Archive for Sushi – Page 4

Gasping Fish Shunji

Oct17

Restaurant: Shunji [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 12244 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 826-4737

Date: September 30, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: First rate traditional sushi

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My parents and some friends wanted sushi — so out we go for Shunji’s omakase!

Shunji, which took over for the “Mr. Cecil’s BBQ” in this oddball looking building on Pico has developed quite a reputation.

At night, Shunji offers an amazing and advanced mix of traditional and modern raw and cooked dishes.

Chef Shunji Nakao was an opening chef at Matsuhisa in the day, then opened Asanebo, then The Hump (one of my old favorites). It has quickly risen to the top of the LA Japanese scene.

From my cellar: 2013 Zardetto Prosecco di Conegliano Zeta. Just a touch sweet, very food friendly.

Eggplant mouse. One of those vegetable purees, presumably mixed with dashi. Had a cool, slightly slimey texture and an oh so Japanese vibe. Not the most approachable.

A section of starters.

House made flavored tofu (can’t remember the flavor) with some kind of gel.

Uni caviar ball, steamed sea creature, shrimp, octopus.

Pickled celery. Marinated tomato.

From my cellar: 2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses.. BH 94. The touch of wood spice this displayed last year has now been completely integrated though the original anise, clove and saline notes remain to add nuance to the pretty and elegant mix of white and yellow fruit aromas that introduce round and generous flavors that offer up real volume and mid-palate density, all wrapped around a firm acid spine on the refined, pure and explosive finish. This is positively stunning, certainly in an absolute sense but particularly so in the context of the vintage. One to look for and like the Valmur, this almost vibrates with an underlying sense of energy.

A tea pot of soup.

Some kind of very mellow Japanese broth with bits of fish and mushroom. You squeeze the yuzu in too and pour it into the little cup.

Live Halibut! A rather impressive but disturbing bit of dinner theater. This poor guy was still alive (or at least gasping) as we ate his yummy sashimi flesh. Bits of his skin had been fried so they curled up all chewy too.

A close up. Too bad I didn’t shoot the video of him in “action.” It was so sad we had the fish taken away and returned with the meat only.

From my cellar: 2011 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein. VM 92. Initially reminiscent of slate and fresh rain, the nose evolves toward apricot and peach fruit along with caraway seed and lemongrass. Bracing lively acidity gives a weightless quality to the intense flavors of yellow plum, wild spice and abundant minerals. Seductive and stylish, with noteworthy grip and persistence, this is an excellent 2011. Some may prefer it, but the lower alcohol and marvelous freshness speak for 2012 as the slightly better of these two excellent rieslings.

Snapper in slime. A bit of raw snapper in a goopy sauce that reminded me of gefilte fish.

Vegetables and seared fish. Perfectly crispy marinated vegetables of different textures and a bit of seared fish with two sauces.

Tomato tofu. This Shunji classic is a block of sticky tomato paste made from 5 Japanese tomatoes. It has been glommed together into a tofu-like texture with a mild but very fresh tomato taste and topped with a shiso pepper. It was pretty good, even by tomato-hater standards.

Wagyu, uni, caviar, truffle. Yum yum!

Mushrooms and squid? Hard to remember but this was a great dish with interesting texture and woodsy notes.

Sushi. Includes snapper, toro, salmon, mackerel, and uni.
Traditional toasted tea.

All and all Shunji is rather fantastic, joining the large repertoire of top LA sushi restaurants. This was a really great take on sushi kaiseki style dishes, combining both innovations with a solid grounding in traditional Japanese flavors and seasonal ingredients. There was some really unusual stuff too. While this was a good meal, I prefer Shunji at the sushi bar with a smaller group — and possibly more nigiri. Many of the items tonight had that very subtle Japanese flavor profile. Shunji, although modern, is less “punched up” than many LA sushi houses with much less reliance on acid (a.k.a. vinegar) and other “flashier” flavors.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. More Shunji Omakase
  2. Shunji Sushi – Nonstop Nigiri
  3. Shunji Super Omakase
  4. From Noodles to Fish
  5. Takao Top Omakase
By: agavin
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Cheeks & Things – OOToro

Aug01

Restaurant: OOToro [1, 2]

Location: 1569 Fairway Dr, Walnut, CA 91789. (909) 598-8299

Date: July 16, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi (with slight nod to China)

Rating: Ends of the earth, but very good

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Chef Kaz of Totoraku, an occasional hedonist, sent us far east to this Sushi restaurant.

And by far east I mean REALLY REALLY far east — to Walnut California. 40+ miles from my house. 20 miles past Alhambra (which most people consider to far to drive for food). It took an hour and twenty minutes on a Saturday night!

The slick looking and crowded location is in the heart of the affluent Chinese American San Gabriel Valley. But yes, it’s Japan, if perhaps catering to Chinese taste.

The menu.

1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 97. A distinctly reticent but elegant nose with a purity of expression that is truly impressive to experience as it’s relatively high-toned and while the yeast comes up with air, it’s relatively muted at presence, combining with intense, precise and superbly detailed and complex flavors that culminate in an explosive and wonderfully long finish. This may very well rival the sublime ’90 in time even if it’s not quite as concentrated. This is still a baby so there is absolutely no rush whatsoever.

Salmon with melon. A light starter.

Halibut sashimi with wasabi. Salty and with no small kick, this was a refreshing kick off.

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. VM 94. The NV Grande Cuvée is absolutely stellar. This is one of the very best Grande Cuvées I can remember tasting. The flavors are bright, focused and beautifully delineated throughout, all of which make me think the wine will age well for many, many years. Lemon peel, white flowers, crisp pears, smoke and crushed rocks race across the palate in a vibrant, tense Champagne that epitomizes finesse. This release is based on the 2005 vintage and was disgorged in winter 2012/2013. The blend is: 44% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 19% Meunier.

Live Santa Barbara spot prawn and oyster with yuzu sorbet.
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Goldeneye and red snapper nigiri with wasabi.

Rice, toro, foie gras, caviar, shiso, and gold. Beneath it was something crunchy too, maybe a pickle.

2012 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles. 88 points.

Three sashimi. Front to back: shipjack, chu toro, and o toro. On the left was dried persimmon and butter. The toro was amazing.

Ruby snapper nigiri with yuzu pepper. This kicks off what is to be a lot of yuzu pepper. I kick the stuff, but it does overwhelm the fish.

2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. VM 95+. Pale yellow. Tight, slightly metallic nose hints at lemon, lime, green tea, creme brulee and vanillin oak. Very ripe but firm on entry, with penetrating stone fruit and lemon-lime flavors. Then explosive on the back half, with a rising, compellingly tactile and sweet finish that suggests a great future. These vines were picked very late, noted winemaker Prost, who added that he used a higher percentage of new oak for this cuvee (18%) than for any of his other whites in ’09.

Uni sashimi. With and without sea salt. Great uni.

Squid with black cod caviar. My least favorite dish. Very fishy finish.

2007 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne. BH 92-95. A highly complex lemon and orange peel, white flower and green apple nose introduces substantially bigger and richer if less refined broad-shouldered flavors that are quite dense and I like the mouth feel before the flavors slide away into a notably dry, intense, extended and punchy finish. This is a big wine with plenty of extract that really stains the palate.

Kama toro. The fattiest cut of the tuna, from the collar. Amazing. Like butter!

2002 Jean Boillot & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère. VM 94+. Lemon, lime, spring flowers, nut oil and minerals on the vibrant nose. Dense and sweet, with penetrating flavors of peach, spice and minerals lifted by a captivating floral character. Broad, classy and extremely long on the back end. Already showing terrific personality, but this will be even better for five to seven years of cellaring.

King Salmon with wasabi. Great salmon.

From my cellar: 2002 Maison Leroy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Le Charmois. 94 points. Great stuff. Still fairly reductive.

King crab leg with uni sauce. Very soft and sweet meat. Quite delectable.

