NEW YORK—One month after its shining three-star review in New York magazine Kyotofu, the recently opened Japanese dessert bar in Hell’s Kitchen expands to include a daytime café and bakery this February 2007, open daily from 12:00PM-5:30PM. Using traditional Japanese ingredients such as soy and tofu alongside techniques imported directly from Japan’s trend-capital Kyoto, the new bakery and café plans to redefine lunch with its own combination of artful dishes and distinctive tastes. No time to dine in? Transport your palate to alluring destinations with Kyotofu’s new line of retail baked goods, available in-store and shortly online for consumer and wholesale customers. To schedule a tasting or to interview owners Nicole Bermensolo or Michael Berl interested media please contact Workhouse Publicity, Lauren Gould directly by telephone 212. 645. 8006 or via email lauren@workhousepr.com

DAYTIME REVERIES
Turn your lunch break into an exotic escape with Kyotofu’s new daytime hours and chef Ritsuko Yamaguchi’s (Daniel, Riingo, Cru) mouthwatering bakery and lunch menus. Choose from a selection of enticing, fusion-style dishes such as Soymilk Quiche served with mixed greens, Original Tofu Salad prepared with homemade artisanal tofu, and Mini Miso Choco Cake with mini sweet tofu. Baked goods include Okara Muffins in flavors such as green tea white chocolate, black currant, and tahitian vanilla, as well as Okara Cookies hand-dipped in green tea chocolate, kinako (toasted soy flour), and black sesame white chocolate. Switch up your usual coffee and danish with a Seasonal Fruit Yokan (a traditional Japanese sweet that is a cross between a jelly and compote) in colorful flavors such as raspberry, apricot, pink guava, and fig accompanied with your choice of hot drinks, teas or coffee from a diverse selection including Hoji-Cha Roasted Green Tea, Ginger Tangerine Sencha, Lavender and Jasmine Pearl Tea, Genmai Matcha, and Cinnamon Rosehip Rooibos.

Admire Kyotofu’s vibrant interior in the gleam of day as light floods the kitchen’s sleek, reflective surfaces and illuminates the tiered dining room walls and pure white leather couches. Designed by Japanese architect Hiromi Tsuruta (Jewel Bako, Chikalicious, Momofuku), Kyotofu combines traditional Japanese architecture with futuristic shapes and geometric planes, creating the perfect urban getaway in the process.

NIGHTTIME DIVERSIONS
Dessert gets a style makeover as Kyotofu skillfully combines homemade ingredients and authentic Japanese flavors to create signature dessert items such as Warm Chestnut Mochi Chocolate Cake, Toasted Walnut Tahitian Vanilla Parfait, Ginger Infused Japanese Rice Okayu, and Sansho Pepper Tofu Cheesecake. Traditional Japanese ingredients such as mochi, tofu, anko, black sesame, and green tea are the focus, while tofu is made fresh daily. The menu changes seasonally based on the freshest available ingredients. Balanced, light, and loaded with innovative turns and surprising twists, these desserts are the perfect accompaniment to a night out on the town.

Preparing the palate for new levels of refinement, Kyotofu’s extensive specialty drink menu includes imported sparkling and aged Sake, 25 variations of champagne, sparkling, dessert, red and white wines, and ten kinds of Shochu (a Japanese distilled liquor made from flavors such as rice, wheat, smooth potato, white sesame, wasabi and sugar cane). Kyotofu signature drinks are injected with exotic ingredients such as the Melon and Green Apple Lychee Saketini (made of high-quality French purees and fresh fruit mixed with shochu), the Kyoto Bellini (made with blood peach, prosecco and white sesame shochu), and the Tropical Roku (a blend of mango, muddled banana and sugar cane shochu). To heighten the experience, each of the desserts has been rewarded a suggested drink pairing to match its distinct flavor. Keep an eye out for Kyotofu’smonthly Sake Nights, prix fixe sake and dessert pairing events that are as enlightening as they are appetizing.

HOURS
Kyotofu’sbakery and café is open Tuesday-Sunday from 12:00PM-5:00PM. The dessert bar is open  from 6:00PM-12:30AM, with a limited menu after 11:00PM, on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and until 1:30AM Thursday-Saturday, with a limited menu after midnight. The restaurant is closed all day on Mondays, except for private events. Starting later this year, Kyotofu will also be open for Sunday brunch.

Kyotofu offers catering as well as venue rentals for private and corporate events. Additionally, branded items such as mugs, t-shirts, and sake and tea sets will be available both in-store and on the web. Starting early February 2007, a wide variety of the bakery’s goods such as okara muffins, okara cookies, scones, and cakes will be available on the web for consumer and wholesale clients. To explore our retail products or for more information on wholesale opportunities please call 212.974.6012 or visit www.kyotofu-nyc.com

Location:                           705 Ninth Avenue (between 48th and 49th Streets)
                                            New York, NY
Size:                                   800 square feet