. Tender, flavorful and drenched in sauce, I would definitely order it again. I also loved the jidori kara age. They were big mini drumsticks that still felt light (as opposed to greasy). I wished for a dipping sauce, though.
The restaurant manages to provide nice service while being quite busy. You can watch them grill everything, and the giant yakitori and sake lists have some unique offerings. It’s daintily and prettily decorated. I found the non-skewer menu expensive, although it’s probably reasonable for the theatre district area, so I was the glad the sticks were pretty reasonably priced.
Rating: 7 / 10
My cost: $30
Noise level: not too bad for the number of people
Chance of walking in: not good.
