Hidden Jewel in Midtown East: Sakagura Sake Bar

Sakagura--located in the basement of a Midtown East office building with no cell phone reception--is one of the top sake bars in the United States. Founded in 1996, the restaurant has the nickname "hidden jewel" and, according to the website, the customers say that walking into Sakagura is “like walking into Tokyo.”

We ordered a bunch of appetizers to start off the meal. The first dish that came to the table was Hirame Ponzu ($9), or Thinly Sliced Fluke Sashimi Topped with Grated Dikon Radish and Salmon Roe Dressed with a Citrus Vinaigrette.

The filet of fluke was melt-in-your-mouth fresh. The citrus vinaigrette gave a little tang to the tongue, while the salmon roe added salty flavor.

Next dish was Sanshoku Nasu Dengaku ($12), or Grilled Japanese Eggplants Served with Three Kinds of Miso (Eggyolk, Spinach, and Sweet Red).

Eggplants is a vegetable that I love almost as much as squash. Again, I could probably eat three plates of this dish alone all to myself. The eggplants were cooked in three different kinds of miso that were a bit sweet, but it wasn't the artificial "Splenda" sweetness, but tasted very natural.

This was the egg yolk miso eggplant with thin fish flakes on top. The eggplants were so mushy and sweet. I loved the slightly burnt part at the end with the sweet glaze. The black sesame seeds were a nice touch.

This was the spinach miso eggplant. Honestly, I couldn't really taste the difference between this and the egg yolk eggplant. The third kind--Sweet Red--was the only one with very distinct, melted chocolate-like texture and flavor on top of the eggplant.

Next was the dish that Preston raved about: Jidori Shioyaki ($14), or Grilled Organic Free Range Chicken Served with Sea Salt and "Yuzu" Citrus Pepper. According to Preston, "I don't care what else we order as long as we get that chicken!"

We squeezed lemon on top of the chicken for extra tanginess.

The chicken was grilled to perfection: slightly burnt on top and juicy inside.

Whereas some people said the skin was the best part, both Audrey and I took off the skin on top because it was too fatty. I prefer chicken breast, but the part they used was thigh so it had too much fat. The chicken tasted better when sprinkled with a little bit of sea salt.

The waitress then brought Kamo Roast ($10), Slices of Chilled Roasted Duck Wrapped Around Scallion Accented with Basil Sauce.

The thinly sliced duck tasted very similar to roast beef. I wished the scallions hadn't been cut so thinly because I wanted a bit more of the crunchiness from the vegetable.

Next was the physically heaviest dish: Beef on Hot Stone Pot ($??). The plate underneath was made with stone, as well as the hot stone pot, so the waiter seemed to be struggling as he brought the dish to the table.

After rubbing a piece of lard on the hot stone, we put strips of tender beef on top.

This is a dish you have to eat quickly before the stone pot cools down. For me, it wasn't a huge problem because I like my meat rare. Give me some blood!

The beef, which had no additional seasoning, was so tender and juicy. The best way to eat (good) beef is just plain and cooked on a grill.

As though we weren't already full with all the appetizers, we each ordered a main course.

I had Sake Oyako Don ($16), Fillets of Fresh Salmon Sashimi and Salmon Roe Steeped in Soy Sauce Served Atop a bowl of Rice and Served with Miso Soup.

Because the restaurant was dark, I didn't notice the silvery skin on the salmon while I was eating it. If I had known, I probably would have freaked out and peeled that part off.

The salmon roe on top was really salty, which balanced off the sushi rice underneath. The salmon was so soft and creamy (?), and perhaps a bit fatty.

I am a huge fan of seaweed and rice, so I liked that there were flakes of seaweed on top of the rice.

Looking at the photos again, I didn't realize how many salmon roes were in the bowl.

I scraped off all the seaweed on top of the rice. Yikes! The silver skin is giving me goosebumps again.

This is Ochazuke Rice Soup with Rosted Salmon ($7).

Basically a bowl of rice in soup with salmon, seasame seeds, and seaweed flakes on top with pickles on the side.

Inaniwa Udon Noodle from Akita with Hot soup and spinach ($12). Although a lot of people recommended udon noodle from Sakegura, I didn't get this because I had udon the night before.

The Sea Salt Chocolate Homemade Sorbet ($6) wasn't too sweet or creamy like a regular ice cream with still the same amount of indulgence. It always amazes me how sweet and salty go together so well.

The Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce ($9). My favorite moment when eating a souffle is breaking it with the spoon. The souffle had powdered sugar on top. It looked like there was matcha powder on the side.

We poured the raspberry sauce inside the souffle and voila! It cracked! A lava flow, anyone?

Waiting for the souffle to simmer down and the raspberry sauce to soak in...

My favorite moment! Swivling everything together with a spoon.

The souffle was quite decadent and had strong chocolate flavor. The raspberry sauce went well with the chocolate, and the vanilla ice cream gave cool flavors to the otherwise warm souffle.