Takashi

"Yakiniku" - a Japanese term referring to grilled meat dishes. 

Takashi is a small, intimate, 34-seat restaurant located in the West Village.  It is named after the Chef and owner, Takashi Inoue, who opened this restaurant with Saheem Ali (the general manager) just over a year ago. 

Being a third-generation Korean immigrant being born in Japan, Takashi masterfully combines the boldness of Korean flavors with the finesse of Japanese cuisine.  His passion comes through with every small bite offered on the menu.  The thought here is to serve beef, beef, and nothing but beef.  He stays sustainable, and uses every cut of the cow possible, from shortrib and ribeye, to more extreme cuts such as tongue, heart, stomach, and even achilles tendon.  Everything is extremely fresh, tastes amazing (he and Saheem spent months sourcing out the best local beef from small, local farms and purveyors), oh, and you get to grill it yourself. 

The address is 456 Hudson Street.  Keep that number in mind as it is what you will be looking for when you dine at Takashi for the first time.  The restaurant does not display its name on its awning, yet the NY Times review hangs proudly off the front window.  Walk through the front door slowly, as you might walk straight into a diner seated at the Chef's counter if you're not paying attention.  Warm wood and slightly dark tones run through the restaurant, and the room of just seven tables and three large benches at the Chef's counter is really no larger than most NYC apartments.  Every table comes equipped with a high-tech electric grill, and the two chefs working behind the counter stay quiet, and work with such precision, speed, and finesse it's hard not to be amazed.  A mural on the wall behind the Chef's counter comically portrays every cut of beef and their definitions, as well as nutritional values.



The servers and chefs welcome everyone into the restaurant, literally, by saying "welcome" in Korean.  The room fills up quickly, with a mix of Asian families and young hipsters dying for the taste out of the ordinary.  The servers skillfully help you navigate the large menu, and help you decide which cuts of beef are right for you.  A raw section offers everything from chuck eye tartare, to flash-boiled stomach.  The grilled section offers two types of marinades for your meats.  Salt, garlic, and sesame oil, or Takashi's special peppery sauce, made with soy, ginger, rice wine vinegar, and explained by my server as tasting great.  It's no surprise which one I went for. 

Three complimentary plates of salads are brought to you first.  Raw green cabbage swims in a tangy ginger dressing, the same which can be found in Japanese restaurants anywhere.  A mild cabbage kimchi is dropped next, and dressed bean sprouts follow. 

Green Cabbage, Kimchi, and Bean Sprouts

An appetizer of chuck eye tartare (Yooke) is excellent.  The ground meat is dressed with soy sauce, ginger, sesame seeds, shiso leaf (part of the mint family), and a raw quail egg.  After being assembled by the chef, the server takes two chopsticks and proceeds to mix and mash the tartare together for you tableside.  After asking for you to take a taste to see if the seasonings are on point, she then smiles and walks away.  The beef is so flavorful on its own, and the special seasonings only heighten the experience.  The sesame seeds were a great addition to this one.

"Yooke"

After you're done with your appetizer the server will then proceed to turn on your grill.  A flick of a switch underneath the table will start to charge the electric grill, and a black exhaust fan hanging from the ceiling is lowered.  As small as it is, it does a great job in chimneying the grill smoke out of the way.

A rice bomb (Bakudan) can be enjoyed while waiting for the grill to heat up.  Five clumps of sushi rice rolled in nori (seaweed), or pickled sesame leaves.  Two nori offerings were a bit sweet for my taste, but the pickled sesame gave the other three a perfect acidic bite.  It was incredibly tasty. 

"Bakudan"

A chef's selection of offal cuts (Horumon-Moriawase) marinated in Takashi's sauce is nothing short of extraordinary to an extreme diner like myself.  In clockwise order from bottom-left, first stomach, fourth stomach, liver, heart, and sweetbreads in the center.  Scallions and sesame seeds garnish the extremely fresh raw meat.  No metallic signs of sitting in a refrigeration unit or freezer burn. 

"Horumon-Moriawase"

After the grill is heated, you can then proceed to grill your bite-size offerings to a good char using metallic tongs brought to you by your server. When cooked to your desired doneness, you are encouraged to dip your meat into a special sauce known as Tare.  It is commonly Japanese soy sauce mixed with sake, mirin, sugar, garlic, fruit juice, and sesame seeds.

Grilling your offal cuts

Takashi's marinade was an excellent suggestion as every cut of offal was rounded out in flavor.  The sweetbreads were mild and creamy.  The liver incredibly and boldly fresh tasting.  The hearts a touch milder and full of beef flavor.  And the stomachs, to my surprise as this was my first time having them, very mild in flavor and a touch chewy. 

A piece of Wrigley's gum is brought to you with your check, as Takashi probably knows it's not best to proceed to make-out with someone after a meal here.  It's comical, yet very fitting.  Takashi, thank you for bringing your passion and a touch of your heritage here to NY.  I will be visiting again soon.

Takashi

456 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014