Kenka

October 29, 2008

Today was a nasty day in terms of the weather. Cold, damp, high winds and rain. Now I hear the weather was stormy and snowy in Ottawa so I can't complain too much. We tried to venture out but eventually had to succumb to the confines of the Time Warner Building on the Upper West Side, which is a nice place to walk around on a day like this with boutique stores, some of the best and most expensive restaurants in the city like Per Se by Thomas Kellar, and there are some interesting statues inside like the large one of the naked man which people rub for good luck (and he's not wearing shoes by the way). And after trying to head outside again, we had to admit defeat and headed into a cinema to watch a movie.

Here's a link to some of my NYC photos by the way...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenkitchen/sets/72157608420486299/

For dinner, we decided to try one of our favourites and place I haven't returned to since interning there a few years back - Candle 79 on 79th near Lexington on the Upper East Side. The neighbourhood is quite wealthy and is the main audience for Candle 79, not vegetarians or vegans, although they do come and voted it the best vegan restaurant in the US last year according to VegNews. It was a lovely dining experience and all that we had remembered and expected. In particular, it is known for it's delicious and "meaty" seitan or wheat based protein that is used for several signature dishes.

On the way home, we headed down the many interesting streets of East Village, and arrived on 8th Street where everything was so vibrant and busy, even on a cold blustery evening. We decided to head into a large izakaya pub called "kenka" or fighting, loving the izakayas in Japan and wanting to try some in NYC. An izakaya is like a large pub or tavern with cheap food, however the food is mostly Japanese and quite good, and the Japanese beverage list quite extensive for sake, sochu and beer in particular. This is the kind of place where you can grab a small glass of Japanese draft for $1.25 and eat some snacks or small plates like rice balls, gyoza dumplings, Japanese pickles, all for about $10 including the beer. And the service is quick, quite friendly, and they are usually open late, though the izakayas in Japan and here seem to vary widely in atmosphere and food. Kenka is definitely a favourite hangout for students with that certain raunchiness that comes often with selling cheap cold beer en masse. It is one of the oldest and largest izakaya pubs in the city and quite the unique experience. Kampai!!