2007 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Flax Vineyard. VM 93+. Inky ruby. Deep, youthfully brooding cherry and dark berry skin scents are complicated by anise and black tea. Very rich, with fleshy blackberry and kirsch flavors, a chewy texture and slow-building tannins. The tannins gain power on the finish, which strongly echoes the cherry and licorice notes. No way I’d touch this one for at least another five years.

agavin: a touch of cork on the finish.

Seared o toro. Shiso, yuzu pepper, and crunchy pickles underneath. Pretty scrumptious. The crunch was new to me, but worked, even if it felt like a Chinese nod as they are into textural variations.

2006 Jonata Winery Pinot Noir La Poesía de Jonata. VM 88. Medium red. Spicy cranberry and redcurrant on the sharply focused nose, with gentle underbrush and dusty floral qualities adding complexity. A dry, firm midweight, showing subtle red fruit character and no excess fat or sweetness. This distinctly understated pinot finishes with lingering floral pastille and strawberry flavors and soft, lightly chewy tannins.

A5 Japanese Wagyu beef with some tempura vegetables.

Black pepper sauce.

2010 Aubert Chardonnay Sonoma Coast. agavin 86. All flabby and no acid.

The shrimp heads return as miso soup.

Or fried head.

2009 Marcassin Pinot Noir Three Sisters Vineyard. web 94. Color is light ruby red. Much more restrained than the estate. Very pretty nose of cherries, strawberries, clove and baking spices. A savory note pops up as well. Palate is smooth and refined with solid acid and body. Nice slippery finish lingers and tapers beautifully. Lovely wine.

Albacore nigiri. Lots of garlic!

Seared salmon belly with yuzu pepper.

1991 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Chabot Vineyard. 92 points. From the yummy days before everything in California became too extracted for its own good.

Kobe beef sushi with black pepper sauce and yuzu pepper. Again, like I concluded on other occasions, the line between wagyu and toro can be a thin one.

2005 Araujo Estate Syrah Eisele Vineyard. VM 92. Good deep ruby-red color. Wild, nuanced nose offers black raspberry, mocha, violet, graphite, minerals and bacon fat, with a captivating suggestion of Asian spices. Lush, sweet and superconcentrated, with a creaminess of texture giving the wine an added measure of refinement. There’s just enough energy here to maintain freshness, not to mention the undercurrent of minerality that runs through all of the Araujo reds. Finishes broad, rich and chocolatey, with substantial tannins.

Lobster and vegetable tempura.

2006 Oremus Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos. VM 90. Full, bright orange-copper color. Aromas of orange peel, toffee, maple syrup and sweet butter, plus some high-toned oak; no shortage of fruit here. Quite concentrated and dense with extract, showing a slightly bitter orange peel edge and steely acidity to the layered flavors of dried apricot, pineapple, anise and botanical herbs. Finishes long, ripe and tactile, with lingering notes of peach nectar and game. There’s something cool here that contributes energy to this wine.

agavin: like apricot juice. Really nice.

Mango creme brulee cake (from 85 degree bakery).

It was Dr. Dave’s bday.

Light and yummy mango cake.

Some of the gang with the chef.

The table next door had this special ordered blue fin tuna collar dish. Impressive (if ugly).

Overall, OOToro is an interesting place. It’s far. Very far. And the food adheres to a certain over-the-top super-rich-ingredient version of sushi. Plus they “distract” with LOTS of yuzu pepper and wasabi and general richness. Still, it was (in a rich way) very enjoyable — if a touch pricey. But that drive!

Afterward, at 85 degrees again, Annie goes nuts for squid rolls.

Lots of desserts!

And boba.
And second dessert, this chocolate confection.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art: Sasabune
  2. Japanese in China – Izakaya Akatora
  3. Katana – Stripping it all Down
  4. Sasabune – Dueling Omakases
  5. Mori Sushi – A Top Contender
By: agavin
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Yamakase Summer

Jul18

Restaurant: Yamakase [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: You wish you knew!

Date: July 8, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Best yet!

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Yamakase is just hands down one of the most fun evenings in LA. Not only is the “modern” Japanese cuisine incredible, but the convivial nature of the place is just great. It’s not very big and as usual we took the entire sushi bar (we had 10 this time, but you can squeeze in 11 or 12).

The location is in a good neighborhood, but something about this particular strip mall is a bit sketchy. Maybe it’s the 7/11. There are a lot of strange characters hanging about.

Inside, chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto rules over the sushi bar.

In the back there are a couple of small tables — but the bar is really where it’s at!

Have a little tuna/toro!

2000 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. BH 95. This is more mature than the 2001 with a beautifully layered nose of yeast, lemon rind, brioche, dried flowers and spice hints. There is excellent volume and superb intensity to the firm mousse that despite the firmness exhibits a very fine bead. This is exceptionally impressive in the mouth with the same striking complexity of the nose coupled with positively gorgeous length. A knockout that could be drunk now with pleasure or held for a few more years first; personally I would opt for the latter but either way, this is a classic Clos des Goisses.

agavin: our bottle was delicious, but perhaps a touch advanced.

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. VM 94. The NV Grande Cuvée is absolutely stellar. This is one of the very best Grande Cuvées I can remember tasting. The flavors are bright, focused and beautifully delineated throughout, all of which make me think the wine will age well for many, many years. Lemon peel, white flowers, crisp pears, smoke and crushed rocks race across the palate in a vibrant, tense Champagne that epitomizes finesse. This release is based on the 2005 vintage and was disgorged in winter 2012/2013.

2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 96. A wonderfully layered and nuanced nose features an intense yeasty character to the maturing fruit that displays interesting phenolic characters, in particular petrol, along with aromas of apple, pear and soft citrus hints. In contrast to the nascent maturity expressed by the nose the flavor profile is still tight and backward with a genuinely gorgeous texture, all wrapped in a strikingly persistent and highly complex finish. For my taste the 2000 Brut is at an inflection point as the nose does offer enough maturity so that it’s really quite pretty whereas the palate impression is substantially younger. As such it really just depends on how you prefer your Champagne because I suspect that the nose will be very mature by the time the still very youthful flavors attain their majority. For my taste preferences it would be no vinous crime to begin enjoying this now but be aware that this will age for a very long time. The best approach is probably to buy 6, or even 12, bottles and enjoy them over a longer period of time.
Homemade tofu, Momotaro tomato, and uni. A “typical” Yamakase tofu dish. Great interplay of textures and flavors. I could even handle the tomato!

Persimmon butter sandwich with marcona almonds. This is an odd one, but delicious. The orange stripes are dried persimmon which has been hung to dry for months. This is a traditional Japanese New Year preparation and very highly prized. The lighter stripe is frozen high end butter! Almost like a little petite four.

1994 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg Vendange Tardive. 93 points. Burnt creme brulee, dried apricot, carmelized peach/apricot in the pie tin; rich, creamy, full bodied with medium sweetness. Slight petrol-botrytis evident here (although not supposed to override varietal characteristics, I believe it does in this case); round, soft, but with overwhelming apricot notes; long finish.

From my cellar: 2009 Weingut Knoll Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg. VM 92. Medium green-yellow. Seductive aromas of ripe peach, subtle blossom honey and mandarin orange. Becomes more exotic in the mouth, adding papaya and lime to the mix. Sweet peach and papaya fruit is lifted by extraordinarily elegant lemony acidity. Finishes with palate-staining fruit and intense wet rock minerality. Wonderful to drink now, but should be even better between 2014 and 2024.

From my cellar: 2004 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune. VM 95. Pale, bright yellow. Ripe pineapple, liquid stone and exotic honey on the nose, with a spicy lift that suggests an oak influence this wine does not possess. On entry, this is sweeter and creamier than the Frederic Emile, but it livens up quickly in the middle, showing powerful minerality and sharply delineated flavors of liquid stone, pineapple and citrus peel. Still, this conveys a distinctly glyceral impression that suggests more sweetness than its 5 grams of residual sugar, no doubt a function of the 20% or so botrytized berries (in contrast to the Frederic Emile, which included no botrytis). Communicates an impression of power with elegance, finishing minerally and long but not austere. Pierre Trimbach compared this wine to the estate’s great 1990. This is already showing more Rosacker terroir than riesling character. About 9,000 bottles were made from 1.5 hectares of vines.

