THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Chizakaya

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Chizakaya Restaurant Review:

Succeeding where its izakaya predecessors have not, this Lakeview eatery --- owned by Harold Jurado (a Sunda, Charlie Trotter’s and Japonais vet) --- has Robert Rubba (L20, Restaurant Guy Savoy, Gordon Ramsay at The London Hotel) as its chef de cuisine; impressive whiskey and saké selections, the latter culled by ex-L2O sommelier Chantelle Pabros; and some fine okashi and small plates that incorporate local ingredients. Out-of-the-gate faves include puffed, deep-fried pig’s ears; crispy pork with a silky, slow-poached egg; and pristine, steamed walleye with hints of ginger. Cheap yakitori of animals’ forgotten parts, though, are not for the weak of heart. Some dishes, complexly conceived, confound, but the crispy chicken thigh, enlivened by dashi mayo and mustard greens, attains high marks.