Speaking of all the great Japanese food in Arlington Heights, a new strip-mall spot opened last January, joining notable north suburban izakaya like Kurumaya and Sankyu in cementing the northwest suburbs’ rep as the place to be for Japanese drinking food (much as they are for Korean drinking food). In truth Yakitori Boogytori, from the folks behind Ramen Takeya and Wasabi, isn’t officially an izakaya—it’s a yakitori-ya, grilling skewered meats and a few vegetables over white-hot binchotan charcoal. Still, there’s a nice selection of interesting and unusual small plates of the sort you’d expect to find in a legitimate izakaya.
With regard to the latter two dishes, which are of a challenging nature, you’ll certainly want to avail yourself of the significant selection of beer, sake, shochu, and Japanese whiskey to wash them down. 乾杯
