Craft Izakaya

The Sushi Huku guys have been working on this concept for a bit and now it's open for business. Izakayas got some attention the last few years with Miso and Shoya introducing this late to the game town on this Japanese concept. Miso is not really a true izakaya but what they did was great because it introduced the hipster crowd to what it was all about with baby steps. Shoya is still one of my top restos in this town and their menu is sick, I still haven't eaten everything on there because they keep coming up with new shit every other week. And now Craft is doing what I call a mini-Shoya intown. I know they hate me calling and comparing them to Shoya but Shoya is pretty much the tits when it comes to mass consumption of an extensive variety of izakaya vittles.

I waited awhile before I came here because I wanted to see what the online fuckers had to say about their California rolls they got up in this piece. Most of them were complaining about how expensive it was and that their sushi roll selection wasn't as extensive like Ru San's and why they didn't have more cream cheese in them. You know who these fuckers I'm talking about are and it's a laugh riot to read how unsophisticated their palates are when it comes to ethnic cuisines. It makes them sound like the village idiot in Acworth and I don't even know where that shithole is, but it just sounds very rural. I'm not saying Craft is authentic in the true sense of the word but they do a nice job on bringing the essence of an izakaya. Yes, it's pretty pricey for some of the items but there's a lot of things here you just don't order at an izakaya, it's more for the uninitiated crowd who wants to be at the cool places without having to compromise on their El Azteca tastebuds. Let's take a look at the dishes I had and it should give y'all a good idea of some of the classics.

Takoyaki. Ahh, the infamous octopus balls that many places have tried and failed at. Here, you get a piece of octopus in every bite, so not much to complain about since they tasted pretty good.

Chawan Mushi. A little different version with a more silky tofu kinda texture like you find at a dim sum joint. Dig down and mix up the shrimp, scallop and ginko nuts hiding at the bottom. I liked this enough that I would order it again.

Fried Chicken Wings.  If there's fwied cheekan on the menu, it's going in my pouch. They tell me these are some of the best wings in town if not the best... That's a bold statement to say it in front of my marsupial pouch. He takes that as a challenge. The batter is well seasoned, crunchy and breaks away pretty easily while it does it's job on sealing in the juices inside. These were pretty good but Sobban's KFC wings still the king of the wings. The spicy sauce was nice but not hot enough. I would prolly not get these again because it was quite pricey for four wings at almost $9.. You know how many pieces of incredible cheekan I can get at Popeyes for nine-friggin-dollars!!

Fried Oyster. Plump and juicy. Great panko crunch and lava hot inside. Awesome.

Baby Octopus. Who doesn't lurv some deep fwied wacky wall crawlers. Love these things.

Japanese Sausage. Great natural casing snap and dericious smooth meat grind inside.

Chicken Hearts. Some of the best cheekan hearts I have ever eaten, super tender with a little char on the finish. Looking at this shot, it kinda looks like a wang. Hey, it ain't the first time I ate penis and balls from a steamy dreamy strapping fine young animal... Wait, that didn't come out right. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Remember, no teeth.

Chicken and Pork Belly. Tender, flavorful, delish. The trio of hot sauces were great... The lighter the color, the hotter it was. But not spicy enough for da pouch.

Hamachi Kama. Definitely one of the better versions I have had in this town. Crispy skin and fins with steamy flakey tender flesh inside.

 Scallop. Feed me now.

Japanese Yellowtail Belly. Like buttah... It's like the butter face you make before you come, you look like a retard but it's oh sooo good. 

Salmon. Nice cut with a little belly showing, gives it that extra buttery taste to it. Shit, now my muffin top is showing... At least my stump isn't. No one wants to see that tiny thing. I'm talking about my outty bellybutton, of course... You sickos.

Snapper. Lightly seared with a hand flamethrower. The light char gave it a whole new level of umami. Mmm, I lurv all kinds of snapper... Blondes, brunettes, redheads.. Did I say that out loud? Nevermind, nothing to see here.

Tuna. Look at that color. It was like color of my first girlfriend's mulva in middle school. Can't get any younger and fresher than this... Ok, maybe in grade school. Dolores!!!

Omakase. Just look at this display, it's more mesmerizing than Marsellus Wallace's soul in the briefcase... Wait, it coulda been Richard Gere's golden gerbil in there. But little furry rodents don't taste as good as this... Maybe except in the back door. Jey could not have picked a better selection of my favorites... Uni, sweet shrimp, toro, aji shima, etc, etc.. He sources some of the best sushi grade fish in town me thinks and tasted.

And of course, you can't end a platter like that without eating the bones (no KFC pun intended because that shit is garbage) of the deep fried shrimp heads and whole fish skeleton. The fucking eyeballs rule. These are some of my favorite parts to munch on and it did not disappoint. Crunch.

I'm glad I waited for the "I gotta be the first" crowds to die down because if I went during the California rolls rush in the beginning, the other dishes would have suffered and then I would have to take a big shit on this place. But it all worked out perfectly in the end. The service was spot on, the special cocktails for the discerning taste of the pouch made by Nate were perfect and Jey's hands with the skills of a Rabbi created a great ensemble of sashimi and nigiri that were delicious and memorable... Shit, I'm still thinking about it. It's definitely on my top 10 list... Go motherfuckers and don't you goddamn order a fucking whitie roll. I will kick you in the ball sack or ovaries if you don't have those... Some times you just can't tell with people in this area. Drive, don't run here because it could be unsafe.

Pump Pump Squirt X 3.

99 Krog St NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
(470) 355-9556
http://craftizakaya.com/ 6