My favorite issues of Time Out each year are the 100 Best Food and Drink issue and the Cheap Issue. It’s clear that I’m both a foodie and a Jew (a Jew-die?) So when they write articles about cheap food in the city, I am in heaven.
The lunch special at Yakitori Totto, the semi-hidden (it’s up a flight of stairs) izakaya in midtown is a really great deal. For under 10 bucks, you get a choice of four entrees, miso soup, and salad. I can’t think of a more affordable option in this neck of the woods (outside of the obvious McDonald’s).
Time Out specifically mentions the chicken yakitori, and why not? After all, this place is called Yakitori Totto. You think if there’s anything you should order, it’s their grilled meat on a stick.
We also got an appetizer order of the tuna sashimi which was ever so slightly seared and served with a delicious garlic sauce and wasabi. The tuna was fresh and presented beautifully.
Our chicken yakitori lunch started with a miso soup and a green salad topped with a ginger dressing. Pretty standard Japanese starters, but I could tell by the richness and complexity of the miso soup that this was no ordinary Japanese restaurant.
The chicken skewers (we picked the thighs) arrived on a bed of rice with Japanese pickles and some sort of sweet soy sauce. Served on the side was a beautifully poached egg. I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to eat the egg separate or add it into the bowl, so I threw it on there and broke the egg yolk over the rice and chicken.
The chicken was moist and tender and grilled to perfection. It had a sweet, smoky flavor and was by far the best yakitori I have ever tasted. I’m not sure the egg added anything to the dish, but the rice certainly soaked up the sauce and helped fill any hunger that may have been left from only three delicious skewers.
I did not leave overly full, but I was satiated and really enjoyed all the food. And at this price, this is the best lunch deal I’ve found in midtown or elsewhere in this city. I definitely want to come back to Yakitori Totto in the evening when they offer a bigger menu and more unusual Japanese dishes. I’ll just have to save up my pennies (maybe by eating lunch here everyday) to afford their more diverse (and more expensive) dinner menu.
Would Yakitori Totto’s Chicken Yakitori Lunch make my Top 100 of the year? Perhaps for the sheer value alone it earns an 8 out of 10, but even if it cost more, the food was fresh, flavorful, and friggin’ delish!
