Akita Bar Hopping - Getting Tipsy on Hinai Jidori Chicken and Sake: The Ultimate Yakitori Full Course at 'Toriko'

The joy of travel is food (and sake!), isn't it?

Enjoying things unique to the local area. Tonight, I'm going to thoroughly feast on Akita's pride and joy, the Hinai Jidori chicken.

By the way, we don't say 'local beef' or 'local pork,' so why do we say 'local chicken' (jidori)?
If anyone knows, please tell me!
Does anyone know? Please tell me!

◇◇

Hinai Jidori is known as one of Japan's three most delicious chickens, along with Nagoya Cochin and Satsuma Jidori. Yes, they are the heavyweights, the masters of the chicken world.

Now, let's introduce the restaurant!

Toriko

It's read as 'Toriko.'
The manager must definitely love birds! (lol)

A 5-minute walk southwest of Akita Station.

Omakase (Chef's Choice)

This restaurant only serves course meals. It's bold.
Today, I splurged and had the Hinai Jidori course.

An L-shaped counter and two raised seating areas. It's a cozy shop that gets full with just over 10 people.

Yay!

A number of exquisite dishes, each carefully prepared.
I'll introduce them with a barrage of food porn.

Don't look at this when you're hungry!

Argh! Just remembering it now makes me drool...
Piping hot skewers with the perfect amount of salt and dripping with chicken fat.

It's a completely different texture from the previous one; fluffy and juicy.

Here, instead of Hinai Jidori chicken, a relief pitcher: piping hot quail eggs. This might be the first time I've had soft-boiled quail eggs.

They melt away in your mouth as if they're unraveling. They're incredibly soft, so be careful not to drop them!

Chokaisan

A sake brewery near Yashima Station on the Yuri Kogen Railway.
I'm doing a tasting as a way to preview (or 'pre-taste') the place I'm visiting tomorrow. (That's some nonsensical Japanese, isn't it? Haha.)

A refreshing flavor with a sharp, tangy acidity.

The owner of this shop, much like the Hinai Jidori chicken, is a muscular, handsome, and dandy man.
It makes sense when you hear that he used to be a fitness instructor at a sports club. I bet he had all the ladies swooning. (Just my own wild imagination.)

The signature feature of this shop is the 'skin pants'.
(Or so I've decided to call them.)

Skin pants means they peel the chicken skin off the meat first. Then, when skewering, they combine them! They put 'skin pants' on various cuts of meat. The collaboration of crispy, fragrant skin and juicy meat. Isn't that irresistible?

You know how you've burned the roof of your mouth on a fried oyster before?
This guy is the same kind of trouble. It's molten lava.

They quickly blanch a cherry tomato to remove the skin, then sear it. They make sure it's cooked through to the center. Then, they dab on a bit of basil paste. And there you have it.

Palate cleansers arrive periodically.
And none of them are half-hearted.

The negima (chicken and scallion) is also in the 'skin pants' style.
The size of these skin pants is a loose, middle-aged-lady style.

Yuki no Bosha

This is also from Yurihonjo City, just like the Chokaisan we had earlier. However, this brewery is closer to the sea. It's a taste comparison between a mountain-side brewery and a sea-side brewery.

This one has a gentle flavor, packed with the umami of the rice.

It's hereeeee!

I love tsukune (chicken meatballs)!
Fluffy texture with crunchy cartilage as an accent. A sweet and savory sauce made with wasanbon sugar. Is that seaweed kelp? Ah, it's just too delicious.

Time for a palate cleanser again.
Or rather, a skewer cleanser.

I think this is one of the top three chicken liver pastes I've ever eaten. There's absolutely no gamey smell, it has a slightly sweet flavor, and the punch of the pepper makes it a perfect match for the walnut bread. It has a soy sauce kick, giving it a bit of a Japanese touch. It seems they use soy sauce from Ando Jozo in Kakunodate, which I visited the other day.

I almost cheated on sake with wine, but I held back. (I don't even know why I'm holding back myself... haha)

And now, an unexpected salad.
I was caught off guard.

The owner used to be an instructor in my home prefecture of Aichi. We hit it off talking about our shared hometown. Apparently, he had to quit because he ruined his health. He's such a stoic owner, I wonder if he pushed himself too hard...

It's a craft to tuck shiso leaves into the gaps of the chicken skin. This skin is as tight as a girl's pants. Stretchy and taut.

Crispy, the aroma of the shiso wafts up, and then the meat juices overflow.

Aramasa

If you're a sake fan, you know Aramasa, the famous sake that Akita is proud of. It's a super rare sake that's hard to get. As expected of the local area, you can drink it normally here. It was also on the menu at Suzuno, which I visited the other day.

Aramasa has a flavor all its own.
The taste of sake changes significantly depending on the food. However, with this Aramasa, the way you perceive the acidity and sweetness isn't swayed by the food. It's mysterious.

This is a sake that chooses its food.

We've rounded the fourth corner and are back on the straightaway.

Gradually, the seasoning is shifting from light salt-based flavors to sauce-based ones. It's getting richer.

A bit of a rare finish. The grilling is exquisite.
Not wearing any pants, oh my. That's not the kind of 'rare' I meant.

The finale!

Chicken paitan soup and an exquisite, sauce-rich oyakodon.

I surrender.

With both my heart and stomach full,
I leave the restaurant.

Well then, tomorrow is another train day.
I'm going to go meet Matsuko-san.

Who is Matsuko-san?

( To be continued... )