Yakitori Totto

Occasion: Dinner with globe-trotter Kent, who finally made it back into the city
Location: Yakitori Totto on 55th between B'way and 8th

Edibles: tori dango steamed chicken meatballs with a layer of rice pressed into the surface; zaru tofu, served in a basket with condiments (ginger, toasted sesame seeds, chives, bonito, flavored salt); skewers galore - seseri chicken neck; hatsu chicken heart; shishitou tsukune tsume chicken stuffed in Japanese peppers; aspara maki chicken breast wrapped around asparagus; negima chicken thigh with scallion; tsukune umejiso chicken meatball with shiso; kuro buta negi pon pork with ponzu and scallion; harami skirt steak with onion; shiitake mushrooms with ponzu and bonito; yaki nasu miso dengaku eggplant with miso; deep-fried tofu with miso...
... still not done: three rounds of shochu with fresh-squeezed citrus (one each of grapefruit, orange and lemon) and vanilla and green tea mochi ice-cream for dessert
Musings: After all the food listed above, you'd think we left stuffed to the gills. I guess I can only speak for myself, but I was just moderately full. We shared the majority of the skewers, which equals about a bite and a half each person. This dinner also happened over the course of three hours. Which we needed, to catch up on all the happenings in each other's lives! It's been a busy year.

Yakitori Totto, like all of my very favorite restaurants, is rock solid when it comes to consistency. The ingredients are high-quality and many of the components to their dishes are made from scratch, including their outstanding miso and their tofu. The meatballs are mixed, then shaped by hand. The skewers are cooked over a small trench of charcoal and timed to split-second precision. I've introduced more than twenty friends here over the years and only one failed to be blown away. Easily makes my NYC Hall of Fame.

Travis, you shoulda been there!