NYCReview
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Maison Yaki
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Included In
As human beings, we are inherently drawn to miniatures. Puppies. Purses. iPod minis (R.I.P.). Certain things are, inexplicably, better when they’re small. This rule also applies to select foods: Cocktail weenies. Mini muffins. Shots of tequila.
Miniature duck a l’orange, however, is not one of those foods. It sounds like something that you might be offered at a fancy wedding (right after your third canapé), which you would eat awkwardly with one hand while wearing an uncomfortable suit. It sounds both cute and pretentious, which is a combination that only works in certain dogs. But there’s nothing pretentious about eating miniature duck a l’orange at Maison Yaki.
From the narrow space and the palm-sized menus to the dishes themselves, everything at this Prospect Heights restaurant is either small or tiny. Maison Yaki is the second spot from the team behind Olmsted, the vegetable-driven American restaurant located right across the street. But here, the food is classic French cooking-inspired yakitori. If that sounds like a euphemism for “overpriced and leaving hungry,” we understand - but you should definitely give this place a shot.
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Nothing at Maison Yaki costs more than $9. The prices, along with the skewer-heavy menu, might make you think this is a pre-dinner spot, but it’s at its best when you treat it like the main event. There are 12 different skewers - ranging from spring leek with Vichyssoise to ribeye with Bordelaise to lamb leg with herbes de Provence - and you can feel confident ordering any (or all) of them. Whether your favorite ends up being the scallop in a citrusy, rich Maltaise, or the lobster with sauce Américain, Maison Yaki will turn you into the kind of person who says, “I’ll take another round of lobster.” And don’t skip out on the non-skewer items - like the salmon tartare, beef tongue sandwich, and pommes dauphine (a cross between a tater tot and a mashed potato) - which are some of the best things here.
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
The flavors at Maison Yaki may remind you of white-tablecloth restaurants, but everything about the setting is relaxed. The skewer of duck a l’orange gives you the distinct sensation that an entire duck has been shrunk down, so that everything good about this classic French dish has been distilled into four bites - that you’ll enjoy on a red leather bar seat. The king trumpet mushrooms (the best of the vegetable skewers) are grown in blue-lit hydroponic glass boxes above the bar - but if you want, you can eat them outside on the little back patio. Come after 10pm, and there’s a special late-night menu that feels designed to be paired with drinking.
Speaking of which, our biggest complaint about Maison Yaki is their wine selection, which is limited in both length and variety. So stick with the cocktails - the yuzu gin & tonic, the tarragon margarita, and the vesper martini are about three-quarters the size and price of a typical NYC restaurant cocktail. Plus, like the duck a l’orange or lobster or ribeye, mini martinis just mean more martinis. Which helps explain why you can leave Maison Yaki having had a lot of fun - and also extremely full.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Baguette & Yuzukosho Butter
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Salmon Mimosa Tartare
Duck Rillettes & Wasabi
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Cauliflower Okonomiyaki & Hazelnuts
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Tempura Frog Legs Provencal
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Beef Tongue Sando & Gribiche
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
King Trumpet Mushroom Á La Grecque
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Duck A L’Orange
Pommes Dauphine
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Lamb Leg & Herbes de Provence
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Ribeye & Bordelaise
photo credit: Teddy Wolff
Scallops & Sauce Maltaise
photo credit: Teddy Wolff