IZAKAYA SEASUN

Izakaya Seasun, an Outpost of a Korean Chain, Opens in NYC

"Opened last month in Nomad as the chain’s first U.S. outpost, this izakaya imports its Korea-origin décor and a polished, franchise-ready service model: glass bricks, oversize speakers, dark-blue paisley wallpaper, lacquered-wood panels and a kitschy lobby with a faux hot spring puffing fog and a backlit cartoon-cat banner. Evenings are filled with K-pop and blue Hawaiian highballs, and quoted 60-minute waits can shrink to about 30 minutes. The menu offers bar-style Japanese food filtered through a Korean lens — a sashimi dome of salmon, hamachi, sea bream and Wagyu on crushed ice; finger-length fish sticks; caramelized yakitori including skewered king oyster mushroom, chicken heart and nicely rendered chicken wings; tangy, soft kimchee pancakes; and a Nagasaki champon hot pot with mussels, pork and a split crab — often enjoyed with a slushy frozen beer and finished with fresh pineapple. The space’s carefully calibrated, decorative stimuli and frictionless, optimized service make it feel fun and easygoing — a popular first-date pick and a familiar draw for diaspora fans, even if some critics question the value-quality tradeoff." - Tammie Teclemariam