The Early Word on Miyake Diner

The hotly anticipated Miyake Diner opened less than two weeks ago, and early opinions are starting to float around. Spoiler alert: they're pretty fantastic. For his Portland Press Herald blog, "The Golden Dish," John Golden takes a first look at the "cozy hole in the wall," and he enjoys "simple and tasty" grilled chicken wings and the accompanying potato salad, "indubitably an incongruous devise at a Japanese eatery" — but he "loved" it. But it was a "gossamer light" curried vegetable dumpling in an eel sauce that was "the star of the night." Overall, it is "still a work in progress," but it "will surely become another Portland scene stealer."

Elsewhere in the blogosphere, Kate from The Blueberry Files finds the "whole experience" to be a "lot of fun" thanks to "the intimate, cozy atmosphere" and the "surprising" food. Like the others, Bo and Brian from Booze, Fish & Coffee use the word "cozy" — so those with claustrophobia should maybe go at odd hours — and they recommend the okonomiyake and the whelk in anchovy butter.

Online review site users haven't posted much yet — just two reviews on Yelp, both with five stars, and a 100% positive rating from two users on Urbanspoon. One Yelper praises the "yummy ocean goodness" of dishes like the house-cured octopus salad ("Wow!Wow!Really!" he wrote.) The other finds plenty of vegan options and particularly likes the tofu and hijiki salad. And over on Urbanspoon, there's praise like "holy friggin delovely" (for the unagi nasu) and "so good I wanted to rub it on my...well, you get the point" (for the swordfish toro misoni).
· All coverage of Miyake Diner [~EMAINE~]