Kajitsu
(Vegan, Japanese)
http://kajitsunyc.com
414 E 9th St (at 1st Ave and Ave A, East Village)
New York City, New York 10009
+1-212-228-4873
@?
Hours: Tues-Sun, 5:30pm-10pm; Mon, closed.
Nearby Subway Stops: L at First Ave.
Recommended by The Michelin Guide with 2 **
Kajitsu is the only vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the world with 2 **
Michelin Guide ⇐ © Serving the Shojin cuisine of Zen Buddist monasteries, Kajitsu explores the vast culinary pleasures and complexities of food that does not "take life. " Much more than a simple vegetarian restaurant, this is a very sophisticated dining experience founded entirely on a seasonal assortment of vegetables, beans, and grains. A tranquil sense of finery pervades the demure and slender space. Delicately etched cups of sake are poured from polished steel carafes and their array of Japanese ceramics thrown by pottery masters make each dish seem more beautiful. This all may sound serious, but the vibe is reserved and comfortable. Friendly servers are thoroughly versed and happy to explain the intricacies of each dish. The food is subdued and elegant and may reveal anokararoll, a summer roll of turnip purée punched up with wasabi root; or vegetable consommé bobbing with fluffy and fragrant mountain yam dumplings. Thick cauldrons of richly flavored soy-sesame stew stocked with seasonal vegetables moisten crisp nests of soba noodles, for a variety of flavors that seem to whisper forth. While the four-coursekazemenu is lovely, the seven-coursehanadinner is more elaborate and impressive.
More Reviews:
happycow.net, timeout.com, tripadvisor.com,
Gayot.com ⇐ © Kajitsu specializes in vegetarian kaiseki cuisine, developed in Zen Buddhist monasteries to isolate the flavors one can get from vegetables and tofu. In other words, instead of mimicking dishes that have meat, Kajitsu celebrates the vegetables on their own merits. The end result is tasty, delicate dishes served up in an austere, basement room awash in plain wood and not much else. Obviously, focusing on something as seasonal as vegetables means that the menu changes often, but guests will get to try such combos as lotus root dumplings with plum sauce, grilled bamboo shoots, and rice with snap peas. Kajitsu makes its own soba noodles on-site and also specializes in fu, made from gluten and rice flour; here, it’s deep-fried and paired with vegetable tempura or spinach and tofu paste. All of the food is presented on special dishware, some of which dates back over 200 years. Finish up with some special tea from Ippodo.
nymag.com ⇐ © In the Shojin, or Japanese vegetarian kaiseki tradition, devised centuries ago by Buddhist monks, vegetables weren’t transformed to mimic meat, but celebrated in all their seasonal glory. And so it is at Kajitsu in the East Village space formerly occupied by Ebisu. Chef Masato Nishihara mastered his ancient craft at Kitcho in Kyoto, where he also studied the affiliated arts of the tea ceremony and flower arranging, and plans to expand his Shojin horizons here by incorporating American produce in his set menus ($45 and $65). They also feature soba, made daily, and fu, the protein-packing building block of Shojin cuisine made from gluten and rice flour. (Kajitsu’s owner is heir to a 250-year-old fu manufacturer that once supplied the imperial court.) The 28-seat restaurant evokes the ceremonial tea rooms its designer has built in Kyoto, with a long counter carved from a single slab of Japanese zelkova, just one of the various woods used for the custom furniture, and antique Japanese dishware that’s historically restored rather than replaced. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld.
