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Read the press release here.

Izakaya Mita in Bucktown To Offer Japanese 'Pizza,' Skewered Chicken Skin

By Alisa Hauser | December 11, 2014 9:16am
 Izakaya Mita opens Friday at 1960 N. Damen Ave., at the southwest corner of Damen and Armitage avenues in Bucktown.
Izakaya Mita in Bucktown
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BUCKTOWN — A Japanese restaurant, specializing in small plates cooked over a Bincho charcoal grill by a former Ichiban steak house chef, is scheduled to open Friday at a fast-changing Bucktown corner.

With a planned opening of 5 p.m., Izakaya Mita, 1960 N. Damen Ave., will be exactly what its name suggests (in Japanese, that is): a casual spot to grab a drink and a bite.

The second part of the restaurant's name pays homage to Shiyouji Mita, the former manager of an iconic Japanese steakhouse who passed away in 2010.

"This is for my husband," said restaurant owner Helen Mita. 

The 65-year-old widow said it was her husband's dream to open a restaurant and "we are making that happen," referring to herself, her son, Brian Mita, and chef Toshi Motegi, who previously worked for her husband when he managed Ichiban at Broadway and Belmont Avenue in the 1980s.

Ichiban was a favorite dining spot for the 1985 Chicago Bears, according to a Sun-Times obituary.

The centerpiece of Motegi's kitchen will be a Bincho, a type of Japanese charcoal grill that is used to cook steak, chicken, fish, scallops, shrimp and vegetables.

"It cooks at a much higher degree than Western charcoal and cooks quite fast,"  Helen Mita said.  "The high temperature sears the outside of meat and keeps the inside moist."

Izakaya Mita will also offer a number of sakes, cold and hot, and five Japanese beers on tap.

Mita said the menu would be mostly based on appetizers, all small bites, that range from $2.50 for chicken skin on a skewer to $15.50 for sashimi and grilled squid.

"Japanese love chicken skin. Our restaurant will provide a lot of traditional Japanese fare. There is something on the menu I cannot pronounce, but some call it Japanese pancakes and others call it Japanese pizza. We are excited to bring real traditional Japanese food here to Bucktown," she said.

Mita, who has a home in Vernon Hills, rented an apartment in Chicago to be closer to the restaurant and to be part of a staff that now includes 13 workers and a second Japanese chef to help Motegi.

"I am both excited and nervous and happy, all emotions you can roll into one. It is an adventure of a lifetime for me. More than anything else we are excited to open," she said.

In addition to grilled items, the eatery, which seats 50 people at tables and 12 at a bar, will also serve beef and pork sliders on buns made from rice.

The restaurant is opening across the street from a new juice bar, 24 Karrots.

Izakaya Mita, 1960 N. Damen Ave. Ph: 773-799-8677.  Closed on Tuesdays.  Opening weekend hours: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday (Dec. 12); 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday; 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday.   Consult the restaurant's Facebook page or website for hours after opening weekend.