Dining at Beronberon on 1st Avenue

Beronberon opened on Sept. 11 on the northeast corner of First Avenue and 10th Street.

The Japanese restaurant, whose management team includes Yuji Umeki, a manager at nearby Kenka, features a menu (7 pages!) similar to the former tenant — Sapporo East.

To date we haven't heard much about Beronberon's food … until Robert Sietsema filed a generally positive report for Eater on Friday.

A few excerpts:

Center of the restaurant's culinary program are the cut-rate bento boxes. In its final days, these cost around $16 at Sapporo East; now the price at Beronberon is approximately $18 ... Quite a deal, and delicious!

And!

Reflecting its status as a sort of Japanese diner, the over-rice donburi selections — served with soup or salad — constitute meals that might fall in the "blue plate specials" category. The pork cutlets are profuse and of high quality, with just enough edge-fat hidden by just enough breading. The soy poured over the rice is slightly sweet, which guarantees that you'll actually finish the rice underneath. The "Mononoke special ramen" ($12), one of eight choices, was not quite as good, beginning with the noodles themselves and extending to the miso broth. You can find much better ramen at the dozen or so other places that serve it in the East Village.

You can read the whole review here.

After 30 years in business, Sapporo East closed at the end of December along with its sister establishment Shima on Second Avenue and East 12th Street, as we first reported.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Sapporo East has closed for good

A new beginning for Sapporo East?

A sad day for Mother Earth at the former Sapporo East