U.S. eats: A taste of America in Tokyo
Tokyo food fans, prepare yourselves for the United States of Good Eatin'.The harvest moon often appears in early October and to celebrate, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has rounded up 54 restaurants and cafés across the metropolis for its Taste of America event, which runs until October 16.
Each of the widely varied eateries imports at least some of its ingredients from across the Pacific for an authentic flavor of the United States, so here are five of our favorites from the Embassy selection.
Devil Craft: Deep-dish Chicago pizza
When three Americans from California, Oklahoma and Florida decided to add some homely cooking to their vast selection of craft beers, the choice of cuisine seemed obvious. Chicago, of course.
Opened this July and a short hop from Kanda Station, Devil Craft's vast selection of beer is complemented by deep-dish pizza which co-owner Jason Koehler describes as "the culmination of subjecting my wife to practice pizzas twice a week for a long, long time."
As the restaurant’s tagline goes, it's "a match made in heaven, served up in HELL" and the pie-like pizzas are not only heavy on tomato sauce, but "The Devil Daddy" (¥2,000 large/¥1,000 small) includes fresh, hand-ground sausage that creates a homemade feel.
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The harvest season inspired Devil Craft to offer a range of unique fruit beers when we dropped by, including succulent apple cinnamon, but with two or three beers changing every night, even regulars can expect a different menu with each visit.
For "Taste of America", Devil Craft will produce a Chicago pizza with a special Philly cheesesteak twist. And, although the bar is on the small side, even if the two floors of seating fill up customers are free to spill out onto the streets of Kanda, glasses in hand.
Devil Craft, Ishikawa Bldg., 4-2-3 Nihonbashi-muromachi, Chuo-ku, +81 (0) 3 6265 1779.
Flavors: Authentic Hawaiian cuisine
While the majority of Tokyo's Hawaiian eateries limit themselves to the popular loco moco, Shigekatsu Iha of Harajuku's Flavors is on a mission to provide authentic and upscale Hawaiian food in a natural setting.
With its light wood interior and airy feel, Flavors is a hidden side street gem just two minutes' walk from the Harajuku crossing.
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The menu is split into two -- "Surf" for the seafood dishes, such as Hawaiian Fish Mahi Mahi Sauté with Black Bean Soy Sauce (¥2,100), and "Turf" for the heartier meat dishes like Grilled U.S. Beef Prime Rib with Rosemary Flavor Mango Natural Sauce (¥2,630).
To get a taste of it all, our recommendation is the combo lunch set, which brings together the best from each dish on one huge a plate.
Flavors, Jingumae 6-12-4, Shibuya-ku, +81 (0) 03 6418 2518.
