Last night Evan introduced me to a gem in the East Village. Kenka is possibly the best Japanese restaurant in New York City. It’s the closest thing to an authentic izakaya that I’ve ever been to in the states. An izakaya is a very informal restaurant that you can find on just about any street corner in Japan. You don’t go there to eat sushi. At an izakaya you order small dishes–anywhere from teriyaki chicken skewers and wasabi octopus to tofu with bonito flakes and barbequed squid–to compliment the heaps of edamame and cheap, free-flowing draft beer and sake. The last time I was a place like this, I was overlooking the banks of the Kamo river in downtown Kyoto. Off to see Little Boy today.