We very much enjoyed our visit to Yusho tonight (pre-V-day) -- the kid loved the oxtail and the grilled whitefish special (don't remember the exact name). We enjoyed the cocktails and Japanese whisky, plus the food. Not much to say about the food, except to agree with what has been posted upthread.

As to the kid-friendliness, they do not have high chairs, but were pleasant and accommodating to our 7-year-old. They had a special pineapple-citrus soda that she loved-- her "cocktail". The waiter said they were willing to leave out the hot peppers from the ramen-- although the kitchen put a little thai pepper on the egg, so I think they miss-communicated. No matter, it was easily removable. There were two other tables with babes-in-arms, both quite well behaved. I wouldn't bring a really restless/energetic kid there, but babies or older kids, fine.

In sum, great experience-- thanks for the tip, LTH.

Jen

Donna and I finally made it to Yusho last night, and it definitely lived up to our expectations (which were pretty high). I can certainly understand why Ronnie has moved into the place

I really liked the Two Tribes, which tasted great and went down very easily, so easily I could see myself getting into real trouble if I stayed at the bar too long. Everything we ordered for food was great, but the Beets and Marrow, Leeks, Chicken Skin, "Poser" Ramen, and steamed buns were really exceptional. The space is beautiful, not too hip but definitely unique. The service was great. I don't have much else to say other than to echo all of the previous praise, this is a great place.

Attrill wrote:I can certainly understand why Ronnie has moved into the place

LOL . . . another friend joked that I'm now picking my mail up there now.

While my posts have slowed a bit, my visits to Yusho really haven't. I think I've been back 3 or 4 times since my last post, but only once with my camera. Last week, I stopped in with stevez, who was suffering through bachelor status for a few days. We started out our evening in fine fashion at the bar . . .


Soul of the Sensei | DH Krahn gin, El Dorado 3-year rum, lime, textured orange, kampo bitters
This new cocktail was very tasty. The "textured" orange is orange juice bolstered with agar agar, which adds viscosity and allows it to linger on the palate a bit longer. The net result is a long-finishing cocktail, in which the orange is the longest-resonating flavor. Equal parts of rum and gin worked very well together to create a complex and distinctive libation.



Sweet Maine Shrimp | aged ponzu, lemon
This special was delicious. I loved the light crispiness on the outside and tender meatiness of the shrimp. Big points for leaving the little guys intact, as the heads were the best part.



Hoarsfrost | Small's gin, Smith & Cross rum, lime, rose-infused simple syrup
Discussed a bit upthread, I find this cocktail completely compelling. It drinks like a deep and complex classic daiquiri.



stevez enjoying the hoarsfrost



Steve
A new addition to the Yusho team, Steve worked with Alex in San Francisco. He just arrived in town and hit the ground running. Rumor has it that he hasn't actually left the bar since he landed in town.



Japanese Whiskys
Alex seems as obsessed with rare Japanese whiskys as I am with Yusho. On this day, he's just received a shipment of these 3 outstanding expressions, which were all one-off barrel bottlings. I tried 2 of them and my favorite was the 1997, which offered a lot of complexity and some restrained peat. I also tried the 1998, which I enjoyed, though, not quite as much.



Pickles | cucumber, daikon, eggplant
A new menu item, these house-made pickles were very distinctive (a recurring theme at Yusho) and had a lightly smokey note that paired especially well with the whisky.



Eel Terrine | chrysanthemum, buddha's hand
This special was delicious. The terrine was cooked very nicely and it paired very well with the earthiness of the chrysanthemum, the sourness of the buddha's hand and the sweet-tart bursts provided by the pomegranate seeds.



Chicken Skin | Japanese mustard, garlic, togarashi
I'm loving this new incarnation more and more with each visit. It seems to get a little spicier each time, which I like a lot.



Cod | chawan mushi, ginkgo nuts, shiitake
This new menu item was a seriously delectable umami bomb. I loved everything about it, especially the chawan mushi, made with shiitake, which was totally addictive. The textural contrast and toasty flavor provided by the ginkgo nuts was an inspired addition. I'm sorry that we tore into it before I got a picture. Man, was this great!



