Japanese Sake : All Japan News,Inc

By Elli Sekine

The Japanese cuisine boom in San Francisco has been more and more diversified every year, and the number of restaurants which are run by non-Japanese owners is increasing. In the Bay area, Michelin-starred Japanese and non-Japanese restaurant owners share a 50/50 ratio. Highquality and unique Japanese restaurants are spreading to the suburbs, and people are talking about them everywhere. I heard about such a restaurant existing in Fairfax, a small suburban town of San Francisco, which is run by a couple of American co-owners. I decided to go there to make a report.

This little town possesses some local power. The “Good Earth” (a sustainable super market) born in Fairfax has experienced rapid growth supported by its local residents. There are many small individual stores in the town center, and those markets, cafes, and restaurants lined up on the streets are creating a warm and relaxed scenery. On one such street, I saw people gathering around. It was a line of people waiting for the opening of the only Japanese restaurant in town, “Village Sake”. I asked them how they felt about the restaurant. The customers in the line, who made up a wide variety of age groups commended on the restaurant, in a way that reflected how much the restaurant was loved by the local people.

The place of topic is the first restaurant run by Scott Whitman and Scott Porter. It is an Izakaya-style restaurant which is high-end, yet casual. Chef Whitman worked for “Fog City Diner”, a long-established San Franciscan American cuisine restaurant chain in Osaka for 15 years as a staff member since its opening in Osaka in the nineties. While working there, he fell deeply for the charms of Japanese cuisine, and after returning to the US, he worked for “Sushi Ran”, a highend Japanese restaurant, as a chef, and earned a good reputation for his great skills. In the meantime, ideas for new recipes and a concept for his own place started to grow in his head. In 2015, they opened “Village Sake” in Fairfax, where both of them were born and raised. Mr. Porter, who named the place as a village, expressed his love for the region as follows, “Doesn’t this name sound cool? I imagined a place where local folks gather to mingle by eating and drinking.” Surprisingly, Mr. Porter also has an active career as a fire fighter. I asked him why he tried for an unfamiliar field, which was to run a restaurant. He answered, “I like to eat. You live only once, so I wanted to try different things.” He was born and raised in the same town as Mr. Whitman, and they were not only friends, but roommates as well.

The restaurant’s casual looking interior space that contains grainy wooden tables which give a feel of warmth of wood with effective warm illuminations, provides a cozy Izakaya atmosphere. Japanese-style partitions are installed to help maintain your privacy and comfort. Their efficient looking staff members are all friendly, and look like they are having a good time. The cheerfulness of the two owners seems to have a lot to do with the way the restaurant is operated.

The menu is full of Mr. Whitman’s creative dishes. The special of the day of my visit was the “Seater Albacore” ($11). The taste was deepened with fresh basil and curry oil, accentuated by lemongrass and small goat cheese cubes. The recommended dish, “Seared Toro” ($24) was tender and had a melting texture of seared medium toro, and the caviar topping was quite unconventional. Its rich taste and citrus sourness created a good balance. “Kansai ika” ($11) is Whitman’s own favorite dish of the Osaka area, in which locally-caught fresh tender squid is served with chill aioli sauce. Among others, Osaka specialties, takoyaki and okonomiyaki are popular as well. They also serve traditional dishes such as pork belly, and sunomono, which have been arranged slightly to suit American tastes.

They serve everything from light dishes such as Asian kimchee brussel sprouts and dumplings, to high-end items in which lobster and caviar are used in addit to tara saikyo-zuke (miso marinated cod), and wagyu beef tataki, and all of these dishes create a true Americaunique Izakaya menu. This is the kind of restaurant you want to go every day because of their reasonable pricing for a high-end quality food San Franciscan restaurant.

To match their concept as “a place to enjoy sake and food”, the drink menu of “Village Sake” consists of a wide variety of local sake, plus shochu, beer, and wine brands. They also carry specially aged sake and barreled sake, which are very well appreciated by sake connoisseurs. Since its opening, this place has been featured in local magazines as one of the best 100 restaurants in the area, and has even earned the “Michelin Guide’s Bib Award”, etc., and has been on the right track ever since. They are planning to open a new sake bar next to the restaurant soon. “Village Sake” is now on the way to proceed to the next stage supported by the residents in the area.


新世代アメリカ風Izakayaの在り方

サンフランシシスコの和食ブームは年々多様性が進み、ノンジャパニーズの経営者が急増している。現在ベイエリアではミシュラン星を獲得しているのは日本人とノンジャパニーズは半々の割合だ。高品質でユニークなレストランは郊外にも広がり各地で話題となっている。今回、サンフランシスコの郊外の小さな町、Fairfaxにアメリカ人の共同経営者が手がける噂のレストランがあると聞き取材に出かけた。

　この小さな町は地域力がある。Fairfax から生まれた「Good Eath」（持続可能なスーパー）は住民の支持で急成長を遂げた。町の中心には小さな個人商店が多くマーケットやカフェ、レストランが並びほのぼのした光景だ。そんな通りにある人だかりを見つけた。この町に一軒しかない日本食レストラン「Villege Sake」の開店を待つ人の列だ。評判を聞いたところ、幅広い年齢層の客が同店の自慢をしてくれた。地域に愛されている様子が伝わってきた。

噂のレストランは、Scott WhitmanとScott Porter が初めて経営するハイエンドなのにカジュアルな居酒屋。　シェフのWhitman 氏はサンフランシスコのアメリカ料理老舗の「Fog City Diner」が90 年代大阪にオープンした際、スタッフとして大阪で15 年間を過ごした。その生活の中で日本食の魅力に取り付かれ、アメリカに帰ってからも高級日本食レストラン、「Sushi Ran」でキッチンシェフとして技術を磨き高く評価されている。その内に新しいメニューのアイディアや自分の店構想が湧いてきた。そして2015 年、両者が生まれ育ったFairfax に「Village Sake」をオープンした。その場所を「村」と表現したPorter氏は、「良いだろう、この名前？この地域の人が飲んで食べて交流する場所をイメージしたんだ」と地元愛を語る。

Porter 氏の経歴はなんと、現役の消防士。何故未経験のレストラン経営に挑んだかを訊ねると、「食べることが好きなんだ。一度しかない人生にいろんな事に挑戦してみたかった」。生まれも育ちも同町でWhitman 氏とは昔ルームメイトだった事もあり長年の友達だ。

　カジュアルな店内は、木のぬくもり感じる木目のテーブルと優しい照明がコージーで居酒屋スピリットを感じさせる。
和風なパーテーションはプライバシーを保て居心地が良い。効率よく動く従業員は皆フレンドリーで楽しそうに見える。オーナー二人の陽気な人柄が店作りに大きく影響しているようだ。

　メニュー構成はWhitman 氏による創造的なメニューが並ぶ。この日のスペシャル「Seater albacore」（$11）は、レモングラスーゴートチーズ小さなキューブがアクセントとなり、さっぱりしたバジルとカレーオイルで味に厚みを出している。オススメメニューの「seared toro」（$24）は、中トロの部位を炙った柔らかくとろけるような舌触りにキャビアのトッピングが斬新。リッチな味覚にすだちの酸味がバランス良い。「Kansaiika（$11）はWhitman 自身が大好きな大阪メニューで、地元で獲れた新鮮で柔らかいイカをチリアイオリで頂く。そのほか大阪名物たこ焼きやお好み焼きも人気。ポークベリーや酢の物などの伝統的メニューもあるがどれもアメリカン風に一工夫加えているのが特徴だ。またアジア風キムチ芽キャベツやダンプリングなどの軽いものからロブスターやキャビアを使ったハイエンドメニューには鱈の西京漬や和牛ビーフのタタキも加わり、アメリカ風居酒屋の醍醐味となっている。ハイエンドなのにSF料金に比べるとリーズナブルで毎日通いたくなる店だ。

