yakiniku west

 

I came here for the first time last weekend for a birthday dinner. The place is small and easily miss-able, but it's well-worth the search. When you walk in, you take off your shoes and leave them in a little cubby, and then you're seated on leather pillows around a sunken table where your (now socked) feet can dangle above the sunken floor. It's very cozy, really, to eat in your socks - and the entirely unpretentious space, full of blond wood, bamboo, flaming-hot grills and lots of happy families, only increases the charm.

Although the menu includes sushi, rice bowls and bibimbap, we came for the do-it-yourself barbeque. The protein platters are impressive - we tried chicken, sirloin, and kobe beef (the clear favorite) - and the sweet and spicy sauces are full of flavor. The chilled meat sears up quickly on the hot grill and tastes fantastic wrapped up in lettuce and dipped in any of the three sauces. The platters come with surprisingly good miso soup, salad, white rice and ice cream, too. One platter is meant for one person but, particularly with all its accompaniments, is easily enough for two.

A fantastic and fun place to come with a group of friends or family. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.

218 E. 9th St. (nr. 3rd Ave)

*recommendations:
  kobe beef set
  chicken set