Or, more precisely, can a restaurant jump the shark before it even opens?

We’re talking about izakayas here, people. An izakaya is the Japanese version of a gastropub supper pub, also known as a bar that serves snacky, alcohol-friendly food. A tavern, if you will. They were the hotness in New York a year or so back and we guessed it wouldn’t be long before they migrated down to Philly as so many food trends from NYC are wont to do (tapas craze, anyone?). And we guessed right!

First, there was Yakitori Boy, which turned out to be a dumbed-down sort-of-izakaya with middling food and a much more enticing karaoke bar. Then there was news that Michael Schulson, formerly of POD and Buddakan would be opening an izakaya called, well, Izakaya in the Borgata. Then Drew Lazor of City Paper reported that Owen Kamihira of Bar Ferdinand is also opening an izakaya in the Blatstein Vortex in NoLibs.

And then, this past Friday, Michael Klein revealed that the Stephen Starr octopus is plunging its mighty tentacles into the izakaya business with one planned for an undisclosed Rittenhouse location later this year.

All of which leads us to wonder: might the izakaya might be over before it began?

Joking! We’re looking forward to at least one of these places being worthwhile. We’re putting our money on Kamihira, but… the Restaurant Yenta in us can’t help but wonder where exactly Starr will lay down his newest Japanese-inspired gauntlet. We thought it would be amazing if Striped Bass were the spot–or the jinxed former Copa Miami location. If anyone can cleanse out the bad juju there, it’s the Dark Starr. Or perhaps that building on the corner of 20th and Sansom, just south of Tinto’s new expansion, which we’re calling the new restaurant nexus.

We thought all of these things, until a little Starrling peeped up that the likely locale would be The Lanesborough condominium building at 16th and Locust. That condo is an Allan Domb venture, as are the Barclay and the Parc Rittenhouse where Starr has (or will have) other restaurants. You do the restaurant and real estate math.

City Paper’s Trey Popp checks out Yakitori Boy, the karaoke lounge and small plates restaurant that has opened in Chinatown.

Yakitori Boy attempts to cater to this vast clientele by way of “japas” — a play on Spanish tapas. Think shortened sushi rolls and small barbecue skewers threaded with everything from chicken to gingko nuts. Food options come by the score, illustrated by garish color photographs on a laminated menu that’s an exercise in visual overload.

Unfortunately, the eye candy wasn’t too sweet on the tongue. Any kitchen that tries to make this many things for this many people has got a challenge on its hands, and Yakitori Boy doesn’t seem up to it. With the exception of the supplemental chef’s daily menu (more on that later), just about every plate that came my way was disappointingly bland. Unsurprisingly, given its sheer volume, much of the food had a faintly industrial character.

There Is No Spoon [City Paper]
Yakitori Boy

Wednesday nights are made for food on sticks. We don’t know why, we’re just pretty sure that’s true. So head to Chinatown and Yakitori Boy. Be sure to try the Kalbi, short rib skewers.

Philadining takes a second trip to Yakitori Boy in Chinatown and reports the kitchen is finding its groove.

Bacon and Eggs, well, Quail Eggs Wrapped in Bacon were very tasty. How could they not be? We were very amused when at the end of the meal, as plates were being cleared, one of our servers noticed a lone remaining egg, and jokingly scolded us: “don’t waste bacon!” I’m thinking of getting a tattoo that says that…

Yakitori Boy Update [The Philadining Blog]

The Bite has good things to say about the newly opened Yakitori Boy, looks forward to lobster corn dogs at the Devil’s Den and spills the hops on the names of the new Philadelphia Brewing Company’s initial brews.

The Bite: Sing for your supper [Metro Philadelphia]

The PhilaDining Blog rings in the New Year with fireworks and a late night dinner at the brand new Yakitori Boy in Chinatown.

So, even though we were not completely blown-away by the quality of the yakitori on this visit, we’re definitely going back to try more of the menu, and try some of the grilled things over again once they’ve gotten into the groove.

Yakitori Boy [The PhilaDining Blog]

Could J.C. Dobbs being making a comeback this April? That’s the scuttlebutt from A. D. Amorosi. [Icepack, City Paper]

Just how cool is Yakitori Boy going to be with its first floor dining room and bar and upstairs karaoke lounge and rooms? Besides being labeled “arguably the coolest thing in Chinatown” by Michael Klein it was recently mentioned by the oh so cool Gridskipper. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Drew Lazor has more on Irish Times, the 2nd and Bainbridge Irish bar that opened a couple of weeks ago. One of the most popular items on the menu has been the “‘Drunken Swine,’ Guinness-marinated pork tenderloin served with veggies and potatoes.” [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]

Progress was spotted at Pearl, the new spot at 19th and Chestnut from the Red Sky peeps. A couple truckloads of kitchen equipment were being unloaded on Tuesday morning.

The Beer Yard’s web site is cited in a Forbes.com article as being “a harbinger of relationships between sellers and independent, user-generated content, reviewing sites.” The Beer Yard in Forbes, that’s pretty cool. [Forbes.com]

Sarcone’s is looking to franchise. Immediate plans are to open stores in New Jersey, Delaware and upstate New York. [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]

Michael Klein gets a tour of Yakitori Boy, a new karaoke bar in Chinatown.

The owner showed me around, but declined my request to photograph. The first floor has a 90-seat dining room and what appears to be two sushi bars, in addition to a drinkin’ bar. In fact, there’s one sushi bar and a yakitori bar, at which cooks will prepare chicken meat on a stick over grills. The word “japas” on their stationery is a pun on “Japanese tapas.”

Warm up your pipes for Yakitori Boy [Food & Drinq]