I’d heard rumors about the building forever. Perched on the corner of North Sixth Street and Wythe Avenue, completely encased in vertical wood planks, some people said it was a restaurant, others claimed it was a private dining club and still more swore it was a warehouse with some dark, nefarious purpose. What’s inside of 77 N. Sixth St. was quickly growing into a Williamsburg urban legend, like the affordable studio apartment or pleasant rush hour commute on the L train.
Once you’ve stepped inside the building — locating the camouflaged door only took a few minutes — the business’s purpose doesn’t get much clearer. Although the three-story space is home to Zenkichi restaurant — named after the owner’s great-grandfather, she calls it a “modern Japanese brasserie” — you don’t discover it right away. The lobby is all dark wood and low lighting, and it isn’t until you round a corner that you encounter the hostess and a more familiar dining experience begins.
Opened in 2006 by husband-and-wife-team Saul Margulies and Tokyo native Motoko Watanabe, Zenkichi has a bold mission.
“We don’t have sushi, and we don’t concentrate on what sells,” said Watanabe. “We try to recreate Tokyo, not cater to a mainstream demand.”
And inside the restaurant, which can seat 70 at its tiny tables — each of which is obscured from view by blinds and has a built-in call button to summon a server — it’s not like any other Japanese restaurant in town. Walls are mirrored and everything is covered in dark wood; finding your way through the maze, or back to your table from the restroom, is a confusing endeavor. It’s inspired by the private dining style — where you’re blocked from seeing or being seen by other diners because the restaurant is little more than a series of connected rooms — that is a hit in Japan.
“Anything good enough for 12 million Tokyoites,” said Watanabe, “is good enough for Brooklyn.”
The menu at Zenkichi, crafted under the watchful eye of chefs Mikio Sano and Tetsuya Akikawa, changes every five weeks, but for the most part, what I ate was definitely good enough for Brooklyn. In fact, it was good enough for just about anywhere. The restaurant bills its dishes as “Japanese tapas,” meaning the portions are small and meant for sharing (prices run from $5.50 to $18 for a plate). The staff pushes the tasting menu — $44 per guest — which involves five courses coming out in the traditional appetizer-to-dessert formation.
I began my meal with the tiger shrimp and Camembert tempura, a plump, fried shrimp stuffed with tangy cheese and served with a side of green-tea-flavored salt. Next came a carpaccio of sashimi-grade tuna, served over a slaw of carrots, daikon radish and peppers, and then topped with a green “yuzu” (citrus fruit) pepper sauce, and a sweet duck salad. All of the starters were complex and enjoyable.
For a restaurant that eschews sushi, the carpaccio — basically sashimi — was excellent and would be a welcome dish at any of the sushi spots along the North Sixth Street restaurant corridor. The salad, which involved sweet chunks of duck meat and a cold poached egg on top of a pile of sweetly dressed watercress, was savory and unique; the type of dish I immediately planned to return for.
The next plates were a bit less exciting but equally tasty. “Saikyo miso black cod,” a piece of the fish that has been marinated in Kyoto miso and grilled, was served alongside a pearl onion and shiitake mushrooms. The fish was light but luxurious, less fussy but more soulful than I had expected.
Equally surprising was the “rock salt jidori chicken,” slices of grilled, free-range fowl that come with a lemon wedge and a knob of “yuzu,” so each plate can be flavored by the customer. I recommend using both seasonings to give the chicken a real punch and elevate it from everyday to excellent.
By the time our modish waitress, dressed like a 1960s flight attendant, returned with dessert — a frozen black sesame mousse and a dark chocolate truffle, both good, neither transcendent — I had started to think that perhaps the reason neighbors couldn’t tell me exactly what was inside of those wooden walls was that none of them wanted to spoil the secret. It’s a shame, though, because once you find the door, Zenkichi is the type of neighborhood restaurant that everyone should experience.
Zenkichi (77 N. Sixth St. at Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg) accepts American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Small plates: $5.50 to $18; 5-course tasting menu: $44 per guest. L train to Bedford Avenue. The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. For information, call (718) 388-8985 or visit www.zenkichi.com.
