{"id":207174,"date":"2025-09-07T08:33:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T08:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/207174\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T08:33:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T08:33:19","slug":"fort-worth-food-wine-foundation-creates-new-5000-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/207174\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth Food & Wine Foundation creates new $5,000 award"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new Asian restaurant is already earning raves among Fort Worth foodies: Called Ichiro Izakaya Yakitori and Bar<\/a>, it opened in August at at 401 Bryan Ave. #109, in the former Black Cat Pizza space where it’s doing skewers of all kinds, cooked over a charcoal grill.<\/p>\n

Chef-owner Vy Ton is a self-taught cook who learned the art of grilling in an unlikely place: camping.<\/p>\n

A former petroleum engineer, he loved to take camping trips, especially in Colorado. Its high altitude ruled out cooking with gas, so he would grill with charcoal. This ignited his interest in kushiyaki, the Japanese culinary art of grilling meats and vegetables on a stick.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where I researched and developed my menu,\u201d he says with a laugh.<\/p>\n

His menu boasts many skewer options: rib-eye, duck breast, Japanese-style pork sausage, shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli & tofu, grape tomatoes, and grape tomatoes wrapped in bacon.<\/p>\n

But the dominant item is chicken, with a dozen options that include wings, thigh, drumette, chicken meatballs, and “oyster” of the chicken \u2014 a small piece of dark meat that attaches the thighs and spine.<\/p>\n

He uses a special technique to keep the meats moist.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of letting [the fat] drip into the grill, we keep rotating the meats so they\u2019re covered in chicken fat, and the moisture is absorbed back into the meat,\u201d he says. The fat drip also creates a smoky influence that permeates the flavor.<\/p>\n

He makes his own yakitori sauce from a recipe that took him six years to refine. He also offers a garlic naan, one of the menu\u2019s few swerves away from traditional yakitori fare, which comes with a unique touch: \u201cA little secret I throw on that bread is a chive oil,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The kitchen is very much a personal statement: Much of the cooking equipment is from his camping trips, including clay charcoal grills, cast iron skillets, and even the tongs. Alongside his father, Ton built out the restaurant\u2019s interiors using white oak to create six-person booths and small diner tables for an additional dining space.<\/p>\n

The menu also has a highly personal touch \u2014 crafted as an illustrated guide, leading diners through Ton’s vision of a multi-course meal made up of small bites and skewers, before ending on a large-format dish.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s basically like a food adventure for you,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n