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“Japanese Home Cooking Comes to 8th Street”

It’s rather unusual to find a Japanese restaurant that’s named for the heroine of Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly,” but it makes sense when the restaurant in question is owned by a former director of the Metropolitan Opera. Fabrizio Melano has opened this pretty neighborhood restaurant dressed in dark cherry wood with chef Jun Nagano, the former manager of Taste of Tokyo and Bing Yang (a builder, designer, and language-school owner). Nagano is serving traditional sushi and sashimi by Taste of Tokyo’s sushi chef, Yoshi Azegami, along with more hearty fare in the form or recipes he learned from his mother while growing up on a farm in the countryside of Japan.

He’s serving Koto Koto—slow-cooked pork with prunes and vegetables ($7.50), Bakudan—Japanese meatballs with his sister’s special sauce ($7.50), Niko Niko—“Smile, Smile”—pan-fried oysters wrapped in bacon ($7.75), Kara-Age—Chicken wings with more of his sister’s special sauce ($6.50), and Gokuraku—“Heaven” in the form of seafood and pork patties ($6.75). To satisfy the Italian in the partnership, there will be a pasta of the day.

Cho Cho San is now open for dinner and will open next week for lunch as well. 15 West 8th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), 212-473-3333. Hours: Mon.-Fri. Lunch: 12 p.m. -4 p.m., Dinner 5 p.m. -11 p.m.; Sat. 12 p.m. -11 p.m. ; Sun. 1 p.m. -9 p.m.

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