Naka Naka

[raji]

Anyone been? I just got a THRILLIST mailing about it. It's close to my new office and I want to try.

Disclaimer: I am a Japanese food super-snob, having lived in Tokyo and going back a couple of times a year, and having been schooled by some very good chefs over in the land of the rising sun.

[juuceman]

Anyone been? I just got a THRILLIST mailing about it. It's close to my new office and I want to try.

Disclaimer: I am a Japanese food super-snob, having lived in Tokyo and going back a couple of times a year, and having been schooled by some very good chefs over in the land of the rising sun.

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so go and try it.. it's in the middle of nowhere, you're likely closer than most of us.. your disclaimer seems to bely the fact that you'll not truly believe any of our responses without our providing a similar background so that you'll trust we're entitled to make such a judgement.. at the prices they're charging, expecting the greatness you seem to desire probably isn't reasonable..

i wandered in tonight but didn't like the vibe of the place, so i turned around.. it's oddly arranged, with a large low counter setup as the focal point of the room.. there's a stage upon which the waiter walks around, towering above you.. when the waiter isn't in the room, the center of attention is a smallish dry erase board that listed the specials.. everything is prepared in a kitchen that's pretty much fully screened.. i was alone, there were seven other people in the room, they all seemed to be there as a result of the recent publicity although no one had any food in front of them.. there was one or two small tables separate from the main counter.. it was deadly silent inside and everyone's head turned when i walked in.. it was one of the odder experiences i've had in a restaurant..

i think they've got a good publicist or friend at NY magazine..

[raji]

Maybe my disclaimer was too scary - It's not like I'm dining at Masa every night - and if I didn't trust the egulleteers, then I wouldn't have posted! But I definitely have some additional perspective having lived over there - as would anyone -

I guess I will try it for lunch or something, they should put some music on daym! Did you get a chance to check prices?

[juuceman]

just like thrillist said, the majority of the menu is under $9, with one of the specials priced at $10..

i don't think they're open for lunch..

Edited December 8, 2005 by juuceman (log)

[donbert]

For those too lazy to google:

Naka Naka

458 W. 17th St. (between 9th and 10th Ave.)

New York, NY 10011

212-929-8544.

Link to Google Maps

Naka Naka

In the land of giant Japanese restaurants—the sleek, subterranean Matsuri is one block east, the impending Morimoto around the corner—the diminutive Naka Naka has quietly opened. Not that anyone would know: The nine-stool spot hides behind a signless, curtained façade. But once inside, the welcome is warm and the spirit generous. Chef Chie Sakaguchi serves all the expected sushi and sashimi but seems to take special pleasure in the daily-changing assortment of appetizers like sesame-dressed greens, simmered duck breast, and various hijiki and daikon preparations, delivered in bento boxes by traditionally clad waitresses.

[raji]

Anything new here?

Westside = sucks for Japanese

Although in the past month I've been to the 2 of the best places for Japanese on the West Side, and they're within 5 feet of eachother - Sugiyama and Yakitori Totto

Edited February 12, 2006 by raji (log)

[adamru]

I went last night hoping for Meatpacking District sushi redemption and left a little disappointed. I think Whole Foods produces a higher quality although it is priced at about Whole Foods prices. The biggest letdown was that the spicy salmon roll contained rather dry cooked salmon.

The restaurant is just off 10th on 17th Street, and there's still no sign but the curtains do read Naka Naka. They seat 14, and they were half full at 9pm which made the space look busy as its so small. The waitresses are in traditional dress and serve you at either a table or at a low communal platform with eight stools around it. No one sat there. Everyone gets an amuse of cooked spicy tuna in a small bowl. It was dry and not very spicy, but plentiful enough that we probably didn't need to order an appetizer.

Fortunately we did order one and it was the highlight of the meal, six wasabi skin pork and vegetable dumplings for about $7. They tasted much fresher than the raw fish that followed. It's a little off-putting that everything is made up a few stairs in a hidden away kitchen. When you're satisfied with the taste of your food it's fine, but when you're not you're left to question the quality of the fish and the conditions under which they're preparing it.

We also ordered a bottle of Nigiri(?) Sake. It's a cold creme de sake. I never heard of that, I never heard a milky sake before but I enjoyed it. There are two reasonable priced selections, a small bottle was $12, but then the sake menu jumps to the $40 a bottle and up range.

After our meal they brought us two large coffee mugs of tea rather than small cups and a bottle which seems contradictory with their desired atmosphere.

[lambretta76]

Nigorizake - probably my favorite sake. No creme involved, the unfiltered nature of it produces the milky look. If you were to let it sit for a long while, the solids would settle at the bottom and you'd have a clear liquid above that.

This place doesn't sound all too hot, I guess no need to go there.

[raji]

I'm leaning towards avoiding it altogether, but the sushi chef IS Japanese so maybe worth a try... but if not open for lunch, not...

[adamru]

Nigori, that's it.

From the producer's website:

"The bottle should be shaken each time before pouring due to the high rice content that settles in the bottom of the bottle."

I wish I'd known that. They didn't shake the bottle before pouring and left the bottle on our table to pour for ourselves. I never thought to do that. Is that normal to shake a bottle before pouring? Or, I suppose not since most sake arrives in its own carafe not its bottle?