What to Eat at Tokyo 21 Asian Pub Open Now

You didn't really think that once Kamehachi moved to its glossy new home up the street last November that its owners would let that prime location at Wells at Schiller sit dormant did you? Just a few months after closing Kamehachi, owners Giulia Sindler and her mother, Sharon Perazzoli, have opened Tokyo 21 Asian Pub, a casual Japanese sake bar.

The 40-seat space has been made over with a lot of rustic reclaimed wood, a long concrete-topped bar, cozy fireplace (although they may not use that for a while now), a few flat-screen TVs and an overall casual vibe. The goal of Tokyo 21 is to have a local neighborhood tavern where you can come and eat various noodles, dumplings, yakitori and other Asian street fare. And, of course, drink.

Tokyo 21 has implemented a pretty extensive sake program. The list features 21 different sake "bombs" of varying flavor profiles. But what makes it more interesting is the sake passport. If you choose to participate, your personal passport will live behind the bar and each time you do a new bomb—Rickshaw Bomb, the Uni Bomber, the Bunker Buster, for example—your passport gets stamped. Do the $100 Unnamed Bomb with gold flakes and get seven stamps. If you do all the shots, you'll get inducted into the passort hall of fame with your picture on the wall. Definitely seems like something to strive for.

Tokyo 21 Menu

· Tokyo 21 Asian Pub [website]
· A Japanese Sake Bar in Old Town [UD]

[Photo: Urban Daddy]