Public House – Tagajo パブリック ハウス 022-309-5503

Website: http://www.cafecompany.co.jp/en/brands/publichouse/tagajyo/index.html

Address:  宮城県多賀城市中央2-4-3, 多賀城駅北ビルA棟3F.   Located on the 3^rd floor on the Tagajo Public Library adjacent to the Tagajo JR Train Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open 11 am till 10 pm, with Lunch Time until 5 pm.

After a side trip to nearby sites in Tagajo, my wife and I decided to grab a bite to eat at the newly opened Public House restaurant in the newly opened Tagajo Public Library (click HERE for more info).

The library itself has received a lot of press lately, and rightfully so, as it is an attractive looking building that is quite stylishly decorated and spaciously laid out inside.  A Starbucks, Family Mart, and Tsutaya bookstore are on the first floor, and the open-spaced restaurant is located on the third floor.

Although there were not a lot of platters to choose from on the menu, I was fortunate enough to find something that peaked my interest and decided upon the Yocchan Nanban Chicken BBQ Plate, (1050 yen), while my less-picky better half went with the Shrimp & Hokkaido Potato Genovese Pasta (980 yen) which came with two slices of a baguette.   I also requested an order of focaccia bread for an additional 100 yen, but was informed that they had already sold out of focaccia, but that they would substitute baguette slices if it was okay with me.  I agreed. 

When the platter arrived, I was quite impressed with the voluminous size of the chicken, as I was expecting a much smaller piece.  The chicken itself was tender enough, but seemed to rely on the flavor of the barbeque sauce, which seemed to grow on me.  As I slowly devoured the poultry piece, I enjoyed the taste more and more.  By the end of the meal, I was quite satisfied with the flavor.

Another bonus was the potato-ish clump that accompanied the chicken.   I asked what it was, and was told it was a potato galette; potatoes mashed, buttered, peppered, and baked.  This was quite tasty indeed, and went well with the barbequed chicken.

鶏もも肉のよっちゃんなんばんBBQプレート

The underlying salad wasn’t much to speak of, as it was mainly chopped iceberg lettuce with a few slices of tomato and radish mixed in with a drop of salad dressing.  Still, it gave the opportunity to have a change of taste and refresh the palette.

The baguette slices were served at room temperature, which I thought they should have been heated.   But when I asked for butter, the restaurant was quite generous in its serving.

The one thing that I just noticed while writing this post was that the menu stated "with rice."  I didn't receive any rice.  Hmm.  You might want to watch out for this.

My wife was very satisfied with her pasta and stated that the basil seasoning that was added was quite delicious.  For an extra 200 yen she ordered a hot coffee that she enjoyed.

エビと北あかりのジェノベーゼ

Here are a few photos of the menu.

I don’t think I would go out of the way for this restaurant, but if I lived in the neighborhood or were making a visit to one of the numerous sites in Tagajo (History Museum, cherry blossoms, iris flower festival, Kirin Beer Factory tour, Sendai Outlet Mall, or aquarium), I would recommend a meal at the Public House.  I know I will be going back there on my next excursion to Tagajo.

Ganesh Indian Restaurant-Tagajo ガネーシャ 022-366-7633

Website:  http://homepage2.nifty.com/kanri/ganesh/hp/shop_tagajo.html

Address:  宮城県多賀城市東田中２丁目40-1.   This branch is located about a two-minute walk from Tagajo JR Station (Senseki Line).  When exiting the station, turn right.  Then turn right at the first signal.  It will be on your left-hand side.  There are other branches in Kamisugiyamadori, , Izumi, Ishinomaki, Sanuma, and Nagamachi.  

The post on the Ganesh-Nagamachi is HERE.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Open:  Everyday 11 am to 9 pm.  Lunchtime is stated to end at 3 pm.

The original Ganesh-Tagajo on Route 45 was recommended to me by many local residents over the past three years, but I was never able to give it a try.  Sadly, the original restaurant was destroyed by the March 11^th tsunami, which led me to believe that I had lost out on a good opportunity.

Thankfully, they re-opened, albeit, in a much more hidden location.

I was fortunate that we held a staff luncheon at the new Ganesh-Tagajo where I was able to gather opinions from normal eaters about the food, despite us all ordering the same meal.

We went with the Recommended Lunch Set of the Day, which included chicken & okra curry, naan, saffron rice, salad, two pieces of chicken tikka, and a glass of lassi (a yogurt-based drink), all for only 1000 yen.

Recommended Lunch Set of the Day

First, let me say that eight out of ten staff members recommend Ganesh-Tagajo for an enjoyable Indian feast.  One of our party even returned with his family later that weekend to once again delight in the Indian fare.

That being said, my friend and I came away with a slightly different opinion, especially about the naan.  Good naan, like a good tortilla, should have its own exceptional flavoring, so appetizing that it could be eaten by itself.  In my opinion (and my friend’s), this naan was not of that caliber.   It was passable, but not great.  I did manage to finish off my huge serving of naan, but my friend left half of hers.  I suspect mainly due to its enormous size, but I also believe that the lack of any noteworthy flavor had something to do with it, as well.

The ladies in our group were unable to eat their entire meals and they all agreed that it was just too much food, while the lads didn’t see the generous proportions as a problem.

I’ll admit that the curry was nice, but it could have been spicier.  I guess this is my fault since you can choose the level of spiciness of your curry, and I, as most of our party did, chose the medium level.  One brave soul ordered the strongest level of spice.  I had a sampling, and though it was spicier than mine, it didn’t cause any fires in my mouth that needed extinguishing.  It might be worth a try for those with a taste of adventure.

