Sakagura isn’t by any means cheap, but the Buta Kakuni definitely is. At five dollars a portion, you get a substantial (very substantial for a Japanese restaurant) hunk of sweet and salty braised pork belly in all its quivering glory. A little spicy mustard on the side helps cut the fattiness, and yes, there’s a lot of it. I’ve had more melt-in-your-mouth kakuni elsewhere, but not at this size or price. MORE »
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Not sure what took me so long, but I finally made it out to the Brooklyn Brewery last weekend. I’d always wanted to go, but when you live in New York, you take the city for granted. That’s why it’s so great when you have visitors from out-of-town. You get to do all the things you planned to do, but never did. Last weekend when the Kim sisters (Soo and Joo) were back in New York from Seoul, we made a trip to the brewery for the Saturday tours. MORE »
In Honolulu, we went casual for dinner. Nothing fancy. Most evenings David and I would tumble out of the ocean when we were hungry, and then drive somewhere to eat; clothes damp from our bathing suits underneath, sand still clinging to our hair. Imanas Tei, an izakaya in Honolulu, was recommended by a Japanese desk clerk at our hotel in Waikiki. I don’t usually trust hotel people for food recommendations, but he seemed to have good taste. He told me he was married to a Korean woman. David may have thoughts to the contrary regarding this subject, but on Imanas Tei we both agreed it was delicious. MORE »
In case you haven’t noticed, Bionic Bites has been very East Village-centric the past few weeks. The reason: I’m sick of living in my cramped run-down LES apartment and have been spending a lot of time in the East Village apartment hunting. (I love the LES, but for the same price, I can get more square footage in the East Village.) Two Saturdays ago, after seeing a gorgeous but way too expensive apartment, David and I wandered into Royale looking for brunch. It was only after we were seated we noticed the place was more of a bar than a restaurant, and the menu was limited to burgers and sandwiches. No biggie, we ordered two burgers, onion rings, housemade chips, and a Bloody Mary for me. As long as a Bloody Mary’s involved, it’s brunch to me. MORE »
For those procrastinators who don’t have plans yet, and want to go to a small bar with no madness, no cover, and a champagne toast, I went to a really cool bar in the Financial District this week. Yes, FiDi! Believe it! Vintry Wine & Whiskey has 80 wines available for tastings, whiskeys from around the world, and a truly delicious small plates menu (gnocchi is AMAZING). Get the 411 at SE:NY. I just called the bar (212-480-9800), and reservations are still available. Happy New Year’s Eve! Stay safe.