Cheap Eats 2011: Tani's Japanese Kitchen & Sushi Bar

For a neighborhood in proximity to a college, Woodstock falls short in the restaurant department. Reedies looking to do better than Delta Cafe have to hoof it all the way up to Southeast 48th Avenue to Tani’s, where the sushi is cheap and the air is filled with the smell of frying gyoza. Truth be told, Tani’s is no great shakes when it comes to sushi. The fish is good, but come on top of too much rice; maybe stick to sashimi or anything with eel over the too-large rolls. Where the place excels is in the hot portion of the menu: The grilled salmon cheek ($9), marinated in miso, is a fatty, savory treat; those gyoza ($4.50) are juicy and scaldingly hot; tempura is crisp and not too oily; and the tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet, $8.50) is exactly like what you’d get at a Tokyo lunch counter, all crispy salty chew. Don’t skip the very good cucumber salad ($3.50).