A POSITIVE MOMENT.

I begin my post by stating that there is no better place for a farewell dinner with your rice-loving big Asian sister than Yakitori Totto. I have always been a fan of simple and, most importantly, MUSHY foods. When I was younger, dinners would consist of rice sprinkled with furikake and mixed with broth or rice mashed with some soft tofu, cooked salmon, or steamed egg. Onigiri rice balls were one of my most favorite treats and all my mother could do was laugh at me and call me "fan tong" aka rice bucket. Back then, and until today, I had no idea that the meals that I ate daily were actually the cuisine of the WORKING CLASS in Japan!!! How exotic and romanticized!


Being as we had just come from work, we found it only proper that we begin our meal with the traditional working class fare of grilled food on sticks - most commonly known as yakitori (chicken skewers) or kushiyaki. It is very common for Japanese workers to grab a yakitori and a beer on their way home from work. I opted for the Nagaimo Japanese sticky yam skewers and sister ordered the asparagus skewers wrapped with bacon. This was honestly my most unfavorite part of the meal - mostly because I expected the yam to have a more starchy, soft texture (like that of a sweet potato). The pieces, however, were very crunchy and crisp - much like that of radish.


Next up was the Dashi Maki Tamago, which is a delicious soft rolled Japanese omelet. It seems like a painstaking process to create this dish, but the end result is absolutely phenomenal. A simple swiss roll of soft, cooked egg flavored lightly with dashi and shoyu. Ahh, I could eat this everyday and am really inspired to name my child Tamago (egg).


The onigiri arrived soon afterwards. I had one where the rice was mixed with sesame seeds and dried bonito flakes and then grilled with soysauce. Sister opted for a rather delicious onigiri that was stuffed with cheese!!! I haven't seen a cheese and rice combination since my dining experience at Hamasaku in LA!


Our bowl of Daiginjyo Tofu then arrived. Make sure you order this early on because it takes about 20 minutes to prepare!! It is a premium pure tofu that has been prepared in a hot pot. It reminded me of the Yose Tofu dish from Morimoto, which is tofu that is prepared table side. They provide only a small mound of special salt in order to flavor the dish. It was extremely silky and I enjoyed the delicate, bland flavors of this simple dish. Just a pinch of salt was enough for flavor.


And finally the dish that I thought I had once invented as a young chef, the Ocha Zuke, arrived!!! A bowl of rice was topped with cooked salmon and a healthy mound of dried kelp and other seasonings (like that of furikake). Hot broth steeping in a little tea kettle is poured into your bowl atop the rice mixture. There is something so comforting and familiar about rice in hot broth - this bowl transported me right back to my youth!!!! Also great for people who don't like the chew, don't like to digest food, or are feeling sick.

I absolutely adored Yakitori Totto and will pine it until next time.

I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to Mercadito in the West Village!!! I have been to the East Village location before and thought I had blogged about it...but I guess my experience was not whelming enough for me to virtually write out my thoughts about the restaurant. Well this time, they gave me something worth talking about. First of all - if you ever feel like eating all-you-can-eat-tacos, come here. I didn't do it, but I should have. A single order of tacos is around $14 while the all-you-can-eat-taco special is only $23. Not only is it a great deal (considering $20 can get you all of a burrito bowl and a large soda at Chipotle) but you can order all different varieties of tacos so you are not tied down to one filling. Try them all!


My pescado tacos were DELICIOUS. I love that the tilapia was grilled and not battered and fried like most of the other tacos de pescados that I have eaten. A light dusting of cheese and a small dollop of tomatilla salsa mixed with huitlacoche and corn - done. Not covered up by mounds of lettuce or really strong sauces. Hands down, my favorite fish taco in the city.


Not only that, but the management was kind enough to give AM the plate that he ate off of and fell in love with. Now that's gratuitous service!!!!!

I am off to Spain and Morocco for the next few days...may try to discover a way to blog via my new phone. Adios amigos!!!!