Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

Chiyoda Sushi has become a well-known fixture of midtown Manhattan ever since its opening in 2006.  This Tokyo born restaurant/deli provides customers with as many as 40 types of sushi, and the display case is almost overwhelming in its delicious and healthy options.  However, now that the warmer weather has settled in, Chiyoda Sushi is looking to give its clientele an even wider menu to suit the season.
This is the reasoning behind new items such as cold udon and soba salad, which were introduced in early May.
Chief Manager Hajime Itoh finds that Americans tend to be more familiar with udon, and this summer version can be ordered on its own ($6.50) or in a set with sushi ($12.50).  In addition to buckwheat noodles, the soba salad ($5.10) includes lettuce, broccoli and tomatoes and comes with sesame dressing
Itoh says, “We are all about providing choice to the customer so people don't get bored.”  He shares that a popular item that often sells out is the smaller salads, which customers mix with sides such as brown rice or sushi. Whether you are a sushi fan or tend to go for cooked food, Chiyoda Sushi has something for you. Bento Box ($8.50), Cold Udon ($6.50), Onigiri ($1.95) A sampling of Chiyoda Sushi's delicious offerings. Try the seasonal cold udon or year round favorites like broiled mackerel bento box and onigiri.

16 E. 41st St. (bet. Madison & 5th Aves.)
New York, NY 10017
TEL: 212-889-1260
Restaurant: Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm
Deli: Mon-Fri 10am-8:30pm, Sat 10am-7pm,
Sun 11:30am-6pm

Chirashi was originally prepared using bite size pieces of sashimi, and Bozu's Chirashi stays true to this tradition which you won't find anywhere else in NY. About 20 sashimi pieces are beautifully layered over the rice, and to enjoy, sprinkle soy sauce with wasabi over the dish. Now you are ready to dig in to the rice with a couple of sashimi. To pair with this meal, which is only offered on weekend, try the Yuzu Water, mojito-inspired juice made by mashing oranges and mint leaves, mixed with yuzu citrus.

296 Grand St. (bet. Roebling & Havemeyer Sts.)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
TEL: 718-384-7770
www.oibozu.com
Lunch: Sat & Sun 12pm-3:30pm
Dinner: Mon-Thu 6pm-12am, Fri & Sat 6pm-1am, Sun 6pm-12am

Cho Cho San opened its doors just a year ago and is now a favorite dining spot among local patrons. Their chef believes lunch should be fully portioned, healthy, and reasonably priced, and that is exactly what the Sashimi Lunch Box offers. It consists of an assortment of dishes like sashimi, simmered hijiki, beef negimaki, tempura, shumai as well as a salad, rice and miso soup. For $15.50 you'll find it to be a satisfying meal that is packed with vital nutrients to revitalize the body.

15 W. 8th St.(bet. 5th & 6th Aves.)
New York, NY 10003
TEL: 212-473-3333
www.chochosanrestaurant.com
Mon-Thu: 4pm-11pm Fri & Sat: 5pm-11:30pm Sun: 4pm-11pm
*Closed for lunch until Labor Day. Lunch menu is served during the happy hour (4:30pm-7pm)

The prominent kaiseki restaurant HAKUBAI introduces a new full course meal Kenbi Lunch Course that incorporates a wide variety of healthy and nutritious ingredients. The sophisticatedly seasoned dishes are low in calories and loaded with valuable nutrients such as DHA, collagen, iron and essential vitamins. It also cleans your body by regulating your digestive system. Chopsticks NY readers can enjoy the lunch for $35 (reg. $39) and the dinner for $50 (reg. $55) until July 31st.

66 Park Ave. (at 38th St.) New York, NY 10016
TEL: 212-885-7111
www.kitano.com
Hakubai@kitano.com
Lunch: Mon-Sun 11:45am-2:30pm
Dinner: Mon-Sun 6pm-10pm

Ippudo's lunch set is available only on weekdays, and it comes in a combination of ramen, a rice dish and a mini salad. For the summer, they recommend Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen and Grilled Eel Over Rice. This ramen noodle soup has a perfect balance of rich pork broth and spicy miso, and there are 8 other kinds of ramen to choose from. Also, the grilled eel is full of proteins and sure to sustain your energy. Other rice dish toppings include mentaiko, roast pork, tororo and fried chicken.