Nikka From the Barrel
As recommended upthread by the trusted kl1191, I had to try this one out. I really enjoyed its complexity (maple, vanilla, burnt sugar, grass) and the way it paired with the food but the peat note was a little strong for me, compared to some of the other whiskys I've enjoyed at Yusho.



Beef Tongue | garlic, sombal, daikon
One of my favorites. I just love the combination of flavors here.



The Logan 'Poser' Ramen | cripsy pig's tail, hen egg, cucumber, Thai chile
I've had this twice and really enjoyed it both times. Deeply-flavored broth, al dente noodles, an enriching runny-yolked egg, crispy-tender pork meat and some heat, I think it touches all the bases. It's a hearty bowl. Steve and I shared it and even then, there was a lot there.

I was out with some work people earlier this week and really wanted to take them to Yusho. Instead, I deferred and ended up somewhere notably inferior. Apparently, I've got to fight for my right 'to Yusho.' Next time, I will.

=R=

We met a few friends at Yusho this past weekend for a quick respite between a day in the city and the drive home. Its comforting nature and quality fare, along with ideal geographical location, make it a consistently pleasurable and easy stop . . .


Cocktail
I don't remember the ingredients that went into this 'dealer's choice,' rum-based libation but I do remember telling Alex what kind of drink I was in the mood for and having him absolutely nail it. This was a tart, light and citrusy drink that really refreshed.



Cate's Esters
Mrs. Suburban ordered a different rum-based drink. She loves this one (details upthread).

Next up, we ordered a couple of bites that have become some of our favorites . . .


Cod | chawanmushi, ginkgo nuts, shiitake



Grilled Hama Hama Oyster | charred leek, potato



Old Fashioned Variation
Steven made this drink for me during my previous visit and Alex made this one. It's a sensational take on the classic, which incorporates Amaro Montenegro. It's a sweetly spicy cocktail, with a complex and multi-layered finish.

Next up, we ordered a few daily specials . . .


Grilled Chicken Livers | spring onion, bacon, ponzu
This is way more my style than the chicken liver mousse that's offered on the menu. I loved the whole, grilled pieces of liver, which were meaty and nicely grilled.



Shima Aji Sashimi | yuzu, seaweed
Beautiful, meaty fish adorned just enough to enhance without obscuring it.



Monkfish Liver | grilled basil marmalade
This "torchon" was delicious. I loved the ironic earthiness of the liver and its spectacular depth of flavor, especially as it melted away on my tongue.



Nikka 1998 Single Cask Coffey Malt Whisky
This slow sipper was a great way to finish up our session. Even though this exceeded my typical peat tolerance, I thought it was a fantastic match with the monkfish liver.

All in all, it was another immensely pleasurable visit to Yuhso, where they seem to be doing everything right.

=R=

We went to Yusho last night and although I really wanted to like it, I'm sorry to say that we were underwhelmed...

Before I start with the constructive criticism, I have to say that the service was awesome (friendly and attentive) and the drinks were tasty. If only the food could match the aforementioned, it could be a great place to visit time and again. It's also important to note that I was born and raised in Japan so I was looking for flavors and texture closer to traditional Japanese food and in that department, it was a huge let down. We tried to keep an open mind and put ourselves in the mindset of the average Chicago diner, but it was difficult to say the least.

From the "grilled birds" part of the menu, we ordered the chicken skin, 2x fried chicken and the chicken liver dishes. Here are our impressions of each:

Chicken Skin

We immediately noticed something strange about the flavor and it wasn't from the mustard or the togarashi, the latter of which we could not taste at all. Unfortunately, it took us going through most of it before we came to the conclusion that the oil that it was fried in could have possibly been a little rancid...

2x Fried Chicken

The seasoning on the chicken itself was tasty. However, the chicken was over-cooked, making it difficult to chew. The pieces were also way too big to enjoy. We had to use our chopsticks to cut them in half. We both agreed that the sauce didn't do much. Something based on ponzu would have worked better, IMO.

Chicken Liver

We both agreed that this was the first dish we felt was starting to hit the mark. We thought that the black pepper tuille (which, BTW, the server called "too-leh" that made us giggle) went well with the saltiness of the smooth liver, although we both wished that the liver had been piped into the tuille for a more integrated experience. Like another post further up-thread, we ran out of tuilles before we finished the liver, but the server brought us some tea spoons to scoop the rest out. Interestingly enough, we both agreed that the greens were the best part of this dish, even though the tuille and liver were tasty.

