Chicken Genius: The Art of Toshi Sakamaki's Yakitori Cuisine

I've been eating at Yakitoriya for over a decade, and this book is a great celebration of all that I love over there. I dont think it was intended to be a cookbook as much as it was just trying to be a celebration of what the author loves about the place. I have it on a table where i work, and have been showing it off to people non-stop. I really enjoy how the pictures show the process of breaking things down, and felt like words weren't really necessary. I guess some of the other people who picked up the book didnt like that as much. To each his or her own i guess. I've been enjoying the book since it arrived. Heck, i even ate there last night because its been on my mind. All in all, I'm just happy to see something like this as a celebration of a restaurant i love so much.

Cover page and perspective of the writer excites me as a reader but flipping down the pages there's no elaboration of how things are being prepared and pictures were also printed at the middle ( spine of the book ) makes it hard to see what is going on, especially on butchering chapter. This book Doesn't justify the skills of Chef Toshi. I believe Art in food should be appreciated in plain sight, not this. Never believed the earlier reviews but I was wrong, this is Upsetting.

For those of us who have had the distinct privilege of feasting on Toshi’s delicious yakitori at his venerable L.A. restaurant, no book could adequately express his considerable skill, focus, and total commitment to his craft. My husband and I have been dining at Yakitori-Ya for 20+ years, about as long as we’ve been traveling regularly to Japan. The high quality and consistency of his yakitori (as well as other dishes) and his simple, straightforward yet uncompromising approach, always serve to remind me of Japan—as few other places in L.A. can. I hope this book will inspire others to visit Yakitori-Ya. I wish more young chefs would learn and experiment with yakitori. In my opinion, it’s the most delicious, healthy, and underrated Japanese style of cuisine.

Gorgeous important book. So many great recipes. Worth the wait. There is a reason why so many chefs love this book. That's how I heard about it. The book should be the first and only choice for anyone interested in AUTHENTIC YAKITORI. It is the first such book on real yakitori in the USA and the best book on yakitori even in Japanese. Trust me, I know. I love yakitori. BTW the broth recipe is incredible and the real Japanese taste. I always wondered how they make this. It is so different than Western techniques. The best book I found in Japan had unclear tiny photos. Also, I like that the recipes are in the back, just like many other cook books in Japan.

This book lacks a narrative to make sense of the nicely detailed photos as a cookbook, but that seems to be the intent which is to be more of an art book. This book is probably intended for coffee tables.Chicken and Charcoal is a more useful yakitori cookbook because it has words that walk through the process with more recipes.

The photographs in this book are incredible and completely convey Toshi’s process. They show the butchering process of the chicken, endless individual unique skewers, and some desserts at the end. Great cookbook/beautiful coffee table book for food lovers.

im am sure the actual experience of eating Sakamaki’s cooking is sublime, but this book will not adequately convey the skills needed to replicate his cuisine at home. the section on butchery specifically is without words or diagrams, and the photos are impossible to understand. just blobs of blurry meat next to a knife. i’d highly recommend Chicken and Charcoal if you really want to learn how to make this kind of food well. i got both books but Chicken Genius will get donated. not worth keeping. this is absolutely not a knock on the chef, but the cookbook author and the publisher. not a good book to learn from. i own over 100 cookbooks and this one simply does not earn a spot on the shelf.

Great edition to my cocktail table. My friends love looking through this book. Such a work of art. Love it!!

Not what I was expecting, the book is mainly photographs on how to butcher a chicken, there are a few pages of recipes but not ones that you generally associate with yakitori, at least not in the West. Waste of £20.

sublime look into the mind of a modern japanese master at the top of his art

With elegance this book shows how the everyday can be revelatory. While daily we're pummeled with tips, tricks, advice and recipes, here is a respite and a refreshing advance on a worn-out trope. It's like watching a friend work magic in the kitchen--if that friend were a genius with chicken.

this book is terrible do not buy it is a waste of money