Tanuki Tavern

Locations

 
Were the worlds of Suzie Wong and Henry Orient ever to collide, Tanuki Tavern is where they might convene, as the illicit romance of Japan and the retro-chic of a long-lost Manhattan successfully merge at this unique gastropub in Hotel Gansevoort.
 
Escaping the steamy day, we opted out of eating in the garden, and swept past the groovy ’60s Japanese lounge to sit in the more casual tavern in back amongst a library of flickering votives and collected sake bottles on the shelves rather than books.
 
We soon ordered highly fashioned, no-holds-barred cocktails such as the Yamazaki Sidecar ($12) with 12-year single malt whiskey, orange liqueur and housemade honey-ginger syrup, and the Nashi Margarita ($12), Milagro tequila muddled with Asian pear—both went down very quickly! We then traded our empty glasses for a vessel filled with ultra-smooth Wakatake Demon Slayer ($10) sake, full in body and flavors of fruit.
 
The day’s trio of Nasketucket, Kumamoto and St. Simon Oysters ($18/half-dozen) were in turns creamy, excellent and rich. Fried Chicken Livers ($7) with ponzu, miso and chili dipping sauce was an interesting idea, although slightly salty in execution. Cream of Edamame Soup ($7) was heavenly, with black soybeans and a gentle drizzle of mustard oil.
 
Exquisite Lobster Avocado and Fried Tofu ($16) in a yuzu dressing featured poached lobster from Maine, which had us longing for its shores. The glut of lobster continued with the Surf & Turf Roll ($14/four pieces, $26/eight pieces) where the crustaceans were wrapped in a wagyu beef carpaccio. Buttery Miso Marinated Black Cod ($15) was delicious, delivered theatrically on a smoking mini grill.
 
Octopus Sunomono ($11) took us on a complex journey foraging as we did through the ocean’s briny depths—pink curls of octopus dallied with wakame and tosaka (white and red seaweed), marinated Japanese cucumber, rice vinegar, mirin and sweet soy jelly. The fun grand finale was the Emerald & Gold Dragon Roll ($22), shaped like a snake with shrimp, crab salad, scallions, avocado, mango, red tobiko and a colorful dash of eel sauce winding around the plate.
 
Peter Sherwood is the Dining Editor for Next Magazine and the author of the blog EveningsWithPeter.com.