　「酒と食を楽しむ場所」がコンセプトの「Village Sake」らしくドリンクメニューは多種の自酒、他焼酎、ビール、ワインなどを揃える。中には特別熟成酒や樽酒などもあり酒好きにはたまならい。オープン以来地元誌にSF ベス ト100 店の一軒に選ばれた。 2017 年には、「Michelin Guide's Bib」の評価を得た同店は軌道に乗り、近々新しい酒バーが同レストランの隣に オープンする。「Village Sake」は、地域 住民に愛され繁栄を続けている。

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Village Sake
19 Bolinas Road
Fairfax, Ca.
415-521-5790
http://www.villagesake.com

Sunday 5-9pm
Wednesday-Saturday 5-10pm Closed Mondays & Tuesdays

スシが米国での日本食を牽引し、その他の日本食文化も広げてきたことは間違いない。

現在、米国の大都市では、30年前の「開ければ儲かるスシ屋の時代」は終わり、淘汰の時代を向かえたように感じられる。

スシレストランの出店鈍化や閉店に影響しているのは、高騰する魚介類、高価な初期投資、スシシェフの不足、従業員保険等の諸経費が上がったことや非日本人経営の大型店スシレストランの価格破壊で小規模の店が痛手を受けているためと分析する。しかし、第二の牽引役として注目されているのはラーメンを代表するB級グルメである。2万件以上あるスシレストランと比べると、現在米国では5,000～6,000件あるラーメン屋はまだまだ伸びると思われる。

生魚のイメージを持った高価なスシがここまで米国人に浸透してきたことを考えると、パスタやチキンヌードルスープに慣れた西洋人がラーメンやチャーハンを好まない訳がない。

その他には、お好み焼きやたこ焼きなどのストリートフードも注目され始めきている。また、最近の米国の雑誌には、おでんやカレーなども紹介され始めている。これらの業態の成長を期待し、ますますの日本の酒やビール、焼酎の販売チャンネルが広がることを期待したい。


Expanding alcohol distribution routes

By Yuji Matsumoto

There is no doubt sushi is the driving force behind the expansion of Japanese food, expanding the way for other Japanese foods to follow.

Currently, the old legend of “opening a sushi restaurant will automatically result in success” is long over, and no longer the trend.

The slowing opening and closing of sushi restaurants are due to impact by rising fish and seafood prices, expensive initial investment, lack of sushi chefs, the rising expenses of employee health insurance, etc., and dropping prices due to large sushi restaurants managed by non-Japanese, impacting small-scale restaurants. However, another factor is casual dining such as ramen gaining attention. Compared to the over 20,000 sushi restaurants in business today, there are 5,000~6,000 ramen shops in the U.S., leaving much room to grow and expand.

Considering that fresh (raw) fish at expensive prices have come this far to be widely enjoyed by American consumers, it’s not difficult to imagine their acceptance of noodle products such as ramen, especially since they’re similar to chicken noodle soup, and fried rice.

Other casual dining selections garnering attention is “okonomiyaki” (Japanese pancake with meat, seafood, vegetables, egg, etc) and “takoyaki” (octopus dumplings), etc. and other street foods.

Also, recently, in a U.S. magazine, oden (broiled fish cake) and curry rice are also being introduced. I look forward to these magazines in the U.S. introducing Japanese sake, beer, shochu (distilled liquor), and other distribution channels.


日益擴大的酒類銷售渠道

毫無疑問，壽司推動了美國的日本飲食文化；進而令其他日本飲食文化也得到了擴展。

目前，在美國的大城市，會感受到30年前「只要開壽司店就必然獲利的時代」已然終結；取而代之的是正步向弱肉强食的時代。

據分折，壽司店開店速度放緩，甚或結業，是受到海鮮價格飆升、初期投資昂貴、壽司廚師短缺、員工保險等費用上漲以及非日本管理的大型壽司店壓低價格所影響，而令小型商店受到重大打擊。然而，以拉麵為首的輕巧美食作為第二位主角引起了人們的注意。與超過20,000家的壽司店相比，在美國只有5,000至6,000家的拉麵店，仍有很大發展空間。

鑑於以生魚為形象的貴價壽司已在美國深入民心為考量，已習慣食用義大利麵和雞湯麵的西方人沒有理由不喜歡拉麵和炒飯等食物。

此外，壽喜燒和章魚燒等街頭食品也開始受到關注。另外，最近的美國雜誌亦開始推介關東煮和咖哩等食物。敬請期待此等類型的業務增長；亦希望日本酒、啤酒和燒酒的銷售渠道能得到進一步擴展。


주류 판매 채널 확대

초밥이 미국 시장에서 일본 음식 문화의 대표 주자로 다른 일본 음식을 확산하는 데 견인차 역할을 해 왔습니다.

30년 전만 해도 미국에서 초밥 레스토랑은 ‘열기만 하면 돈을 쓸어모으는 황금알을 낳는 업종”이었습니다. 그러나 현재 미국의 대도시에서는 쇠퇴의 길을 걷고 있는 듯이 보입니다.

이와 같은 초밥 레스토랑의 출점 둔화와 폐점은 어패류 가격의 폭등과 막대한 초기 투자, 초밥 요리사의 부족, 종업원 보험 등의 제반 경비 인상, 외국인이 경영하는 대형 초밥 레스토랑의 가격 파괴 등으로 인해 소규모 초밥집이 타격을 받고 있기 때문으로 분석됩니다. 그러나 또 다른 요소는 라멘과 같은 B급 일식 문화입니다. 2만개가 넘는 초밥 레스토랑과 비교하면 현재 미국에 5,000~6,000개의 라멘집이 있으며, 아직 성장할 여력이 남아 있습니다.

고가의 날 생선이라는 이미지가 있는 초밥이 미국인에게 인기를 얻은 것을 생각해 보면, 파스타나 치킨 누들 수프에 익숙한 서양인이 라멘이나 볶음밥을 싫어할 이유가 없습니다.

그 밖에도 오코노미야키나 다코야키 등 길거리 음식도 주목을 받기 시작했습니다. 또한, 최근 미국의 잡지에서 오뎅과 카레 등도 소개되고 있습니다. 이러한 업종의 성장을 기대하면서 일본의 술과 맥주, 소주의 판매 채널이 확대되길 기대합니다.

By Aya Ota

Park Avenue” is a restaurant which has the theme, changes of four seasons. At every change of the season from autumn, winter, spring, to summer, its menu, its interior decorations, and even its staff uniforms get renewed, and the name of the restaurant also changes to “Park Avenue Autumn”, “Park Avenue Winter”, “Park Avenue Spring”, or “Park Avenue Summer”, and the sign gets changed accordingly.

This innovative idea of renewing the entire restaurant according to the image of the current season frequently became the topic of conversation, which led this place to win numerous awards in the past.

This restaurant has been loved by New Yorkers for a long time. It was operated for 22 years on the Upper East Side since its 1992 opening before it moved to the present location about 5 years ago. The concept for the menu is contemporary American. Ingredients from all over the world are creatively arranged in the dishes. The person who created the basic principles of the menu is Craig Koketsu, the former executive chef, who has now the role of both chef and partner. He is a third-generation Japanese American, and his last name, Koketsu, is Japanese. It may be the reason why he uses so many Japanunique food ingredients in his dishes.

The present executive chef is Zene Flinn. was born and raised in the Quincy District of Washington State where agriculture is the main industry. His father was an apple grower there. He grew up surrounded by seasonal fresh ingredients, which inspired him naturally to seek a career in cooking. After graduating from the well-known culinary school, “French Culinary Institute (presently called International Culinary Center)”, he built up his career at “Nougatine” run by Jean-Georges, who is a top leading French chef in New York. He joined the “Quality Branded Group” which developed 10 restaurants in New York, Miami, and Denver including this “Park Avenue” in 2010.