From the "land and sea" part of the menu, we ordered the salmon roe takoyaki and eel brandade.

Eel Brandade

The brandade part of this dish was good, although the presence of eel was hardly felt. The pieces of eel outside of the brandades were good (albeit tiny). The fried hominy pieces had a nice crunch, although it was flavorless and added nothing except for crunchiness that the dish didn't really need. We both felt that the greens on this one had the best flavors, yet again.

Salmon Roe Takoyaki

This was the biggest disappointment for me personally, and this is where my Japanese background contributed most to my dislike of this dish. If any of you have ever had Takoyaki in Japan, you will know exactly what I mean, when I say that the batter ruined the dish. Looking at the pictures posted earlier in this thread, I can tell that the takoyaki here has always had the same issue that I think it had last night. When the salmon roe "takoyaki" was broken open, it was basically an empty cavity inside with the salmon roe sitting by itself. The batter had turned into a dry, pancake-like consistency and the cooked salmon roe had formed a chewy skin that took away from what makes salmon roe so fun to eat - i.e. the "pop" you get when you bite into it. The katsuo-bushi (bonito flakes) sprinkled on top certainly gave it the look, but the sauce was just okay. IMO, takoyaki needs to have a crisp outside and gooey inside that integrates with the ingredient inside, instead of creating a cavity. To that end, perhaps the big miss here was the use of salmon roe as the "gu" ("ingredient" in Japanese), as evidenced by how the salmon roe ended up.

At the end of the meal, we reflected on the dishes we had and came to the conclusion that, had we not been fortunate enough to experience Japanese food in Japan firsthand, the meal might have been a hit, even with the misses. Another thing that bugged me personally was that the food didn't really have anything to do with yakitori other than the use of grilled chicken in part of the menu. I would have *loved* to see a take on the classic yakitori menu item, the "tsukune". Finally, the flavors seemed to be out of line with traditional Japanese flavors. The use of Japanese ingredients alone does not a Japanese flavor make, and it was very evident throughout the items that we tasted.

Here is an analogy that some of you might get. There's a restaurant called "Uchi" in Austin, TX, owned by Chef Tyson Cole. My expectations were along the lines of dishes that Chef Cole puts out, except in the framework of a yakitori joint in Japan. Sadly for us, this was not to be.

We are willing to give it at least one more try in case the kitchen had an off night last night, but they have their work cut out for them!

snk wrote:Chicken Skin

We immediately noticed something strange about the flavor and it wasn't from the mustard or the togarashi, the latter of which we could not taste at all. Unfortunately, it took us going through most of it before we came to the conclusion that the oil that it was fried in could have possibly been a little rancid...

My understanding is that the chicken skin is baked while flattened between baking sheets and then dehydrated...I don't know that the version I had involved frying at all, though the menu does change regularly and presentations of some dishes seem to change daily.

snk wrote:Eel Brandade

The brandade part of this dish was good, although the presence of eel was hardly felt. The pieces of eel outside of the brandades were good (albeit tiny). The fried hominy pieces had a nice crunch, although it was flavorless and added nothing except for crunchiness that the dish didn't really need. We both felt that the greens on this one had the best flavors, yet again.

Couldn't disagree more about the hominy. I thought it was a brilliant textural contrast and provided a nice flavor contrast to the otherwise rather rich/creaminess of the other components of the dish. I would also have liked to see more eel, but c'est la vie.

I wasn't entirely impressed by the savories I had on my visit (uni and grilled oyster courses were nothing special, a special nori-wrapped strip loin was an expensive miss, there was a flavorless chicken wing), but I thought there were several excellent plates in the dozen or so I ordered (the beef tongue/sombal, a fantastic special of pickled Japanese herring with charred green onion puree, the aforementioned chicken skin and eel brandade) and the desserts were some of the best I've had in I can't remember how long (kalamansi mousse with peanut cake & coriander caramel, in particular, was spectacular) and as a result I left quite happy. The bar program is fantastic, and I'll certainly be back just for drinks and desserts, though with expectations firmly in check regarding the rest of the menu.

