411 can be the darndest thing. Sometimes I call and the operator is halfway across the country, and she has no record of the listing I am requesting. That's exactly what happened this weekend. I was on the West Side with my companion, trying to take a cab to Yakitori Totto, and according to the operator, the restaurant didn't exist.
Fortunately, she did have a listing for Yakitori Torys on the East Side. (FYI: Yakitori Totto, as of this writing, does indeed exist.) Torys happens to be related to Totto, so it was all good. And how good it was!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this grilled chicken heaven, the chefs skewer everything but the squawk -the heart, the gizzards, something called the "oyster" that is cut from the thigh. But there's a lot more, for more conservative eaters and even for those who don't prefer chicken.
My companion and I ordered some plum wine and proceeded to look through the multitude of dishes (portions are appetizer-size, so we recommend that you order a million of them). First we tried the shutou, tiny white bites of mozzarella painted with salty tuna liver (yes, we thought this sounded a little strange). Then came an arugula salad with crunchy dried baby sardines and a dressing of organic poached egg, poured on at the last minute. We also ordered a pot of cook-as-you-watch tofu, which would not be ready for 25 minutes.
Grill time! These selections were our favorites: juicy miso-marinated chicken breast, grilled garlic, jumbo skin-on shrimp, skewers holding five luscious shishito peppers with miso jam, and natto kinchaku (crispy tofu pockets filled with hot soybeans). Everything was piping hot.
By now, our fresh tofu was finally ready. We dipped the hot soybean custard in soy sauce and deliberated over dessert, which would be - more tofu! We chose the apricot kernel tofu dessert, and just in case we grew tired of tofu, iced bananas in sweet coconut milk. (Actually, I liked the apricot tofu the most.)
Yakitori Torys: 248 East 52nd St., (212) 813-1800. This information should be accessible via 411!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
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2 comments:
Perhaps you should have tried Google SMS.
We're big fans of Totto and Torys, although we still think Totto is a bit better. Great shochu drinks at both locations though!
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