What we're sipping: Chūō Izakaya in Rogers
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PanDaniel-San (left) and Love Oolong Time (right). Photos: Alex Golden/Axios
Attention sake enthusiasts: Rogers has a new Japanese-inspired bar.
🍶 State of play: Chūō Izakaya serves cocktails, wine, beer and sake plus small plates at a space beneath the apartments at the Pinnacle Heights development. It's a spacious bar with a clean, minimalist aesthetic.
🥃 What to try: The Love Oolong Time ($18) with whiskey, genmaicha (a Japanese green tea) honey syrup, chocolate bitters and salt is served with a chocolate spoon and smoked honey whip. You can put the chocolate spoon right into the drink for a more chocolatey flavor. Either way, this is a drink for the whiskey and chocolate crowd.
- For something a bit more refreshing and lighter, go for the PanDaniel-San ($16) with rum, coconut rum, pandan (a plant commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking), orgeat, mango, matcha, almond milk and lime topped with churro.
🥪 Zoom out: The edamame hummus ($8) served with rice cakes made for a satisfying snack on the healthier side for bar food. And the pork sando ($13) on milk bread with slaw and citrus aioli was really flavorful.
- You'll find hints of Japanese flavors even in the classic cocktails, like the shiitake-kombu sake in the martini or the Mitsuya Cider in the highball.
📍 Stop by: 4pm to "late" Tuesday through Thursday and 4pm to "later" Friday and Saturday at 3939 S. Grand Ave., Suite D102, in Rogers.