[City Travels] St Mark's Place

 

With the ongoing pandemic, many of us can no longer dine like the old days. So many businesses had to shut down during these uncertain times and it's such a shame that the places I wanted to visit no longer operate. It had me reminiscing about fun dinners I had a couple years back. Here is a new installment in the new series of City Travels, where I now recall my old dining retreats. We're start off with the infamous St. Mark's Place.

I hadn't been familiar with St. Mark's Place until my co-workers brought me there for late night dinners and drink sessions. I've grown fond of the place. I recall back in high school when a classmate highly recommended that I pay it a visit for its interesting clientele and guests that occupy the streets at night. Years later I see that her description still fits, the night folks are as colorful as ever.

On 3rd Ave, you may want to pay a visit to Vivi's Bubble Tea. They currently have locations in Chinatown and Chelsea as well, but this one has a large seating area that is perfect for larger groups looking for a place to rest.

After some bubble tea, you may want to walk around and pay Sunrise Mart a visit. Getting inside there is almost like a secret entrance. You take an elevator to the second floor where the market is located. Sunrise specializes in all things Japanese. While small, you can find a lot imported grocery, snacks, and miscellaneous items at very reasonable prices. They also have a prepared foods section that is popular with the students and people working in the area. I always go for their mentaiko onigiri when I pay them a visit or the occasional daifuku.

I remember attending a gathering composed of both co-workers and their friends. We were a party of probably 12 or 14 squeezed into the tiny wobbly tables. That's mainly the problem with places at St. Mark's. Most restaurants don't have seating intended for huge groups. Still it was incredibly fun as we exchanged stories of work gossip.

This one is the budae jigae, one of the 3 hot pots we had ordered.

 

As the place was/is called Hakata Hot Pot, the place is also known as Zen 6 to some people. Eventually it was renamed to Hakata Zen. As I am told, the place merged two businesses together so they serve an array of Hakata styled hot pots, sushi, and an array of izakaya food. We ordered a total of three different hot pots which I barely remember how it tasted, but mainly for how hot it made the room. We also ordered some standard izakaya foods like kara-age and ramen. I regret not taking a bite of the Hakata hot pot at the time. There's a slim chance of me having an authentic one at home. Especially since this restaurant is now permanently closed.

 

Fast forward to months later, I meet up with a co-worker to have a sort of farewell dinner. This was probably the closest experience to having a true izakaya dinner as they portray in movies and manga. Just two people eating, drinking, and getting to know each other better after a hard day of work. We were originally going to eat at Kenka's, but seeing that there was going to be a terrible wait outside, we decided to head to Oh! Taisho/Yakitori Taisho. We were seated almost immediately as there was an empty spot in the back of the place.

In such a small place, it's hard not to raise your voice with so many people packed together.
We both ordered the medium sized vodka based cocktail ($9.50). I got the peach oolong and my co-worker got the cassis soda. The drink was surprisingly easy to drink. I thought it would be something extremely strong and I guess a medium size was the better choice against a small size. In terms of food, we got the gyoza plate, the duck balsamico, and the A set of yakitori ($16.50).

Duck balsamico in the back and gyoza in the front

Yakitori set

That was some really good food we had that night. Gyoza is standard gyoza. The grilled duck in balsamic sauce was crispy and so tasty in its rendered fat. It comes with a salad that goes well as a sort of palate cleanser. The yakitori set was chicken, chicken skin, chicken gizzard, beef meatball, and pork belly. Who doesn't like the smoky charred flavor of meat. If it's a small group of perhaps 4 people, I would go back to Oh! Taisho for another dinner.

If you are looking to drink someplace, but don't want to drop a twenty for a cocktail, 212 Hisae is the one to go. Lils had told me multiple times to go drinking here, but who the hell goes drinking alone. I went with a group of 6 people which turned out to be a good night. We all knew each other and ranted to each other. Cocktails here are $4-5 unless otherwise specified. Last I checked, the prices have gone up. I got really suspicious of the prices, but my Daiquiri came and it was quite strong, not watered down. The Hurricane I had however felt watered down because as the night went on, the restaurant got terribly busy and the tickets were messed up. I got a little disappointed to see that it was not served in a hurricane glass, but a typical glass tumbler.

Food here is not greasy bar food. We had mussels, lots of fries, wings, and pot stickers. Their menu also boasts really good steak and beef dishes. As many Yelpers had mentioned, the place is owned by a very sweet obaa-chan. She was the one leading us to our table that night. Lils and I joked that she is secretly a yakuza granny who's running the bar as a side business.

One suggestion for visitors is to order all your drinks and food at once as it comes very slowly. Let the conversation carry you through the wait. My personal recommendation is to eat something before you enter 212 Hisae's or else you will be waiting on a very empty stomach.

Fast forward to about two months later, I'm at another co-worker gathering at a place called Boka. It was a very hot and humid day, but the night had finally cooled down. Our party of eight got a long table by the entrance where all the doors and windows were opened. We got a really good breeze coming in that night. We paid around $28 each for two pitchers of beer, three platters of fried chicken, a plate of nachos, fries, and a rice dish. I ordered a $9 Sunrise, a sake based mixed drink with orange juice and grenadine. That stuff wasn't strong at all. It was like drinking juice. Points off for weak drink, but thumbs up for soy garlic wings, crispy and savory.

I really miss dining at St. Mark's Place a lot. Since it is close to the universities, a lot of food is priced cheaper despite being close to Union Square. I still go there to get some of my groceries at Sunrise Mart. My favorite would be their rice cracker selection, because they do carry quite a few brands other stores don't have. Really hoping the day I can sip cocktails and guzzle fried food would come sooner.