Yakitori Tori Shin

As I wrote in a previous post, I really miss Midtown East's Yakitori Torys. Fortunately, there's a great yakitori place that's not too far away: Yakitori Tori Shin. This very authentic restaurant specializes in exotic chicken parts, but there is much more on the menu. The other night, my companion and I went there to check it out. At the risk of sounding corny, I could liken our meal to a succession of fireworks, with each bite more impressive than the last (and only one dud).

The dim, smoky room was already packed early in the evening; reservations are strongly recommended at this place. We sat at one end of the bar and watched as people who were much more familiar with the menu ordered dish after dish. If I had to do things over again, I think I would have followed their lead, ordering the special chicken meatball served with a dish of egg (which came first?) and a buttered shiitake stuffed with chicken breast meat.

We began with the tsukune, which is one of my favorite dishes at Yakitori Totto. Unfortunately, although this meatball was fragrant with scallions, it was filled with little nibs of unpalatable gristle. I was very disappointed. Everything else was delicious, though, even if it seemed as though we waited 20 minutes for the next bite to arrive.

A skewer of three chunks of sauce-lacquered chicken liver was very tasty. Grilled zucchini strips came with a wonderful spicy mayo. Creamy Japanese eggplant was embellished with feathery bonito flakes. Then came the skewers of sweet soy chicken and the chicken with piquant yuzu-kosho. Atsu-age, or fried tofu, was as delicious as the chicken, with its sharp soy-and-scallion seasoning. Gingko nuts were better than popcorn. We had fun watching the white-jacketed chefs inspect every skewer and sprinkle it with seasoning. The most indelible taste of the night was definitely our last bite: the pork belly. A cherry tomato was encased in slightly charred, tender pork belly meat daubed with spicy citrus paste and topped with shredded shiso leaves. The tomato burst with hot, sweet juice - culinary fireworks.

Yakitori Tori Shin: 1193 First Ave., (212) 988-8408.