Abalone with eel sauce. The crunchy chewy mollusk simply served and delicious.

Mantis shrimp, baby peach, scallop, orange clam, and seaweed. I loved the sweet/tangy sauce too. Very lovely.

1996 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets. VM 93. Knockout nose combines herbs, white flowers and spiced pear; at once oily and precise. Rich-bordering-on-thick but given clarity by juicy limey acidity. Very long, palate-staining finish. The yield here was a good 50 hectoliters per hectare, says Morey. Yet this is so much more fleshy and pliant than so many ’96s.

2004 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte. BH 89. A deft touch of wood frames citrus and earth infused ripe chardonnay fruit aromas that lead to rich, full and fleshy flavors that are robust if not especially structured, all wrapped in a delicious and easy to like finish. There is good freshness here if not great underlying tension with fine overall balance and fine length. In sum, this is a generous and easy to like effort that should repay a few years in the cellar.

Oyster, uni, quail egg, caviar. One of these super Yamakase spoons of crazy umami-rich ingredients.

Roasted unagi with eel sauce and bamboo shoots. This was very fresh, light, and seasonal.

2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. VM 96. Pale, bright yellow-green. Knockout nose combines ripe pineapple, dried fruits, lemon, lime, crushed stone, minerals and mint. A wine of outstanding intensity, power and thrust, with sappy mineral and toasted bread flavors saturating the palate. Most impressive today on the explosive, mounting, tactile finish, which leaves the mouth vibrating. This called to mind Corton-Charlemagne-or a great Austrian riesling. Winemaker Seguier loves this but feels that the 2004 is in the same quality league. And the 2007 is even more chalky, he adds.

From my cellar: 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. VM93+. Musky aromas of chicken broth, lime and crushed stone; quite austere and slow to open. Then less fruity but more important on the palate, with bracing flavors of lemon and apple and an impression of minerality I can only describe as creamy. A very rich, dense wine with a strength of material that belies the normal-for-Raveneau yield of about 50 hectoliters per hectare.

2009 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. VM 93. The 2009 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre is super-impressive. There is a level of detail, nuance and energy to the fruit that is quite rare in 2009. The Montée de Tonnerre possesses dazzling purity all the way through to the finely articulated, chiseled finish. This is yet another superb effort from Raveneau. I have a slight preference for the 2010 here, but the 2009 will offer fabulous drinking while its younger sibling ages in the cellar.

Shrimp with tomatoes and parmesan. A new dish, and a delicious one. The tangy tomato/parm sauce was quite lovely.

Chef Yama works on his next course.

2001 Marc Colin et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. 92 points. Beautiful from the get go showing honey, roasted hazelnuts, some white chocolate, and a little tropical fruit. Reminded me of an Aubert Chardonnay in many ways. Nice mid weight…not a blockbuster but at the low end of outstanding.

2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne. VM 92+. Very subdued nose hints at apple, minerals and nutty oak. Then intensely flavored, penetrating and youthfully backward, with bracing flavors of apple, spiced pear and powdered stone. Very densely packed, spicy wine that’s currently dominated by its powerful spine. This needs a good five or six years to blossom in the bottle and may well merit a higher score.

Frozen toro, uni, and blue crab on toast. This toast and rich toro/crab combo is so good. Like a super high end version of a tuna sandwich.

Truffle, crab, quail egg, salmon egg, uni parfait. Classic Yamakase greatness. White truffles apparently this time of year. In December it was black.

From my cellar: 2001 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 93. While understandably tighter, this is still drinking much like the same wine in 750 ml format (see herein). An expressive and still quite fresh nose includes white flower, pronounced honey and exotic fruit aromas nuanced by spice hints flow seamlessly into a similar flavor profile on the thick, powerful and vibrant middle weight flavors yet that possess more than sufficient acidity to buffer the weight and richness. Overall, this is beautifully balanced, long and offers superb intensity and has everything it needs to continue a graceful evolution. As one would expect from magnum, this isn’t quite ready for prime time and while it could be drunk with pleasure, if you wish to see the wine at its optimum point of development, it will be necessary to wait for a few more years first.

2008 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 91-94. A subtle touch of pain grillé highlights citrus notes that, like the Pucelles, exhibit hints of honeysuckle and fennel nuances that complement perfectly the textured, rich and sweet medium plus weight flavors that are quite supple yet remain detailed, energetic and strikingly long on the explosive finish. This is a relatively powerful Bienvenues. In a word, terrific.

Orange clam and scallop in a dill sauce. A new treatment of some familiar ingredients. The dill sauce make for a different (and tasty) take on things.

Bluefin tuna, caviar. Some of the best chunks of tuna I’ve had.

From my cellar: 1985 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. A little oxidized. Not premoxed, just getting old.

From my cellar: 2002 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. VM 96. Taut, vibrant aromas of grapefruit, apple, pear, and powdered and wet stone. A great expression of rocks in the mouth, with extremely pure flavors of grapefruit and lemon. Conveys a powerful impression of sweetness allied to sheer energy. Fabulous, consistent wine with near-perfect balance and extraordinary length. As penetrating as it is today, I would not describe this wine as austere.

1999 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. 94 points. Light yellow in color. A bit of hazelnut to start but also some wood and bitterness. About 6 hours later, the wood resolved and the wine expressed some pear, honey, and hazelnut. This was supported by plenty of lemon acidity. Still very young.

Foie gras, toro, quail egg, truffle cheese, blue crab. Wow! This dish was absolutely out of this world. Just crazy rich and delicious. You wouldn’t think it works, but it’s amazing.

King crab, steamed. Simple steamed fresh crab.

1998 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart. VH 95+. Bright ruby. Highly complex nose melds black raspberry, Indian spices, gunflint, tar and smoky oak; seemed to grow fresher and more vibrant with aeration. Dense, thick and highly concentrated, with brilliantly defined but still rather backward fruit flavors. Finishes with great length and extremely fine tannins that dust the entire mouth.

2002 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart. VM 95. Bright red-ruby. Highly nuanced, expressive nose combines strawberry, raspberry, minerals, lavender, chocolate, underbrush and fennel. Superconcentrated, silky and sweet in the mouth but with superb definition and energy. The wine’s sheer density of material completely buffers its 14+% alcohol. Finishes dry and classic, with explosive rising fruit and terrific thrust. The tannins are buried in fruit and soil tones. A great Burgundy

The chef is working on his ramen. Bright yellow eggy noodles.

Ultimate ramen bowl. This foie gras based seafood broth was topped with truffles and filled with yummy seafood bits. Underneath are the ramen noodles. There was crab, beef, oyster, and who knows what else in here. Absolutely stunning. So rich. So good. The broth had quite a white pepper kick too which was amazing.

1986 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux. 94 points.

1996 Denis Mugneret Père et Fils Richebourg. BH 93. Subtly complex nose of leather, earth and dried grasses with delicious yet quite structured flavors and fine length. There is good sève and muscle underlying the flavors though the tannins are completely ripe and the wine should drink well over the medium term. This is not flamboyant or especially opulent yet it delivers plenty of character and quality in a refined, discreet style. I like this very much.

1953 Remoissenet Père et Fils Richebourg. 95 points. Domain release. Must have been reconditioned as it tasted crazy young (for a ’53).

Miyazaki beef with truffle pepper sauce. Melt in your mouth with a bit of pepper kick.

Some amazing sake!

Blue fin sushi. Bordering over to chu-toro. Just a lovely bit of sushi.

Amberjack. Amazing.

Sea bass. To die for.

Chu or O toro. Lethal. We had several pieces of this each.

