Ever since we first visited Inakaya during Winter Restaurant Week in 2017, we have been a fan of Inakaya. We tried one of their tasting menu, Inakaya Course, in 2018, and it was really good too. We thought this would be a really fun place to take my wonderful in-laws while they were visiting us here in NYC! I made sure to get counter seats for the fun action! We ordered their Inakaya Course ($88/person) that comes with six course, including a dessert. The price has gone up since we ordered this one year ago… We started off with couple of cocktails. I ordered Lychee Martini ($15), as I love lychee… It was really good, strong, sweet, with a nice soft lychee in there.
The first course is salad, and I chose Seared Tuna Salad. I had this before, and I really liked it, so I decided to get it again. It was as good as I remembered, with fresh and crisp veggies and high quality tuna. The dressing was still sesame-flavored kind, which I totally adore.
Second course is Appetizer, and I chose Trio Carpaccio. They were trio of super fresh fish and fish eggs. Again, high-quality and just melt in your mouth good… They were drizzled with some kind of oil, making them even tastier.
At this point, I was ready for my second drink. I saw a Special Cocktails under their Monthly Special menu. I chose Milky Blue ($13), made with Sake, Calpico, Lychee Juice, Lime, and Blue Caracao. I love Calpico, and I love Lychee, this was a marriage waiting to happen! It was really pretty, I loved the gradation of blue and white… It was rather sweet, as expected from looking at the ingredients, so, even thought it was really tasty, having one of it was enough.
While I was enjoying my drinks and appetizers, the staffs in the inside of counter was busy grilling meat, veggie, fish, and whatever else they had going on. And my in-laws were having fun receiving their dishes on a long wooden paddle! The grill chefs patiently wait until you take the plate off of the paddle, with steady hands and a smile!
Third course is Grilled Vegetables. Although they only have two options to choose from, it is not easy…they both sounds so good! I went with Shitake Mushroom & Asparagus & Japanese Eggplant. It seems like I was overly excited and enjoyed them so much, I completely forgot to take a photo! But you can see them on my previous blog for that.
Fourth course is Entrée, and again, really difficult to decide which option to choose… I ended up ordering what I had in the past, because it was just so darn good!!! It was Grilled Cod & US Kobe Beef Skewer. I know they are not huge in portion, but they are packed with flavor, and quality is super high! They were really good, especially the cod, it totally just melt in your mouth… Delicious!
The last savory course was Rice & Noodles. I chose Tempura Don that came with shrimp tempura and assorted vegetable tempura. They were lightly fried, not greasy at all, with crisp exterior. The batter was not thick so that you could really enjoy the flavor and texture of the ingredients. It was served with miso soup, which was great. I really enjoyed it!
Last but not least, dessert! I went with Mochi Ice Cream. The matcha ice cream was wrapped in thin sheet of mochi, tucked in underneath. The mochi was not too thin nor thick, and matcha ice cream had a good, real matcha flavor. Nice way to end a fun and tasty dinner!
Needless to say, the dinner was a hit with my lovely in-laws! They had fun picking up their dishes off the wooden paddle, and they agreed that the quality of each items were high. We all enjoyed our meal, with lots of smile and laughs. Great company always makes the dinner taste better!
Inakaya (田舎家) – 231 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018