Inakaya

18. March 2009 Japanese, Midtown 0
231 West 40th Street between Seventh and Eighth 212/354.2195 $65 for two, with drinks, without tip ♥ ♥ Inakaya is a good place for two kinds of dates: one, an awkward first date when neither have to nervously talk but still have a good time; two, a long-term couple date when almost anything can slip ...

Soba Totto

04. February 2009 Japanese, Midtown 0
211 East 43rd Street off Third Avenue 212/557.8200 about $80 for two people, with sake, with tip ♥ ♥ ♥ I don’t need any horoscope to tell me that I’ve been living a lifestyle I can’t afford, but it was right there on OK! Magazine, a copy I picked up after someone left it in ...

Curry-Ya

14. January 2009 East Village, Japanese 1
214 East 10th Street between First and Second Avenues 866/602-8779 about $25 for two, with drinks, without tip ♥ Yohshoku, or Western dishes adapted to fit the Japanese taste, kept me alive when I was younger and wasn’t making a lot of or any money. In West L.A., I loved Curry House because I could ...

Matsugen

07. January 2009 Japanese, West Village + TriBeCa 0
241 Church Street at Leonard 212/925.0202 $75 for tasting menu, without drinks, without tip ♥ ♥ 66 was a long time ago but entering Matsugen reminded me of those long lunch hours I used to take to eat at an expensive restaurant and only pay lunch prices. I had a delicate dim sum meal back ...

Hakata Tonton

17. December 2008 Japanese, West Village + TriBeCa 0
61 Grove Street off Seventh Avenue South 212/242.3699 $30 each for four, with a bottle of sake, with tip ♥ ♥ I love pigs’ feet. There I said it. I’ve caramelized them before with a tart salad and I’ve grilled them to serve at a summer barbecue party. Hakata Tonton worships the tonsoku. Hakata Tonton ...