Uber handroll. Uni, king crab, toro, shiso. You’ve never had a handroll quite like this powerhouse! Had two of these.

A small taste of baby peach sorbet. Super light and refreshing.

“Only” 25 bottles of wine. 10 people. Great stuff tonight too. No bad or spoiled wines. Stuff was great in all 4 categories: champ, white burg, red burg, and sake. Just some really stellar drinks.

There are different was to experience Yamakase, depending on you number, but all but one time I’ve taken the whole bar. On a night when the bar is split between a collection of smaller parties it might be more staid. But when we take over, it’s certainly not. We do the wine service ourselves for the most part with a little aide from the accommodating servers. It feels like a “private party with Yama.”

Food-wise, this was one of my best meals this year — really quite excellent — and regular readers know I have more than my share of great meals. A really great format. A total blow out and Yama’s cuisine keeps gaining in strength and power. Really quite incomparable. He is unquestionably a genius. Yama has a tremendous range within Japanese cuisine, first rate ingredients, and a savvy palate. He is quite skilled at very traditional more subtle Japanese as well, but has tuned up the typical Yamakase meal with high end ingredients and bolder combinations for a more contemporary wow factor.

Oh, and that toro cheese dish and foie gras “ramen” are just to die for.

Click here for more LA sushi reviews,
Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Sumo Bowl Yamakase
  2. Yamakase Yummy
  3. Yamakase – Burghound Bday
  4. Yamakase – Crab Guts are Yummy!
  5. Yamakase Return
By: agavin
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Sumo Bowl Yamakase

May25

Restaurant: Yamakase [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: You wish you knew!

Date: May 20, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Best yet!

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Yamakase is just hands down one of the most fun evenings in LA. Not only is the “modern” Japanese cuisine incredible, but the convivial nature of the place is just great. It’s not very big and as usual we took the entire sushi bar (we had 10 this time, but you can squeeze in 11 or 12). This is my second time at the new location and while the back was empty first time around, this time there were 8 or so people at 2-3 tables back in the “depths” of the restaurant.

The location is in a good neighborhood, but something about this particular strip mall is a bit sketchy. Maybe it’s the 7/11. There are a lot of strange characters hanging about.

Inside, chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto unpacks his giant slabs of tuna.

We start with a bang! 2003 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil. VM 94+. The 2003 Clos du Mesnil is insanely beautiful. Vivid, resonant and textured in the glass, the 2003 boasts magnificent depth and pure breed. Since I last tasted it a few months ago, the 2003 has begun to shut down, which is probably a great sign for its future and overall longevity. Hints of smoke, slate and dried pear gradually open up in the glass, but the 2003 mostly stands out for its exceptional finesse.

Homemade tofu, Momotaro tomato, and sweet shrimp. A “typical” Yamakase tofu dish. Great interplay of textures and flavors. I could even handle the tomato!

1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon P2. VM 95. The 1998 Dom Pérignon P2 is open and beautifully expressive today. Unusually open for a young P2, the 1998 drinks well upon release, especially compared to the 1996, which was virtually unapproachable for the first few years after release. That is not at all the case with the 1998, which is quite open at this stage. Hints of apricot, almond, white flowers and chamomile add texture on the fleshy, resonant finish. The added time on the lees has given the P2 an added dimension of texture.

Abalone with eel sauce. The crunchy chewy mollusk simply served and delicious.

2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. JG 99+. At first sight a lovely bright golden colour. A very charismatic fresh nose, promise of natural intensity and elegance with strong presence of fruits, fruits of all types. A diverse bouquet of orange aromas with some notes of liquorice and light chocolate biscuit can be enjoyed.
On the palate, astonishing, balanced and delicate with significant fresh, tropical, wild and crystalised fruits. It is a hymn to fruit: red, white and citrus fruit with notes of cassis, chocolate, candied-orange peel, cocoa beans, honey with hints of smoke and toast enhanced by a vibrant, persistent long finish. It is a balanced dialogue between Pinot Noir (40%) and Chardonnays (39%) with Meunier (21%).

Persimmon butter sandwich. This is an odd one, but delicious. The orange stripes are dried persimmon which has been hung to dry for months. This is a traditional Japanese New Year preparation and very highly prized. The lighter stripe is frozen high end butter! Almost like a little petite four.

Mantis shrimp, baby peach, scallop, seaweed. I loved the sweet/tangy sauce too. Very lovely.

1985 Louis Jadot Montrachet Le Montrachet. 90 points. Still intact, deep yellow, but fruit a bit faded.

Fresh steamed eel and baby squid. Lovely textures. I think the green things were bits of sisho too, or shiso flowers.

1986 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet. 94 points. From a virtually perfect bottle, this wine had a deep yellow center and clear rims. Not surprisingly, the nose was rather closed at first. Eventually, the high- intensity nose showed apples, vanilla, macaroons, and white stone. In the mouth, this wine was reasonably ripe and rich but the wine’s majesty came from its powerful acidity. Not surprisingly, it showed awesome length after some time.

Scallop or clam with salmon row and steamed ice fish. These tiny little fish are so cute!

2007 Louis Latour Montrachet. BH 95. A deft touch of wood serves as a background presence for the reserved but fresh and bright floral, citrus, brioche and spice aromas that are strikingly complex and broad and complement the full-bodied flavors that are deep, dense and massive with exceptionally powerful drive and intensity on the gorgeously long and palate staining finish. This is an impressive wine blessed with great underlying material, perfect balance and superb harmony plus it’s built for the long haul. Note however that the expressiveness of the nose aside, the flavors are like a block of stone and thus I would suggest not opening a bottle for the next few years as it would likely be a complete waste.

Oyster, uni, quail egg, caviar. One of these super Yamakase spoons of crazy umami-rich ingredients.

1979 Domaine Michel Gaunoux Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots. JG 92. Or bottle was in great shape!

Seared beef, foie gras, and a foie gras sauce. Rich and delicious.

From my cellar: 2002 Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils Montrachet. Burghound 93. Tight yet fragrant aromas of stunning complexity reveal hints of peach, pear and a trace of wood spice, leading to large-scaled, extremely ripe flavors that stain the palate with wave after wave of sappy extract. Exceptionally powerful and very masculine, this is a very backward wine today with impressive focus and precision and it will require a minimum of 5 to 7 years of cellar time to arrive at its peak, though it should be capable of lasting a good deal longer.

Frozen toro, uni, and blue crab on toast. This toast and rich toro/crab combo is so good. Like a super high end version of a tuna sandwich.

From my cellar: 2000 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les . BH 94. Razor sharp aromas of wet rocks, earth and white fruits meld into flavors that are crystalline in their precision, purity and transparency. Understated, discreet and fine yet this is painfully intense with buckets of minerality. Quite backward presently but this is a genuinely breathtaking wine that defines class. In two words, absolutely brilliant and consistent notes.

agavin: our bottle was fabulous. still reduced even.

Truffle, crab, quail egg, uni parfait. Classic Yamakase greatness. White truffles apparently this time of year. In December it was black.

1999 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Canet. BH 92. Slightly exotic fruit (often a characteristic of Champs Canet) with notes of pineapple and banana with that mouth watering Granny Smith apple acidity. Marvelous intensity on the mid-palate that continues on to the long, powerful yet discreet finish. Not flashy and in fact rather understated for Champs Canet but it has arrived at its peak and is drinking perfectly now. Impressive in that it’s generous yet precise and pure with lovely harmony of expression.

Some kind of delightful raw shrimp or such in a dressing.

Bluefin tuna, caviar. Some of the best chunks of tuna I’ve had.

2000 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne. BH 91. The nose is still relatively fresh though the aromatic profile is one of a fully mature white burg, offering up notes of dried flowers, green apple and citrus hints that are also picked up by the elegant and pure medium-bodied flavors that display some wood influence on the otherwise admirably long finish. This is a Corton-Charlemagne of finesse and about the only nit is that one could wish for a bit more mid-palate concentration. No other recent experiences.

