sakagura - the hidden jewel

Entering Sakagura sake bar (211 East 43rd street between 2nd & 3rd ave.) in Manhattan is like being in on a delicious little secret. Partly because there is no visible street signage. Partly because it is located underground in a basement of a nondescript office building. We actually walked by it without knowing - and we clearly weren't alone as I noticed others following our same mistake.

The key is to look for the 211 street address and you will discover a small Sakagura sign hiding in the corner of the office lobby window. Upon entering the lobby, we followed a series of discreet signs leading us down a concrete slab stairway into the underground. I mean underground in every sense of the word. You can imagine a Fight Club cracking bones behind one of the closed rooms in this minimally lit, grey walled boiler room type of basement. But when you open the door to Sakagura, the boiler room disappears. New York and its midtown hustle disappears. Entering the door is like walking into a portal to Tokyo. The suspense and effort in locating Sakagura is rewarded with a warm atmosphere full of buzzing patrons and sweet smelling food.

The traditional Japanese interior is dimmed in warm golden light complementing its wood furnishings. Even the bathroom is cleverly hidden in a hut-like structure which blends into the wall like another secret passageway. We sit at the bar in front of shelved rows of sake and below a shinto altar which hovers high on the corner wall. Food is served izakaya style (small tapas dishes specialized to complement sake and other drinks). A good percentage of the customers are Japanese and the atmosphere is noticeably merry (thanks to the sake) and refreshingly unpretentious.

Of course, this whole secret location plot line would not work without great food and Sakagura delivered wonderfully on every little plate. Highlights in our sampling included the super delicate fluke carpaccio drizzled with olive oil and garnished with plum paste and salmon roe. Quality and freshness were top notch and the fish roe literally melted in our mouths without any fishy smell. The Chawanmushi was an equally luxurious cup of melted egg custard infused with shiitake mushrooms, ginko nuts and chicken topped with ponzu sauce. More hearty fare included a harmonious bowl of sliced sashimi mixed with kimchi over rice. As the judge of Japanese authenticity, my wife approved of every single dish and couldn't find one misstep. And she's a tough judge too. Meanwhile, I got tipsy from sipping fine sake from the Niigata region. Supremely smooth with a sneaky buzz effect. The to-die-for dessert was the impossibly rich yet lightly refreshing black sesame brulee. Truly one of the best desserts I've ever eaten.

Undoubtedly quality of the food and sake promotes the bar far more effectively than any street signage. As I emerged back onto the Manhattan streets and disappeared into the unknowing sea of pedestrians, I felt like keeping the Sakagura secret to myself, but the experience was so satisfying that I found myself itching to share it ... discreetly, of course.

poster boy

Poster Boy is an anonymous vandal/artist roaming NYC subways and switching up ads into political art.

© murakami: brooklyn museum

Next stop: Takashi Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. We jumped on the 2 train to Brooklyn and passed time observing some underground entertainment. A huge crowd surrounded a midget flawlessly dancing like MJ in the Beat It video; a guy wearing a mime costume and a creepy Phantom of the Opera mask writhed on the station floor and a crew of 10 year old breakdancers hustled for change on the train. We emerged on the parkway right in front of the museum - which sits next to the famed botanical gardens. Its been a couple years since my last visit, which was for the retrospective Basquiat exhibit - but I enjoy the manageable size of their galleries.

As expected, the crowd was full of trend chasing hipsters and otakus. From yards away, you can see a huge Murakami sculpture installation dominating the museum lobby interior. The towering installation features the character Mr. Pointy, surrounded by smiling flowers, mushrooms and other curious characters. Mr. DOB hung from above and both were immediate photo-ops for everybody. I did see one little boy who was scared by it all.

The exhibit takes you into the colorfully twisted world of Murakami. Featured artwork included naked anime characters in sculpture form, immense paintings, wallpapered rooms and animation films. Right smack dab in the middle of the exhibit is a Louis Vuitton shop featuring Murakami designed bags. Yupp, while you browse the exhibit, you can buy an insanely expensive LV bag. Fitting, since Murakami's artwork both comments and participates in the culture of consumption.