Flinn’s dishes represent his full love for the ingredients, and are superbly creative. He uses a wide variety of Japanese ingredients that include miso, mirin, yuzu juice, yuzu kosho, shirodashi, wasabi, sansho, umeboshi, etc. Soy sauce and miso are often used as a secret seasoning to enhance, deepen, or soften the taste. Yuzu, red pepper, and sansho are used to accentuate dishes by contributing to the impression for the first bite, or for visual effects. The surprising combinations of ingredients are something only a non-Japanese could think of, and are excellently balanced. Their concept, in which the changes of each of the four seasons is valued, is somewhat common to what Japanese cuisine is. In the summer of 2018, Flinn was invited by the Niigata Prefecture Government, and visited its local farms and producers, and was deeply impressed by the Japanese food ingredients, and learned a lot about them. Just recently, in January of this year, he impressed industry people at a reception held by the Governor of Niigata by creating and serving brand-new dishes, in which he used Niigata-made soy sauce, Kanzuri (fermented red pepper seasoning), and miso in Italian, Mexican, and Spanish style dishes.

One of the charms of this restaurant is its size. There are 220 seats in the main dining space alone. Additionally, there are 4 private spaces for event use, on which they like to put a special value. All those 4 spaces combined can accommodate parties of 200 people if sitting, and 300 if standing. In the eventful holiday season, they sometimes have as many as 1000 people a day.

This is definitely the kind of restaurant you would like to visit at every season - Autumn, Winter, Spring, or Summer - to enjoy each season of New York through all 5 of your senses.


四季が移るごとにレストラン全体を一新
『パークアベニュー/オータム、ウィンター、スプリング、サマー』

四季の変化をテーマした店『パークアベニュー』。秋、冬、春、夏…と季節が移るごとに、メニューや内装、従業員のユニフォームまで一新し、店名も『パークアベニュー・オータム』、『パークアベニュー・ウィンター』、『パークアベニュー・スプリング』、『パークアベニュー・サマー』と変え、もちろん看板も一新する。この「四季をイメージしてレストラン全体を一新する」という斬新なアイデアは話題となり、過去に数々の賞を受賞している。

同店は、1992年創業以来、約22年間アッパーイーストサイド地区で営業した後に移転、現在の場所で再開して約5年になり、長きにわたりニューヨーカー愛されている店だ。料理のコンセプトは、コンテンポラリー・アメリカン。世界各国の食材を取り入れた、創意工夫に富んだ料理が並ぶ。同店の基本方針を作ったのは、前料理長で現在はシェフ＆パートナーを務めるクレイグ・コウケツ氏。日系アメリカ人三世で「纐纈（コウケツ）」は日本の名字。その影響もあってか、日本食材を多く取り入れているのも特徴的だ。

現在、料理長として腕を振るうのは、ジーン・フリン氏。フリン氏はワシントン州クインシー地区の農業がさかんな地域で生まれ育ち、父親もリンゴ栽培をしていた。幼少の頃から、四季折々の旬の素材に触れて育ち、料理への関心を深め、シェフの道を志したのはごく自然なことだった。料理の名門校『フレンチ・カリナリー・インスティテュート（現インターナショナル・カリナリー・センター）』を卒業後、ニューヨークを代表するフレンチシェフ、ジャン・ジョルジュル氏が経営する『ヌガティーン』で修行を積む。『パーク・アベニュー』を含む合計10店舗のレストランをニューヨークやマイアミ、デンバーで展開する『クオリティ・ブランディッド・グループ』に入ったのは2010年のことだ。　　

　フリン氏が創り出す料理は、食材への愛にあふれており、かつ独創性にも優れている。日本食材としては、味噌、みりん、柚子果汁、柚胡椒、白出汁、ワサビ、山椒、梅干し…など、幅広く取り入れている。醤油や味噌は隠し味として使うことも多く、料理の味をまろやかに奥深く広げてくれる。柚や辛子調味料、山椒などは料理のアクセントに活用し、口に運んだ瞬間の印象や見た目の華やかさを創り出す。日本人では思いつかないような、意外な食材同士を組み合わせ、見事な調和を創り出している。四季の変化を大事にするというコンセプトは、和食にも通じるところがある。　フリン氏は、2018年夏に、新潟県の招聘で農家や生産者を訪問、日本産食材の素晴らしさに感銘を受け、理解を深めたという。今年1月には、新潟県知事が主催したレセプションで、新潟産の醤油やかんずり（発酵辛子調味料）、味噌を、イタリアンやメキシカン、スパニッシュスタイルと組み合わせ、全く新しい料理を創り出し、業界人をうならせたばかりだ。

同店の醍醐味はレストランの規模感にもある。座席数はメイン・ダイニングだけで220席。その他、プライベート・イベントに力を入れており、店内に4カ所の専用スペースがある。4つのスペースを合計すると着席で約200、立食で約300もの人数に対応できる。ホリディシーズンでイベントが多い時期には一日1000人以上の来客があることもあるという。

秋、冬、春、夏、すべての季節に訪れ、五感を通してニューヨークの四季を満喫したい…そんなレストランだ。

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Park Avenue /Autumn, Summer, Winter, Spring
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010
Tel:　212-951-7111
URL: www.parkavenyc.com

Mon – Thurs 11:30 am – 10 pm
Fri 11:30am – 11pm
Sat 11am-3pm, 5pm – 11pm
Sun 11am-3pm, 5:30-9:00 pm

By Keiko Fukuda

A Japanese style yakiniku restaurant “Oreno Yakiniku” is located on the third floor of the Weller Court, a shopping mall in Little Tokyo. This place gets especially busy during lunch hours and also while some event is being held nearby. During lunch hours, neighboring Government office workers and other business people swarm to this restaurant to get the lunch specials of this restaurant. Whenever some Japan-themed event is held in the downtown area, such as the Anime Expo, a huge number of people would move into Little Tokyo from the event hall.

This restaurant shows different faces between lunch and dinner. First of all, the reason for the popularity of lunch time is the richness of their menu, and the reasonable pricing. As for the lunch menu variety, aside from the Yakiniku lunch, they also offer as many as nearly 30 or so different items. The grilled miso-marinated black cod, fried salmon, fried prawn, kurobuta shoga-yaki, tonkatsu, jidori karaage, curry, and donburis are some of those items, and most of them are under $15. The ishiyaki bibimbpa is only $9.95. The pricing is very reasonable considering its good location.

For dinner time, on the other hand, a yakiniku set menu called “Snake River Farms Kiwami”, in which a high-quality brand beef is used, is very popular. The Snake River Farms Kiwami is the highest-quality USDA certified beef, and is a relative of Kuroge Japanese beef.

“The beef we use is equal or above prime grade. You can enjoy true high-class delicious beef, which tastes different from all-you-can-eat type of beef,” says the Assistant Manager, Sachie Ebata.

The most popular item among their yakiniku set menu items is the KOBE SPECIAL. As the name suggests, all the meats in the set, yukke, tongue, ribeye, short rib, outside skirt, chuck flap, and ox tail soup are Kobe beef. In addition, the set includes an ishiyaki bibimpa, a cabbage salad, and a dessert. This special course, which is satisfactorily enjoyable with its generous volume and variety, is $135. The reason for having continuous repeating customers seems to be due to not only the meat quality, but also the variety of meat parts you can taste. Thus mentioned, the average lunch time spending for a single customer is between 10 and 15 dollars, whereas it is between 30 and 50 dollars for dinner time, which is a big difference. In order to attract more customers for dinner hours, this restaurant takes on an attractive strategy, which is to offer happy hour twice a day.

The first happy hour is from the opening time (different depending on the day: either 5pm or 5:30pm) to 7pm, during which they offer a drastic discount for Asahi draft beer at $1.99 (instead of the regular price at $5.50), $1 off on cold or hot sake, and $2 off on a glass of wine. Moreover, they offer a 20% discount on a bottle of shochu, and 15% off on a portion of the meat menu items.