Yama’s new assistant plating.

Foie gras, toro, quail egg, truffle cheese, blue crab. Wow! This dish was absolutely out of this world. Just crazy rich and delicious. You wouldn’t think it works, but it’s amazing.
Uh oh, crabs!
King crab, steamed. Simple steamed fresh crab.
At work in the kitchen — which is right behind the sushi bar.

From my cellar: 1997 Joseph Drouhin Romanée St. Vivant. 93 points. Garnet color, with light bricking on the rim. Red fruits on the nose, with some spice as well. The red fruits are also present on the palate. Long finish. Very good given the vintage and kept very well.

The chef is working on his ramen broth. Bright yellow eggy noodles.

Ultimate ramen bowl. This foie gras based seafood broth was topped with truffles and filled with yummy seafood bits. Underneath are the ramen noodles. There was crab, beef, oyster, and who knows what else in here. Absolutely stunning. So rich. So good. The broth had quite a white pepper kick too which was amazing.

Because I asked I got the lefthand “sumo” bowl as my personal portion. It was so large even I couldn’t finish it! Almost though.

From my cellar: 1982 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs. Burghound 88. Superb nose of dried rose petals trimmed in minerals and damp earth follow by middle weight, slightly thinning flavors that display excellent complexity and frankly more structure than the mid-palate sap can adequately buffer on the finish. That said, this receives its marks for the sheer breadth of flavors and the clean, pure character. This is a first rate effort in what was a very difficult vintage.

agavin: 94 points. I thought this was drinking great.

This is real Japanese Wagyu, from Miyazaki. It comes with a certificate of authenticity that includes the cow’s nose print and stats. Yeah, the actual animal.

Miyazaki beef with truffle pepper sauce. Melt in your mouth with a bit of pepper kick.

A super complex sake Adam brought.

Erick brought this premium sake back from the brewery in Japan.

Another special aged sake Adam brought.

Some opted for the sashimi plate.

Blue fin sushi. Bordering over to chu-toro. Just a lovely bit of sushi.

Sea bass. To die for.

Amberjack. Amazing.

Chu or O toro. Lethal. We had about 4 pieces of this each.

Uber handroll. Uni, king crab, toro, shiso. You’ve never had a handroll quite like this powerhouse! Had two of these. The second one almost gave me a gout attack!

A small taste of baby peach sorbet. Super light and refreshing.

“Only” 16 bottles of wine. 10 people. Great stuff tonight too. No bad or spoiled wines. Stuff was great in all 4 categories: champ, white burg, red burg, and sake. Just some really stellar drinks.

Plus, food-wise, this was one of my best meals this year — really quite excellent — and regular readers know I have more than my share of great meals. A really great format. A total blow out and Yama’s cuisine keeps gaining in strength and power. Really quite incomparable.

Oh, and that toro cheese dish and foie gras “ramen” are just to die for. I’m headed back in July for more.

Click here for more LA sushi reviews,
Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Yamakase Yummy
  2. Yamakase Return
  3. Yamakase – Burghound Bday
  4. Yamakase – Crab Guts are Yummy!
  5. Katana – Stripping it all Down
By: agavin
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Katsuya Brentwood

May11

Restaurant: Katsuya Brentwood

Location: 11777 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (310) 237-6174

Date: May 2, 2016

Cuisine: Sushi / Robatayaki

Rating: Like nobu light

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Katsuya started in the valley and branched over into Brentwood some time ago. I’ve been many times but somehow never gotten around to writing it up.

The inside has one of those trendy (circa 2010) Stark designed interiors. It’s loud and generally crowded. When it was never there was a velvet rope! Now, although busy on a Monday night, we got a party of 11 in that morning.

From my cellar: 2011 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling “Diabas”. 90 points. As usual, very crisp and precise on the nose – light and pure: powdered stone, light citrus. Gentle now with just the right touch of sweetness to round it out a bit while still having it stay exciting. Lemon and stone, nice balance. This is great. Spicy nose: cinnamon, nutmeg, petrol and apple. Quite dry on the palate. Gentle, balanced, spicy with good acid. Apple. Apple/spice finish.

EDAMAME. served warm and tossed lightly with salt.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA. asparagus, onion, yam, shiitake mushroom and green bean.

SAUTEED SHISHITO PEPPERS. A bit of a kick.

CRISPY RICE DUCK CONFIT. duck confit, foie gras and scallions over crispy rice. Nice rich hoisin/eel sauce sauce. Hard to tell what was under it though.

CREAMY ROCK SHRIMP. crispy bite-size rock shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce. Small portion, but I always love this dish.

From my cellar: 2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Montagny 1er Cru Les Burnins. 91 points. This wine is a dead ringer for an Aubert Ritchie with a few years of bottle age. And I’m trying to figure out if that is a complement or not. Only deep into the finish does a little white burg peek it’s head out from under the oak. It’s a delicious wine, but not to typicity. Balanced and a long finish.

MIXED GREEN SALAD. Miso dressing.

MUSHROOM SALAD. warm sautéed japanese mushrooms served on a bed of butter lettuce. Hard to eat these big lettuces with chopsticks, but the flavor was good.

TOFU SALAD. crispy tofu over mixed greens with miso vinaigrette.

YELLOWTAIL SASHIMI WITH JALAPEÑO. fresh yellowtail, ponzu and jalapeño make for a guest favorite. light and refreshing. This is certainly a classic.

SPICY ALBACORE SASHIMI WITH CRISPY ONION. a crunchy twist on albacore sashimi. Soft, but I wanted more in terms of flavor.

HALIBUT USUZUKURI. halibut sashimi delicately sliced with a hint of spice and citrus. One of my favorites — mostly because I love yuzu (which they don’t even name on the menu because their audience has no idea what it is).

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros. 93 ST. Good pale yellow. Restrained aromas of fresh apricot, pineapple and spices; showed riper stone fruit notes as it opened in the glass. Sweet, tactile and elegantly styled, with strong acids framing and lifting the intense peach flavor. Already boasts a lovely fat texture and considerable pliancy but this wine really needs three or four years to express itself.

MISO-MARINATED BLACK COD. This Katsuya signature uses sweet miso and the special taste of baked black cod to deliver unparalleled flavor. They call this a signature, but every upscale Japanese place has it! I’ve even made it at home (from the Nobu cookbook)!

Various Robata: Corn, pee wee potato, eggplant.

JIDORI CHICKEN BREAST. Nice tender chicken.

WAGYU TOBANYAKI. served sizzling hot with wild mushrooms. Also yummy, but I’ve certainly had better versions of this dish.

LOBSTER DYNAMITE. a half lobster sautéed with mushrooms, tossed in chef’s creamy dynamite sauce, and baked to perfection. Tasty. But dynamite makes everything tasty.

Various sushi. front to back: toro, albacore, blue fin, red snapper, salmon. Fine, but this is not great nigiri. Just “solid.” Better than supermarket by far, but well below any serious sushi bar.

Fresh water eel sushi.

Salmon egg sushi (ikura).

Tamago (egg omelet) sushi.

Overall, Katsuya is a Nobu copycat restaurant. The menu (except maybe the Robata) is lifted wholesale from the Nobu menu circa late 90s. There are a couple different items, but not much. Execution is slightly sloppier than Nobu, and there are none of the new experiments that Nobu uses to keep itself fresh. And even Nobu feels like a concept that needs some more innovation. This Japanese / Peruvian blend was mind-blowing in 1997, but feels overused 19 years later. So while Katsuya is tasty, and actually moderately reasonably priced “considering” (considering being that it’s “fancy” Japanese), to my super jaded restaurant guy sensibilities it seems jaded. Still, when I bring guests, particularly out of town guests to these type of restaurants they are always blown away, as other cities don’t have the Japanese depth LA does. And even in this city, a lot of people don’t know about the really great sushi bars, or can’t handle the more extreme ingredients, or extreme prices. Katsuya, Nobu, etc are more approachable for novices. Nobu himself wrote about this, saying pouring on all the vinegar based sauces made the raw fish palatable for beginners. It also hides mediocre fish quality.

