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| - My sister and I found Tavernakaya quite by accident on a Saturday afternoon. The Badgers had just beaten Iowa in an away game, which meant that all the bars downtown were packed to the gills with Badger fans watching the game on TV. Then the bars emptied and everyone went in search of food. EVERY restaurant we passed on upper State Street and all the way around the Capitol had lines out the door and 45-minute waits. And then, suddenly, here was Tavernakaya with nary a soul in sight.
I had no idea what to make of the name (I belatedly got the Izakaya connection), so we turned to the chalkboard outside, which was advertising brunch. Hmm. The sis and I were starving, so we decided to give it a chance. We were immediately blown away by the crazy-cool interior--and by the fact that only one other table in the restaurant was occupied.
We weren't in the mood for brunch and the sushi options seemed really pricey, so we opted for veggie fried rice and teriyaki chicken. Both were really, really good. The chicken was a stand-out because the sauce was light and flavorful--not like the thick, cloying stuff we've become accustomed to with a lot of Americanized Asian food. The chicken itself (thighs, which have SO MUCH MORE FLAVOR than breasts, hello) was crusted in black sesame seeds and yummy, yummy, YUMMY.
Our waitress was really friendly and efficient. Overall, we had a very enjoyable lunch.
In summary, I don't understand why this place isn't packed. I think it may be an issue with the construction combined with confusion about what the restaurant actually IS. Better messaging/branding might be helpful.
We'll definitely give this place another go.
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