snk wrote:Salmon Roe Takoyaki

This was the biggest disappointment for me personally, and this is where my Japanese background contributed most to my dislike of this dish. If any of you have ever had Takoyaki in Japan, you will know exactly what I mean, when I say that the batter ruined the dish. Looking at the pictures posted earlier in this thread, I can tell that the takoyaki here has always had the same issue that I think it had last night. When the salmon roe "takoyaki" was broken open, it was basically an empty cavity inside with the salmon roe sitting by itself. The batter had turned into a dry, pancake-like consistency and the cooked salmon roe had formed a chewy skin that took away from what makes salmon roe so fun to eat - i.e. the "pop" you get when you bite into it. The katsuo-bushi (bonito flakes) sprinkled on top certainly gave it the look, but the sauce was just okay. IMO, takoyaki needs to have a crisp outside and gooey inside that integrates with the ingredient inside, instead of creating a cavity. To that end, perhaps the big miss here was the use of salmon roe as the "gu" ("ingredient" in Japanese), as evidenced by how the salmon roe ended up.

That's too bad. I've only been to Yusho once, and the salmon roe takoyaki were one of the highlights of the evening (among several duds, unfortunately). In fact, I remembered being so surprised that they had managed to get the outside to set, while still having the roe appear completely raw and still having a great pop to them.

-Dan

Yoshu was the first stop on my GNR-nom crawl last night. Unfortunately, my companion was not too adventurous so we had to avoid most of the things I would have ordered. Still, the result was a good meal.

We started with cocktails - I ordered the daily special, an Aviator Punch, while my friend ordered some other Gin concoction. Both cocktails were dominated by the fruit and extracts, revealing little of the liquor underneath. Good, but I like to taste whisky. Probably an error in ordering on my part.

First round was the quail eggs with greens, essentially a subtle salad, and the chicken skin. The quail was the biggest miss of the evening. Eggs were somewhat overcooked for my taste, almost chewy with not even the touch of soft, deep yellow in the yolk. Greens were quite nice. Chicken skin was wonderful, a great biscuit to accompany a cocktail.

We moved on to wine after the cocktails, which I now recognize was a second error in beverage ordering - should have either had a second cocktail, something with real whisky, or moved to Sake. I will know better for next time. The grilled oyster special was with a fresh pea puree and radishes. Sweet, briny, delicious. I tend to avoid cooked oysters as they almost always are overcooked and rubbery, but these were just kissed lightly with flame to firm them up ever so slightly. Very nice.

The leeks with miso, shallots and almonds were delicious, if a bit of a challenge to eat without losing much of the topping. Pork belly was also delicious. We finished with the dessert special - tamarind mousse with some fruit gelee on top and a crispy wafer, though I do not remember the exact ingredients. If the results are the measure of the dish, this was ending on a high note, as we raced to scoop out every last bit.

Service was attentive and pleasant. We sat in back and enjoyed a Godzilla movie projected on the wall. I plan to return and order my beverages more wisely. The food, aside from the quail eggs, was excellent from beginning to end.

dansch wrote: I've only been to Yusho once, and the salmon roe takoyaki were one of the highlights of the evening (among several duds, unfortunately). In fact, I remembered being so surprised that they had managed to get the outside to set, while still having the roe appear completely raw and still having a great pop to them.

-Dan

Couldn't agree with this more. We made our first visit to Yusho last night and this dish was a real standout. I liked almost everything we had, but I'm still thinking about the takoyaki today.

Yusho. What can I say?

Perhaps management should consider renaming it "Sucko" or "Crapo" or "Don't Eat Here Yo." Yes, any of those would be much more appropriate. And funny!

Seriously, I had one of the worst meals ever last week.

We enjoyed our cocktails, though frankly, I am not a good judge of craft cocktails. They often taste too sweet or fruity to me. Give me a Manhattan, some Mezcal with a splash of lime, a Negroni. That's really all I can do. How about some Araq and icewater? That's a cocktail!

Ok fine, I shouldn't let my curmudgeonery in the way of cocktailery steer this review.

The food was bad. Terrible. Someone from Yusho needs desperately to fly to New York or LA, or drive up Peterson to Katsu to experience what Japanese flavors should taste like.

Fried chicken was boring - an over-sized chicken McNugget lacking in the crispy-outside-juicy-inside contrast that makes the latter a winner. Where's my pink chicken slime?