I’d say that Katsuya is right there in the crowd a bit behind Nobu, even a bit behind Katana, but maybe a hair above Roku. It’s not in the league of more serious experimental sushi at all.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art: Sushi House Unico
  2. Takao Top Omakase
  3. Kiriko Sushi
  4. Kiriko Days – a la Carte
  5. Ozumo – Japan invades the Mall
By: agavin
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Nobu Malibu Now

Feb18

Restaurant: Nobu Malibu [1, 2, 3]

Location: 22706 Pacific Coast Hwy. Malibu, CA 90265. (310) 317-9140

Date: February 16, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Fusion

Rating: Maintains it’s very high standards, and price.

 

My brother’s birthday again served as the occasion for some fine eating — this time sending us back to Nobu Malibu.


The various Nobus represent the corporate version of the Japanese-Peruvian fusion begun by Nobu Matsuhisa at his eponymous Matsuhisa (REVIEW HERE). While not quite as inventive as the original, the Xerox job is pretty darn good. Food quality is extremely high and highly consistant. The atmosphere is fun. The only deficit is the price, which is perhaps 40-50% higher than most similar restaurants, like say Takao (REVIEW HERE). And it’s not like these are cheap either!


The new location is really quite stunning. The outside is covered on 2-3 sides with couches and tables. Too bad it’s so cold along the ocean in Malibu, on all but the warmest of summer nights, even the heat lamps aren’t enough to make those girls in their little dresses comfortable.


The inside looks great too, and it’s huge!


And an inside/outside patio covered in heat lamps.

I forgot to photo the menu, but I’ll discuss for a second as they have mixed it up, splitting many sections into two halves, “nobu now” and “nobu classic”. This is a nice idea as the kitchen has developed the theme considerably in the now section, but allows all those old favorites when you feel like it. I tried to lean “new” tonight (to good effect).

2006 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons. VM 95. The 2006 Brut Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons wraps around the palate and never lets up. Apricot, peaches, wild flowers, butter and spices all flesh out in a dramatic, structured Champagne endowed with tons of pure energy and volume. Stylistically the 2006 brings together the opulence of the 2002 with the minerality and cut of 2004, a great combination in my book.

Grilled Shishito Pepper with Sweet Den Miso. Nice texture and both sweet and a touch spicy. A big upgrade over edamame in my book.

Whitefish mini taco.

Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno. The total Nobu classic, but it still holds it’s own. This version is as good as any i’ve had.

Tai Sweet Shiso with Crispy Shiitake. Despite the almost outrageous $32 for the dish, the sauce and crunchy mushroom were amazing — certainly drowning out the red snapper. Really nice flavor profile and quite strong.

A Matsuhisa classic, Toro tartar with caviar and a miso ponzu. I’ve always loved the combo of the rich fatty toro and the acidic punch of the sauce. This theme of adding acidity to the fish is a consistent one.

Albacore with Meyer Lemon. A little less sexy, but certainly nice.

Kanpachi Basil with Roccoto Soy. Packing more “new style” punch. Lots of flavor again.

Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce. More classic. I’ve always loved these little fellows. Basically the normal Shrimp Tempura, but heavily sauced, and in smaller bite sized chunks. Addictive, but eat quickly before it sogs up.

1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. 92 points. An earthy medium-to-heavy weight Burgundy, with tastes packed with tar, tobacco, forest floor, mushroom and dark cherry. The fruitiness has mostly disappeared, and is replaced by a solid backbone redolent of the grape’s mother soil. Worth drinking to experience the capabilities of a well-aged burgundy.

Special fish and chips for my son! Cool looking F&C! Tempura too. Big win for drumming this up.

Black Cod with Miso. Another Nobu classic, and delicious as always.

Special. Lobster (and vegetable) tempura with black truffles. There were a bunch of greens and some ponzu, and the tempura went surprisingly excellently with the truffles. Really very tasty.

Ribeye with Truffle Butter Sauce and crispy onions. This is the way I like my steak, hidden under some crispy fries! Meat was super soft and flavorful too!

Our sushi plate. There is Hamachi (yellowtail), salmon, toro, scallop, freshwater eel, and uni.

The dessert menu.

For the birthday boy, Warm Chocolate Souffle Cake. Matcha ice cream.

Banana Miso Bar. Milk Chocolate. Hazelnut. Coffee.

White Chocolate Namelaka. Grapefruit. Shiso. Strawberry. Sounded great, but while fine, it was basically panna cotta with fruit.

Hazelnut Cookie. Vanilla. Caramel. These were little ice cream sandwiches and really good.

Overall, the food is just like is always was here at Nobu. The atmosphere is stellar and it would be really cool to eat outside on a hot summer night (although they don’t usually serve dinner outside due to the cold). There must be an army in the kitchen too because the stuff appeared minutes after we ordered (except for the sushi). All in all, it’s a great experience, if a tad manufactured and divorced from its chef driven origins.

Service was excellent. We had a birthday, a young child, a gluten free person, and they handled it all nicely.

However, the chef du cuisine has been busy over the last 2-3 years, as the new dishes were plentiful and they really stood out flavor-wise. They still have that same basic technic of piling together sashimi, or tempura with various Peruvian / Japanese sauces, but the flavor profiles have broadened out, pulling in more eclectic elements for a lot of flavor punch. The Shiso Tai and Truffle Lobster really stood out.

Worth noting. Nobu is expensive. This meal for five adults was $650ish before tax and tip.

Check out more LA Sushi places I’ve reviewed here.

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art – Nobu
  2. The New Nobu
  3. Takao Top Omakase
  4. Food as Art: Sushi House Unico
  5. Sushi Sushi = Yummy Yummy
By: agavin
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More Shunji Omakase

Feb08

Restaurant: Shunji [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 12244 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 826-4737

Date: February 6, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: First rate traditional sushi

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Some of my cousins wanted sushi so we resorted to a bit of shock and awe — going out for Shunji’s omakase!

Shunji, which took over for the “Mr. Cecil’s BBQ” in this oddball looking building on Pico has developed quite a reputation.

At night, Shunji offers an amazing and advanced mix of traditional and modern raw and cooked dishes.

Chef Shunji Nakao was an opening chef at Matsuhisa in the day, then opened Asanebo, then The Hump (one of my old favorites). It has quickly risen to the top of the LA Japanese scene.

From my cellar: 1998 Nikolaihof Riesling Federspiel Steinriesler. 90 points. “Riesler” is an archaic term for Riesling. Saahs wanted to see how a wine might age in cask without sulfur if it were an ordinary and not a grand wine to begin with. The first example was a glorious 1999, offered two years ago. So what do they do for an encore? Offer something even older. This is a masterpiece of time, nature and instinct. Less “humble” than that ‘99 was, and more insanely, dauntingly complex. I could detail its three paragraphs worth of nuance if I had 40 minutes to study it. Let’s just say, a perfect positive oxidation, a whole encyclopedia of wild flowers and herbs, a mélange of every possible salt, and the gentlest note of allspice and pink peppercorn.
From my cellar: 2000 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. Burghound 92. Almost always the best 1er in the Dauvissat portfolio and this displays real energy as it explodes from the glass with detailed green fruit notes and detailed and delineated medium weight flavors that are so pure they seem cut directly from liquid rock, all wrapped in a presently tight and austere but not closed finish. At 7 years of age, this is still on the way up and there is absolutely no rush to drink up, indeed I would suggest that 2010 will see this at its peak, where it should hold for some years. This would give many a grand cru a run for its money. Beautiful juice and aging slowly toward something very special though it could be drunk now with pleasure. Multiple, and consistent, notes.

agavin: a great bottle, mature and complex with a nice Chablis acidic finish.

