No need to induce “alternative facts” to paint the real scene of the newly opened Izakaya Minato, a surefire example of a Japanese gastropub. So, if you’re looking for the next big thing in Portland dining then take yourself to 54 Washington Ave. where this newcomer opened earlier this week. It’s next door to the Tex-Mex grandee, Terlingua, and across the street from the strip’s highly regarded darling, Drifter’s Wife. It also sits opposite from the former Roustabout, which closed last month. Word has it that none other than the indefatigable Rooms honcho Harding Lee Smith will fill the space. It’s unclear what culinary route he’ll take, but so far no names have drifted across the transom. Do I hear The Washington Room?
Izakaya Minato’s open kitchen and dining bar
Regarding our Asian galaxy of dining, Izakaya Minato Chef/owners Thomas Takashi Cooke and his wife Elaine Alden have brought us Japanese comfort food that is unwaveringly good. Don’t expect sushi and stuff. But instead think what Masa Miyake delivered at his short-lived izakaya-style diner at his miniscule space on Spring Street.
Clockwise: diners at the bar; seating in front of the open kitchen (chef Cooke at right) and Elaine Alden (center) talking with staff and dining patron
(For the record, izakaya refers to an informal Japanese gastropub, and minato means port. )
Compared to Miyake’s version, Minato is more vital and expansive. The interiors are beautifully simplistic; the dining space is ringed by communal seating and bar dining flanked by the open kitchen. There’s also a side dining room with table seating–a good alternative as a quieter option away from the hubbub.
Chef Cooke (right) in his kitchen with staff; pork belly and stuffed mushrooms
Cooke’s style is very elegant and refined. He achieves it easily in his small open kitchen, which had no trouble feeding the throngs who arrived on Tuesday’s opening night with a wait staff who served efficiently and knowledgeably.
Indeed, he whips up delicious dishes all the way. Such as the exceedingly fresh well chilled sashimi (sashimi omakase) platter that we enjoyed as a starter. It held the sweetest Maine shrimp, fluke, scallops, fried shrimp heads and a dollop of uni.
Sashimi platter (chef’s choice)
When we arrived two local restaurateurs I know were leaving and both recommended the pork belly. Spot on. What came out was a hearty bowl of braised pork belly ( buta no kakuni) stewed in mirin and soy—a pan-regional stew of this texturally unctuous meat: sweet, fatty, tender.
Cooke and Alden moved from San Francisco where he was head chef at that city’s highly regarded Tsunami. After their stupendous pop-up dinner held last year at Bao Bao, it set them on the year-long path to open their restaurant in Portland.
The menu offers a series of sharable plates of varying sizes and food groups. A standout that I enjoyed at the pop-up dinner and on the menu again is the shiromi ankake–fillets of fried white fish and mushrooms in a dashi amber broth. Alden remembered how much I liked the dish last time and pointed it out again. Hake is lightly corn-starch-dusted, which gave it some crunch, and set floating in the concentrated broth.
Hake–shiromi ankake
Altogether two of us shared 6 dishes, which might have been a bit much but eminently satisfying. After the hake, we enjoyed a beautiful presentation of kani dashimake: It’s an omelet laced with crab and served in tournedos-like slices. It was delicate and fine.
The tsukune shiitake—mushrooms—was an unusual dish of North Spore shiitake caps stuffed with a chicken forcemeat, grilled and presented as two halves arranged on the plate looking like a pair of apostrophes. I’m not sure if it was my favorite dish of the evening but it was so distinctive that I’ll probably try it again on my next visit.
Omelet with crab
The star of the show was the cabbage pancake—okonomiyaki–coated with bacon and mushrooms and drizzles of Japanese mayo. It’s a big, rich and filling dish and as the final grace note to dinner it left a lasting impression.
With Minato’s arrival our options for Asian dining are getting more and more varied in Portland. From Pai Men’s focus on ramen, Boda’s inspired Thai street food, Tempo Dulu’s luxurious version of Southeast Asian food, the myriad sushi emporiums around town, the dumplings at Bao Bao, the inspired Cantonese fare at Empire Chinese and the growing promise of Sichuan Kitchen, Izakaya Minato is more than just the next dining star.
Izakaya Minato, 54 Washington Ave., Portland, ME 207-613-9939 www.izakayaminato.com
Rating: Superb in every way, a 5-star rendition of Japanese pub fare
Ambiance: Lively, communal but elegant
Seating: Communal table, bar dining and separate dining room with table seating
Staff: Delightful, competent and extremely knowledgeable about the menu
Parking: On street
Bar: Full bar from sake flights to classic cocktails and highballs, beer and wine
$$$: Moderate, most small plates and mains in the $4 to $14 range;’ our tab for 6 dishes was $85 including sake flight and beer.
