Former Café Atantico chef Katsuya Fukushima and Sushiko restaurateur Daisuke Utagawa teamed up on this izakaya and ramen shop. Upstairs, it’s all iconoclastic takes on Japanese bar fare: frozen salmon sashimi; charred avocado and ponzu sauce; chawanmushi, a custard with shiitakes and Parmesan. Downstairs, choose from four excellent noodle soups. Shoyu is the porky powerhouse; shio will please those with a more delicate palate.
See all of our 2013 Cheap Eats picks.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
