A Night In Tokyo

One of my favorite places to eat is a Japanese restaurant called Little Tokyo. The food is amazing, and prepared traditionally. I could eat there all the time. The ambience is welcoming and the air is filled with the smells and sounds one would expect from a Japanese restaurant. In the distance, one can hear the familiar clamour of the hibachi chef's knives followed by oohs and ahhs of the patrons. In the back, you can see the head sushi chef at work always taking time to greet the new guests. Once you order the waiter brings you a small salad and a bowl of miso soup. I ordered a pot of hot green tea, and Ash ordered eda mame which are boiled soy beans still in the pod. They are a healthy and tasty snack you can pop into your mouth. We also enjoyed an appetizer of beef tataki, which was delicious. It was served chilled, and the dipping sauce was nice and spicy which warmed you with each bite.

We ordered sushi and my favorite dish, the Spicy Beef Don. It is a donbury, which is a rice bowl with the meat served on top. Normally you eat this with a spoon, where you mix the meat around in the rice which causes the sauce to moisten the sticky rice. The Spicy Beef Don is a variation of a Korean barbeque. It is savory, spicy, and warming.

Beef Tataki

I have recently been exposed to this Japanese dish, and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to experience it. My fiancee and I dined at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant recently, and on a whim I ordered this as an appetizer. Since then I have craved it. It was THAT good. For those who do not know, it is a dish consisting of seared thinly sliced beef served over lettuce and drizzled with a Ponzu sauce; or a ginger soy dressing. My fiancee equally enjoyed it, and in fact, we have been looking for an excuse to get more. Just last night we dined at a different Japanese restaurant and ordered the Tataki as an appetizer. While the quality was no where near in comparison to the first, it was delicious. This time it had an addition of sliced cucumber, which surprisingly added a nice crisp contrast to the savory beef. We enjoyed it so much that I am thinking of making an attempt at the dish myself. While I have been attempting to avoid pre-made seasonings, Kikkoman brand soy sauce has come out with its own ponzu sauce, and I will gladly use it. If you have a Japanese restaurant in your vicinity, see if they have this dish. If they do, I highly recommend trying it. You will be glad you did.