Vegetable puree with crispy onion and crab. I’d guess the vegetable was eggplant or something similar. There was a dashi base giving it that vaguely fishy (in a good way) extremely Japanese vibe. Soft texture and very pleasant.

Bites and slurps. Left to right. Marinated baby eel, with a fabulous sweet and tangy marinate. Pickled bamboo shoots, nice and crisp. Brussel sprout. Marinated tomato. The purple ball was potato and gorgonzola cheese with some cured persimmon (very interesting and nice). The orange ball was monkfish liver with caviar, super rich.
Oyster soup. One of those classic Japanese light broths with two oysters. Yum.

Cod sperm mousse. Yes, again with the cod sperm, this time mixed with tofu to make a creme brulee-like confection.

Sashimi. I’m not sure of all the specific fishes here, but they were delightfully fresh.

Tomato tofu. This Shunji classic is a block of sticky tomato paste made from 5 Japanese tomatoes. It has been glommed together into a tofu-like texture with a mild but very fresh tomato taste and topped with a shiso pepper. It was pretty good, even by tomato-hater standards.

Sukiyaki with pickled egg and smoked pickles. A lovely bite of classic (tasting) sukiyaki. The egg and pickles were eaten with the truffle rice below.

Miso marinated cod. The Kyoto “classic”.

I’ve been wanting to try the truffle rice for a long time, so finally got an opportunity to place this special preorder.

The seasoned rice gets truffles shaved on it.
Not one, not two, but three types! Southern French black, white, and Burgundy truffles!
Mixed up it is eaten with the pickled egg and radish. Delicious and highly aromatic.
the first flight of sushi. Not sure of all the fish. Some kind of toro, baracuda, uni, and a few others. All soft, and exquisite.

Special house marinated ginger. I’m a ginger fiend and this was amazing stuff. Super potent too like ultra concentrated ginger beer.

Sushi round two. Included chu-toro (amazing), kampachi, and other wonders.

A sashimi version of the same fish.

Roasted mild traditional tea.
A round of homemade desserts. The red is mixed berry sorbet. The brown chocolate mousse (very strong and good), and the rightmost pink orange ice cream. The sorbets and ice cream have that fresh intense flavor, but a texture more like a granite, not the smooth mouth-feel I go for in my own gelatti and sorbetti.

All and all Shunji is rather fantastic, joining the large repertoire of top LA sushi restaurants. This was a really great take on sushi kaiseki style dishes, combining both innovations with a solid grounding in traditional Japanese flavors and seasonal ingredients. There was some really unusual stuff too (sperm!) and it all tasted fabulous. The nigiri was also top flight, with a lot of exotic fish and at the peak of freshness. Great great stuff. When you sit at the sushi bar like this talking to the chef, you always get the best stuff too — although the restaurant was mobbed and all the great plates making their way out into the room looked amazing.

The truffle rice was pretty awesome too!

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Shunji Super Omakase
  2. Shunji Sushi – Nonstop Nigiri
  3. Takao Top Omakase
  4. Sushi Sushi – Small Omakase
  5. Mori Sushi – A Top Contender
By: agavin
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Yamakase Yummy

Dec21

Restaurant: Yamakase [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: You wish you knew!

Date: December 17, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Best yet!

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My Foodie Club Yamakase meal last May was so good, we just had to go back before the year was out.

Again we had the whole place, but it’s a new place, having moved a little closer to my house into a space that is perhaps twice as large. Now that’s still small, but they have about 4-5 feet behind you instead of 18 inches and there is a section beyond the 11-12 person sushi bar with a couple of tables. No one else was there besides our 12, so we just used those tables for wine staging.

2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé. A nice youthful vintage Champy.

Homemade sesame tofu, Momotaro tomato, and uni. A “typical” Yamakase uni/tofu dish. Great interplay of textures and flavors.

From my cellar: 1990 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet. 94 points. Superb rich butterscotch nose. Medium gold in color. Not oxidized. Classic batard richness and oiliness. Still some fruit but the oak becames more prominent with time.

Abalone with eel sauce. The crunchy chewy mollusk simply served and delicious.

From my cellar: 1995 Pierre Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 89 points. This was a nice Perrieres, showing round yellow fruit and slight florals, although it could have used a bit more acidity. I’ve had 3 bottles of this before, and this was the weakest yet.

Persimmon butter sandwich. This is an odd one, but delicious. The orange stripes are dried persimmon which has been hung to dry for months. This is a traditional Japanese New Year preparation and very highly prized. The lighter stripe is frozen high end butter! Almost like a little petite four.

1996 Verget Corton-Charlemagne. VM 91+. Extremely reticent aromas of Granny Smith apple and white chocolate. Vibrant and powerful, but hermetically sealed today. All sinewy structure, with a blazing mineral character and a slightly hard green edge. I’m a bit less confident about the future of this wine than I was a year ago. But certainly true to its terroir.

Lobster, baby peach, scallop, seaweed. I loved the sweet/tangy sauce too. Very lovely.

2002 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 93. Brilliant and ultra fine aromas of green apples and limestone lead to almost Chablis-like intensity and razor-sharp, incredibly delineated, chiseled flavors that offer superb texture and an almost chewy finish. This is quite different from many examples of 2002 Corton-Charlemagne as this more of a world class gymnast than a weight lifter as it’s sleek, silky and taut plus the delineation is like a hot knife through butter. In short, this is reference standard Corton-Charlemagne and highly recommended.

Oyster, uni, quail egg, caviar. One of these super Yamakase spoons of crazy umami-rich ingredients.

2005 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. Burghound 94. A strikingly complex nose of green apple fruit, pear and a distinct floral note complements perfectly the hugely powerful flavors brimming with dry extract and built on a base of solid minerality. This is a borderline massive wine that is textured, concentrated and sleekly muscled yet it remains precise, pure and balanced with positively huge length. A very impressive wine that could actually surprise to the upside as the underlying material here is as good as any 2005 Corton-Charlemagne.

Cod sperm sack. Oh yeah, looks like a miniature brain. Filled with creamy cod sperm goodness. This was just steamed and served with a light ponzu. If you can get over the look and idea of it, it was delicious.

2004 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. VM 95+. Pale, bright color. A quintessence of Corton-Charlemagne dirt on the nose: stone fruits, lemon, iodine, ginger, minerals and mint, all complicated by a musky, leesy note that reminded me of a Coche-Dury wine. Then compellingly dense and penetrating in the mouth, with captivating, soil-driven flavors of raw pineapple, white peach, white flowers and crushed rock; a sulfidey complexity and a saline element add to the wine’s spectacular subtle complexity. Hardly a blockbuster but conveys an impression of great solidity. This remarkably precise wine coats the palate with dusty stone and leaves behind a suggestion of honey. My sample at Bouchard in early June was painfully young and closed though obviously outstanding, but this bottle, tasted in New York in August, was spectacular. (Incidentally, my following notes on the Chevalier-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte and Montrachet were from bottles tasted at Bouchard-also quite backward at the time-and I would expect my scores to prove to be conservative.)

Glass fish wrapped in shiso leaf, with shiso flowers and a light tangy sauce. I’ve never had the shiso flowers, which carried a light shiso flavor. I love shiso.

1995 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 93. An extremely fresh anise-infused nose features the classic ripe honeysuckle and subtle spiced citrus aromas that continue onto the very rich, generous and lightly mineral suffused medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with dry extract on the impressively long finish. This is lovely and displays no botrytis notes and for my taste, this could benefit from another year or two of cellar time and then drink well for at least another decade in this format.

Frozen toro and blue crab on toast. This toast and rich toro/crab combo is so good. Like a super high end version of a tuna sandwich.

Yama-san working with his beef.

1969 Remoissenet Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts. 93 points. Step up in finesse and elegance on the palate (not always associated with Malconsorts). This remains powerfully tannic but it is ripe although tannins are a touch rustic on the finish. Overall this has terrific full flavour and is in outstanding condition.

Sliced seared beef with ponzu and chives. A very light delicious beef carpaccio.

