Courtesy of Glaze Paul Krug wanted to open a Seattle-style teriyaki joint in the East Village, where he had lived for most of his ten years in New York. But the Emerald City native couldn’t find the perfect lease, so he settled in midtown instead. Two years later, he’s finally giving it a go just below 14th Street.
The second outpost of Glaze Teriyaki Grill opened today at 139 Fourth Avenue – right next to another narrow takeout joint, Dos Toros – in a building where Mr. Krug once lived (he’s now a couple of minutes away).
“We never intended to go to midtown first. We always wanted to go down here,” said the restaurateur.
Take a look inside
On Monday The Local heard a rumor that a sushi restaurant would take over the long-vacant storefront next-door to Whole Earth Bakery. That turned out to be partly true. Gary Auslander, the broker who handled the deal, said that a “very exclusive” 15-seat Japanese restaurant would be moving in. Like another newcomer, Bugs, it will indeed serve sushi, among other things. Mr. Auslander added that it won’t be competing with Sushi Lounge a few doors away, rather, it will be “more like Momofuku.” The owners of the restaurant, who will appear at this month’s Community Board 3 meeting, are bringing over a well-regarded chef from Japan, according to the broker.
Vanessa Yurkevich Sho Boo at Bugs.
Vanessa YurkevichSho Boo grew up in Osaka, Japan, a daughter of Korean immigrants. When she was young her mother opened a small ramen shop in their hometown and that’s when she took an interest in cooking. “I would help her out at the shop,” she said, “and I learned from her. “
In Japan, sushi chefs were rarely women. So when Ms. Boo came to the United States 11 years ago she was surprised to find opportunity: for 10 years she worked as a sushi chef, training at Sushi Yasuda in Midtown and Jewel Bako in the East Village. Today she’ll return to her love of cooking, as she opens a shop of her own called Bugs on East 12th Street.
“Bugs tend to gather, especially around a bright light and this restaurant is the bright light that everyone would gather around,” said Ms. Boo. Read more…
If it hurts to watch, just be glad you’re not a contestant. On Monday nights the comedy troupe Face Off Unlimited takes over the basement of Jebon Sushi and Noodle on St. Marks Place and puts on its own version of a cringe-inducing Japanese game show.
The Local recently talked with one of the performers and watched with a mix horror and delight as audience members ate sushi off of a hairy man’s belly — but not before signing a waiver, of course.
The above video has been edited to reflect the following correction:
Correction: December 2, 2011
A previous version of the video gave incorrect names for Jay Painter and Eric Robinson.
