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Went to get a reso on open table and got a strange error. Went to the website and it seems Chizakaya is closed until Jan 19th - renovations? Vacation?

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There is no accounting for taste!

Vacation, it was on their website.

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For what we choose is what we are. He should not miss this second opportunity to re-create himself with food. Jim Crace "The Devil's Larder"

Thanks, didn't see that!

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There is no accounting for taste!

Eaten here a couple of times and find it really hit and miss. A couple of great things I’ve had here were the Hamachi with bone marrow and the crispy pork with slow poached egg. They were amongst some of my favorite bites of the year.

On the other hand a few things actually managed to gross me out. The ramen noodles dishes I’ve had there were extremely salty with little other character. One of the worst things I’ve tasted, ever, was the creamy scallop and crab (forgot the actual name). I’m not sure why we felt compelled to order this, in retrospect it sounds awful even by name. It was comprised of flavorless crab (at least by comparison to the sauce), those tiny flavorless scallops, and it was drenched in what can only be described as a sour, vomit-infused, kraft macaroni and cheese sauce. After one bite I couldn’t even look at the dish, and if you know me, you know very few flavors or smells repulse me. The agedashi tofu did not have any off flavors exactly, but seemed somehow unbalanced. Perhaps it was the absence of any grated daikon which is usually my favorite flavor in the dish. The cocktails I’ve tried here were extremely sweet. I’ll stick to beer or sake.

Overall, I like the idea of the place; it’s comfortable, and very reasonably priced. I’m glad it exists, I’ve long said that Chicago needs more izakayas (though I’d appreciate one with an old school/traditional feel). The dishes which I loved will probably have me coming back to give it another shot, though I’ll probably stick to recommendations from the board and things which I’ve already tried and liked.

Closing after service tonight.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

That's really sad to hear. It wasn't perfect by any means, but they had some really solid dishes and it was a fun, unique option that stood out among boring sushi restaurants that all have the same menu. However, even when I went on a Friday night, it was never crowded, so apparently it just couldn't attract enough patrons.

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- melissa

Oh, so sad to hear. I must have brought a dozen or more people there over the years and everyone really enjoyed it.

Looks like it might reopen elsewhere
http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/ ... locate.php

Crossing my fingers for somewhere out west!

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- melissa