Yakitori Boy

[philadining]

Although it's still not quite fully open yet, one can actually eat at Yakitori Boy, the much anticipated Yakitori joint on 11th street, just south of Vine, near Lee How Fook.

The short version is that, while we were not totally blown away by our first small sampling of the food, we're thrilled to have a place like this here, and are hoping that they're just not completely in the groove yet.

The various yakitori we had were mostly pretty good, just not as flavorful as some we've had elsewhere. The small nuggets of fried chicken were really tasty.

Service was super-nice, and the place itself is lovely, with a couple of bars and comfortable booth seating.

Should be a good addition to the dining scene, if only because it promises to be open late every night. We're looking forward to trying more of the menu, there's sushi, ramen, okonomiyaki, and more...

A couple more pics and comments here>>.

[philadining]

Stumbled-in to Yakitori Boy again, mostly to satisfy an urge for Ramen. As it turns out, we didn't much care for the ramen, but got lots of other stuff we did like!

Bacon and Eggs...

Chicken and Scallions, Chicken Meatballs, Chicken Skin, all quite good. They seemed to have a bit more of a marinade/glaze and better char than last time, making them very tasty.

Tempura: light, greaseless, crispy, just right.

Kimchee Don mixed spicy kimchee with fried pork and beansprouts. Simple and delicious.

Ika (squid) Salad was tangy and bright-flavored, with a pleasing chewiness.

We actually got a ton more food, we really don't have any self-control...

more details (and more pix) here>>

The one big lesson we learned was that it's better to order in batches: each thing is pretty small, so it's easy to overwhelm the table with plates. And most everything is best hot out of the kitchen, so you really don't want 15 plates arriving all at once. So order a few things, maybe order a couple more as those arrive, or eat those, see what you feel like next...

Overall, we think this place is starting to get in its rhythm, and we'll be stopping back for a late night snack, or a full dinner. You might want to hurry in, although they still don't have their liquor license. We spotted Rick Nichols in there last night, so there's certain to be an article in the Inquirer soon, and crowds to follow...

[wkl]

did you get any idea what they will be serving when they get their license? asian beers, decent wines,etc?

do you see this place as a legitimate dinner option or more of a snack, or late night stop?

also, any comparison with the yakatori places in nyc? in the same league, or to soon to tell?

[philadining]

I did not get any sense of what they will be serving drinks-wise. There was one lone beer tap connected and otherwise empty refrigerators and bar, so I really don't have a clue.

And I really think of this more as a snack/casual kind of place to have some drinks, much on some food, rather than a formal dinner destination.

I've been to a really awesome Yakitori place in Tokyo, but I haven't been to the high-end places in NY, like Yakitori Totto. One of our party the first night says it doesn't even compare.

I don't think Yakitori Boy is trying to be one of those places, Despite the name, it's more of a casual izakaya to get drinks and something to eat, rather than a place trying to perfect the art of Yakitori.

And as such, I think they're going to fill a niche nicely. But this is not going to be where you'll have the greatest yakitori ever.

[herbacidal]

I agree with philadining.

Yakitori Boy can't be a dinner type place, it'd be too expensive.

The interior is nicer than what I remember Yakitori Taisho to have been,

way back when I went there in 2002-2004.

Food isn't tasty enough. They probably should also develop some kind of signature dish, a la Kobe sliders at Barclay, etc. Something that people talk about.

I'm not sure if they'll fill the niche that philadining refers to or not.

If they can improve their food and attract enough non-Chinese, success!!

Disclosure: I know the partners involved with this particular Japanesey joint.