Take another little piece of my heart (on a skewer)

Yakitori Taisho
5 St. Mark's Place, NYC


Skewers of bacon-wrapped scallops, chicken, octopus, heart, and gizzard (left to right)

I've always been a lover of strange meats and Japanese yakitori places offer a world of offerings in that regard. Yakitori means "grilled chicken" but is used to refer to the practice of grilling other stuff on a skewer as well. Down in New York's East Village, there is a block that has cramped Japanese places sprinkled in among the other basement-level offerings. Taisho is supposedly the best, and I always thought the place three doors down, Oh Taisho, was a blatant ripofff meant to fool tourists w/ its identical font. Turns out they're owned by the same company. They offer some actual dishes (you can sort of see my friend's yakisoba in the background) but a variety of skewers (generously brushed w/ terriyaki sauce and/or pepper) and a bowl of rice does it for me.