PX This.

PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW

Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !

Tanuki Tavern

What was your first impression?
Vast improvement over Ono, that’s for sure.

Please rate the Bar:
Spacious, warm, inviting (except for the bar stools, which look like they’re made strictly for tiny Japanese asses). And a flatscreen, no less.

Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Great sake and beer list; good price points, too. The wine list is a little pedestrian (typically hotel-esque) but not terribly, especially for a Japanese restaurant. The cocktails list looks somewhat nauseating, but that’s probably only because I don’t generally go for syrupy sweet drinks. Again, for a Japanese joint, though— fine.

Please rate the Dining Room:
Cute, comfortable. Maybe a little "corporate" (the faux-candle "chandeliers" are a laugh riot) but nice enough. Again, sure beats Ono (which always made you feel like, "Oh no. I am not going there").

Please rate the BOH:
A little gimmicky. But that’s probably just the "corporate" coming out again. Overall, I’d say: OK.

How was the staff?
The bartenders were great— enthusiastic, amiable, conscientious and considerate. I would go so far as to say they "made" the entire experience. Granted, I opted for a bottle of sake, so I can’t judge their mixology skills, but in terms of service: an A. The host at the desk gets a C- or maybe a D; he couldn’t even be bothered to get out of his chair. Later, a maitre d’/manager type arrived, and he had it a little bit better together. He greeted us and asked if all was well, and he recognized immediately upon his arrival what needed to be done to make the ambience better.

What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Shisito peppers (bar menu) : Disappointing. Mainly because they’re flame-grilled (?) and not sauteed. The charred bits aren’t that appealing, and the flavor and presentation suffers for it. That’s what I mean by "gimmicky." Does everything on the menu get either flame-grilled or deep-fried? Is that their "thing" around here? Kind of silly if you ask me.
Deep-fried bok choy (bar menu): Odd. Doesn’t quite live up to the bartender’s eager sales pitch, but then again, I’m not quite sure what I was expecting. Tastes like dried seaweed. But blander.
Mushroom tempura (bar menu) : Not bad. Like all tempura, though— eat it as fast as possible.
Chicken wings (bar menu): Pretty good. Satisfactory.

What did you like?
The bartenders’ demeanors.

What did you dislike?
To a shisito pepper lover like me, theirs was something of a travesty.

What was your last impression?
Would I come to try a full dinner? Probably not.

Would you come back?
For a drink and light nibble, sure. Good location.

Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you and good night.

2 Responses to “F&F: Tanuki Tavern (the Bar)”

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