EARLY BIRD LTD EDITION RESERVATIONS
Hello friends!
As some of you may have heard, we’ve been inviting some of our friends and favorite restaurants to come celebrate Off Alley turning five years old!
We’ve already had Shaun McCrain of Copine cook in our tiny kitchen, along with myself cooking up at Copine’s large and very organized kitchen. ( Yes, these E-mails are all coming from Evan now, and let’s not just talk in the third person? ) So we are very excited to announce the details of Keiji Tsukasaki of LTD Edition Sushi at Off Alley July 26th.
In the spirit of Off Alley’s small raucous space, Chef Keiji and I wanted to do something a little different than his Omakaze / Tasting menu experience, so we’re turning Off Alley into a Japanese style Izakaya. Izakaya, which translates to "Stay-drink-place" literally, are small bars known for their lively atmosphere and small bites of bar food.
While I’ve never had the pleasure of experience Izakaya’s in Japan, their concept and style of service have always been a massive inspiration for me, and a lot of the way we cook and organize our kitchen at Off Alley. There’s even a book on our shelves dedicated to them! So when Chef Keiji suggested we have a little more loud fun service than a set menu, I couldn’t resist the offer.
So, Saturday, July 26th, we’ll be inviting Keiji to come cook with us. Yes, I said COOK! Keiji will NOT BE MAKING SUSHI during this event. We’ll be splitting the menu half and half, of small plates meant to be enjoyed with beverages (think Japanese bar food). I’ve also convinced Keiji to take all the hot plates, and I the cold to really make him sweat over our stove. We both can’t wait, so come party with us!
Reservations will be available throughout the night, however we will be keeping space for walks in, at our standing rail, outside tables, and a few seats inside to see the action. Reservations will be capped at one and a half hours.
Because you’re all so lovely getting this far down this e-mail, here’s a secret link to reservations before they go public and LTD Editions swarm of loyal regulars who snatch up reservations in seconds get a chance.
Don’t see the reservation you’re looking for? Have a big party? We’ll be taking larger parties, by phone and e-mail only. Parties of 5 and 6 will get priority patio seating, so find a group of friends, and give us a call or text.
We’ve got a lot more exciting news coming up, including the details of our Five year anniversary party Friday August 1st, and Gluttonous dinner with Jarad Hadi Saturday August 9th, with lots more on the horizons. So stay tuned.
Lastly, we’re so happy to see people gathering! From our new parklet here in Columbia City across the street, to the live music all around our neighborhood in the streets, to people bringing groups of 12-25 people into our restaurant to celebrate birthdays. We love seeing everyone celebrating a little joie de vivre ! (Yes, we do accept buy out/privatization requests!)
Stay joyful,
Evan Leichtling