Oh! Taisho

10. August 2006 New York Restaurant Reviews 0

9 St. Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
212/228.5086
about $50 for two, with two drinks, with tip

Yakitori Taisho is one of those Japanese places on St. Marks that you end up going to after drinking all night because they’re open until after midnight. Oh! Taisho is that new space they’ve needed because the original is always packed.


Too much bacon can kill you

Yakitori is traditionally grilled chicken but nowadays, the term is used to refer to anything barbequed. The secret is the sauce that comes with every skewer made up of rice wine vinegar, sweet sake, soy sauce and sugar. My favorite is getting one of each of the yakitoris with bacon for about $2 each: with quail egg, asparagus, okra and scallops. I also love the beef stomach and the tongue.

Two other good dishes I find hard to skip are the kimchi yakiudon and the pork spareribs. The pork falls off the bone and is perfectly tender. The kimchi yakiudon is spicy enough to make you pause in between bites. I usually order it when I’m not in the mood for a bowl of rice.


Good barbeque


Kimchi Yakiudon

Salary men in Japan are known to eat yakitori after a long day at work with their favorite sake. Here in New York City though, I stick with my Asahi Dry.