Daisho’s Eye To Tradition
By The Foodies./ foodie@longislandernews.com

During its formative months on Huntington’s Main Street, Daisho of Japan has been focusing on two areas of Japanese cuisine – yakitori and ramen – that might give local diners a chance to widen their horizons.

While yakitori specifically refers to skewered chicken, the phrase is used interchangeably for poultry and non-poultry skewered foods in Japan. If you want to be technical, the proper term for all non-chicken skewer-grilled foods is kushiyaki.
So in keeping with the proper name, let’s start with the chicken. Available either on a skewer cubed ($1.75) or the on bone ($1.95 for chicken wings), the chicken boasts robust flavor and is tender and especially flavorful. Skewered shrimp ($1.95) is mild, sweet and fresh, while beef skewers ($1.95) are an on-the-go meat-eater’s delight, bursting with flavor and prepared just right. Pork ($1.75) is mild and satisfying. Bacon-wrapped asparagus skewers ($2.95) juxtapose textures well while boasting similarly salty flavors. Bacon-wrapped mushroom ($2.95) skewers are another choice, and vegetarians can look to big, plump mushrooms, grilled and skewered ($1.95).
All of the skewers have a nice kick to them thanks to fresh black pepper. Diners can buy the skewers by the piece or make a meal of it by buying them in groups of eight ($12.95), 12 ($18.95) or 18 ($24.95).

Ramen is another staple of the Daisho menu. A Japanese noodle dish that has roots in China, its most common form, which has become a staple for college students since then, was invented in 1958 – instant noodles, just add hot water – by Momofuku Ando and marketed by Nissin Foods.

Don’t be fooled, though – ramen is much more than that, especially as Daisho prepares it. (By the way, next time you’re in Yokohama, check out the Ramen Museum located there, which opened in 1994.) We picked the Spicy Shrimp Ramen ($13.95), which pairs succulent, tangy shrimp with hearty noodles in a pork-based broth. The spicy coating for the shrimp permeates throughout the broth, tingling on your tongue as you sip and eat. And yes, this may be the first soup you “eat” with chopsticks – a fun dining experience for the uninitiated, to be sure.

Based on their previous performance on their unique offerings, their expansive sushi selection, featuring nearly two-dozen rolls and a dozen more traditional dinner offerings, is sure to please. They share the kitchen with Dragon Gate, which moved around the corner to 6 Green St. for takeout service, and are under the same ownership. All of Daisho’s lunch specials are under $11, giving diners an affordable new way to expand their palates.

Daisho of Japan
308 Main St., Huntington
631-385-8102
www.daishony.com
Atmosphere: Subdued dining
Cuisine: Japanese
Price: Moderate
Hours: Noon-10 p.m. daily