Favorite Things: Shabu-Tatsu Shabu-Shabu

I love eating with a method and process. It feels ceremonial, ritualistic, and respectful of the food.

Fantastic in the winter and great in the summer, Shabu-Tatsu is the only place we go for Shabu-Shabu in NYC, and is one of our few favorites for a hot and soupy meal. They have been around for over a decade and have never failed expectations.

Prime rib beef, vegetables, tofu and shiitake after “swishing” in the hot broth.

I don’t have to tell you that Shabu-Shabu means “swish-swish” (or do I?) and that is the extent of the cooking you do during your meal whose center of attention is the hot pot of water where your group will dump vegetables and swish around some meat.

The setup: a plate of prime rib slivers, and a hot pot with vegetables.

We always begin our Shabu-Tatsu evenings with their Eel Bibimbap, a strip of caramelized eel set on top of sushi rice in a cast iron pot. The server mixes the bibimbap around before splitting into equal parts in bowls.

The flavor is rich, sweet and soy/sesame based. The texture of the rice is a perfect mate to the eel.
I would come to this restaurant just for this.

Shortly after the eel is finished, the meat arrives and is ready for dipping into the hot pot.
This is prime rib, regular grade. No need for the AAA grade.