The show begins with an explanation of Superflat - an otaku influenced representation of the two-dimensionality of Japanese graphic art, animation and the consumer culture. The various interpolations of his "DOB" character serves as a comment on the longevity of characters (and knockoffs) like Mickey Mouse, Sonic and Hello Kitty in pop culture.

Another intriguing sculpture installation features "Hiropan" and "My Lonesome Cowboy" - a giant figurine of a naked girl and boy encircled by their body fluids. Streams of milk are squeezed out of Hiropan's giant breasts and streams of sperm are ejaculating in swirls around the boy. "Second Mission Project ko2" is another figurine installation showing another anime female character with detailed vagina at eye-level transforming into a jet airplane. A set of short films about "Inochi" focuses on an inadequate teenager with an alien head falling in love with a girl and failing to control his erections. These works undoubtedly reference the twisted sense of sexuality in the otaku anime world.

A short animation film showcases the adventures of bunny-eared characters Kiki (elegant) and Kaikai (bizarre) including inappropriate poopage. You can't help but smile while standing in the wallpapered room of a million smiling flowers. And you can't help feeling creeped out by the wallpapered room of a million eyes. There are also pieces with a bleaker outlook - distorted mushrooms and skulls on acidic landscapes which reflect upon atomic bombs and mushroom clouds. I also enjoyed his most recent work - a rendering of Daruma - the ancient monk who was responsible for bringing Zen Buddhism to China and Japan.

Overall the exhibit was a beautiful assault on the senses - an imaginative mix of art that definitely demands a reaction.

ferry / cha an tea room

If you prefer a scenic entry into the NYC, I recommend a ferry ride in the springtime. Who enjoys the traffic and the newly jacked up toll fees anyway? Port Imperial in Weehawken is our customary jumpoff point because of its proximity to the Japanese strip mall anchored by Mitsuwa supermarket. This location is a great cultural gathering spot for Japanese people in the tri-state area, expecially ex-pat businessmen and their families occupying the opulent condos nearby. The market, food courts and shops offer hard-to-find products, delicacies and great people-watching.

On to the ferry. At the port, I saw the cheesiest promotional poster with the headline "Waterway to spend a Ferry evening" Get it?! Today, the weather cooled down to that in-between type of temperature that requires some thoughtful wardrobe decisions. One of those days where you're constantly taking off and putting on a jacket. At the ferry, the crowd was an assorted mix of people bundled up in layers and people dressed for the beach. Of course we see some white people in shorts, sweatshirts and flip-flops. In college, we used to joke about the stereotypical white college kid uniform of shorts and an inside-out sweatshirt (with the tag sticking out). Back then, I knew a volleyball loving kid that wore shorts 365 days a year. Never saw him in a pair of pants. Even in a snowstorm, you'd see him skipping down the street in shorts and a volleyball stuck between his arm and hip.

Anyway some people enjoyed the open air on the top deck of the boat. Not quite warm enough for us - so we enjoyed the view from inside. The key is to keep your eyes distant. As you walk the plank to board the ferry, you may not find the Hudson River water so enchanting. Unless you enjoy looking at cloudy brown water. I hear its cleaner than in the past - but not enough to pull a Kramer and swim across. The key is to keep your eyes distant. I blocked out the noise from nearby tourists and NFL Draft spectators to view the rippling water sparkling before the Manhattan skyline.


A not-so-quick cab ride took us to our first stop in the East Village - Cha An Tea Room, a fitting way to preface a day of Japanese art with some traditional refreshments. This place was recommended by my sister during her last visit. Our anticipation heightened upon entering as we found ourselves ascending a narrow dark staircase up to the tea room. Seemed quiet and slightly magical if not mysterious. Opening the door at the top uncorked a rush of noise - clinking tea china, and a swaying chorus of voices in various conversations. The interior space of the main room was tiny but ambitiously mixed an inviting contrast of dark wood and warm bamboo. I enjoy an ambience which transports you to a different place - and here it was easy to forget that you were in NYC. Up front, the tea bar featured jars of various teas and a crew of women fixing up drinks, meals and desserts. We sat next to a wall fixed up to be a side exterior of a tea house - complete with tall bamboo sticks, screened panels and a tiny entrance.

