Japanese & Italian fusion: Dieci

So, I've been introducing restaurants that serve authentic Japanese food, but today, I want to let  you know about a category that exists in Japan called Japanese-Italian. People call it "itameshi (ita= italian and meshi= meal), and there are numerous "itameshi" places in Japan. I don't know why but Japanese people just LOVE italian. So then, the question is what kind of food is "itameshi?" Well, to give you an example, a spagetti topped with tuna and seaweed in a soy sauce, or pizza topped with teriyaki chicken and mayo sauce. People who are reading this right now may not be able to imagine what it's like, but it's pretty good. The funny thing is that at a pasta restaurant called "Goemon", you eat spaghetti with chopsticks rather than forks.

So, with the concept of "itameshi" in mind, there is a restaurant in Manhattan where you can try this Japanese- Italian food. The place is called Dieci, located in East Village. It's a small cozy place with a couple of tables and a bar counter. The place can get really crowded on weekends with people enjoying the taste of Japanese- Italian dishes.

             (Filet Mignon Tataki)                                                 (Uni scrambled egg)

When I went there, it was pretty late at night, maybe around 10pm, but they took our food orders and we were able to taste some delicious dishes. One of the dishes that I really liked was the chawanmushi (egg custard), filet minion tataki, and the fettucine. The chawanmush (egg custard) melted in your mouth, and the filet mignon tataki was topped with  parmesan chips, which was also delicious. The fettucine was sea urchin cream sauce with calamari, which was the best!

                    (Chawanmushi)                                                             (Fettucine)

I would definitely recommend this place when you want a fancy dinner because the dishes are expensive. However, it's worth a try to taste the dishes!

                                                             (Pan roasted lamb chops)


Information on Dieci
Location: 228 East 10th Street (btw 1st & 2nd ave)
Phone: (212) 387- 9454
Hours: Sun - Thur: 6pm- 11pm
            Fri - Sat : 6pm- 11:30 pm