New York - September 24, 2004

En-Chanting

En Restaurant

Spaghetti and meatballs is to the Italians what California rolls are to the Japanese.

Clichéd, overused, and a far cry from what they actually eat back home.

En, a stylish new Japanese brasserie in the West Village, is the brainchild of siblings Reika and Bunkei Yo, whose family owns more than 25 restaurants in Tokyo, Osaka, and elsewhere. The big idea? Bring Japanese home-style cooking to New York.

Yeah, they serve sushi, but, dude, try something new. Starting with En’s many variations on a soybean: deep-fried or sashimi-style yuba, a preparation of soy skin that sounds odd but tastes great; cabbage crudité served with house miso dips; and freshly made tofu, served at 90-minute intervals throughout the evening. Have stone-grilled meats and rice pots — and just try to resist something called “Devil’s Tongue sashimi.”

Design snobs will swoon over sleek architectural details like wood-screen cutouts. Lushes will love shochu, a Japanese vodka. Privacy freaks can book a no-shoe dining alcove in the back or one of the intimate dining rooms upstairs. But, by all means, feel free to bring a posse.

Because no matter what country you’re in, the more the merrier.

En, 435 Hudson Street, at Leroy Street (212-647-9196). It’s scheduled to open Saturday, but restaurant gods are a quirky lot, so you might want to call to confirm.