I intended to order a couple of sweets with my tea, but felt compelled to order a full meal with dessert. The menu is fairly cheap. I chose the $10 special of the day featuring Unajyu - eel served on a bowl of rice with sides of seaweed and assorted pickled veggies. I'm not a tea drinker but I thoroughly enjoyed my Hojicha tea, which is a perfect compliment for any meal with its nutty flavor. My wife chose a traditional green tea to go along with a bowl of rice porridge - a customary comfort food - with sides of salmon, tofu and seaweed. She seemed very comforted after finishing off her tray of food.

My dessert was an interesting green tea pudding that congealed into a slightly solid state and wiggled in a Jello-like fashion. I actually spent a few moments moving it around with my spoon and watched it delicately changing its physical form. Anyway, the consistency was incredibly light and subtly sweet with a wonderful green tea aftertaste. It perfectly complimented the tiny red beans surrounding. My wife's meal came with zen zai - mochi with azuki beans. Overall, it was a great experience (my wife raved about the contemporary Japanese toilet which opens automatically upon approach) and someday we'll have to try Cha An's traditional tea ceremony which takes place in their private rooms.

out my window

Like slice of life photography with a splash of voyeurism? Check out Out My Window NYC.

soho saturday

My sister and her partner flew up from Texas for a conference in NYC, so we spent a nice Saturday in Soho. I recommend each of these stops:

Quickly Shabu Shabu is a tiny little hole-in-the-wall restaurant tucked away in the hustle and bustle of Chinatown (photos courtesy of nitrolicious). From the outside looking in through its steamy window, you can only see a crowded take-out counter, but there is actually a backrooom with 5-6 tables featyring hotpot portals in front of each seat. For those not familiar, Shabu Shabu is a Japanese DIY cooking method most commonly acheieved by swishing thinly sliced meats and various seafood with your chopsticks in a table top hot pot.

I know what you're thinking - Shabu Shabu in Chinatown? Sounds suspicious right? All I can say is that the food exceeded the ambience. There's an old call-and-response joke in our family where one of us justifies the cost of a fancy restaurant by saying "we're paying for the ambience" only to receive the reply of "What? I don't see ambience on the menu?!". Think of this as the opposite. Place looks crappy and service is lazy but the food is decent and you make the most of the surroundings. With good company, the environment transforms from hole-in-the-wall to cozy. The four of us shared stories, sipped bubble tea and shabu shabu'd 3 platters of meats, seafood and sirloin. Not mindblowing, but it was a great lunch on a colder than normal spring day.

The Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz, located on Broome Street between Mott & Mulberry, opened in 2005 and is only the second church dedicated to Filipinos outside the Philippines. The first one was The Basilica of Sta. Pudenciana in Rome. The Chapel itself is fairly small and modest. The main area can probably hold 200 people and features dark wooden chairs in place of pews. The lobby area features community photos of priests and parishioners celebrating mass and sharing meals. As we walked in to "light" an electric candle, we observed a choir rehearsing hymns with familiar inflections interrupted by conversations in taglish.

I am not a religious man. I believe in God but not so much in religion. God is God and religion is interpretation. Depending on your experience, sometimes the interpretation is good natured; other times the interpretation is misleading and self-serving. History has consistently demonstrated the questionable role of organized religion in various world conflicts. I have problems with the agenda based presence of religion in politics and despise religious intolerance as much as racism. I suppose every organization is susceptible to corruption, but how serious do you take their efforts to evaluate themselves when they typically brush problems under the rug and reaffirm their holier than thou attitude. Youth and cynicism may be coloring my perspective at this moment and many people become more religious as they age or encounter a crisis, but like I said, in the grand scheme of things, I have a belief in God and a natural inclination to question interpretations.