65 4th Ave.
(bet. 9th & 10th Sts.) New York, NY 10003
TEL: 212-388-0088
www.ippudo.com/ny
Lunch: Mon-Sun 11am-3:30pm
Dinner: Mon-Thu 5pm-11:30pm
Fri & Sat 5pm-12:30am

Mumon Restaurant's Sushi/Sashimi Set is prepared by their master chefs with premium ingredients. For the mere price of $18, it features the chefs' choice of marinated fish, nigiri sushi, sushi rolls and fresh sashimi as well as vinaigrette seafood salad and miso soup. A homemade pound cake is served to finish off the meal, making your dining experience rich and satisfying. It's offered only on weekdays, and for those with smaller appetites, a $12 Lunch Set is also available.

1300 Franklin Ave.
Garden City, NY 11530
TEL: 516-747-3388
www.mumonrestaurant.com
Mon-Thu: 11:30am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30am-11pm
Sun: 3pm-10pm

Sobakoh, located in the East Village, makes hand-made soba noodles daily. The Soba and Donburi Lunch Set is served with soba and a donburi dish of your choice for $11 to $14.50. The donburi toppings include large anago eel tempura and large prawn tempura with spicy sauce. An order of donburi is normally $8.50 to $13, making the lunch set an extremely economical option. Kanimeshi Lunch Box with crab meat and ikura is also a popular lunch dish.

309 E. 5th St. (bet. 1st & 2nd Aves.)
New York, NY 10003
TEL: 212-254-2244
www.compasscompass.com/sobakoh
Lunch: Mon-Sun 12pm-3pm
Dinner: Mon-Sun
5:30pm -10:45pm

Souen Noodle House is a macrobiotic restaurant offering healthy dishes prepared with organic and natural ingredients. The Special Lunch Set is an economical lunch option that is served with a ramen (Wakame Shoyu, House-made Curry or Mucho Vege Miso flavors) along with a side dish of your choice like organic brown rice balls and sautéed garlic green. Their broth is extracted from seaweed and vegetables, and you can also choose your noodles from organic wheat, rice noodles, udon and soba.

326 E. 6th St.
(bet. 1st & 2nd Aves.)
New York, NY 10003
TEL: 212-388-1155
www.souen.net
Lunch: Mon-Sun 12pm-4pm
Dinner: Mon-Sat 4pm-11:30, Sun 4pm-10pm

A Japanese grocery store Sunrise Mart SoHo offers lunch meals for eat-in and take out. Their Tuesday special is the Vegan Special Bento prepared without any MSG, dairies or animal fat. Only 20 meals are served, and their vegan manager designs a new menu weekly with consideration to colors and the nutritious balance of the overall meal. It's a perfect meal for vegans and the health conscious alike. They also offer brown rice onigiri, udon, soba and curry as well as Japanese-style tamales everyday.

494 Broome St.
(bet. Wooster St. & West Broadway)
New York, NY 10013
TEL: 212-219-0033
Mon-Sun: 10am-10pm

Takesushi's owner is a seafood supplier, and that's the secret behind their mouthwatering seafood dishes offered at incredibly reasonable prices. Limited to 25 servings daily, their Kaiseki Lunch includes sashimi, simmered vegetables, fried and grilled dishes. Each dish is delicately seasoned to the kaiseki standard, and this full course meal is also low in calories. The menu may vary depending on the available fish of the day, and the Seafood Donburi ($9.50) is also popular among the patrons.

1026 2nd Ave.
(bet. 54th & 55th Sts.)
New York, NY 10017
TEL: 212-355-3557
www.takesushi.com
Lunch: Mon-Fri 12pm-2pm
Dinner: Mon-Sat 5:30pm-10pm

Tokubei 86 takes no shortcuts in food preparation and even makes their own miso paste - a key ingredient in Japanese cuisine. A special creation for the summer by their devoted chefs is the Picnic Lunch Box. It incorporates items that require minimal refrigeration and is packed with vegetables, meat and fish as well as rice balls and sushi rolls. Depending on available ingredients, the assortments vary each day, and also with a reservation, this lunch box can be arranged to your preference.

314 E. 86th St.
(bet. 1st & 2nd Aves.)
New York, NY 10028
TEL: 212-628-5334
Lunch: Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm
Dinner: Mon-Fri 5pm-11:30pm
Sat & Sun 12pm-11:30pm