#21 – JIDORI KARAAGE (FRIED CHICKEN) at SOBA TOTTO

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

When the fried chicken trend crosses over into Japanese restaurants, you know it’s not going away anytime soon. Last year, there were three fried chicken dishes on the Time Out list so I wasn’t surprised when I counted three more on this year’s list. Fried chicken, in case you were out to lunch, is one of the current trends in the city at casual, American bistros – especially in Brooklyn.

But I was quite surprised to see a fried chicken selection from Soba Totto on Time Out’s list. Turns out, this Japanese yakitori and soba spot is not jumping on the new fried chicken bandwagon, but rather serving a traditional Japanese dish of breaded and fried organic chicken.

I have a love/hate relationship with these kinds of spots because I usually love the food but hate that there are so many choices and that it takes me hours to decide what to order. It’s like a diner menu, but with things I actually want to eat. So I was relieved that one of our items was picked for us by Time Out – the jidori karaage (aka fried chicken).

We also finally settled on Tako Wasa (raw, marinated octopus), Gindara Miso (miso cod), Cold Soba Noodles, and a few pieces of yakitori (short ribs and taro).

The octopus was surprising. It was chopped and marinated to a slimy and chewy texture – not what I was expecting based on my octopus sushi experience. The cod paled in comparison to other more flavorful and rich versions I’ve had. The namesake soba was the best dish we had and was served with a digestif of hot milky buckwheat noodle water.

As for the chicken, if it wasn’t for Time Out’s list, I don’t think I would have picked to order it. And after tasting it, I have even more faith in my instincts. There was nothing unpleasant about the breading or the chicken, but there was really nothing special about it. They were your typical chicken wings and brought back memories of pre-made fried chicken at grocery stores.

The meat inside was moist, but a bit tough. And the breading, which was a tad greasy, didn’t have much flavor apart from a slight sweetness and saltiness. It was served with a solo wedge of lemon which added just a little brightness. If it had been served with a special sauce, I could understand the inclusion on the list. As the version at Soba Totto stands, I think I’ll stick with the Southern fried chicken that Manhattan is going crazy for.

Would Soba Totto’s Jidori Karaage (Fried Chicken) make my Top 100 of the year? As any NY foodie knows, there are plenty of fried chicken options out there and unfortunately this one doesn’t offer anything too different, so it earns only a 6 out of 10.