At the "grass-roots" level, I appreciate the sense of community that it fosters and I respect people who find comfort in their religion - no matter what their belief system. Judging by my short visit to the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz, I can see and appreciate that the Filipino Apostolate in NYC does a great job of promoting togetherness and involvement.

Enough religious talk. On to shopping! Uniqlo on Broadway always delivers the goods - unfortunately none of the goods were in my size. But my companions fared better. Uniqlo has a cool new series of t-shirts based on manga characters that appear in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine and Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday. Its sure to be a hit among American shoppers and hipsters who gush over Japanese denim and pop culture. The crowd at the store was full of urban hipsters wearing their regulation uniform of tight jeans, retro hi-top kicks and bright colors. I ran into a few Retro Kids wannabes with hi-top fades.

After exhausting ourselves in the hectic sidewalks of Broadway, we escaped to window shop in the more peaceful and expensive stores in Soho. We made a brief pit stop at a small cafe on Prince Street. By small, I mean shoulder to shoulder. Living in suburban Jersey makes you accustomed to an ample amount of personal space and it takes some time to acclimate yourself to the cramp quarters of the city. Anyway, the name of the establishment escapes me, but they serve some heavenly pecan pie. The Pecans were huge and the pie filling had a moist, almost gelatinous consistency with the right amount of sweetness.

We finished off the night with a dinner at Cendrillon with a few of my sister's contemporaries in the world of academia. I've written extensively on this place before and all I have to add this time is that the lechon was spot on. The textures and flavors were spot on: the unhealthily declicious fatty parts melted in your mouth as the crunchy skin enhanced the saltiness and stuck to your teeth. It was more than filling but I couldn't deny myself the customary halo-halo to finish the evening. Surprisingly, this group of accomplished academics were actually entertaining. I'm poking fun, but even though their professional world is foreign to me, its so easy to find humor in our common background. I'm sure my wife would also agree that it was nice to sit with a table full of smart, talented and creative filipinos.

walk hard

There's nothing like walking through NYC on a crisp wintry day. I don't mind a nippy nose or frosty earlobes as my body stays fairly warm from walking hard. Good exercise, shopping and eating all at once. Our feet chewed up 60 blocks of Manhattan pavement between soho & the village to midtown. Note to self: avoid walking through Times Square on new year's eve weekend. We celebrated new year's eve in Times Square years ago and it was a fun experience. Today was just claustrophobic. The ball aint droppin' today. Dick Clark or Ryan Seacrest aint out till Monday night. And for some reason all the tourists kept asking me for directions. I guess I look reliable. But I was really feeling aggravated as people kept stopping directly in front of me. I cut through a couple family photoshoots to escape the madness. Once we sat down at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants, I couldn't resist quoting Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon 1,2,3&4: "I'm getting too old for this!"

ny-t festival

When we arrived at Central Park for the New York-Tokyo music festival, we were initially disappointed by the underwhelming crowd. The energy was running low even with DJ Red Alert spinning some classic old school joints. DJing aint the same anymore when the dude is checking his playlist on the laptop rather than flipping vinyl.

The eclectic crowd made for interesting people-watching. Lots of backpackers and hiphoppers draped in Bape, ultra-fashionable Japanese and Asians as well as some artsy American folk. Our fashion star of the day was this crazy 80's styled Japanese dude in waist-length dreads rocking striped leggings, fluorescents green hightops and carrying a retro boombox. I was especially drawn to a trio of elderly white people. I suspected that they were professors of Asian studies at one of the universities. They were greeted respectfully by some young people including one white boy who spoke fluent Japanese.

