The dish I want to order each and every time is the kimchi fritter, which does a do-si-do with Korean kimchijeon and Japanese okonomiyaki.
A thick slice of fried Saag’s bologna ($8.25) is generously layered with pimento cheese and tucked into a toasted bun. This sandwich is one of those things that is so wrong but, really, so so right.
Their Americana burger is like your dream Big Mac: two thin patties are seriously seared, with American cheese, onion shavings, pickles, and a zippy Thousand Island-inspired sauce.
One of my favorite mash-ups would be the Korean pork tacos ($9 for two), served in a blistered housemade flour tortilla, topped with yogurt-chile sauce.
Groups should go for the pin-bone steak ($110 for four), a generous and stunning platter that feels like a Viking banquet. If you’re not a Viking, there’s a culotte—that was juicy and so tender.
With one bite of the famed double-skin noodles, followed by their superlative Peking duck, I was face-palming myself for not knowing about the place sooner.
Be sure to get the korokke: break open the exquisitely flaky and non-greasy panko coating (made from fresh Acme pain de mie) to reveal a creamy, fluffy, and lightly curried kabocha squash interior.
You’ll learn a lot from dining at Jiro’s counter, so consider this an investment in your sushi education, which sadly never comes cheap. Do it.
The margherita with mozzarella, soppressata, radicchio, and pecorino ($15) is Lorella’s favorite, typical from her family home of Verona. If you like it hawt, ask for some chile oil for that one.
There’s a five-seat omakase sushi counter in the back, with the exceedingly kind Ryo Sakai preparing some of the better sushi you can hope to find in the city.
