Aburiya Kinnosuke

Sushi is the Marsha, Marsha, Marsha of Japanese cuisine -- the prettier, sexier, more popular star of the show -- so it's always a pleasure to be reminded of the subtle glories of Japan's other culinary arts. At midtown east's Aburiya Kinnosuke, you can indulge in the magic of izakaya, small plates nosh you can down with a few bottles of Sapporo or shochu, or robata, charcoal grilled bits and bobs. I went for the first time last week and I have to tell you, every dish transports.

First of all, the Japanese know from pork. I'd take a good Japanese pork dish over raw fish 70% of the time. I could happily curl up in the small earthenware dish of fatty brown sugar soju cooked berkshire pork, paddle around in the satiny but not greasy caramelized sauce and lay my head on the velvety daikon cylinder. Grilled loin of black pepper kurobuta (black pig, aka more berkshire pork) comes with the most delicious yuzu pepper paste. Just a dab makes every savory slice of swine surprisingly invigorating and refreshing -- not a feeling you often get from pork.

The menu's full of surprises. Anago tempura is nothing like those sugar syrup drenched eel sushi bites -- it's fresh and snowy white with the most delicate dusting of crisped flour. Ladylike fish cakes are silver dollar sized patties, gently sweet and perfumed with yuzu. I'd have resented having to share them if I didn't like my dinner companions so much. Grilled sticky yam wrapped in seaweed was a totally new texture to me -- the crispness of water chestnut or jerusalem artichoke combined with the slight tackiness of flash-fried okra. I loved the drama of the houba leaf presentation -- the waitress set a black cauldron filled with burning wood charcoal on the table. A wire rack lay across the top of the cauldron, and on top of the rack sat a papery, brown prehistoric-looking leaf. Nestled on the crackly leaf were slippery slices of Eryngi mushroom, a small mountain of julienned negi (giant scallion), and sweet miso. Tasted great, but the smell! -- caramelized miso and campfire embers wafting up to the heavens. I'd like to try the beef houba leaf next time.

Don't miss the not-too-sweet black sesame pudding -- it's a square-shaped slice, the chic speckled gray of nubbly chenille. It looks dense, but the texture is somewhere between a mousse and a light cheesecake -- the intensely nutty and creamy bite gives easily against the roof of your mouth. That dish could bring out the ugly in me -- thankfully, nobody put up a fight for the last bite.

It's not a date place, it's more of a meet your friend after work place. It's quite civilized to go with a group of five or six and shoehorn yourselves into one of the shoji screened private rooms. (I did worry about putting an elbow through the paper, though.) And though we're talking about casual bar food, it's not super cheap. Be prepared to drop about $50 if you want to have fun with the menu. (Maybe more if you really get into drinking the elegant, refreshing grapefruit sours -- shochu and fizz on ice, served with half a grapefruit which you juice on a reamer and pour into the glass.) I'm not sure there's better non-sushi Japanese food anywhere else in the city. And since I'm not sure, I look forward to going back there and continuing my research.

Aburiya Kinnosuke
213 E. 45th St.
near 3rd Ave.
4, 5, 6, 7, S to Grand Central
212-867-5454