The energy of the whole festival finally picked up when The Teriyaki Boyz hit the stage. Their special guest - to the roaring approval of Bapesters in the crowd - was Bape general Nigo, who DJ'd the whole performance. I know he's gotta be in his mid 30's but he looked like a little boy in chain ropes of platinum. I expected a watered down caricature of American hiphop, but they were actually more entertaining than the usual live rap act. And you can argue that their essence is more respectful of the artform. Their playful showmanship, fashion and musical vibe reminded me of the mid 80's Beastie Boyz. They were fluent in English and slanguistics. I was very impressed how smoothly they switched from Japanese to English in mid rhyme with dexterity. They definitely rocked the crowd and we were really wowed to see the two gray haired female professors waving their hands in the air like they don't care.

Here's their video hamming it up with Kanye and Nigo spoofing YouTube

chelsea art exhibits

Checked out the exhibits at the Chelsea Art Museum. Its a cool little gallery on the West Side that features alternative contemporary artwork. The glass staircased industrial interior and the artsy slacker staff created an appropriate backdrop.

Frederico Uribe's Human Nature (as I advertised in a previous post) was very imaginative in its use of sneaker materials. I enjoyed how some of the animals literally emerged from the canvas. My only complaint is that the space was too large for his work. The jungle theme surrounding his animals wasn't quite as effective with so much empty white wallspace and wooden floorspace. A more condensed exhibit space would have enhanced the overall feeling of entering a different world.






Perpetual Art Machine (PAM) was showcased on the same floor and featured video art from around the world. Lots of intriguing and ambiguous imagery. One installation sets up a massage or acupuncture scene but ends up with a someone's fingers continually rubbing the same spot on another person's back until it gets painfully redder. Another video piece featured a couple laying in bed staring off into space interspersed with brief clips of sexual intercourse. My favorite work was on a small screen and featured a choppy video of a nondescript dude in a suit jumping another guy in a public bathroom. Maybe I have the attention span of a 4 year old, but most of the work was fairly slow moving. Not really sure what to make of the message behind each piece...but it was interesting nonetheless.








2 floors featured the work of Kyoto based photographer Miwa Yanagi. Her work is strikingly vivid and orchestrates a surreal commentary on mainly female subject matter. Elevator Girls (department store guides and greeters) offers a visual critique on the roles of women in contemporary Japanese society.

Grandmothers series was based on her discussions with young women about how they envisioned themselves as elderly women. The young women were then placed in makeup to age their faces (intentionally obvious to the point where their faces looked like masks) and costumes to play out their vision. It was a little too theatrical for my wife, who prefers spontaneous slice of life photography. But I could appreciate the thoughtful generational concept and the detailed nature of each setup.

The Fairytales section featured black and white photos which dramatically re-interpreted female roles in children's fairytales. Overall it was a very thoughtful and well-executed exhibit.

Asian American Film Festival NYC

Last night, we checked out the second leg of the 30th Asian American International Film Festival at the Japan Society in NYC. We started out with a series of animated shorts created by Japanese independent filmakers. The majority of the shorts eschewed any verbal communication and were scored by ambient/techno music. I appreciated the variety of styles which ranged from lo-fi prehistoric video game flavored graphics to claymation and highly stylized sketch art. The more memorable cuts delivered political and environmental messages through powerfully symbolic storytelling. My favorite featured a parade of sheep which put smokers to sleep, turned off excessive lighting within cities and beamed into space bouncing off satellites and returning to a greener earth. Very cute and resourceful sheep!

The main feature was "Exte"(Hair Extensions) a wonderfully humorous horror film starring Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill). The story centers on a delusional morgue janitor played by Ren Osugi, who steals a female corpse when he discovers that it keeps growing strands of black hair. Osugi is hilarious with his deranged singing, dancing and plain awkwardness. His hair fetish drives him to cut the strands of hair and sells them as hair extensions. The extensions angrily come to life - choking the unsuspecting women who choose to wear them. The evil hair uncontrollably grows - spilling out of eyes, skin and mouths until finally filling the room and suffocating its victim. Kuriyama sweetly plays the heroine/assistant hairstylist, who must overcome her past, deal with a villainous sister and care for her abused and abandoned niece. Plus she has to save herself and her abused niece from the evil hair extensions. Talk about a bad hair day!