The second happy hour is between 8 and 9pm. The discount rates on the hot sake, cold sake, and a glass of wine are the same as the first happy hour; however, Sapporo draft beer is offered surprisingly at only 99 cents. But, there is a catch. This special discount applies only to the customer who ordered more than $10 worth of food or drinks for one person.

Before this restaurant opened 6 years ago, the Assistant Manager, Ebata, was working for EBISU, another Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo. Both Oreno Yakiniku and EBISU are under the same company, Bishamon Group, which has developed more than 10 restaurants in the Los Angeles area. The Bishamon Group is the pioneer which has brought back the vividness to Little Tokyo ever since its opening of the popular Daikokuya ramen restaurant on 1st street, which has been attracting a lot of customers of many ethnicities. Due to the construction rush of the nearby condominiums, the area has a problem which is the lack of parking places, and the parking charge hike, which is also affecting their ability to attract more customers. Despite the odds, they say that Oreno Yakiniku is committed to keep offering quality meat, and continuing the business based in Little Tokyo for the future.


看板メニューKOBE SPECIALと１日２回のハッピーアワーで集客

リトルトーキョーのショッピングモール、ウエラーコートの３階にある日本スタイルの焼肉レストラン「俺の焼肉」はランチタイムとイベント時期に特に賑わう。ランチタイムには隣接した官庁街からビジネスマンが同店のランチを目指して集まってくる。また、ダウンタウンでアニメエキスポといった日本をテーマにしたイベントが開催される期間には、イベント会場からリトルトーキョーに人々がそのまま大量に移動してくるという。

この店は昼と夜では違う顔を見せる。まず、ランチタイムが賑わう理由はメニューの豊富さとリーズナブルな料金だ。ランチメニューには、焼肉ランチを始めとして、銀だらの味噌焼き、サーモンフライ、海老フライや黒豚しょうが焼き、とんかつ、地鶏唐揚げ、カレーや丼まで30種類近くがずらりと並ぶ。ほとんどが15ドル以下、石焼ビビンバは$9.95と、場所を考えると非常に手頃な値段だ。

一方、ディナータイムには「スネイクリバーファーム極（きわみ）」という名前のブランド牛を使った、品質にこだわった焼肉セットが大人気。スネイクリバーファームの極は米国和牛協会の認定を受けた黒毛和種の血統を受け継ぐ最高級ブランドだ。

「肉はプライム以上のものを使用しています。食べ放題の肉とは一線を画す高級感のある美味しいお肉を楽しんでいただけます」と話すのは、同店のアシスタントマネージャーの江端さちえさん。

焼肉セットの一番人気はその名もKOBE SPECIAL。ユッケ、タン、リブアイ、ショートリブ、アウトサイドスカート、チャックフラップ、オックステールスープとすべてが神戸ビーフ尽くしで、これに石焼ビビンバとキャベツサラダにデザートが加わる。十分なボリュームとバラエティー豊かな肉が楽しめるスペシャルメニューのお値段は135ドル。肉の品質だけでなく、様々な部位を味わえることがリピーター続出の理由のようだ。

このように、ランチタイムは客の平均単価が10ドルから15ドルに対し、ディナーには30ドルから50ドルほどとギャップがある。そこでディナータイムにより顧客を惹きつける、魅力的な仕掛け作りという意味で、同店では二度のハッピーアワーを毎日実施している。

まず第一弾はオープン（曜日によって異なる。午後５時から5時半）から午後７時までで、アサヒの生ビールが1ドル99セント（通常５ドル50セント）と破格になるのをはじめ、冷酒や熱燗は１ドルオフ、グラスワインは２ドルオフになる。さらに焼酎のボトルは20％オフ。ミートメニューの一部も15％オフで提供される。

そしてハッピーアワーの第二弾は午後８時から９時まで。熱燗、冷酒、グラスワインの値段は第一弾と同じだが、サッポロの生ビールがなんと99セント。ただし、一人10ドル以上注文した顧客のみが対象となる。

6年前にこの店がオープンする前、アシスタントマネージャーの江端さんは同じくリトルトーキョー内にある日本食レストランのEBISUに勤務していた。この俺の焼肉もEBISUも、ロサンゼルス界隈に10数店舗を展開する毘沙門グループの傘下にある。毘沙門グループはリトルトーキョーのファースト・ストリートにラーメン店大黒家を出してから、人種を問わず顧客を集めたことで、この地域に活気を取り戻した立役者だ。昨今はコンドミニアムの建設ラッシュで駐車場の数が減ったこともあり、駐車場代が高いことが集客のネックになってはいるが、俺の焼肉はこれからも良質の肉にこだわり、リトルトーキョーを舞台に営業を続けていく所存だということだ。

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Oreno Yakiniku
123 S Onizuka St., Ste 308 Los Angeles CA 90012
(213)680-0829
http://www.oreno-yakiniku.com/

Tue.-Sun. 11:30am-2:00pm
Tue.-Thu. 5:30pm-10:00pm
Fri, 5:30pm-11:00pm
Sat. 5:00pm-11:00pm
Sun.5:00pm-10:00pm

Monday Closed

By Kosuke Kuji

A traditional Japanese ceremony of breaking open the sake barrel was held on stage, followed by the welcome beverage of “Awa sake” served in champagne glasses to approximately 300 Japanese and Italian guests to toast together at once. This sight had me dreaming of “Awa sake,” instead of champagne, being served at a large government-sponsored party, such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In Italy, where sparkling wine originated, I observed the Italian staff showed no sign of hesitation serving Awa sake at an official party sponsored by Japan. There’s no reason why we can’t do the same in Japan.

Not to deny champagne in anyway, but the conventional welcome beverage at past parties was the bubbly alcoholic beverage champagne, without question. At the same time, there is no reason why champagne should be the only beverage choice for foreign dignitaries to give a toast at the Tokyo Olympics. Although “the only beverage option for a toast” in the past was champagne, we now have “Awa sake” as another option, served successfully at a party in Italy to all attendees for a toast without causing any confusion in the operation.

We’d love to recreate this beautiful miracle again in 2020. Since we were successful in Italy, there’s no why we can’t serve Awa sake at an official party again, this time in Japan. Although challenges still remain, this day was a milestone that brought us one day closer to our goal to make Awa sake the “global beverage choice for a toast worldwide.”


世界初！！海外のパーティーでawa酒で乾杯！！　パート2

ステージ上では日本の伝統的な儀式である鏡開きが行われ、その後ウエルカムドリンクで手に持っているシャンパングラスに注がれた日本酒である「awa酒」で、日本、イタリアの関係者約300人が一斉に乾杯するその姿は、2020年東京オリンピック・パラリンピックで政府主催のパーティーなどで行われる乾杯がシャンパンではなく「awa酒」で乾杯するその姿を予想する事が出来ました。

イタリアと言うスパークリングワインの本場で、公式な日本の主催パーティーで、イタリア人のスタッフが何の戸惑いも無くawa酒をサーブできる事もわかりました。これで日本で出来ないはずがありません。

シャンパンを否定するのではなく、今まではこういったパーティーのウエルカムドリンクは泡のお酒、シャンパンと言う事で当たり前に使われていましたが、日本で開催するオリンピックで海外の要人が乾杯をシャンパンでどうしてもしなければいけないことはありません。今までは「シャンパンしか選択肢に無かった」だったのが、今ではこの「awa酒」があり、awa酒で見事にイタリアでのパーティーでオペレーションから混乱も無く、会場全員でawa酒で乾杯をすることが出来ました。

この素晴らしい奇跡を2020年の日本で是非再現したいと思います。イタリアで出来たのだから日本で出来ないはずはありません。「世界の乾杯酒になる」とう大きな目標に大きく近づいた貴重な一日になりました。世界へのawa酒の挑戦はまだまだ続きます。世界の乾杯酒を目指して！！

By Elli Sekine

Ebisu, which is going into their 37th year of operation this year, is a long-established restaurant that has been leading the sushi boom in San Francisco. This restaurant is located near the center of the Golden Gate Park, and had become a super popular place in the nineties, where people would wait in line for a long time. Since then, they have tried diversified management styles, and tried out new sushi business models. Actually, in the past 30 years, they have expanded the business by opening 3 new restaurants, then closing them, and currently running only the main location. In their history, you can identify the pros and cons of a family-run operation. Ebisu has always been particular about quality and originality, and therefore, it was their management strategy to match the trends of the time. “The fundamentals are the most important things for the operation, which are consistent procurement of fresh ingredients, and the management,” says Erick, the 2nd generation owner.

