mangia: Tribeca Japanese Delight!

It was a COLD Friday. I had to meet C at this new restaurant I read about from one of my magazines. With fresh made tofu, traditional Japanese dishes, I was curious what we would find at this place. I ordered a glass of Shiraz as I waited for C. The bar is nice, moody, and has these floor to ceiling window which I could spot my friend when she arrived.

We were seated in the main dining room, and it is this 2 story atrium like space. We were seated at the communal table that boast a sand garden and voltives. Each new customer walking in is greeted by a roar of the traditional Japanese welcome.

We started with their specialty, fresh warm tofu. How they serve it, is with a box container, which you spoon to your bowl and then add this soysauce type sauce and with a rustic wooden spoon you eat the fresh and creamy tofu.

Our second dish was the Grilled Churo Toro, which was fresh, and the sauce tangy/salty. Then their Yuba with Freshwater Eel, that was simply delicious, it contains cheese which really made it my favorite, and the crispy layer of fried Yuba... my favorite dish so far!

We then received our delicious Miso Cod, and our Sauteed Braised Duck. We really felt how full all of this was! I had read that their dessert was really good, so we shared a Tofu Mousse, which was devine in that honey sauce. We enjoyed the dinner & will come back!

EN Japanese Brasserie
West Village
435 Hudson St. (bet. Leroy & Morton Sts.), New York, NY 10014
212-647-9196

August 2, 2005

I returned to EN & this time we were a party of 8 gorgeous sister goddesses. Our Appetizer was the Age-Dashi Yuba. We started with 2 salads, the Shabu Shabu salad & the EN Salad. Both were refreshing. We also ordered Tuna & Avocado which was really fresh, & perfect for a taste of sashimi. We also ordered Burddock Root.

Then we received their Chicken entree, their Miso Cod & also our sushi. We ordered a salmon roll, an eel roll, and an avocado roll.

We ended our feast with delicious Clay pot cooked salmon and rice which we mixed salmon roe eggs with, and 2 of their specials, an order of Flounder, and their Bell Fish-a type of sword fish.

The meal was simply delicious. With a party this large, it was great to taste the range of food we had. My favorite will have to be the the Age-Dashi Yuba, the Chicken entree, the Clay Pot Salmon, and the EN salad.

The cocktails were fun and I'll definitely come back again!