Razor clams arrived cold and clammy, haven been taken off the grill about ten minutes before they were sliced and served to us. They were also very gritty.

Same for the two grilled oyster dishes we had. Gritty and lukewarm. Why are we grilling these?

Our uni (sea urchin roe) dish was a miserable failure as well. A single piece of impeccable uni atop two uni-stuffed eggrolls. Frying something as delicate and wonderful as uni requires a deft and skilled hand. Wrapping it in chewy, thick, flavorless starch and frying it to death does little justice to the precious urchin eggs. Plating another perfect piece of uni on top of the scorching-hot, greasy eggrolls, bringing the roe to lukewarm temperature and ruining the silky texture, is a double-sin. Yusho, you are going to hell!

I really enjoyed the ramen broth and noodles, but I avoided the "pig tail" which was a mess of fatty pork, shaped into a tube and fried with too much coating.

The final outrage - "chicken skin". Neither fried nor grilled, this was a strange, dehydrated and reconstituted preparation that made the skin taste about as spent, rancid, stale and aweful as I could imagine. Really really bad. I took a nibble and wanted nothing else to do with this aweful dish. Is it so hard to fry some godamn chicken skin and throw a little sweet soy sauce on it? Have any of you damn bastards ever eaten Japanese food? Even in a mall?

"Yusho, serving only the most expensive and crappiest of crapo"

I forgot to add that if you want to try much, much better izakaya style food in Chicago you should go to Chizakaya. About as good as anything I've had in New York.

We had the fried chicken, chicken skins, and a grilled oyster special about a week ago. All were fantastic, especially the fried chicken which was hot/crispy on the outside and extremely moist inside. Even my wife, who can't stand poultry, ate it.

It's entirely possible you just hit them on a bad night. Fun hyperbole though.

I had a rather lukewarm experience here a month or so back and my experiences were a lot closer to Habibi's than anything else in this thread.

I think boring was a pretty good description of the 2x fried chicken, totally lacking flavor. I'd also included the pork belly prep in this grouping, boring.

Chicken wings were much better, juicy and rich. Could have used a little more heat, the listed thai chile did not deliver...still really good.

Takoyaki was fine but again kind of bland, just surprisingly light on flavor for something with salmon roe.

Eel brandade fared better and actually tasted like a seafood dish.

The real star of the night was a beef tongue with roasted kale dish that really worked...tender well seared beef really sang with the earthy roasted green.

Nothing I ate was bad but only a couple dishes were truly enjoyable. The quality booze and nice service made for a good night but I won't be rushing back.

We took some friends there last week, and apparently hit them on a good night - I felt like they really brought their A-game. Our friends were wowed, felt dinner was well worth the cost of food, drink and babysitter, and even declared Yusho to have earned a spot in their date-night rotation.

I asked for the off-menu pork rinds, but our server recommended the also-off-menu "skin sampler" in its stead...we should have gone with the pork rinds because, like Habibi, we all found the chicken skins to be weird and not at all what we were expecting or looking forward to. The pork skins, however, were as good as always.

The 2x-fried chicken was as fantastic as it was during my first visit...searingly hot, perfectly crispy outside, tender & juicy inside, with the distinctive, telltale "poultry-y" taste of quality chicken. The matcha was generously applied, and the kanzuri sauce had a nice balance of chili kick & yuzu acidity.

The razor clams were perfect, tender, sweet, and briny...the grilled madai (snapper, apparently) and the citrus & wasabi flavors really brought this bite together (not unlike The Dude's rug, I guess).

I agree that the chicken wings were lacking in the spice department, but they were so perfectly cooked, and tasted so good with the lime & bonito salt, that I was a fan regardless.

Salmon roe takoyaki were a hit also, served steaming hot, crispy on the outside, rich & gooey on the inside, with the salmon roe center surprisingly silky and pleasantly briny. We all talked about how we generally avoid salmon roe (when they pop in my mouth & release that burst of strong fishy, briny flavor, I can't help but feel like I'm biting into a cod liver oil pill), but all loved this dish, eggs and all. I'm a sucker for shaved bonito and thought I'd get the katsuobushi-covered plate to myself, but as soon as we'd all finished the takoyaki, everyone stuck their fingers in the plate and started cleaning the flakes off of it (sorry Hammond ).