The chicken tikka was good, but it was nothing to write home about.  I’m not big on saffron rice so to me I could take it or leave it.  But due to my pickiness I was the only one in our group who didn’t drink the lassi.  I don’t like yogurt, but apparently if you do, then this is the drink for you.

ラッシー

There is no free parking available but behind the restaurant is a multi-storied parking structure that can be used.  When paying for your order, tell the staff that you parked there and you will receive a discount ticket that will cover some of the cost of the parking.

I didn’t really care for Ganesh-Nagamachi when I first visited there, but have grown to really like it.  I’m hoping that the same will happen upon a return visit to Ganesh-Tagajo.  Perhaps I’ll see the light and enjoy the same experience that my eight dining companions encountered.  

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Koan Bakery & Café こうーあん 022-365-8383

Website:  http://www.just.st/?in=305891

Address:  宮城県多賀城伝上山3-1-25. Located on Route 45 on the left-hand side going to Matsushima from Tagajo.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open weekdays:  9:00 am ~ 6:30 pm.  

Sat., Sun. & Holidays:  8:30 am ~ 6:30 pm.

I was turned on to this bakery by my boss who had bought me a scrumptious chocolate croissant a week or so ago.  I pass Koan on almost a daily basis but have never had the pleasure of tasting their specialties until partaking of that croissant.

Today on the way home from a pleasant drive to Shiogama I had a bit of a sweet tooth and decided to give this bakery a try, and I was sure glad I did!

I ordered the gateau chocolate cake set for 500 円.  It’s normally 600 円 but they are running a Golden Week discount.  My wife didn’t go with a set but instead just ordered a fig and cheese pastry with a coffee. 

I was quite surprised when I received my cake, as there was a macha ice cream シュークリーム along side of it.  The waitress told me that it was a special Golden Week service.  What luck!

Macha Cream Puff & Chocolate Cake

The chocolate cake was great: deep, rich & flavorful.  The coffee was quite nice, as well.  The pastry portion of the cream puff was extremely flaky and the macha flavoring was quite mild and pleasant.  My wife was very happy with her pastry and glad that we had stopped in.

Fig & Cheese Pastry

We thought it might be prudent to take a couple of samples home just in case our sweet tooth returned.  The crescent bread with butter and natural salt was fantastic and didn’t make it home as we devoured it on the drive.  Later that evening I ate the 黒糖デニッシュ, but it was a little too sweet for my palate.

黒糖デニッシュ

Koan advertises as a “natural yeast” bakery which I don’t know too much about but by the results I’d say it’s a good thing.  They offer lunch sets of pizza or pasta for 1000 円 and apparently offer live entertainment from time to time.

If you happen to find yourself in this neck of Tagajo I recommend you stop in just as we did.  I know I’ll be back.

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Kanauya 叶や 食堂 022-367-3317

Website:  There is none. 

Address:   多賀城市八幡4-3-42   

Located on Route 45 in Tagajo.  Going towards Matsushima, it will be on your right-hand side.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open: 11 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 8 pm.  Closed Sundays and the 8^th of every month.

I first noticed this restaurant last year on my journey home from work.  I would pass by every night and noticed that it was always busy.  One night, I decided to give Kanauya a try and I was glad I did.  It’s a small mom & pop operation.  Nothing fancy, not even decorated.  As for atmosphere, it did seem to have a “Cheers” (80’s sitcom) feel to it as the customers and staff seemed to know each other.

I remember telling the proprietress that I loved meat but I didn’t like seafood, and to just bring me what she thought I might like.  It was some type of spicy pork dish that was pretty good.

The people were really friendly, and the food good, so I thought to myself that I’d definitely be back from time to time.

Well, that was last year.  I would have loved to go back earlier this year, but unfortunately, the events of March 11^th made this impossible.  A 1.7 kilometer stretch of Route 45 in Tagajo was devastated by the tsunami.  This restaurant lies within this area.  After seeing the remnants of the building in April I was convinced that 叶や would never open again.

But not only to the delight of my taste buds, but also to my spirit, Kanauya came back from the ruins!  I found a blog with a story about the restaurant here:

http://genchi.tasukeaijapan.jp/blog/2011/06/post-98af.html

The restaurant reopened at the end of September and I thought it would be a good idea to support a local business that really needed support.   I asked a good friend of mine (a non-picky eater) to join me for dinner tonight so that I could get an unbiased opinion about Kanauya’s fare.

ショウガ焼き定食

I ordered the gingered pork set meal (680円) while my friend went with the fried breaded chicken set (650円).  It was a standard set of rice, miso soup, a small serving of cabbage salad, and two slices of pickled daikon.

から揚げ定食

The pork was plentiful and tasty!  I had a taste of the chicken and found that to be quite good, as well.  I’m usually hit and miss with restaurant miso soup, but I liked this one.  The tsukemono was just okay, though. 

Despite our differing levels of what we consider edible, my friend and I arrived at the same judgment on the chicken and pork.  With ten being best, we gave the chicken a seven to eight and the pork a definite eight.

We were quite surprised that the restaurant closed so early.  It’s quite small, as most mom & pop places are, but it does have about five free parking spaces.  And I know this is listed as a Sendai food blog, but this is pretty close.

All in all, my friend and I concluded that it was very good food at a very reasonable price.  For that alone I recommend this restaurant.  But because of what this area and these owners have gone through, I HIGHLY reccommend it.  Hopefully I’ll see you there!

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