Author Archives: tacodrew

Cuisine: Japanese

2667 Federated Blvd
614.764.9040

Click here to map it!

We’re well documented when it comes to our abiding affection for Kihachi, and indeed find it to be one of the crown jewels of our local immigrant kitchen restaurant scene. That said, given the cost of entry, we’ve been a bit apprehensive about including such a high-end restaurant among the roster of the usual bang-for-the-buck dynamos here at alt.eats.

That’s not to say that Kihachi is a bad value. Given the uncompromising quality of the ingredients and the exceptional technical skills put to use in preparing them, it could even be considered a bargain. But, still, a conspicuously costly bargain.

Or at least that’s the perception. In previous visits, we’ve been repeatedly seduced by the siren song of Chef Kimura’s more exotic offerings, and though we’ve felt entirely rewarded for doing so, the down side of that approach (aside from the overdraft fees) is that we’ve ignored some of the menu’s Japanese staple dishes, whose prices are often far less dear.

So with that in mind, we set out to see both a) if it was possible for a couple to eat a full and satisfying meal for $25/person (tax & tip excluded), and b) if the food in that range was similar, in quality of execution, to the higher priced items.

There are essentially three menus to choose from – dinner, small plates, and daily small plate specials (which are written in Japanese, affixed to the regular small plates menu, and translated by the server).  Our usual approach has been to order a variety of small dishes from both of the small plates menus. This can get expensive if you intend to eat till full, so on this visit we ordered a dinner menu item each (most of which are less expensive than some of the small plates and larger in portions) and then augmented as our budget allowed.

First up, apps, starting with agedashi tofu ($6.00):

Simply put, this is the most compelling case I’ve seen made for why tofu can be delicious: four lightly battered cubes of fried tofu sit in a mix of dashi, soy, and mirin, and topped with seaweed, green onion, grated daikon and bonito flakes. The textures, flavors, and appearance all delight.

Next, fried burdock root (also called gobo, $5.00):

This is the root of the plant that leaves burrs on your clothes as you walk through the woods (burdock), sliced into thin sticks, lightly floured and fried, and presented with a side of seasoned salt. It’s as comforting as a french fry, but far more interesting with its potato-meets-artichoke flavor and slight snap to the bite.

Grilled capelin ($6.00):

That’s right, four little whole fish (capelin are members of the smelt family), mouths agape in expressions of abject terror. They shouldn’t act so surprised – they had to realize that they’re richly flavorful bites of ocean-tinged goodness.

Finally, for the apps, steamed clams in broth ($6.95):

Beautiful in its simplicity, this dish consists of a trio of beautifully plump and surprisingly chewy clams in a lovely broth, and a great garnish of unidentified but flavorful greens.

Now for the mains… first up, udon with duck ($13.00):

We’ve often remarked on how many of our favorite Japanese dishes can have a somewhat comfort food-y component to them. This dish epitomizes the sentiment with plenty of fat udon noodles bathed in a rich, meaty broth, topped off with a generous portion of exceptionally flavorful duck meat and scallions. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen proteins so carefully considered in the context of a soup – perfectly cooked (read – tender) poultry is truly the exception, and is indicative of masterful temperature control in the kitchen.

Next, nabeyaki udon ($12.00):

This contained the same udon noodles as in the last dish, but was topped with raw egg yolk, shrimp tempura, fish cakes slices, scallions, and more… and came in a bowl that retained enough heat to keep the broth boiling for at least a couple of minutes after serving. With the egg yolk mixed in, this broth was perhaps even richer than the previous, and among our extended group of 5 it was preferred by all except for one (your humbled author).As meals in a bowl go, you’d be hard pressed to find one more complete (or more satisfying).

