Like any tavern, the drinks are at least half the point at Yuki, the new Frenchmen Street hole-in-the-wall I reviewed this week.

Yuki is an example of an izakaya, the type of place where in Japan people typically go after work for drinks and snacks or light meals. I’ve never been to Japan, but when I e-mailed a description of Yuki to a friend of mine who lives in Tokyo he confirmed that it sounded a lot like the izakayas he frequents in his adopted home.

Instead of Buffalo wings, jalapeno poppers and fried mozzarella, patrons of izakayas — in Tokyo or, now, the Faubourg Marigny – munch on yakitori , karaage-style fried chicken and sweet, grilled eel. And to wash it down, Yuki offers sake, the light, distilled liquor called shochu and an array of Japanese beers including more than few I have never seen before.

My new favorite from the latter category is an offering from the Hitachino brand. The white ale, served in a beautiful 22 oz. bottle (pictured above, at left), tastes like a Belgian wheat beer with bright flavors of orange. Read the rest of this entry »