

One thing the neighborhood never had before was a really authentic and really good Japanese restaurant. Well, that's changed.
Linn Restaurant
29-13 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11106
718-204-0060
There are two kinds of Japanese restaurants in New York City. There's "New York style" Japanese (some high-end places like Megu and Nobu fit that definition) and then there are restaurants that are really like walking into Tokyo. They may be trendy or rustic, expensive or cheap, but they have in common the fact that you might expect to find a restaurant exactly like that while strolling through Akasaka or Shibuya or Ebisu or wherever your favorite Tokyo neighborhood happens to be. Linn is in that latter category, though it is on the trendier side. (Tokyo's a pretty trendy city too.)
Linn actually used to be a different Japanese restaurant, called Shima. I ate there once, and that was enough. This is not Shima, which closed some time ago. Linn is 100% new and different, just occupying the same address.
My wife and I ate there last weekend because she knows the owner and head chef. So, call this a biased review if you want. But if I didn't have a good experience, I just wouldn't write anything. So the fact that you're seeing this here at all means something.
Photo shamelessly lifted from the restaurant's web site (as are several others here):

The chef's name is Tanaka Shigenori, and before opening this place, he was a chef at Morimoto and Masa, two of New York's most famous Japanese restaurants. He was part of the reason for their success. He told us a story - and I can't vouch for the accuracy but I have no reason to disbelieve him - of how he had a run-in with one of the managers at Morimoto and quit. Well, Masuharu Morimoto himself fired the manager and re-hired Tanaka. Assuming that's true, it should tell you a little bit about this guy's skills.
We sat at the sushi counter, where we could talk to him and watch him work. Obviously my wife did most of the talking as I ate, translating for me when needed. (He does speak English, but obviously not to a native Japanese speaker.) We ordered beer to start and then on Tanaka's recommendation I settled on the beef teriyaki while my wife ordered up the chirashi - a dish she gets almost every time we have Japanese (not to mention when she actually lived there), so she's got a good basis for comparison. If you've never had it, chirashi is basically just a big bowl of sushi - the rice is at the bottom of the bowl, with various kinds of fish and other sushi varieties on top.
The counter area:

I told Tanaka this and he explained that for Sapporo beer, maintenance is very important. He cleans the entire draft system every night. He knew exactly what I was talking about when I said the Sapporo I'd gotten at other restaurants - including four-star places like Megu - tasted skunky and nasty, even on draft. He said it's because they don't clean the tap and kegs. He even told us that Sapporo themselves have to go around inspecting restaurants these days because they get complaints from Japanese customers about this. He has never failed an inspection.
My beef teriyaki was honestly the best I have ever had. Most Japanese restaurants will use poor-quality beef and attempt to cover it up with the sauce. Not at Linn. I've had Kobe beef, and this was actually more tender than that (admittedly, I've only had the California variety of "Kobe beef"). I could literally cut it with my chopsticks. And I could taste it; it wasn't just doused in an overwhelming teriyaki sauce. It was served pretty rustically on a heavy and still-searing cast iron pan, which gets extra points from me.
Apologies for the poor quality cell phone pic, which I know does not do his food justice, especially in color:

Here's a better picture of some of his food, just to show you something a little more artful (not my photo):

That's a pretty significant fact. Tsukiji is the main fish market in Tokyo, not New York. He actually has someone buy his fish for him there and ship it fresh to New York. It really doesn't get any more authentic than this - most Japanese restaurants in New York (including at least a few of the famous ones) get their fish from the Fulton Fish Market. You're eating a Japanese dish with American fish. Not the case at Linn. This is 100% Japanese sushi, both in the raw materials and the preparation.
I was somewhat disappointed that they were out of the black sesame ice cream I had ordered for dessert. This is something I've found in only one other restaurant in New York - Sakagura (as part of their unbelievable black sesame creme brulee) - and I don't get to eat it very often. I settled on the fried ice cream instead, which is something I've never actually had before but always associated with cheap Chinese restaurants. But it was amazing, with a really crispy/soft pastry shell, lots of fresh berries and two sauces (chocolate and I believe raspberry). Again, my cell phone really makes kind of a travesty out of the photo:

We were there on a Saturday night and it was packed by the time we left, with a line waiting to be seated. This is a new restaurant, but it looks like Tanaka's already making a name for himself. He explained that he was originally closed for lunch and on Mondays, but that now he's open 7 days and all day long to meet demand.

One more dessert shot to leave you with:

wow my mouth was watering reading this entry!
ReplyDeletethe part about the fish being shipped from japan is amazing. the next time i am in new york, i am going here!
ps. kobe beef is my weakness.
pss. how pricey would you say are the dishes?
Woops, I forgot to talk about the prices! I'll figure out a way to add that in there.
ReplyDeleteNot pricey, though. I think the total for the two of us was something like $70. Most of the entrees are like $15-$20.
Oh, I should also clarify (and I will change it) that that beef is *not* Kobe beef. I was trying to say it was actually better than the Kobe beef that I've had, which has always been a little disappointing. I always expect it to be super-tender and it always just feels like a regular steak in my mouth. This was actually more tender.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you've been unlucky enough to generally get lower-grade "Kobe-style" beef?
ReplyDeleteI had some "Hida beef" in Takayama (in Gifu praefecture), which was melt-in-the-mouth, even as sashimi!
Yeah, well it's very hard to get true Kobe beef that's actually from Kobe in the United States. Every restaurant I've ever been to serves California Kobe beef. I'm sure it's not the same, just like the fish. They can still call it "Kobe beef" because that just refers to the breed of cow (it's like Angus beef or whatever) not to where they're raised.
ReplyDeleteSo this beef probably wasn't better than Kobe beef from Kobe, but it's better than Kobe beef from California.
Actually, the *breed* is called "Wagyu" (Australia breeds some as well).
ReplyDeleteThere is a specific strain of Wagyu called "Tajima" which is used for Kobe beef.
They called the cops because the waitress sent me something I didn't order, and they refused to refund it!!!
ReplyDeleteI was ordering from Linn Resaurant for delivery. I ordered the nabe yaki soup, which has shrimp, chicken, egg, vegetable, and udon. When they sent the soup it was just broth and udon with seaweed, but was charged for the nabe yaki soup. The manager refused to exchange the soup, or refund the soup. When I went there to show him their mistake and to return the soup the manager ignored me and called the police. I was talking to him I never raised my voice...The cops were very upset that he would do that, and the customers couldn't believe it either. Never received any service, in fact i was treated like a criminal for their mistake.
Wow, I'm sorry that happened! The only thing I can think is that rightly or wrongly, they felt threatened by you in some way. All of the staff are Japanese; they're probably not used to being confronted. Not that that necessarily excuses it.
ReplyDeleteBut that's just it. They know me, I wasn't confrontational I was trying to reason with them. I never even raised my voice. I was asking to switch the soup, or if I can get a refund. They wouldn't even listen to me on the phone. When I got there I tried to show him the soup, he just went in the kitchen and came out with the phone calling 911. The customers witnessed this and were completely shocked at his over reacting of my request.
ReplyDelete911?! Yeah, that's definitely excessive. All I can think is that they just didn't know any better. Not sure what else to say about it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletedo the waiters speak english fluently? because i got a job there recently and my japanese sucks but im assuming most of their customers there are American. their renovating the place now so i havent actually worked there yet but hopefully i wont have to stay in the kitchen all day once i do. id understand if they felt uncomfortable having an 18 year old with no prior experiences in waitering be a waiter.
ReplyDelete