Beef tongue (loved the crispy kale), pork belly, and duck breast all received thumbs up, as did all of our cocktails...between the four of us, we had the Pisco Punch, Hemingway in Hokkaido, New Culture, Three Arrows, Resurrection, Soul of the Sensei, and the daily draught (a carbonated Aviation).

As before, staff couldn't have been more friendly, helpful, or accomodating.

I hate to hear that multiple folks have had less-than-stellar experiences at Yusho...I wish I could write it off as a difference in opinion or expectations, but after having gotten to know some of the unhappy people's tastes & mindsets after reading their posts here for years, I have to wonder if there might be some occasional consistency issues going on. If true, that would be a damn shame, because I can't help but want everyone to love this place as much as I do.

I stopped into Yusho for my maiden visit and quite enjoyed it. I arrived right at opening time before meeting up with friends for drinks later.


Soul of the Sensei | Dh Krahn Gin, El Dorado 3 Year Rum, Lime, Textured Tangerine, Kampo Bitters


Draught Cocktail of the Day - Gin Pineapple Rickey


Cod | Chawanmushi, Gingko Nuts, Shitake
I believe there was a slight misstep on this course. Instead of gingko nuts, I was accidentally given fried hominy on top. I haven't tasted it with gingkos, but I really liked the hominy. I enjoyed the crunch it provided, as well as a nice nuttiness.


Salmon Roe | Takoyaki, Chile, Bonito, Scallions


A shot of the slightly warmed salmon roe. I liked the chile and ginger dressing components of this dish.


Soft Serve | Green Cardamom, Rhubarb, Ginger
Steve took all my orders as I sat at the bar. I asked him what his favorite dessert was, and he suggested the green cardamom soft serve. The interplay between the green cardamom ice cream, rhubarb compote, and candied ginger was quite nice.

As I finished up my dinner, I ran into Ronnie and met Trixie-Pea and Milz for the first time, who were in the midst of the 24 chowathon. Looking forward to seeing how that turned out; I only made it to Yusho and one other bar and I was wiped out

i am not familiar with the area of chicago yusho is in...is it difficult to catch a cab there? thanks in advance!

streaksinthesky wrote:i am not familiar with the area of chicago yusho is in...is it difficult to catch a cab there? thanks in advance!

It's not so easy in Yusho's immediate area...however, if you walk a couple blocks south on Kedzie, you'll end up right at Logan Square and will have a much easier time.

streaksinthesky wrote:i am not familiar with the area of chicago yusho is in...is it difficult to catch a cab there? thanks in advance!

I don't think so but I'm guessing the folks at the restaurant will be happy to call a cab for you.

=R=

We spent a lovely evening at Yusho this weekend, with what's-right significantly offsetting what's-wrong; I'll start with the former though I know you'll be more interested in the latter. Service was engaging, informed, and supportive. We enjoyed the room - Godzilla (1954) was being projected above our heads on the bricks, and the place went from ear-splitting to pleasantly sedate quite quickly. Soul of the Sensei and Three Arrows cocktails were two of the best craft offerings I've enjoyed in the city. The Bayless-beloved leeks and almonds were an inventive and worthy entry, and the chicken skin (when eaten promptly) was credibly crisp and well-flavored, a good portion for price as well. The ginger and beef bao, small for $7, was still beautifully assembled and palate-balanced. Soba was a nice portion, with the pickles and cold jowl plated separately from the rich broth; a rogue pepper (they reported they didn't intend the heat level we received) made this a much livelier dish than imagined. The ubiquitous tuna tartare was also deftly twisted with original and savory garnishes from seeds and taro to some searing ginger pickles.

The off: our server described four specials rich with potential, and we went all-in. These were uniformly the weakest plates of the night, and I'll say three of them just sucked - the oyster, the razor clams, and the butterfish sashimi. All three tasted exactly the same, overly demersal, gritty, and lukewarm. The oyster and razor clams were grilled to a chaw, and then for whatever reason there was hot grilled conch added to the sashimi, rendering that dish tepid, chewy, and fishy as well. I do not see the appeal of coatroom temperature seafood. The fourth special also decided to bring kelpy flavor to an otherwise delicious beef tenderloin by wrapping it in some pretty but difficult-to-process nori. The accompanying cooled and unsalted shishito peppers didn't quite work in tandem. These also all arrived in the very loud phase of the night - I'd try to sit in a corner next time.

