Izakaya Ten, NYC

Overall: Enjoyable and unique
Price: $50 incl. drink

Strangely, while the crowds were willing to wait an hour at Tia Pol next door - as much as I agree their food is delicious - Izakaya remains relatively serene, with only a 10-minute table wait even on Saturday night. The softly lit space with wooden tables and benches are ideal for small groups to gather over dinner and drinks (there's a terrific sake and shochu list). Since the Japanese dishes were served in small tapas portions, we ordered over a dozen things between 3 people, and while a few were only mediocre (agedashi tofu was too heavy), the hits really impressed. Most memorable was super-fresh snowcrab on lettuce and tomato salad and tasty pork belly that sizzled on a hot plate.