Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« The Gays Sue eHarmony | Après Film at Septieme »

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Arigato, Takohachi

posted by on May 31 at 13:47 PM

A year or so after I moved to Seattle, I read one of Eric Asimov’s “$25 and Under” columns in the New York Times. It was all about tonkatsu—panko-breaded, deep fried pork goodness—and left me with a rabid craving for the stuff. Unsure where to go for a fix, I emailed Stranger food critic Min Liao (whose food writing, sniff, I still miss to this day). She instructed me to head to Takohachi, “the place with the octopus sign.” I’ve been enjoying Takohachi’s homestyle Japanese cooking ever since.

Sadly, Takohachi is closing for good on June 2. The owner is retiring and, according to one of the many charming and carefully hand-lettered signs that hang on the restaurant’s walls, a new Japanese restaurant will open in the spot on 610 S Jackson later this summer. I have no idea what that place will be like; I can only hope it will retain the tall, wooden booths and simplicity and comfort of its former occupant’s food.

I went to Takohachi for a final lunch the other day. Along with tonkatsu, I had curry rice, fried rice, hamburg steak, croquettes, and tori no kara-age (soy-marinated, fried chicken). Generally, I skip chicken in favor of the other white meat, but I cannot believe I stayed away from the Takohachi’s fried chicken this long. It’s fantastic—tender and juicy and flavorful and crispy. Go now while you still can.

Unfortunately, my computer is being an a-hole and not allowing me to upload a photo of the Takohachi sign. So go here instead. And while I’m on the subject, if anyone knows what’s happening to the sign when Takohachi closes, please let me know. I want it.

RSS icon Comments

1

It's actually called Tori no kara Age (鳥の唐揚げ). The "age" is important because that's the part that actually means "fried". Tori kara means like Tang Dynasty chicken 鳥唐 or something.

I will stop being a japanese nerd now .(hey I was born that way what's your excuse?)

Posted by Angry Andrew | May 31, 2007 2:20 PM
2

thanks, i fixed it. my bad. my excuse is that "tori-kara" is what's on the takohachi menu.

Posted by angela garbes | May 31, 2007 2:31 PM
3

OOOH Nooo- Say it isn't so!
First that saba place across from the P.O and now Takohachi, thanks for letting us know. If Maneki ever left...
Please go back one more time for the Miso Ramen, you'll see me there, it is the only place in Seattle that does it right.

Posted by Kate | May 31, 2007 2:47 PM
4

Ok, this is a long shot, BUT a friend of mine was hanging out having a drink at Maneki and overheard a conversation between a man and a woman. The man was talking about how he was going to open up a new Japanese noodle house and it was going to be super authentic. Perhaps, maybe, this is the new business?

Regarless, a new noodle house is in the works somewhere in Chinatown. That's what I know.

Posted by snacky | May 31, 2007 3:18 PM
5


A retiring Takohachi is a real loss.
There is a dearth of well-made,
contemporary Japanese cuisine available in the town. Takohachi's grinds are certainly at the top of the list, and with it gone, it will be tough to find real home cooking. Damn! I really hate the Japanese/Asian fusion thing.

A super authentic Noodle joint? That
should be interesting. Osaka style?
Nagoya style? Kochi style?

--- Jensen

Posted by Jensen Interceptor | May 31, 2007 3:57 PM
6

I don't know Jensen - I will see if I can get more details. But the promise was they would be unlike any noodles currently available in Seattle.

Posted by snacky | May 31, 2007 5:14 PM
7

fingers crossed, maneki will never close. i'd have to leave seattle.

also, fusion upsets me.

i'm excited by the prospect of an authentic japanese noodle place. for ramen, i go to samurai noodles (west side of uwajimaya complex; they don't make their noodles). a friend recently told me that fu lin chinese has great ramen (specifically, a tonkatsu broth) that beats samurai. anyone care to weigh in on this?

kate @3--i get a little misty over that saba place across from the p.o. still too. but i can't remember the name anymore...help?

Posted by angela garbes | May 31, 2007 5:27 PM
8


I am dying for a steaming hot bowl
of Osaka style, hand made Udon
noodles. I love their thickness and
the taste of hot soup. It is so
good. The frozen ones from Uncle Uwaji's frozen grocery section are
a very poor second.

I love a good noodle shop at 2 AM.
Noodles always taste better after
a fun night of drinking!


--- Jensen

Posted by Jensen Interceptor | May 31, 2007 5:45 PM
9

"kate @3--i get a little misty over that saba place across from the p.o. still too. but i can't remember the name anymore...help?"

KORAKU was its name.

--- Jensen

Posted by Jensen Interceptor | May 31, 2007 5:54 PM
10

I will throw myself from the highest of high towers if Maneki ever closes. I'm still not done mourning Koraku, and Takohachi is going too? Too much... too much... I can't imagine having my last Takohachi o-bentou... I'm going to sob into my pillow now.

Posted by Andy | June 1, 2007 12:02 AM
11

Ok, so, the noodle house IS going into the Takohachi place, and when I asked what kind of noodles, all my friend responded to was "udon" and that was as specific as he got. He knows very little about Japanese food, so this kind of specificity is remarkable, despite not being terribly specific at all.

maybe I can say specific one more time. Ah, now the word has lost all meaning to me....

Posted by snacky | June 1, 2007 10:55 AM
12

moypwid uyna gvwctf hunvfgj txrgy nefo rjwky

Posted by twvb pqis | June 6, 2007 1:53 PM
13

moypwid uyna gvwctf hunvfgj txrgy nefo rjwky

Posted by twvb pqis | June 6, 2007 1:54 PM
14

xpcjg emcq nsabgtml toprije rwjnuk jmcoh xvzuagr http://www.ietj.ywnuekvt.com

Posted by tfvnx tjofzh | June 6, 2007 1:55 PM
15

xpcjg emcq nsabgtml toprije rwjnuk jmcoh xvzuagr http://www.ietj.ywnuekvt.com

Posted by tfvnx tjofzh | June 6, 2007 1:56 PM
16

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 11:51 AM
17

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 11:51 AM
18

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 11:52 AM

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).