🍢 Torien NYC: A Long-Overdue Review! 🍶

This post has been sitting in my drafts forever—finally sharing my experience at Torien, the acclaimed yakitori spot by chef Ikegawa! 😅 Unfortunately, I hit major traffic on the West Side Highway and arrived late—my date had been waiting almost 40 minutes. By the time I got there, the chicken meatball skewers (tsukune) had cooled down, and the skin had turned soft and chewy. Totally my bad! 🥲 The first 5 skewers were grilled by Chef Ikegawa himself—and wow, you could tell the difference! The binchōtan charcoal was perfectly managed, and the skewers tasted exceptional. The heart and gizzard were absolute perfection. ❤️🍢 The next 5 skewers were handled by Yasuda San. I’d previously found him inconsistent (sometimes distracted, even burning skewers while chatting or toasting 🥂), but this time—perhaps because Ikegawa was watching—he was on point. Everything was expertly grilled and delicious. So… he can cook—was he just acting before? 😏 A night of highs, lessons, and seriously good chicken. #TorienNYC #Yakitori #JapaneseBBQ #NYCEats #ChefIkegawa #FoodReview #SkewerHeaven 🐥🔥