A Q&A with director Sion Sono followed the film. It was a treat to hear him talk about the creative process which led to such a wild film. While many of the audience tried to delve into the social messages of criticizing fashion and conformism or abuse, Sono maintained that these issues may be apparent but his main purpose was simply to entertain. He found the popular trend of using hair extensions as strange since no one really knows where this hair comes from. The focus on hair was also a critical parody of J-horror films which often use girls with very long black hair. The funniest exchange occured when someone asked him of his opinion of the Hollywood remakes of J-horror movies such as "The Ring" or "The Grudge". He began to admonish their versions then quickly covered his mouth, eyed the audience and stated he would be happy to direct a hollywood remake.

Aburiya Kinnosuke

Got some great eats in NYC. Prior to watching the Japanese films at the Asian Film Festival, we got ourselves in the mood by sampling the menu at Aburiya Kinnosuke in Midtown Manhattan. This place is the real deal. Traditional and authentic to the point where you feel like you're stepping into a restaurant in Japan. They offer beautifully presented yet straightforward food that you don't usually see outside of Japan - such as my wife's order of Sweetfish (Ayu), a riverfish cooked lightly on a stick. Definitely not the pretentious fare at Morimoto or Nobu. Tables and booths were populated by Japanese businessmen or salarymen in suits conversing with the staff in Japanese. English speakers are in the minority. I recommend sitting at the counter where you get an up close view of the skilled chefs displaying their artistry. It was very entertaining. Only protective glass separated us from our food cooking on the traditional brick and stone stoves. The quality of food matched its beautiful presentation. I rarely get excited by a salad, but their mushroom/seaweed/cucumber salad was light yet incredibly tasty. My eel hotpot deliciously melted in my mouth. The menu is a little pricey (especially the drinks) but the food and the total experience made it worth the while.

cendrillon

Great eats: Day 2.
My wife was very happy with the Japanese cuisine of Day 1. So I sought to balance things out with some offerings from the culture represented by my side of the marriage. After shopping our way from Midtown down to Soho, we checked out a joint recommended by my sister, Cendrillon. The interior was a very warm and inviting loft space with weathered brick walls accented by photographic references to the Philippine homeland. The cultural decor wasn't over the top gimmicky and managed to fit comfortably into its neighborhood. The food seemed very authentic to my tongue. My wife ordered a bountiful beef tapa salad. Lots of greens mixed with thinly sliced beef with sweet flavoring. I chose one of my favorites, the simple yet classic chicken adobo. The rice vinegar and soy flavoring was perfect and even the long grain rice took me back home. I happily noticed that the dish was served with a spoon and fork. I actually got flashbacks scooping up spoonfuls of adobo and rice. Spoon & forking it has like a lost art for me. After 17 years of home training, I've succumbed to the blasphemous single fork technique or my wife-endorsed chopstick method. But its like riding a bike.

We both ordered halo-halo. And this was some heavenly halo-halo. Especially after lugging shopping bags on a hot summer day in the city. I attacked the purple yam ice cream and leche flan at the top before slushing the shaved ice and slurping up the remixed agar, coconut, jackfruit, red beans and assorted sweet stuff. Mmmm, I'm drooling as I'm typing this out.

And while we were finishing up the halo-halo, one of the chefs came to our table to casually banter about the iphone. Tito (my cousins and I refer to any elder filipino we see in public - even strangers as "tito" or "tita") seemed to be on a break and casually hovered around our table to discuss iphone functionality and pricing. He's one of those elder filipinos that takes their time in conversating - even physically walking away mid-sentence only to return at the beginning. Tito concluded by declaring that he didn't need an iphone. For a second, I thought I was at one of my family reunions and one of my relatives that I can't identify had wandered over to chit chat without introduction. At this moment, I thought to myself, "Damn, this place is authentic!"