Chef Takashi Inoue, Takashi Restaurant, West Village, New York, NY, Manhattan, Japanese, Yakinuki, Korean, Osaka, Where to eat, Where to drink, Where to shop, Butcher, Recommendations, Chef’s Recommendations, Advice, Tips, Recipes,
Photographs courtesy of Find. Eat. Drink | Takashi | Find. Eat. Drink.
Who
Chef Takashi Inoue is the co-owner of Takashi, a yakiniku restaurant in New York’s West Village.
Why
As a third-generation Korean immigrant born in Osaka, Japan, chef Takashi uses his heritage for inspiration at his West Village meat mecca. He specializes in yakiniku, table-grilling Korean-style Japanese barbecue, and horumon, meaning discarded goods or the innards.
Chef Takashi Inoue | Takashi
April 16, 2012
West Village - New York, NY
Q & A with Chef Takashi Inoue
Q. How would you describe your “perfect” meal at Takashi?
A. I would start with the Niku Uni (chuck flap on a shiso leaf, topped with sea urchin and fresh wasabi), the Yooke (chuck eye tartare with a quail egg), and the Foie Gras-Stuffed Burger with Chocolate BBQ Sauce.
Moving on to the grill portion of the menu, my favorites would have to be the Shio Tan (tongue), Beef Belly, and Tetchan (large intestine). We only have one dessert at Takashi, so that’s probably what I would end with—a Madagascar vanilla soft serve, with the salted caramel topping.
Q. Can you describe the diversity of the cuts of beef that you serve and why you choose certain parts?
A. We certainly have a lot of variety in our cuts, but the selection on the menu is essentially my favorite cuts. I’ve tried all the cuts in Japan, and there are a few I don’t like (bladder and lung, for example), so I focused the menu on cuts that I really wanted to share with people.
Q. For someone just starting to eat more adventurous cuts of beef, do you have a recommendation for what to begin with? What do you think are the most “challenging” pieces?
A. For those just starting to eat off-cuts, I would recommend tongue, cheek, and sweetbreads. The cuts that are a bit more challenging for some people are aorta, which doesn’t have much taste, but has an interesting texture (like eating bamboo shoots, which is the nickname for this cut in Japan), and testicles—for obvious reasons.
West Village
Japanese
456 Hudson Street
New York NY 10014
T: 212.414.2929
Website:
Hours:
Mon - Thu: 6pm - 11pm
Fri - Sat: 5:30pm - 12am
Sun: 5pm - 10:30pm
Q & A
Chef’s Recs | New York City
Find | Butcher
Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in Chelsea Market
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.
I like them -- we buy some of our meat from Jake Dickson. I like his philosophy about using the whole animal, and about sourcing meat from local farms.
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Eat | Restaurants
Sushi at 15 East and Sashimi at Kyo Ya
Photographs courtesy of 15 East | Find. Eat. Drink.
Where I’d Take A Visiting Chef | 15 East
It’s my favorite sushi restaurant in the city. I could eat their omakase menu every day. It’s probably the highest quality sushi I’ve found in the city.
Where I’d Take A Visiting Chef | Tori Shin
I like Tori Shin, which is a yakitori, or the “chicken version” of what we do at Takashi -- all the chicken cuts you can imagine, since they butcher the chickens themselves.
Traditional Japanese Restaurants | Kyo Ya
It’s a great traditional Japanese restaurant. When I dine there, I start with the sashimi, then have their lightly fried tempura, and always order the Uni Kani Ikura Don (sea urchin, king crab and salmon roe over rice).
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Off The Beaten Track | Flushing for Authentic Korean
Flushing is my favorite place to go for authentic Korean food in New York. There are two restaurants that I usually fall back on.
Han Joo Chik Naeng Myun & BBQ
I order the duck BBQ or the pork combo BBQ, which has 7 or 8 different cuts of pork.
Tong Sam Gyup Goo Ee Korean Restaurant
This is another favorite of mine. You have to get the 3-day miso-marinated pork belly BBQ, and the spicy squid. So delicious.
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Chef’s Recs | Japan
Find | Butcher
There are so many, but I will name one for each of my three favorite cities in Japan.
Osaka | Nakamura
I always make it a point to go to Nakamura, which offers a Japanese and French-inspired omakase menu only.
Kyoto | Yonemura
I also like this style of cuisine at Yonemura in Kyoto, which is Japanese with French influences.
Tokyo | Umi
The best sushi I’ve had is at Umi. Order the omakase and you won’t be disappointed.
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Recipes
- Takashi's Easy BBQ Marinade Sauce
Recommendations
Details of Takashi Inoue’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in New York City and Japan.
City Guides
- New York City | Manhattan: Download
- New York City | Brooklyn: Download
- New York City | Queens: Download
