YFC Tour Series - The Andrew Zimmern Honor Tour

 

The Andrew Zimmern honor tour is for those adventurous folks out there. Now I know that for some the term "adventurous" means going off base to eat ramen or buying onigiri at 7-11.  I respect that, but that's not the kind of adventurous we're talking about. So take a walking tour right here in Yokosuka and see how gastronomically brave you are. Many of these places serve sake 酒 which may provide some needed encouragement.

 We'll start on the West side of town and then work East and South.

The grill and master at Hisago

We start out at a favorite hangout for many at Hisago Yakitori.
Have a stick of chicken intestine (grilled, salted or sauced (you or the chicken) and it will taste great!) followed by some tongue. Chickens do have tongues but here it's beef tongue.  
Be sure not to miss Chu-abu (チューアブ) which is blood vessel yakitori. I'm very sorry I don't have a photo to share. Sometimes we just dig in before the thinking about the camera...

Outlaw yakitori

Working our way back to towards base it is very convenient to stop by "Outlaw" or あうとろうてい  as it's written on the restaurant exterior. Here you'll want to try out some liver, gizzard, or heart. These are almost normal yakitori fare. If so, then go for the bonjiri or meat around the chicken's coccyx. (I know... select text, right click, search...) The tail, for some, is a delicacy not to be missed.

Shiori Banzai

Take a pit stop at the corner chu-hi stand because you may need it before you take a seat at the bar at Shiori Banzai. Here you will order the Okinawan pig ear and bean sprout namul, then do your part to be steward of the environment by ordering not the fatty tuna belly, but ordering some salted tuna intestine (wata-garasu in "Okinawan").

Almost half way.

Fourth stomach? Cold tongue? not! but if you have cold feet you could order this wonderful beef stew at Hananoya.

Get through the Honch safely, then stop on in at Hananoya French Restaurant.  But be polite since this is a classy place.  Here you'll just need a few quick dishes: the beef tripe from the coveted cow's fourth stomach, and some cold pork tongue. The cold doesn't make it any easier does it? If you want honor you have to work for it! Some liquid encouragement may assist here too. But do keep in mind that Andrew Zimmern does not drink, and eats all of his food with a clear mind and purposeful intent.  A true honor tour participant would do this without alcohol. Do not dishonor Andrew. 

Fugu at Sumiyoshi - courtesy of Tabelog

So now we head from one back alley to another, even smaller, back alley to make our way to Sumiyoshi.
What Andew Zimmern honor tour would be complete without eating Fugu?? Get some from this Fugu certified sashimi chef and have no worries. He's an expert. Before you do that though and numb up your mouth, do try some raw sea urchin. I tried some super fresh stuff at Tsukiji market and still here to talk about it. I was quite good.

Sea Urchin in the hands of Andy

Perhaps it's time for a break? If you're still going strong, head over to Kuimonoya-wan. They don't bother with the "roasting" and are perfectly willing to serve you up some chanjya the proper way.  Oh, what is chanjya? (select, right click, search...) You could in fact just end your tour here because Kuimonoya has a lot to offer the bizarre food aficionado.  Here we go:

• Octopus soaked with wasabi
• Octopus carpaccio served with ponzu sauce and spicy hot sauce
• Chanja - spicy cod guts (that's straight from the menu folks) pickled Korean style
• Boiled pork offal and onion in ponzu sauce
• Salted squid guts  - it's perfect with rice
• Chanjya (spicy cod guts pickled) with cream cheese - now we're talkin! 
• and lastly, a stick of yakitori "chicken rump" - hey, dat's what da menu says...!

Of course we can't end our tour here though, there is more to explore....

Crocodile Sashimi - courtesy of Sukaichi-e.com

In testament to just how far Andrew Zimmern has gone, you can follow in his path and try some crocodile sashimi at Izakaya Kita no Shoya.  By now you're getting full, so they do offer a "low calorie" menu option called raw kangaroo which is described as "simple flavor" - and why they recommend eating it with some garlic.


A quick stop at Tori Gin, assuming it's on their seasonal special menu, you can try horse sashimi for a truly bizarre dish. Less bizarre go for the marinated octopus. Hey, I don't condone, the choice is yours.

Hormone - photo from Tabelog.com

Now heading a bit farther out of town, get off the local train at Otsu Station, which is the third stop from Chuo heading towards Uraga, or drive and park in the free parking lot of Otsu Garden. You can have a common specialty called Hormone, which is the "innards" cooked up on your tabletop charcoal grill. Another possibility is the 1st stomach of the cow (two down, two to go). Pig's feet (on the menu) might not be that odd, and if it isn't, please try the wagyu fatty tongue sashimi. The wagyu stuff is reportedly much much better than the regular tongue. Lastly an intestine stew will warm the belly.

The kabuto at Kurobatei

We end up at a place that Andrew Zimmern himself visited during his show - Kurobatei. Kurobatei is down in the tuna fishing port of Misaki and is best accessed by taking the train all the way to the last stop of Misakiguchi, followed by a quick taxi ride the rest of the way.  You should order the same as Andrew did and get the tuna head set meal, which will be delivered complete with a conch shell ceremony.

Late entry: No pictures yet, but if you'd like some uterus or locust yakitori you can get it right here in Yokosuka. It's on the same tiny alley as Sumiyoshi. If you are at the auto-yakitori stand facing it,turn to your right, and a place called Hanbe will be on your right. It's on the second floor and the prices are incredibly cheap. Thanks to my friend and travel writer Jessica for finding this unique place and tasty bites.

There are many more options in and around this town of Yokosuka. A map of the above travels can be found here.