
"I ducked into Tabetomo when the place I wanted was closed and found an exceedingly low-key Japanese spot with a quiet, pleasant staff who brought food to the table with no fuss or chitchat; I instantly felt relaxed. Not realizing the place was famous for its ramen, I ordered house pickles, shrimp tempura, and a fried chicken donburi; the dishes arrived in a gradual succession so I could enjoy each one, and I washed them down with the miyozakura junmai sake ($10), ritualistically served by placing a glass in a wooden box and pouring until it overflowed into the box—an exercise in some logic I didn’t understand but thoroughly enjoyed. A guy next to me struck up a conversation, and he, too, had looked in the window and ventured in because the place was so chill." - Robert Sietsema