With that, our meal for two is complete. Total cost: $48.95, green tea included. With one less app, we could’ve done it for $20/person, and we still would’ve left full and, really, just about as happy as if we’d spent 2 or 3 times as much. Needless to say, we highly recommend you to check Kihachi out, and if you go we’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Cuisine: Japanese with myriad other influences

Location varies, see their Facebook page or Twitter stream for the latest

Driving around downtown on any weekday at lunchtime, you’ll inevitably see plenty of lunch carts.  Recognizable by their red & white umbrellas, they usually serve gyros, brats, hot dogs and the like… just as they did 5, 10, hell, even 15 years ago.

Almost lost amongst them today, though, was something completely outside of the norm.

Instead of waterlogged brats, this renegade cart was hawking ‘steamed curry pork’.  In lieu of dry, shaved gyro loaf in stale pita bread, their menu teased with the promise of ‘jerk kalbi short rib’.  They’re called Foodie Cart, and they make extravagantly creative Japanese-style crepes.

Prior to visiting Foodie Cart, I had tried to talk several people into joining me in trying them out. Almost inevitably, the response was, “What is a Japanese crepe?!”, which seemed to indicate vague sense of distrust based upon the conflation of ‘Japanese’ with what is commonly considered to be a French preparation.

Odd though it might sound, crepes have long been a (delicious) part of the culinary landscape in Japan.  They’re distinguished from their continental cousins by a couple of traits – a thinner, somewhat crispy crepe shell that uses little to no butter, and a ‘the only rule is to break the rules’ approach to filling combinations. Well, that and the fact that they’re mostly found in Japan.

That’s where Misako Ohba comes in.  Trained as a pastry chef in Tokyo, she was recruited to ply her trade here in Columbus, where she met her husband and partner-in-crepes, Kenny.  Having paid their dues in the food service industry, they decided it was time to strike out on their own.

I’m emphatically glad they did, as this allowed us to try four of their crepes – the stewed curry pork, jerk kalbi short rib, Boursin veggie egg, and the green tea tiramisu.

All of the savory crepes were folded into a package not unlike that of a burrito.  The light and flaky exterior of the pork curry crepe (above) yielded to reveal nicely seasoned and tender pig flesh, shredded cabbage, and a few dabs of tabasco.  A beautiful combination, both in flavor and texture.

The jerk kalbi – strips of marinated short rib meat, spinach, and an unusual sauce that, if I recall correctly, included kiwifruit – was similarly successful. I’ve long loved the big beef taste of the traditional Korean kalbi preparation, and it’s been a dish that has translated well into myriad ‘fusion’ interpretations (it’s a mainstay of the famous Kogi ‘taco’ truck in LA).  So… hey, why not in a crepe?

The last of our savory crepes was the Boursin, veggie, and egg (above), which included spinach, avocado and tomatoes.  Though the ingredients couldn’t be more different, this struck me as having qualities similar to that of a good banh mi sandwich in that it hits the palate as both rich and light/vegetal simultaneously.  Quite a trick to pull off, and an exceptional savory treat.

Did we mention that Misako is a pastry chef? She makes a complete green tea tiramisu, and then puts dollops of it into a crepe along with fresh strawberries and chocolate sauce. If that sounds good, know that it tasted better.

At this point, Foodie Cart’s menu changes quite frequently. Other items in the rotation include ahi tuna, salmon & avocado, and lemon pork belly… all of which will ensure our speedy return.  They’re also keen to include at least one vegetarian item on the menu at any given time.  Beverage options include iced jasmine tea and a soy iced tea latte, and both were great.

One last thought. Operations like Foodie Cart and Fusion Cafe represent the growth of something that is both important and special to our food scene – namely the emergence of seriously high-quality, innovative food that budding restauranteurs can only share with us thanks to this low investment approach. Mobile food also allows the small guy with big ideas the opportunity to take risks with their menu that most restaurants would shy away from, as well as serving as something of an incubator for the leap into restaurant ownership.

In short, guys like this are a big good thing, and I’d like to encourage our readership to frequent them.  Did I mention that Foodie Cart’s crepes cost all of $4.50?  Yeah, low overhead also means low prices.