A lingua franca is a language that makes communication possible between those who don't share a mother tongue—as when an African and a Swede find common ground in English. Food can also serve as a lingua franca, uniting people in ways that words sometimes cannot. The international expression of delicious is a recognizable closing of the eyes, nodding of the head and slowly-spreading smile. However, one man's delight can sometimes be another's disgust. Just because you can't imagine eating deep-fried water bugs or guinea pig stew doesn't mean they aren't worthy. It can be good to get out of your comfort zone and discover something new. But if you aren't ready to learn a foreign tongue today, you may not want to read on.
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The very day the Times gave Takashi a rave review, Dickson's announced it would be co-hosting a special dinner there, featuring an all-beef menu from a single steer it would supply. As a big fan of Dickson's, conscientiously-raised beef, Korean barbecue and adventurous eating, I couldn't really pass up the opportunity. Takashi—the name of the chef and his restaurant—opened in April in Manhattan's West Village, and seems to be occupying a new space in the city's dining landscape. The food is in the style of yakiniku, a Japanese version of Korean barbecue that originated in Japan during the Second World War, when many thousands of Koreans were conscripted into the Japanese army and brought to the island to work. Chef Takashi Inoue's grandmother is Korean and runs a small yakiniku restaurant in Osaka. Takashi came to the United States three years ago to study English, met Saheem Ali—then a theater director, now the restaurant’s general manager—and together they opened this small restaurant. The quality of the meat on offer is fantastic. At the dinner we attended, it all came from one steer that had been provided by Dickson's. It was a real adventure in nose-to-tail eating, and one that honored Dickson's fine beef, Takashi's original cooking, and the magnificent animal that made it all possible.
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