Zen Merlot

Because I like wine, and haiku is free.

http://www.redwinehaiku.blogspot.com/

Looks Like Hell, Tastes Like Heaven

Sitting on a plate in front of me is a mound of rice, covered by a layer of what appears to toxic sludge, topped with a breaded chicken cutlet and some shredded cabbage. It cost me $7 (plus tax), and it's delicious. It's Go! Go! Curry!

Anyone who reads the NY Times' $25-and-under column, or Time Out New York, or nearly any other food-reviewing publication in this city has probably already heard of Go! Go! Curry!, New York's one and only baseball-themed Japanese curry joint, and its eccentricities. There's the dancing gorilla mascot (which, though I walk past the place twice a day, I've never actually seen). There's the chronic overuse of exclamation points(!). And, most pervasively, there's the obsession with Hideki Matsui, the Yankees player and hero to the Japanese. First off, "go go" is apparently Japanese for 55, Matsui's Jersey number. They open at 10:55am, and close at 9:55pm, and the phone number ends in -5555. My question: why is their mascot a King Kong-esque gorilla, rather than Godzilla, after Matsui's nickname?

Not that it matters. With food this good, I don't care if it's Godzilla, King Kong, or the Creature from the Black Lagoon (which, now that I think of it, wouldn't be a bad choice). Point is, that slimy brown glop (aka curry sauce) is awfully tasty. Full of umami (kosher adherents and vegetarians beware, there be pork products here) and with just a bit of kick, it's the best thing out of Japan since sake bombs. And it is distinctly Japanese – while you can taste the dish's Indian roots, there's no mistaking this stuff (often anglicized as kare) for vindaloo or massaman.

And the price: I find a walk (the smallest size available) with chicken sufficient for dinner; make it a single (one size up) and it'll cover lunch too. These are $5 and $5.55 respectively, plus an extra $2 for toppings (chicken or pork cutlets, shrimp, sausage). The largest size, a triple, goes for $7.50 plus toppings, and their Grand Slam, $12.50 with chicken, pork, sausage, and shrimp, is enough to feed two hungry people plus leftovers. And if you play your cards right, you'll never have to pay for the toppings anyway. Come in on the 5^th, 15^th, or 25^th of the month, or the day after Matsui hits a home run, and they'll give you a free topping coupon for your next visit (or two or three, depending who's behind the counter). I only eat there on dates ending in 5, and I doubt I'm the only one.

Good news for lower-Manhattanites: according to their website, Go! Go!'s second US branch, Go! Go! Curry! and Diner, recently opened in the East Village, featuring such novelties as calamari curry, hamburger curry, and cheese-and-french-fry curry. If anyone out there is brave enough to try the new flavors, I'm curious to hear your opinion. For me, I'll stick to the classic breaded chicken and sludge.

http://www.gogocurryusa.com/