DISH OF THE WEEK: Mortadella Katsu Sando at KATANA KITTEN

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

There are food trends that reach the mainstream like the cronut and the rainbow bagel. But then there are food trends that probably don’t get much attention or awareness outside the focused food industry.

For instance, I’m not sure your average New Yorker knows about the Japanese katsu sando craze in the city. Or even what a katsu sando is.

Today you can find them at some traditional Japanese izakaya restaurants and also some modern chef-driven tasting menus. I don’t think tourists are lining up for them, but after trying an incredible version at one of the city’s best new cocktail bars, I’m positive that they should be.

Katana Kitten has been on my list for a while. It’s a homey Japanese bar that has somewhat flown under-the-radar but experienced a lot of buzz in the bar world. They have even won the award for Best New American Bar at Tales of the Cocktail.

Their cocktail menu was very interesting with Japanese touches throughout. I appreciated the refined Wakaba that I tried, but was hoping for something with a little more complexity and body. The shochu and vermouth were a little too clean and the tomatillo water and basil added a subtle refreshing pop.

I did love the food that I tried, including the sweet and savory Charred Japanese Eggplant and the unique take on the aforementioned sando.

Sando is really just the Japanese word for sandwich. But this trend of sandwiches are almost always served on crustless sweet white bread. And the katsu aspect usually refers to a piece of thin meat that is breaded with panko and fried.

Here the chef takes it to another level by using a thick cut of Mortadella (think higher quality bologna) and frying it until crisp on the outside but still meaty and fatty throughout. The spicy dijon mustard and sweet tonkatsu sauce were the perfect foil to help tame the salty garlicky meat.

My mom used to make me many bologna sandwiches for school lunch. If only she had known about these brilliant concoctions. She would have been very on-trend and way ahead of her time. Price: $15