Changing of management style according to the time…
In 1999, Ebisu Family’s second location, “Hotei,” opened. It was a noodle specialty restaurant which no one paid attention to at that time. The secret dashi made at the main location across the street was used for the noodle soups, and their wide variety of menu items that included udon, soba, somen, showa-taste ramen, etc., and its casual atmosphere made this place a hit. “As long as the base for Japanese cuisine is solidly mastered, you can create any dish,” at that time said Steve who is the founder, and currently the chairman. Especially, the “Reimen (cold noodle)” with house-made rich sauce, which you could not get anywhere else, was their top menu item. Ususally, average time people spend at a noodle specialty restaurant is not long, and therefore, its rotation is quick. From the customers’ point of view, it was really convenient that the restaurant was open from lunch through dinner time, and it was nice that they could have Ebisu’s roll sushi at a reasonable price. This location, thus quickly became very popular. Some customers who could not get into “Ebisu” went there, too. However, due to the ramen boom that came later, those customers slowly left for wanting of the new thing, ramen. For the 2 years prior to closing “Hotei”, they tried to continue by changing the owner, but finally closed its doors in 2015.

Catering sushi for parties…
In the 2000s, the core business that they were running along with the restaurant business was catering of sushi for parties, and catering for business offices.
With catering for weddings to business meetings at renowned hotels, they were extremely busy. The catering business was rapidly growing around that time as a new food business model. Erick, who was the leader of their catering business said, “It was really crazy, the situation we were in”, as he reminisced about those days when he was rushing around like crazy with his father and brothers. Presently, they are developing a well-balanced business based on the main location as the core.

“Airport Ebisu”, the second location of “Ebisu”, and “Hotei”, the second location of “Hotei” at the Financial District
In the early 2000s, the “Ebisu” family opened a branch at the new international terminal of SFO (San Francisco airport) which is known as “the most gourmet airport”. Ebisu was really standing out amongst the selection of restaurants and stores there, where the food culture unique to Northern California with the highest Asian population was symbolized in. Furthermore, the second “Hotei” opened in the Finance District, and their business was at its peak. On the other hand, in the background of such successes, they were having constant hardships with administering of employees, and the management. The distance from the main restaurant seemed to be one of the reasons. The idea of Steve’s, “to keep everybody within the reach of his supervision”, was far from the reality. It was also the time when maintaining of human resources was not catching up with the demands of the rapidly growing Japanese food businesses.

In the second half of the 2000s, San Francisco went into the IT bubbling period, and high-end Japanese restaurants were appearing one after another. Fine dining restaurants that served Omakase and Kaiseki courses increased in number in a very short time. Ebisu did a renovation of the entire restaurant in 2008, but did not change their position all throughout the past 30 years as a casual, locally based restaurant. Because of it, they still keep long-time regular customers without getting distracted by new trends. Moreover, due to the renovation, the older image of them, which is a usual typical sushi restaurant of the nineties, has transformed to a modern, bright, and spacious kind, which is drawing new types of customers. Adding more counter seats is contributing to the increase in the number of single customers.

The long-lasting Ebisu, which was established by a single generation, has been going forward by changing their business format along the way with the times. What has not changed is their offering of fresh ingredients, and their support of the local regular customers. Their family operation principle in which they do not rely completely on strangers, has been carried over to the second generation, and is still evolving.


地域に愛される寿司の老舗
-変わりながら持続する-


今年で創業37年目となるEbisuは、サンフランシスコで寿司ブームを牽引して来た老舗。ゴールデンゲートパークのほぼ中央に位置するサンセット地区で90年代、行列の出来る繁盛店となった。その後多角経営に挑戦し、新しい寿司店の在り方を実践して来た。実際、この30年で３軒の新規店舗を拡大しクローズし、現在は本店のみが既存している。そこには、家族経営の良さと難しさが見えてくる。また、品質とオリジナリティにこだわるEbisuならではの時代に合わせた経営戦略でもあった。「経営は基本が最も大切。それは一貫して新鮮な食材の仕入れとマネージメントです」と２代目店主のエリックさんは語る。

時代に合わせ経営形態を変える
1999年、Ebisuファミリー第2号店となる「Hotei」をオープンした。当時まだ誰も見向きもしなかったヌードル店だ。通り向かいに位置する本店で毎日取る秘伝出汁をヌードルスープに応用する手順でうどん、蕎麦、そうめん、そして昭和の味のラーメンなど豊富なメニューとカジュアルさがウケた。「和食の基本さえしっかりしていれば、どんなメニューでも創作できる」と当時、創始者で現会長のスティーブさんは言っていた。特に自家製コッテリタレの「冷麺」はここでしか食べられない絶品メニューだった。ヌードル店は平均食事時間が少く回転も早い。客にとっては営業時間はランチタイムから通しで便利であり、お得な値段でEbisuのロール寿司を食べられると言う事でたちまち繁盛店となった。「Ebisu」に入れない客も流れていた。しかしその後到来したラーメンブームにより、客は新しいラーメンを求めて散って行った。閉店前2年間はオーナーチェンジをし、2015年「Hotei」はそのドアを閉じた。

パーティ寿司ケータリング
2000年代、レストラン営業と同時に経営の柱となっていたのが、パーティー出張寿司とビジネスケータリングだ。結婚式から著名なホテルのミーティングまで引っ張りだことなった。ケータリングが新しい食ビジネスとして急成長したのもこの頃。その中心となって支えてきたエリックさんは、「状況はクレージーだった」と父、兄弟と走り回った当時を振り返る。現在、本店を軸としたバランスの良いビジネスを展開している。

エアポート「Ebisu 」２号店と金融街の「Hotei」２号店
2000年代初頭、「Ebisu」ファミリーは、「全米で一番グルメな空港」と呼ばれるSFO(サンフランシスコ空港）の新国際ターミナルに支店を出した。アジア人口の比率が最も多い北カリフォルニアならではの食文化を象徴した店舗セレクションの中でEbisuは際立っていた。さらに「Hotei」２号店も金融街にオープンし、経営は最高潮に達していた。しかしその裏では人事やマネージメント面での苦労が耐えなかったという。本店から距離が遠いこともあり、「常に目が届く範囲」というスティーブさんの思惑からかけ離れていたようだ。急激な日本食需要に人材確保が追い付かない時代でもあった。

本店の大改装
2000年代後半からサンフランシスコはITバブル期に突入し、和食高級店が続々と出現し、Omakaseや懐石メニューを提供する“ハイエンド”レストランが一気に増えた。Ebisu は2008年に店内の全面改装をしたが、30数年間通してきた地元密着型のカジュアルレストランの位置付けは変えなかった。その為トレンドに惑わされる事なく長年の常連客を確保している。更に改装により、90年代の平凡な寿司店のイメージはモダンで当たるく広々としたイメージに代わり、新しい客も呼び込んでいる。カウンター席が増えた事で一人客も増えている。

一代で築いた老舗Ebisuは時代と共にビジネスの形態を変えながら歩んで来た。変わらないのは新鮮なネタの提供と地域の常連客のサポートだ。他人任せにしない家族経営店の信念は今２代目へと引き継がれ、更なる進化を遂げようとしている。

