Izakaya Sankyu

There is a popular local PBS TV show here in the Chicago area called Check Please. Each week, 3 people from the area each select a restaurant they recommend, and the other 2 will go and check it out. They then get on the show and give their reviews. This show has been going on for many years and has quite a following around here.

2 weeks ago, our favorite neighborhood Japanese restaurant, Sankyu, was one of the featured restaurants. It was recommended by a Japanese artist who was originally from Kyoto, Japan.

I'm not surprised by this, because on any given day, the predominant clienteles at this restaurant are Japanese, which attest to the authenticity and quality of the food they serve. It is why this is our most favorite Japanese restaurant.

As the name suggested, this is an Izakaya. While they serve the standard sushi, bento boxes, etc., what they really specialize in are these small plates and grilled appetizers. Think of it as the Japanese version of Tapas. You have the ability to order several of these small plates, and then share them with others if you wish (or not). This type of Japanese restaurant is rather uncommon around here, and people expecting it to be the ordinary Japanese sushi restaurant might have a bit of an adventure to wade through the menu.

We were at Sankyu last week, which was the first time we went there after the Check Please episode aired. Even though it was Friday and normally a busy day of the week for most restaurants, the restaurant was extra busy even for early in the evening after they opened. Certainly the review on Check Please may have contributed to the number of crowds there, which I'm sure is good for them.

On this last visit, I decided to scan their menu.

Already from the menu, you can tell that there are large sections of items that are not commonly found in your typical Japanese restaurants. They definitely have the standard sushi and noodles, but their "appetizers", which are the small plates, are the ones that make them distinct from others, and something that shouldn't be missed.

On this visit, our group ordered several items. This first item is Kushi Yaki Mori. It is skewers of parts of chicken including the gizzards, skin, cartilage, and butt. Don't knock it. It is delicious. And I think this was one item that one of the reviewers on Check Please ordered.

 This next one is grilled squid in ginger. Again, delicious!

This next items is the Mexican Maki. It is also not on the menu. It was on the menu when we first went there a few years ago, but even after it went away, we could still order it. Of course, this is an American invention, but it does not diminish the fact that this is our most favorite sushi roll. It has tuna, avocado, cilantro, lettuce, and jalapeno. Yum!

This is another good one, Saikoro steak. It is often cooked to perfection.

This is Shiso Maki Kushi. Again, another favorite of our group.

This is Ikura Cha. It is rice bowl, with broth poured over it, and then topped with seaweed and salmon roe. It is a small bowl, so you can eat this as you munch on the other small plates items.

Besides having their specials written on a white board (there are version written in Japanese and English), one can sometime find extra items printed on paper and posted on the restaurant walls and doors. Their special hot pots are often found this way. On they day that we visited, they had several hot pots, including Sukiyaki, which if you had followed this blog, something that we had at home just a few weeks ago. Someone at our table ordered this hot pot, and unfortunately, since it is not a menu item, I can't tell you want it is since I never checked into it. But by the end of the meal, this pot was empty, so that should tell you something.

I'm glad that they will probably get even more business after this appearance on Check Please. Still, I will miss the easy-going, neighborhood atmosphere that it had before. It will not stop us from going back, but maybe now, we may have to make reservations just to be sure! :)

Zz.