In a land fabled — albeit with a touch of hyperbole — as the mecca of restaurants, Shuho Yagi has found a cozy new niche.
After arriving as a penniless immigrant from Japan three decades ago, Yagi has opened 11 Japanese restaurants in Manhattan that challenge the American palate with such Japanese staples as "tako-yaki" octopus dumplings, miso ramen and "soba" buckwheat noodles.
"I intend to live here permanently," Yagi said. "That is why I'm making the sort of stuff I want to eat myself.
"I love to eat," he added while explaining his idea of how to turn a no-frills restaurant into a genuine ethnic gastronomic experience.