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Ebisu
1283 9th Ave 
San Francisco, CA 
 (415) 566-1770
 https://ebisusushi.com

lunch
Monday to Friday 11:30-14:00
Saturday 11:30-14:30

Dinner
Monday to Thursday 17:00-22:00
Friday ,Saturday 17:00-23:00

特に日本酒と食のペアリングに対して、多くの人は「何を大げさな、あまり関係ない」と考えているのではないだろうか？

今回は、ちょっとした心がけで日本酒と料理のペアリング能力が上がるコツを教えたい。

まずは、なるべく性質の違う日本酒3銘柄を用意していただきたい。性質の違いは、本当は飲んでみないとなかなか分かりにくいが、とりあえずはラベルで判断できる情報で選んでみる。

たとえば、純米大吟醸、特別純米、純米生酛で全く違う産地のものを見つけてみる。秋田、新潟、兵庫など。米国産の日本酒も手軽な価格なのでこれらも入れると面白い。

3銘柄の酒は必ず同じ形状のグラスを使うこと。その際、3時間くらい冷蔵庫に保存し、55度Fくらいになるようにしておく。（白ワイングラスがベター）
さて料理だが、何も日本食に限らず、たとえば、中華、イタリアンなど（あまりスパイシーなものやニンニクの強いものは避ける）で試すのも面白い。
注意する点は、日本酒を飲んだ時の料理との調和、旨みの変化、その食特有の臭さの変化、後味だ。これらが心地よければペアリングは、「良い」こととなる。


Food and Japanese sake pairing

Especially when it comes to pairing Japanese sake with food, many people likely think, “What’s with the exaggeration…? It doesn’t really matter.”

In this issue, I’d like to pass on to our readers a trick that enhances one’s abilities to pair sake with food.

First, please select three brands of sake with very different properties. The differences in properties are hard to tell without drinking the sake, but first, let’s select the sake according to the information listed on each label.

For example, please select a Junmai Daiginjo, Tokubestu Junmai, and Junmai Kimoto, all produced in different regions like Akita, Niigata, and Hyogo prefectures, etc. Sake produced in the U.S. are reasonably priced, for including a few of these brands in the mix may also be fun. Please be sure to use the same shaped glass for each of the three sake brands. It’s best to store the glasses in the refrigerator for approximately 3 hours and to maintain their temperature at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. (white wine glasses are better)

And now, for the cuisine. There’s no need to stick with Japanese cuisine, for it’s fun to also pair sake with Chinese and Italian (please avoid excessively spicy or strong garlic-flavored dishes) cuisines. Please be careful to compare the balance between the sake and the food upon consumption, the changes detected in the umami flavors, and any changes in the aroma particular to that food, and aftertaste. If these factors in the pairing are satisfying, then it’s safe to say the pairing was a “success.”


清酒與食物的搭配

特別是對於清酒和食物的搭配，很多人都認為「何必煞有介事；其實並無甚關係吧」。
這一次，我想教你如何花一點心思就能提高清酒和料理的搭配能力。
首先，請儘可能準備三款具有不同特徵的清酒品牌。特徵的差異，很難透過實際嘗試以外的方法所得知；但首先可以試一下能夠從標籤判斷到的信息來進行選擇。
例如，嘗試找出完全不同產地的純米大吟釀、特別純米酒以及純米生酛。例如秋田，新潟，兵庫等。由於美國製造的清酒也能以合理的價格購買，故將之列為選擇之一，亦有其趣。
請務必使用相同形狀的酒杯來盛載這三個品牌的清酒。此時，將其存放在冰箱里大約三個小時，然後保持在華氏55度。（使用白葡萄酒杯能達到更好的效果）
好吧，接下來是料理。無須規限於日本料理；不防嘗試中國菜、意大利菜等(但儘量避免辛辣或大蒜味濃烈的料理)，亦頗有意思。
要注意的事項，是喝清酒時與料理的調和、滋味的變化、該食物獨有的氣味的變化，以及其回味。如果以上皆令你感到愜意，則稱為「好」搭配。


일본주와 음식의 페어링

특히 술과 음식 페어링에 대해 많은 사람들이 "뭐 그렇게까지, 별로 관계 없다"고 생각하고 있지는 않을까요?
이번에는 약간의 노력으로 일본주와 요리의 페어링 능력을 높일 수 있는 비결을 알려주고 싶습니다.
우선 최대한 성질이 다른 일본주 3종류를 준비하십시오. 성질의 차이는 실제로 마셔봐야 알 수 있는 것이지만, 일단 라벨에서 확인할 수 있는 정보로 선택해 봅니다.
예를 들어, 쥰마이 다이긴죠, 특별 쥰마이, 쥰마이 키모토처럼 산지가 전혀 다른 것을 찾아 봅니다(아키타, 니가타, 효고 등). 미국에서 만든 일본주도 가격이 저렴하니 이것도 함께 비교해 본다면 재미있을 것입니다.
3종류의 술은 반드시 같은 모양의 유리컵에 담으십시오. 이때 냉장고에 3시간 정도 보관해서 55°F 정도가 되도록 합니다(화이트 와인잔이 더 좋습니다).
그리고 요리는 일본 음식뿐만 아니라 중식, 이탈리아 음식 등 (너무 맵거나 마늘맛이 강한 것은 피합니다.)과 함께 시도해보는 것도 재미있습니다.
주의할 점은 일본주를 마셨을 때 음식과의 조화, 맛의 변화, 그 음식 특유의 향의 변화 뒷맛입니다. 이러한 느낌이 기분이 좋게 느껴진다면 페어링은 "좋다"고 볼 수 있습니다.

By Aya Ota

Characteristics of New York City are strongly reflected upon old brick buildings and graffiti on the walls of the Lower East Side. In this town, new hotels, galleries, restaurants, and bars have been appearing one after another in the past few years, and the scene of the town has been rapidly changing. One of them is “Kaikagetsu NYC” that has the Hida-region of Gifu prefecture as their theme, with a brand-new concept.

When you step into the restaurant, being enchanted and led by the elegant swaying paper lanterns hung in the front, its beautiful interior catches your eyes first. You see lamps standing in line like on a street in the space where deep charcoal brown grainy woods, white walls and ceilings are effectively laid out. As you keep walking forward towards the heavy door in the back, you feel like you are walking down the street of the Hida region where old houses stand in line along the streets. A truly relaxing and elegant ambience has been produced there with impressively presented Mino Washi paper and local artifacts, etc.

The dishes served there are dominated by the Hida-region’s local cuisine. Hida beef, a Gifu prefecture specialty, is featured as the main menu item, and they serve a wide variety of both traditional dishes such as “Hida Beef Hoba Yaki” ($60) and “Hida Beef Toban Yaki” ($60), and modern version dishes such as “Hida Beef Curry” ($24) and “Hida Beef Skewers” ($24). The “Hida Beef Nigiri Sushi Sampler” ($35), which is sushi of lightly char-boiled Hida beef, is particularly well received. Variations of possibilities of wagyu beef are exhibited one after another, which surprises and impresses you. As for Japanese sake, it is extremely carefully selected mainly amongst the Hida-region brands. “Tenryou Koshu” Junmai Daiginjo, which has a distinctive aroma, is especially popular, and many customers order it for pairing with Hida beef dishes. There, you can either choose to sit at a table to relax to enjoy a Kaiseki course, or sit at the bar to enjoy sake while having à la carte dishes.

“Their unprecedented unique concept, Hida, and the ingredient, Hida beef, which is very attractive to Americans, must be appealing to New Yorkers,” says Tomoyuki Iwanami, the owner. Mr. Iwanami was born and raised in New York. He has a unique background. He worked in both the music and fashion industries. He was specialized in marketing and branding. The joint effort with Mr. Yasuo Shigeta, CEO, Forrest Fooding, Inc., also his friend of 10 years, who runs 37 various types of restaurants in Japan, started extensive market research about 5 years ago for the main purpose of opening a Japanese fine dining restaurant in New York, which is the center of the world of eatery. What they took most of their time was to look for the location and building. They had their eyes on the Lower East Side since the beginning; however, they felt a special energy and growth potential of this area by seeing the past year’s remarkable changes there, and eventually decided to choose this location. I found out that they had decided on the theme as the Hida region later on. They first determined the condition of the existing real estate candidates, local clientele and their characteristics, etc., and then chose “Kaikagetsu” as their themed restaurant among the running business models of Forrest Fooding Inc.

