----------------------------------- fvz Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:20 pm Re: Shinjuku - European food ----------------------------------- Il Bacaro - Italian ***** Address - Shinjuku-ku. Shinjuku 3-4-8 Saison Plaza B2 Opening hours - 11:30 to 15:30 17:00 to 23:00. Weekends 11:30 to 23:000 Telephone - 03-5269-8528 Menu - In Italian and Japanese Credit Cards - OK Veneto, the Italian region that surrounds Venice, was one of the first republics in the world and independent for almost a thousand years Venice, its capital, ruled the waves for centuries from the Dardanelles to Spain, until the Turks arrived to spoil the fun. Within Italy it has therefore its peculiarities, and one of them is the habit people have of nibbling at something while having a glass, often of white wine. In Venice, these little morsels are called "cicchetti" and the inns that serve them "bacari". I am delighted to announce that now Shinjuku has its own bacaro, and one that on St. Mark's Square would be odd only because of its Japanese staff and for being a tad too shiny in a place where not much is new. Il Bacaro was created with care by someone who knew what he was doing. Several faithfully rendered entries in the menu, for example baccala mantecato, can be found ONLY in Veneto, and nowhere else even in Italy. Amazingly, there wasn't a single misspelling or misnomer anywhere, either in the menu or in the blackboards. The interior, especially of the bar, is authentic in terms of atmosphere, cuisine and drinks. Prices are very reasonable: lunch sets for example go for 950 yen (an excellent pasta and a salad) and 1200 (same with appetizers). If I were you, I would try going native and eat cicchetti with a glass of wine: they go from 80 to 200 yen each. An espresso at the counter costs a remarkable 100 yen. You can otherwise sit down and explore the menu to a greater depth: there are many spaghetti, fish and meat dishes costing between 600 and a maximum of 1900 yen. There's even vegetable lasagna, a rarity, but I recommend the dishes for which Veneto is famous: bigoli (spaghetti Veneto style) sarde in saor (a cold sardine dish), baccala mantecato (creamed cod on white polenta) or the delightful mixed appetizers. Il Bacaro has a good selection of Italian wines that should go well with almost anything. And, before leaving, don't forget to have a "sgroppino", a digestive made with white Prosecco wine and lemon sherbet: besides being available only in Veneto (and here), it's lovely and perfect to end a meal. This restaurant can be a bit hard to find, but well worth the pain. There is no sign on the street, so be careful. It's in the basement of the Season Plaza Building right across the street from Isetan. Espana - Spanish Reviewed by Junko Okabe Address - Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Yoyogi 2-10-10, Tokyo Plaza Bldg 3.4F Opening hours - 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm (10:00 pm on weekends) Telephone - 03-3379-1159 Menu - Spanish and Japanese Credit Cards - Yes I wanted to introduce some friends to Spanish cuisine, and since we had already agreed to meet in Shjinjuku, I decided to visit for the first time Espana, a place I had wanted to visit for some time. It's a very large restaurant on two floors near Shinjuku station's South exit (see directions below), very casual in atmosphere, so I figure it's ideal for big groups or parties, because chances it will be full at any given time are low. The menu is long, rich in typical Spanish dishes on offer at a very reasonable price but, alas, quality isn't all that high. For example, the shrimp with garlic were very greasy and the paella slightly overcooked. I think I will not go back, because there's much better around. I'd rather spend a little more and have dinner at Tio Danjo in Ebisu. If you don't want to go too far, visit Meson Madrid in Higashi Nakano. Frank's note: Large restaurant on two floors open since 1975. I know that from the address you wouldn't think so, but it's just meters from Shinjuku station's south exit. From the station turn right. The restaurant is about in front of Citibank, on the opposite side of the street. In the same building there's an African restaurant (Rose du Sahara, see address in this site) and the Turkish Culture center.