I would have been very annoyed if we made a trip resulting in just these specials, but everything on-menu was a hit. The draft of the night, a force-carbonated grapefruit gin rickey, was also greatly refreshing. By the time we finished with the awe-inspiring rhubarb and cardamom softserve, we were flavor-infused, sated and content.

Yusho remains a 'sure thing' favorite for me. I'm in at least a few times a month and the entire team continues their journey towards excellence. As popular a place as it is, I'm impressed that nothing seems to stand still here. Nothing stagnates. Even the most successful dishes are reviewed, tweaked and sometimes even jettisoned in the quest of always getting better. It's an impressive aesthetic and one that I believe distinguishes Yusho from most every other place in town.

I love to get there when they first open at 5 pm, climb onto a barstool and unwind as the afternoon slides into evening. My wife and I kicked off our Saturday evening by doing just this . . .


Living Proof | El Dorado 3-year rum, umeshu, forbidden fruit, citrus, falernum bitters
This was a new cocktail on the menu from Alex. It's tart, sweet and nicely balanced.



Negroni | Voyager gin, cardamaro, gran classico, toasted soybean
This is another new addition to Alex's cocktail menu. I loved this take because it wasn't too sweet, and the complexity of the bitterness resonated in a long, satisfying finish.



Hama Hama Oyster | watercress, lardon, sesame
This recurring special has been seasonally tweaked once again. I thought everything about it was great and found myself slurping the delectable sauce out of the shell until it was virtually dry.



Octopus | haricot vert, egg yolk, enoki mushrooms
I apologize for the lousy shot, which doesn't come close to doing the dish justice. The textural similarities between the tender octopus and the enoki mushrooms was interesting but most importantly, it was a delicious combination, especially with the rich egg yolk providing a nearly emulsified sauce for the dish. Great stuff.



Okonomiyaki | shrimp, cabbage, chick pea
Not only beautiful but also scrumptious. The okonomiyaki was light and flavorful, and contained plump pieces of perfectly cooked shrimp. The cabbage and chick pea components really sang together. This was a delight.



New Culture | Redemption rye, rhubarb, lemon, vermouth di Torino, abbott's bitters
An old favorite of mine at Yusho, which paired very nicely with the dishes we were enjoying.



Beef Tongue | soy, kale, horseradish
I've had this rendition of this dish a few times and I really enjoy it. It's actually a fairly light take but the tender, thinly-sliced ribbons of tongue still satisfy with intense beefy flavor. In combination with the other ingredients, each bite was a righteous composition.



Chicken Thigh | asparagus, gizzards, shiso
I love this new incarnation of the chicken thigh (now whole pieces of thigh and no longer meatballs) and this protein could not have been cooked more perfectly. It was piping hot, tender and bursting with juiciness. I loved that it really tasted like chicken, too. It was seasoned but not overly so. The counterpoints of slightly chewy, intensely flavorful gizzard were inspired and the asparagus was excellent.

Yusho continues to chug along mightily. For me it's an exciting place because they never rest on their laurels or stop trying to improve. But more importantly, the food and beverage being served here are top-tier by any measure.

=R=

We had a very delicious meal last night, with a party of four able to try much of the menu. We've been before and we'll be back again, but, partly in response to Ronnie's enthusiasm for the ever-evolving menu, I wanted to mention that all four of us were disappointed in the utter lack of vegetables on offer. We ordered the only options, the pickles (which were fascinating but deeply pickled to almost mush rather than quick-pickled), the mushroom (delicious and with a pinch of fresh greens, but basically a rich poached egg), and the gobu root (woodsy, and seemingly not quite properly prepared, since it was almost impossible to bite served in that large form rather than the more common shreds). None of these were refreshing, nor green, nor reflective of summer's bounty, nor providing the desired counterpoint for the wonderfully umami dishes. Even the leeks no longer on the menu would have been a big improvement. It's a great place, we just found this menu iteration rather unbalanced.

annak wrote:It's a great place, we just found this menu iteration rather unbalanced.