The strong selling point of “Kaikagetsu NYC” is, no need to say, its particularity about ingredients and cooking style. They brought as many as 3 chefs from Japan, who are experienced and well established in Kaiseki cuisine. Their truly authentic and delicately crafted dishes are very well recognized. The colorful presentation of each dish that makes you feel the present season, looks like a piece of art. Playful arrangements are applied to daily changing ingredients by the chefs, and never bore even the repeating customers. Such strengths of theirs was taken into their branding strategy, and used for choosing the media that are particular about foods and drink, for their advertisements. They also invited concierges of nearby hotels to introduce their concept and dishes so they can recommend the restaurant to the hotel guests. Diligent efforts such as those worked out, and the restaurant has become a place where gourmet customers who want to eat good food, gather despite the location which, you cannot say, is really convenient to reach.

“As a Japanese who was born and raised in New York, I wanted to do something for Japan,” continues Mr. Iwanami. Aside from running the restaurant, he is contributing to the exchange of Japan/US food cultures by hiring novice chefs who are interested in Japanese cuisine, and training them, etc.

I’d really like you to visit this restaurant where you can fully enjoy good old Japanese elegant ambience and local cuisine.


飛騨地方の郷土料理と地酒を、古民家のような雰囲気で味わう
『海華月NYC』

煉瓦造りの古い建物や壁に描かれたグラフィティ…ニューヨークらしさを色濃く遺す街、ロウアーイーストサイド。この数年、ホテルやギャラリー、レストランやバーが次々登場し、急速に変貌を遂げる中、またひとつ個性的な店が誕生した。『海華月NYC』――岐阜県飛騨地方をテーマにした、全く新しいコンセプトの店だ。

店頭で揺れる上品な提灯に誘われるように足を踏み入れると、まず、その内装の美しさに目を奪われる。深い焦げ茶色の木目と白い壁や天井との対比を活かした空間に、街頭のように並ぶランプ。店の奥にある重厚感ある扉に向けて進むと、まるで飛騨地方の古民家が立ち並ぶ街を歩いているかのような気分になる。美濃和紙や民芸品を印象的に配置し、お洒落かつ心からくつろげる雰囲気を演出している。

料理は飛騨地方の郷土料理を取り入れた内容。特に、岐阜県名産の飛騨牛をメニューの核に据え、「飛騨牛の朴葉焼き（$60）」「飛騨牛陶板焼き$60）」などの伝統的な料理から、「飛騨牛のカレー$24）」「飛騨牛の串焼き（（$24）」など現代的な料理まで、幅広く提供する。ごく軽く炙った飛騨牛で握る寿司$35）も好評で、和牛の可能性を次々に見せてくれ、驚かされる。日本酒は飛騨地方の地酒を中心に厳選。特に、純米大吟醸『天領古酒』は個性的な風味があり、飛騨牛とあわせて楽しむ客が多いという。ゆっくりとテーブルに着席して懐石料理コースを満喫したり、バーカウンターに座ってアラカルトをつまみながらお酒を味わったり、さまざまな楽しみ方ができる。

「飛騨という他にないコンセプト、飛騨牛という米国人客に魅力的な食材がニューヨーカーを引きつけている」と話すのは、オーナーの岩波智之氏岩波氏は、ニューヨークで生まれ育ち、音楽やファッション業界出身というユニークな経歴があり、マーケティングやブランディングが専門分野。同氏の十年来の友人であり、日本でさまざまな業態の飲食店を37店舗経営する『フォレストフーディング社』の代表取締役社長・重田保夫氏と提携し、約5年前に「世界の食の中心地・ニューヨークで、高級和食店を開店する」という軸を元に、徹底した市場調査を開始した。最も時間を割いたのは、立地と物件探し。当初からロウアーイーストサイド地区には目を付けていたものの、特にこの1年のめざましい変化を見る中で、他の地域にはないエネルギーや成長性を感じ、この場所に決定したという。「飛騨地方をテーマに据える」ことは、実は、後から決めたことだという。既存物件の状況や、この地域の顧客層や特性などを見極めた上で、フォレストフーディング社が経営する業態から『海華月』を選んだのだという。

『海華月NYC』の強みは、なんと言っても食材と料理にこだわっていること。日本から、懐石料亭で経験と実績を積んだシェフを3人も連れてきており、本格的で丁寧に細工された料理には定評がある。季節感や大事にした彩り豊かな盛り付けは、まるで芸術作品のようだ。毎日の食材に応じて、シェフたちが遊び心あふれるアレンジを施し、常連が何度訪れても飽きさせることがない。その強みをブランディング戦略にも取り入れ、ソフトオープン当初は、食や酒にこだわりの強い媒体を選んで、記事掲載を仕掛けたという。また、近隣のホテルのコンシェルジェを招待し、コンセプトや料理を紹介し、宿泊客に勧めてもらうように働きかけた。こういった地道な戦略が功を奏し、決して交通の便がよい立地とは言えないが、「美味しいものを食べたい」というグルメな客が集う店として注目されている。

「ニューヨークで生まれ育った日本人として、日本のために何かできれば」と岩波氏は続ける。レストラン経営の一方で、和食に興味のあるシェフの卵を見習いとして雇いトレーニングするなど、日米の食文化交流にも貢献する。

古き良き日本の風情や郷土料理を心ゆくまで楽しめる店、ぜひ足を運んでほしい。

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Kaikagetsu NYC
162 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002
Tel: 646-590-3900
URL: www.kaikagetsunyc.com

By Keiko Fukuda

Okonomiyaki restaurant, Chinchikurin, stands in front of the Yagura of Japanese Village, the symbol of Little Tokyo. Teppan-yaki tables are laid out in an orderly way in a large space, and their kitchen is an open style. If you get seated at the counter, you can watch Okonomiyaki being made by chefs in front of you.

“Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki is difficult to make because it requires one to make many layers, therefore, although a teppan is installed for each table, we don’t ask customers to cook at the table. Instead, we deliver Okonomiyaki cooked by a chef in the kitchen to the teppan, so the customer can eat while it is still hot,” explains Tsuyoshi Sahara, the manager. Mr. Sahara is from Hiroshima. His family had a teppan at home when he was little, and it was his father, who didn’t usually cook, who took the responsibility whenever Okonomiyaki was chosen for dinner.

The Chinchikurin chain was founded in 1999 in Hiroshima which Mr. Sahara is also from. The chain has developed 10 locations in Hiroshima, and 3 locations in Tokyo as restaurants which offer various izakaya style menus that contain mainly Okonomiyaki and Teppanyaki items. The first overseas location was in the Sawtelle District of West Los Angeles, which opened in January of 2017. The Little Tokyo location opened in March of 2018 after a strong determination of success was felt at the Sawtelle location.

There have been Osaka style Okonomiyaki restaurants in the US; however, there was no place where you could eat Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki. What is the difference between the Osaka style and the Hiroshima style? As mentioned earlier, Hiroshima style has many layers. The Chinchikurin menu explains that in an easy-to-understand way with an illustration. First comes the dough, then fish powder, shredded cabbage, tenkasu (fried tempura batter crumbs), bean sprouts, pork belly slices, soba, eggs, sauce, and dried seaweed flakes are piled on top of each other, pressed down, and grilled, one by one in order. When you take a bite of a piping hot piece, it feels like those ingredients are trying to make an impression in your mouth with each of their tastes and textures.

