Feeling much better, I decided to drive a few blocks to pick up a bento from Teriyaki Cowboy for lunch today. Only to find the place closed, with this note posted on the door:
Bummer! TC, had been a semi-regular stop for inexpensive bentos.
This little Mom and Pop hole-in-the-wall, had a quaint, comfortable atmosphere. Though the food wasn't great by any means, it was good to fair, and the prices right. Too bad I never got around to posting. So here's a posthumous Teriyaki Cowboy pictorial.
I'll miss sitting under my favorite print.
Rest in peace Cowboy, you'll be missed.
Good to see you back on the chow trail! I will miss the Cowboy too!
Posted by: Jim | Wednesday, 02 August 2006 at 11:11 PM
Welcome back Kirk.
-J.P.
Posted by: J.P. | Wednesday, 02 August 2006 at 11:19 PM
Glad to see you back!
Posted by: Christine D. | Wednesday, 02 August 2006 at 11:26 PM
I'll miss their SD Fried Chicken with CA roll. Often times, I'd be their only customer. Hopefully the new place will be more successful.
Posted by: toisan | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 12:22 AM
aww its a pity when a favourite goes. I hope the old owners/ chefs will get to see this and realise their food was appreciated.
Posted by: Rachel | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 05:56 AM
Glad you're feeling better.
Sad that you've lost a favorite.
Posted by: ed (from Yuma) | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 09:59 AM
Great to see you back!
Too bad about Teriyaki Cowboy - I never had a chance to get there.
The prospect of kushiage at this new place is quite exciting though. I had kushiage when I went to Japan last month, and it was quite an experience. Deep-fried kabob - how can you go wrong? :)
Posted by: Liza | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 10:48 AM
Well! Don't know why it took me so long to discover your terrific blog. Now I know the place to come if I want to torture myself looking at fabulous photos of delicious food! :)
Posted by: sher | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 12:40 PM
What exactly is kushiagi?
Posted by: Captain Jack | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 01:26 PM
Hey Jim - Thanks! I'll miss those inexpensive bentos.
Hi JP & Christine - Thanks, it's good to feel back to normal. Well, normal in a relative sense...aaah, you know what I mean! ;o)
Hi Toisan - They had some pretty good stuff on the menu, but that location, and lack of parking is a killer.
Hi Rachel - I hope so too!
Hi Ed - Thanks, I'm feeling better.
Hi Liza - Well, let's see! With kushiage, your eyes and mouth says yes, Yes, YES! But your arteries are going.....help! Masa will be interesting at the least.
Hi Sher - Welcome, and thank you so much for the kind words. I must say, I'm impressed that "Upsie" would tolerate wearing shades...very cool!
http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_you_eat/2006/07/wcb_like_jack.html
Hey Capt Jack - Kushiage....well Kushi is what we call those wooden/bamboo skewers in Japanese. Age means fried. So it's skewered fried items - usually meat or maybe a veggie or two. Oh, and it's usually breaded stuff(at least what I've had). I've been told that it's probably the most unhealthy style of eating Japanese food - sounds like it's right up my alley......
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 02:23 PM
Welcome back, Kirk! Glad you are back eating and posting again.
LOL--I think this is the first post-mortem restaurant report I have read. I know how you feel--there are places I visit that are nothing special, but I would miss them if they were gone.
Posted by: Angie | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 04:19 PM
Glad you're feeling better! Don't you just hate losing a reliable restaurant? I hope you were able to find something else yummy to eat!
Posted by: Kady | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 09:32 PM
Hi Angie - Thanks! TC was one of those places I had "in the can", or thought I did - you should have seen all the photos, like 20 of them to choose from. They were a nice a fairly convenient lunch stop for me, and I'll miss that.
Hi Kady - Thanks. I did find something pretty good to eat, an old reliable restaurant that I hadn't been to in quite a while.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 04 August 2006 at 08:49 AM
Hello All,
I think TC is just changing their name to MASA sushi. It's still going to be the same owners.
Posted by: wil | Wednesday, 09 August 2006 at 03:51 PM
I was actually considering swinging by there for dinner tonight, but ultimately decided to just come home and eat cereal after having the non-traditional but delicious Unagi-don at Korean-owned Choice Japanese for lunch today.
Frankly, I'm surprised that Cowboy lasted as long as they did. Offering authentic-leaning Japanese fast food in a hidden location never seemed to me to be a secret for success. And their high prices caused me to leave them off my "good value" list (well, maybe that's what helped make them authentically Japanese).
So now it seems they're planning to convert to a more traditional sushi restuarant. That will probably do better, if anyone can find them tucked into their little corner.
Posted by: Jim Gottlieb | Wednesday, 09 August 2006 at 11:29 PM
Unfortunately, I believe his new restaurant will also not do well. I love his food and he would do great at a better location. If a Pizza Hut won't work there, I don't believe any restaurant will work. He should try to get out of his lease and find a new location instead of putting more money into that place. As they always say, the three rules of real estate, "Location location location."
Posted by: Todd | Thursday, 10 August 2006 at 08:47 AM
When we lived in our house in the neighborhood, I stopped by once every week or so. I like supporting family or small businesses when the service or product they sell is decent and Teriyaki Cowboy was pretty good. I too wondered how they lasted so long as there were very few customers whenever I went. Hopefully all will work out for them.
Posted by: Jack | Monday, 14 August 2006 at 08:52 AM
It will be interesting to see how the "next" restaurant in that location will do.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 14 August 2006 at 07:46 PM