We like hot dogs and we love snacky Japanese foods. So it was only a matter of time before we ate our way through the menu at Japadog. This Canadian chain hit the East Village earlier this year, their first American location, with a menu of dogs topped with nori, bonito flakes, tonkatsu sauce, and much more. More

It's hard to be elegant when you're shouting down the table to be heard, and the polished concrete floors only apply sound. Better to huddle beneath the ghost-white branches, sipping sake and swapping stories. If you must, text discretely with a slim phone. 1 or 8 is best for: a date with an aesthete. More

Fortunately, at Williamsburg's Bozu there are plenty of vegetarian dishes on offer, as well as some interesting sushi. More

We visited Jin twice and made return visits to both Ippudo and Momofuku Noodle Bar (two of the most popular ramen joints in the city, and according to our own rankings, contenders for the best ramen in NYC) in order to see how this newcomer would stack up. And how was it? Awesome. More

Shojin-ryori, the predecessor to kaiseki cuisine devised centuries ago by Buddhist monks (and the basis for the food served at Kajitsu) has been a purely vegan cuisine from its outset. There are no wizard-like attempts to transform vegetables into meat-like products, no culinary mimicry, rather It's a cuisine that celebrates vegetables in all of their diverse glory. Kajitsu practices this tradition exceptionally well. More

The new year has already seen the arrival of a delicious foreign invasion. Vancouver's Japadog is proving that there's more to Canadian fast food than Tim Hortons. More

The Shira-ae ($5) under Hibino's "tofu" section of the menu looks like a big mass of green, which it is, but it's a little more nuanced than that. The chefs at this cozy, Kyoto-style Japanese corner spot simmer the greens in a dashi broth just long enough for the veggies to absorb its light, clean flavor while remaining crisp. More

Tokyo-born chef-owner Akiko Turnauer has a pretty solid resume of restaurants under her belt, including stints at Nobu and SoHo's former Kitchen Club. Eschewing the high-end fusion trappings of her former employers, she's decided to go back to her traditional roots to bring homestyle Japanese cooking to her new Chinatown restaurant Family Recipe. More

There's no shortage of good ramen joints in Manhattan (check out our search for the The Best Ramen In New York), but despite all the other great neighborhood restaurants near Vanderbilt Ave. in Prospect Heights, your options for ramen were pretty much nonexistent until now. Opened by Jamison Blankenship and David Koon, two Morimoto alums, Chuko brings ramen and a few small plates to the neighborhood. More

Takahachi may be my new favorite spot for lunch in Tribeca (and I am almost thinking jury duty might not be that bad after all). The lunch specials, in the $15 range, may also be the best Japanese food bargain you could get for the amount and quality of the offerings at this beautiful restaurant on Duane Street. More