The most popular menu item is the Chinchikurin yaki ($17.00). It is a signature item in Japan, which is called “Shoburiyaki” in Japan. Boneless short rib of beef is used in Japan, but in the US, ground beef is used for easier acceptance by Americans. On the interview day, I tried the second most popular item, “The Loaded Kaisen ($18.50)”. In addition to the basic ingredients such as cabbage, soba, and eggs, it had plenty of seafood such as shrimp and sliced squid on top.

It is a very satisfying and luxurious menu item both visually and volume wise.

What is indispensable to complete the piece is Hiroshima’s Otafuku brand sauce. This sauce is produced locally at the Otafuku sauce factory in a Los Angeles suburb.

Menu items such as Basil Cheese and Broccoli Shrimp Yaki are unique to the American market. There are 8 kinds in Okonomiyaki alone, and one for vegetarians has been added newly to respond to many requests from the Los Angeles area. There is no need to say that no meat is used for this piece, but even no eggs or fish powder are used. In addition to the Okonomiyaki menu, you can also order Hiroshima style tsukemen and soup-less tantanmen. They are planning to add more appetizers and desserts. Most of their customers are non-Japanese.

What do they do to secure the number of customers? “We don’t use prints or other media advertisements much.

As for the Little Tokyo location, the huge glass windows facing the street is the key, I think. It seems that people get curious watching people inside eating an unfamiliar-looking food in front of an iron grill. We also try to maintain a cheerful ambience of the restaurant at all times.

We train our staff to serve customers cheerfully and as loudly as possible,” says the manager Sahara. As the result of such efforts, the restaurant has become so popular that on weekends, people wait in line in front of the restaurant. They sometimes serve as many as 500 people a day. The 3rd US location is being planned to open soon in Torrance (this information is as of December of 2018).

Such a day may be near that you can eat Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki anywhere in the US.


広島のお好み焼きをアメリカで

リトルトーキョーのシンボル、ジャパニーズビレッジプラザに建つ火の見櫓の正面に店を構えるのが、お好み焼きのちんちくりん。広々とした店内には鉄板焼きテーブルが配置され、キッチンはオープンスタイル。カウンターに陣取れば、お好み焼きをシェフが焼く過程を目の前で見ることができる。

「広島のお好み焼きは何層にもレイヤーが分かれていて、作るのが難しいんです。だから、テーブルに鉄板にあってもお客様に作っていただくのではなく、キッチンでシェフが焼いたお好み焼きをテーブルに移動させて、それを温かい状態で食べていただくための鉄板です」と説明してくれたのは、マネージャーの佐原毅（ルビ：さはらつよし）さん。広島市出身の佐原さんも物心ついた時から家庭には鉄板があり、お好み焼きの日には普段料理をしない父親が腕を振るったそうだ。

さて、ちんちくりんは佐原さんの地元でもある広島で1999年に創業された。お好み焼き、鉄板焼きを中心に多数の居酒屋メニューを揃えた店として、広島に10店舗、東京に3店舗展開している。海外１号店は、2017年1月にオープンしたウエストロサンゼルスのソーテル店。リトルトーキョー店はソーテルで確かな手応えを得た後の2018年3月に店を開けた。

アメリカにはこれまで大阪のお好み焼きの店はあったが、広島のお好み焼きを食べられる店はなかった。大阪スタイルとは何が違うのかと言うと、前述のように、何層も分かれているのが広島のお好み焼きだ。ちんちくりんのメニューに、それがわかりやすく図説されている。まず、生地があり、その上にフィッシュパウダー、キャベツ、天かす、もやし、豚バラ、そば、卵、ソース、さらに青のりと、順番に重ねて押さえて焼き上げる。熱々をいただくと、それぞれの具材の食感が口の中で主張する印象だ。

同店で一番人気のメニューは、ちんちくりん焼き（$17.00）。日本では「しょぶり焼き」と称される看板メニューで、本来であれば牛肉の中落ちを使うそうだが、アメリカではより受け入れやすいように牛ひき肉を使用。そして取材当日、試食したのは２番人気の海鮮スペシャル（The Loaded Kaisen, $18.50）だった。キャベツやそば、卵などのベーシックな具材以外に、エビ、イカが豊富にトッピングされている。見た目にもボリューム的にも豪華で満足度が高い一品。仕上げに欠かせないのが、広島のオタフクソースの存在だ。ロサンゼルス郊外のオタフクソースの現地工場で生産されているものだ。

メニューには。バジルチーズ焼き、ブロッコリーシュリンプなどアメリカならではと思わせるユニークなものも見られる。お好み焼きだけで8種類、さらに、ロサンゼルスでの要望が多いことがわかって、新しく加えたのがベジタリアン向けのお好み焼き。肉はもちろん、卵、フィッシュパウダーも使っていない。

お好み焼き以外にも、広島スタイルのつけ麺と汁無し担々麺も食べられる。また、今後はアペタイザーやデザートも増やしていく意向だ。

顧客はほぼ非日系で占められる。顧客を確保するためにどのような努力をしているのだろうか？「広告や宣伝はあまり利用していません。まず、リトルトーキョー店に関しては、通りに面したガラス張りの作りが大きな武器になっていると思います。鉄板を前に店内にお客様が、あまり見たことがない料理を食べている光景が興味をひくようです。また、店の雰囲気を常に明るくするように努めています。スタッフにも、できるだけ大きな声を出して接客するようにトレーニングをしています」。

こうした努力の末に、週末になると店の前には行列ができるまでになった。１日の来客数が500人に達することもある。近くアメリカ３店舗目のトーランス店も開店予定（取材した2018年12月時点）。広島のお好み焼きが全米各地で食べられるようになる日も近いかもしれない。

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Chinchikurin
350 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-0480
http://www.chinchikurin-usa.com

11:30am-2:00pm, and 5:00pm-11:00pm
Closed on Tuesday

By Kosuke Kuji

The 43rd edition of Japan Week (http://www.iffjapan.or.jp/) organized by the International Friendship Foundation, a non-profit based in Tokyo, was held in Torino, Italy. The welcome reception was held lavishly at the Foyer of Teatro Regio, attended by Japanese and Torino affiliates, totaling approximately 300 guests. Japanese guests dressed in kimonos, while Consul General Amamiya, the Consulate General of Japan in Milan, gave a congratulatory address. The Deputy Mayor and many participants also attended from the Torino side, and the Japanese and Italian attendees intermingled with one another.

During the welcome reception, the “Awa sake” produced by a member sake brewery of both the Nanbubijin Awasake Sparkling and Japan Awasake Association were served to all participants as the welcome toast. Normally, champagne would be served, or Spumante this year, since the event was held in Italy. However, the Japan Awasake Association was behind the effort to serve Awa sake as the welcome toast at the official party!! This is a first, unprecedented feat worldwide!!


世界初！！海外のパーティーでawa酒で乾杯！！ その1

公益財団法人国際親善協会が主催する第43回ジャパンウィーク (http://www.iffjapan.or.jp) がイタリアのトリノで開催されました。ウエルカムレセプションがテアトロ・レッジョ・ロビーで日本とトリノの関係者300名近くが参加して盛大に開催されました。日本側参加者は着物や演武で着る衣装で参加、さらに在ミラノ総領事館の雨宮総領事も参加してご祝辞をいただきました。

トリノ側からも副市長をはじめ、多くの参加者があり、日本とイタリアの交流が行われました。そのウエルカムレセプションで、南部美人あわさけスパークリングをはじめ、一般社団法人awa酒協会に加盟する蔵元の「awa酒」が全ての参加者にウエルカムドリンクと乾杯用のお酒として振る舞われました。例年ならばシャンパン、そして今年はイタリアなのでスプマンテなど泡のお酒が振る舞われますが、今年はawa酒協会が協力して、公式なパーティーの場で全てがawa酒でのウエルカムドリンク・乾杯酒の使用となりました。これは世界初の試みです！！