Nothing shouts "Tokyo" at Tokyo Cowboy Whisky Diner, the recent addition to downtown San Antonio's dining scene. Don't go expecting the labyrinthine alleyways of Netflix's charming Midnight Diner or the neon-washed boulevards featured in other on-screen depictions of the teeming metropolis.
And, as for the Cowboy part of the name, you'll have to make do with a low-key frieze featuring Western-esque flora.
This is more of an observation about Tokyo Cowboy than a criticism. Even so, it leaves the food and drink to do the heavy thematic lifting.
Let's start with the bar. But not, as you might expect, with its Toki Highball.
There's been a lot of Western fascination recently with the Japanese whisky highball. Some liken its preparation to a tea ceremony: the glass shall be filled with clear ice, and the whiskey shall be poured alongside, not on top of the ice, which is stirred a ritualistic number of times after — or before — adding the soda.
But at TC, there's no ice to stir, and the alleged "super-carbonated" water unexpectedly fell flat, so I got neither a chill nor a tingle with my highball.
If the highball's a dud, the list of more than 20 mostly unfamiliar Japanese whiskies — you may have to ask to see it — more than compensates. Just to pick one example, the Kaiyo Cask Strength is aged in mizunara oak casks, part of that time on an ocean-bound ship. Though its inspiration in the Scottish Highlands is clear, the spirit also boasts unique fruity and herbal notes. I'd order it, or another, early on and allow it to evolve in the tasting glass with a tiny splash of water.
The food on Tokyo Cowboy's menu doesn't scream "Tokyo" either. Rather, it feels free to range around the Pacific Rim encompassing such influences as China and India and ingredients including Spam and brisket. Maybe the latter is meant to evoke the moniker's Cowboy element.
Regardless of the cultures involved, the House Pickle Plate is a kaleidoscopic triumph of colors and textures. Knitted together with a tangy sweet and sour brine, cauliflower, summer squash, daikon, roasted cherry tomatoes and cabbage all play together beautifully.
We usually associate poke, or raw cubes of marinated fish, with Hawaii, but at Tokyo Cowboy knowing the inspiration doesn't guarantee orthodoxy. Take the Salmon Poke Taco. The promised "taco" is a piece of salmon cradled in nori along with rice and a spicy mayo. It's unexpected and unexpectedly good.
As listed on the menu, Crispy Eggs gives little clue to that dish's origins — let's assume Thai Son in Law Eggs as a stepping-off point. The softly boiled eggs were coated in panko, fried, showered with mixed herbs and plated over tamarind-spiked fish sauce caramel. The eggs ooze, the panko crunches, the sauce comforts and stimulates all at once. Score one more for ambiguous parentage.
Let's just call the Dashi Corn Waffle kitchen-sink culture and be done with it. Drifts of shaved bonito that wave in the air-conditioned breeze blanket a dish that includes a base of chewy corn waffles strewn with an unusually good and smoky pork belly, shrimp and Japanese barbecue. Kewpie mayonnaise studded with sesame seeds bravely attempts to unite the rowdy siblings, and it nearly succeeds. This wasn't my favorite dish, but it's worth ordering just for the combination's sheer chutzpah — to draw from another culture altogether.
Tokyo Cowboy's minimally described Crispy Pork Chop isn't called tonkatsu, as it would be on Japanese restaurant menus, but it might as well be. Boneless, pounded somewhat thin and fried with crunchy panko coating, the plate-sized chop is sliced for your chopstick-wielding convenience. In Japan, it would usually be served with a fruit- and vegetable-derived sauce, but here we have what's labeled as apple curry gravy alongside pickled purple cabbage. The gravy hints of India, the cabbage of Germany and the neutral-tasting pork welcomes both.
The restaurant's Japanese beer list might come in handy with this entree. The Echigo Hefeweizen was a light and clean version of the craft favorite, but it did what was expected of it.
The menu lists no desserts, but if you ask there may well be one. A yuzu tart — think Key lime — was our lot. Capped with a billowy mound of torched meringue, the presentation also featured a crumbled topping of graham cracker enlivened with dried Thai chili and a crust I could swear tasted of fortune cookie. Possibly that was just the power of cultural suggestion, but it provided a good base for a successful cross-cultural confection nonetheless.
Tokyo Cowboy Whisky Diner
135 E. Commerce St. | (210) 305-7075 | tokyocowboytx.com
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday 4-11, 4-10 p.m. Sunday
Price range: $6-$36
Best Bets: House Pickle Plate, Crispy Eggs, Salmon Poke Taco, Crispy Pork Chop
The Skinny: Tokyo Cowboy is housed in a sleek space that shouts neither Texas nor Cowboy. However, it sports an impressive menu of Japanese whiskies and a kitchen that turns out dishes that range around the Pacific Rim, from Spam to Sukiyaki burgers. Small plates such as Panko-coated eggs stand out, along with larger servings including a crispy pork chop with an India-inflected curry gravy and corn waffles with a kitchen-sink array of toppings.
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