Midtown Lunch

It looks like Izakaya Moku has joined Arang in giving up on the lunch crowd. I passed by yesterday afternoon and noticed the curtains closed on the upstairs Japanese restaurant. I went in to check it out and found no one inside. The door was open, so I peeked in and it was a ghost town. Following up on the website, they now list their hours as opening at 5pm daily. I can’t say I’d been back since checking it out in the spring, but I still mourn the loss of any lunch service in the area… except maybe the Pizzacones.

It seems pretty likely that all of the new places that make up the recent Japanese “invasion” of Koreatown are owned and operated by Koreans rather than Japanese.  Arang hides nothing with its mixed menu of Korean and Japanese foods and Haru Hana’s broad survey of all foods Japanese is a bit unusual. The latest beach head is Izakaya Moku (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th), and it has inspired much consternation among chowhounders and other seekers of authenticity. Here’s the thing: I don’t really care.

I love Japanese food. And until recently, the only option for those of us working near 34th Street was to hop the 6 train. I’ve happily checked out the other places that have popped up in K-Town, and jumped at the chance to try out Izakaya Moku.

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The Village Voice seems to be in Midtown a lot these days… on Tuesday Robert Sietsema posted a not terrible review of Oaxaca Grill (even though “there’s zero Oaxacan about the menu”), and in yesterday’s issue of the paper Sarah DiGregorio reviewed the newly opened Izakaya Moku on 32nd btw. B’way+5th.  From her review you don’t really get a sense of what the place might be like for lunch, but it sounds like the food is pretty good.

Related:
Izakaya Moku Continues the Japanification of Koreatown
First Look: Oaxaca Mexican Grill (A More Americanized Chipotle!?)