Jan Gordinier writes about Bon Yagi, “An East Village Ambassador for Japanese Cuisine.” Mr Yagi owns 11 restaurants in the East Village, and has committed a portion of their profits to Red Cross relief in Japan.

If you have a fondness for Japanese food, especially the unpretentious street grub and lunchbox fare that are a common part of day-to-day life in Japan, it’s likely that you’ve patronized one of Mr. Yagi’s 11 restaurants.

[snip]

All of them joined a growing list of restaurants, including JoJo, SD26, Telepan and Mercer Kitchen, in the Dine Out for Japan Relief campaign, which planned to give to the Red Cross — 5 percent of their profits was suggested — from March 23 to 30.

New York has no Japantown, per se, but in his quiet, deliberate way, Mr. Yagi has dedicated himself to building just such a culinary and cultural vortex, casting himself as its mustachioed Buddhist godfather, reverently known as Yagi-san.

“He’s kind of a pioneer,” said Chikako Ichihara, the president and chief executive of Azix, a marketing and consulting company that helps promote Japanese food and culture. “He brought real Japanese food to New Yorkers.”

Almost every Sunday, the Editor takes his grandson on a walk right through the heart of Yagi-san’s empire. He looks forward to taking the boy inside one of the restaurants, one fine day.

Drop me a line at rjk@dailyblague.com
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 at 8:00 pm.