This is a spendid place to satisfy a craving for authentic Japanese fare. The varied menu contains all the traditional items that I've come to expect from an Izakaya style restaurant. My personal favorites at Vi Bacchus include the fried chicken kara-age, the miso tofu steak and the delicious agedashi tofu.
Agedashi tofu is an item that I always order at an izakaya...it is rather like my personal yardstick to measure the quality of the food. The version at Vi Bacchus is especially delicate and flavorful. It is one of the best in the city, in my opinion.
I definitely recommend trying the seafood dish called Dynamite. The combination of seafood, hot/spicy chili and creamy sauce is unusual and very tasty.
Vi Bacchus has a nice array of beers an sakes available, including the cloudy nigori style that I love, but what really stands out is the great selection of shochu. So many Japanese restaurants in America only stock a couple shochus, usually rice-based. Vi Bacchus offers some real variety in this area, including shochu made with sweet potato and others made from barley. The sweet potato version is just lovely and perfectly accents the food.
The yakitori is always excellent too. My all-time favorite item, the chicken liver yakitori, is only offered on weekends (Friday and Saturday I believe) but it is well-worth the wait. You can order it with glazed with a slightly sweet sauce or with salt and pepper-either way it is just fantastic. The chicken skin yakitori is really delicious too.
Of course, the requisite specialty rolls are on hand. The Crazy Horse, containing shrimp and three kinds of fish plus avacado, tends to be my regular. On special occasions I get the Queen Union, which features seared tuna and a marvelously creamy ponzu/avocado sauce.
And in the best Japanese tradition, the service is super efficient and perfectly friendly and welcoming. The only bad thing about this joint is that it makes me miss being in Japan!
Pros: Delicious and authentic food, excellent bar offerings, friendly and efficient staff
Cons: Gets a little noisy, mainly on Sundays when all the college kids are there
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