Eats
Steaks are sizzling at Ikinari on Bleecker St.
BY GABE HERMAN
Ikinari Steak, a restaurant chain
from Japan, opened its latest Manhattan
location in the Village at the
end of November.
The sit-down eatery, at 205 Bleecker
St., between MacDougal St. and Minetta
Lane, is less pricey than a traditional
steakhouse. It offers a variety of
cuts, including ribeye, sirloin, fi let and
rangiri — or assorted steaks — with
prices varying depending on the size
ordered. The menu also offers wagyu,
or American-style Kobe beef.
The meat is cooked to order and
brought out still sizzling on a skillet,
along with sides that can include rice,
mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli or other
veggies. Lunch specials range from
$10 to $20 and also include salad and a
cup of beef broth.
There are also a large variety of
mochi ice cream fl avors available, including
different ones every day. Wine
and beers are sold, along with an extensive
sake list.
The chefs in the open kitchen loudly
greet everyone who enters the shop
with a hearty “Irasshaimase!” (“Welcome!”),
A lunch special at Ikinari Steak is a pretty hearty meal, all for around
$13.
which is potentially a little
jarring for unsuspecting fi rst-time visitors.
A server said that business has
been rather slow so far, but they’re expecting
it to pick up after the holidays.
I tried a lunch special — 7 ounces
PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
of Angus chuck beef, with corn, white
rice, salad and cup of beef broth, for
around $13 — and found it delicious.
Ikinari Steak fi rst opened in Tokyo
in 2013, and is owned by chef and restauranteur
Kunio Ichinose. In an expansion
pace that would make McDonald’s
proud, it now has more than 300
locations in Japan.
Hideki Kawano, president of Ikinari
Steak USA, said of the Bleecker location,
through a translator, “From the
second we identifi ed the space, I loved
the neighborhood and we are very excited
that we are able to open our doors
here. Many of our guests at the Bleecker
St. location said that they never had
Ikinari Steak before, and they love it.
We are getting a lot of positive feedback
from our guests.”
The Bleecker location is the eleventh
in Manhattan for the chain, which has
others in Midtown and on the Upper
East Side and Upper West Side. There
are also two Chelsea locations, at 96
Eighth Ave., between 14th and 15 Sts.,
and at 154 Seventh Ave., between 19th
and 20th Sts. There is one in the East
Village at 90 E. 10th St., between Third
and Fourth Aves. An Ikinari spokesperson
said there are currently no specifi c
plans for more New York locations.
Ikinari offers takeout and is available
on Seamless. More information can be
found on its Web site, ikinaristeakusa.
com .
It’s just been
one of those
(holiday) weeks!
Please check
thevillager.com
for Scoopy’s
Notebook!
Happy holidays!
Schneps Media TVG December 27, 2018 31
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