I really enjoyed the kale with the tongue, the watercress with the hama hama, the asparagus with the chicken and the cabbage and chick peas with the okonomiyaki but you're right that the dedicated veggie offerings haven't changed nearly as often as the rest of the menu.

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Each of those items were meat dishes with a garnish of veg. Tasty, but hardly reflective of summer vegetable options.

annak wrote:Each of those items were meat dishes with a garnish of veg. Tasty, but hardly reflective of summer vegetable options.

Oh, understood. I just wanted to point out how much I appreciated the veg details in these other dishes, which were (mostly) seasonal and really nicely done.

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I like to think of this spot as if David Chang from NYC was obsessed with yakitori instead of ramen in his early days. That might be my NYC bias, though I did send a former-Momofuku employee friend there a subsequent night, and he was as blown away as I was.

Grilled (pickled?) quail eggs with charred kombu were the perfect combination of umami and acid. Their chicken wings with thai chile pepper, bonito salt, and lime were charred on the outside, tender on the inside. How do they cook them so perfectly? How are the flavors in such harmony? All other chicken wings should be ashamed of themselves.

I also loved the crunchy chicken "skin" chips with mustard and togarashi. Ingredients I never would have put together. The duck breast was also fabulous. Meaty, tender, and the umami-filled mushrooms put it over the edge. Again, perfectly charred on the outside, but just the right temperature on the inside. The maitake mushroom was a revelation. Runny egg, frisee, dashi gelee. Rich flavors, and the grilling brought out the mushroom's natural sweetness. The beef tongue served with crispy, crunchy kale and pork belly with kimchee dishes were also wonderful. Everything we ate here was fantastic. This restaurant was spot on. Perfect technique, flavors, concept, the entire way.

We made a reservation online very easily, and the restaurant didn't seem all that busy on a Tuesday night. The cocktail program is also very good. We loved the Living Proof (rum, umeshu, forbidden fruit, citrus, falernum bitters) and the Resurrection (bourbon, bonal, Boker's bitters, elixir vegetal).

I look forward to returning to Yusho in the future.

Judging from the pictures the portions look a little on the small side (even for small plates). Are they big enough to share amongst 4 people or would you need like 2 orders? How many dishes typically constitutes a good meal?

fropones wrote:Judging from the pictures the portions look a little on the small side (even for small plates). Are they big enough to share amongst 4 people or would you need like 2 orders? How many dishes typically constitutes a good meal?

I'd say very few dishes are sharable 4 ways. Most are sharable 2 ways and some -- like soup-type items -- are probably best not shared at all, though I'm guessing they'd probably be happy to split them into 2 separate servings if you asked. I'm just not a big fan of sharing bowls of soup.

It's really hard to say what will constitute a good meal. It really depends on how hungry you are and what you specifically order. Some items are small enough that several may not put you over the edge. Others are fairly substantial and just a couple will fill you up. I'd suggest asking your server about the portion sizes once you look the menu over.

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I'd add that this is a great place to be leisurely...order progressively, a couple of items at a time. When you think you're full, you stop. I've typically ordered this way there--the items come out quickly and the staff has always seemed perfectly fine with it.

fropones wrote:Judging from the pictures the portions look a little on the small side (even for small plates). Are they big enough to share amongst 4 people or would you need like 2 orders? How many dishes typically constitutes a good meal?

Some of the skewers only come with 2 pieces, so, I'd definitely ask if I had, say, 3 people with me.

Our hungry 2-top ordered 7 items last week. It was easy to share the plates that had two skewers. It was harder to divide up the chicken skin pieces and the quail eggs (of which there were only 3).

We just got back from a trip to Japan a couple of weeks ago and were unable to try any yakitori places as they are not really set up for kids. Having heard about this place I was eager to try it out. We went early on a Sunday evening, the place was fairly empty. Service was pleasant. Drink list was impressive, but we stuck with sake, which I am a huge fan of but know little about. I guess the two of us ordered about 10 items (most discussed above) and I much preferred the simpler grilled items to the puffy, fried creations (brandade, okonomayaki, fish-roe ball thing). Loved the pickles. Chicken skin was delicious. Loved the sauce for the twice fried chicken.

We will be back, but I will drink more and eat less.

teatpuller wrote:We will be back, but I will drink more and eat less.

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