2003 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. VM 90-2. Very pale, green-tinged color. Pure, reticent nose hints at cold steel and lime. Dense, sweet and vibrant, with enticingflavors of white peach, minerals and spring flowers. Finishes bright and very long, with an almost tannic impression of power.

Truffle, crab, quail egg, uni parfait. Classic Yamakase greatness.

2004 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 97. Racy, silky and vibrant in the glass, the 2004 Dom Pérignon is all about energy. Here the flavors are bright and delineated throughout, with veins of acidity and minerality that give the wine its sense of drive. Mint, rosemary and yellow-fleshed fruits linger on the finish with the classic DP reductive overtones that are such a signature. Once again, the 2004 Dom Pérignon truly shines. The 2004 Dom Pérignon is a wine to treasure over the next thirty or so years.

Hokkaido scallops with Japanese roe and olive oil and yuzu. The sauce elements worked together like a dressing and then combined with the soft scallop and the slightly chewy umami of the roe into an amazing concoction.

The olive oil was from Eisele vinyard! Yeah, like the WOTN the previous week at the California dinner.

Krug Champagne Brut Rosé. Burghound 94. Medium rosé hue. A cool, restrained and highly complex nose that is not especially fruity displays a moderate yeast character along with slightly exotic aromas of mandarin orange and Asian tea, all wrapped in an enveloping array of beguiling rose petal scents. There is very good richness with a relatively firm supporting mousse that adds to the impression of richness to the superbly complex and highly textured flavors, indeed one could aptly describe this as more wine that Champagne. As such this is indeed a sumptuous Krug rosé that is difficult to resist already though it should reward extended keeping if desired.

Bluefin tuna, caviar, pine nuts. Some of the best chunks of tuna I’ve had.

1999 Sine Qua Non Tarantella. VM 92. Slightly hazy pale gold color. Captivating, soil-inflected, but rather restrained nose combines gunflint, nuts, smoke and stone. Then wonderfully aromatic, rich and vibrant in the mouth, with intense yellow fruits and musky, leesy and mineral nuances. Thick but utterly succulent thanks to lively, perfectly integrated acids. Long, palate-saturating finish. Potentially Manfred Krankl’s best dry white wine since his 1995 The Bride.

Yellowfin or some similar fish lightly flash boiled and then served with a lovely vinegar based sauce. The fish was melt in your mouth.

2004 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos (magnum). Burghound 95. This too is ultra pure and fine with its nose of wet stone, white flower, sea water and iodine that precedes delicious, full, detailed and impeccably well balanced flavors that are tight but long with a laser-like sense of focus and coherency. This too finishes with noticeable austerity yet there is real freshness and presence, indeed vibrancy here. The ’04 Le Clos will require at least 5 to 7 years to really begin to open up but once it does, it should drink well for 15. A stunner of a wine and one of the stars of the vintage that will be a long distance runner.

agavin: sadly, this bottle was corked 🙁

Yama slices truffle cheese.

Foie gras, toro, quail egg, truffle cheese, blue crab. Wow! This dish was absolutely out of this world. Just crazy rich and delicious. You wouldn’t think it works, but it’s amazing.

From my cellar: 2006 Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. AG 94. Mint, white flowers, pastry and yellow orchard fruit meld together in Krug’s NV Grande Cuvée. This is one of the very best versions of the Grande Cuvée I can remember tasting in recent years. The impression of total silkiness on the palate is classic Krug. Even though this release is exceptional today, I would be tempted to cellar a few wines for the future, as the best Grand Cuvées age effortlessly. This release is based on 2006 and includes wines from 11 vintages going back to 1990.

King crab, steamed. Simple steamed fresh crab.

Ron generously brought: 2000 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux. Burghound 91-93. Wonderfully aromatic with essence of pinot fruit plus racy and rich flavors, slightly oaky flavors that have abundant material underlying the cool, reserved edge. Complex, long, fine and seamless with a sweet backend that builds in volume. Very impressive for the vintage and this too delivers buckets of marvelously intense sappy extract.

agavin: drinking great, with a real lovely power.

Erick brought: 1991 Domaine Dujac Charmes-Chambertin. 92 points. Quite nice for the vintage.

The chef is working on his ramen broth. Notice the noodle bowls ready for filling.

Ultimate ramen bowl. This foie gras based seafood broth was topped with truffles and filled with yummy seafood bits. Underneath are the ramen noodles. There was crab, beef, oyster, and who knows what else in here. Absolutely stunning. So rich. So good.

From my cellar: 1982 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs. Burghound 88. Superb nose of dried rose petals trimmed in minerals and damp earth follow by middle weight, slightly thinning flavors that display excellent complexity and frankly more structure than the mid-palate sap can adequately buffer on the finish. That said, this receives its marks for the sheer breadth of flavors and the clean, pure character. This is a first rate effort in what was a very difficult vintage.

agavin: 94 points. I thought this was drinking great.
Yama-san cutting the kobe beef.

This is real Kobe, from Kobe. It comes with a certificate of authenticity that includes the cow’s nose print and stats. Yeah, the actual animal.

Kobe beef with truffle pepper sauce. Melt in your mouth with a bit of pepper kick.

Real wasabi being ground for the sushi.

2001 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 92. Yellow fruits, smoky oak and a suggestion of truffley earth on the nose. Rich, ripe and smooth, with fruit-driven flavors of white plum and wet stone. Almost deceptively accessible today, as this has softer acidity and a bit less volume and grip than the 2002. Oaky on the finish, but boasts lovely fruit.

2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 93. More noticeable wood spice than in the prior wine combines with wonderfully pure green fruit and white pear aromas underscored by intensely stony notes, leading to ripe, chiseled, vibrant, wonderfully precise flavors that offer excellent definition. This really coats the palate and the finish lingers for several minutes. I like the punch here yet the intensity is delivered in an ultra refined, classy and pure style.

Dr Dave brought: 2008 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 96.  notably more elegant, cooler and more reserved nose of white flower, green apple and ample minerality complements to perfection the silky-textured, pure and stylish medium weight plus flavors that possess excellent volume but also wonderful detail and punch while culminating in an intensely mineral finish of superb intensity while remaining a study in purity and refinement. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that amazes through transparency and delicacy rather than brute force. Still, don’t be fooled by the finesse as the intensity is such that a deep breath is required after sampling this.

agavin: I’d agree with the 96, this was a VERY sexy Chevy.

Blue fin sushi. Bordering over to chu-toro. Just a lovely bit of sushi.

Amberjack. Amazing.

Sea bass. To die for.

2002 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. An expressive, elegant and pure nose of spice, white flower and green fruit aromas are followed by dense, big, rich and explosive full-bodied flavors that are blessed with abundant dry extract and a finish that won’t quit. Not withstanding all of the size and weight, this is impeccably balanced and overall, this continues to display that “wow” factor. Note that like many ’02s at this point, the ’02 Bâtard could certainly be drunk with pleasure but for my taste, I would suggest a few more years in the cellar first. Consistent notes.

From my cellar: 2001 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 93. Big, rich and muscular yet this offers excellent definition with explosive fruit trimmed in obvious anise notes and luxuriant, sappy, dense flavors of uncommon depth and complexity. The finish is rather linear presently yet offers wave after wave of mouthwatering extract, all beautifully framed by more than sufficient buffering acidity. A Bâtard worthy of the name and a great success for the vintage.

From my cellar: 1999 Domaine Jacques Prieur Montrachet. Burghound 93. Young Montrachet can often be quite austere yet this is forward and flashy with expressive aromas of oak spice, orchard fruits and a background note of acacia blossoms followed by large scaled, relatively dense flavors of remarkable complexity and a fine minerality that continues on into the intense and remarkably powerful finish. A very impressive effort.

agavin: so big it probably needs even more time.
O toro with salt. Wow, wow wow. These might have been rich, but they were some of the best nigiri I’ve had in a long long time. Chef Yama spent a lot of time cutting and probably threw away 2/3 of the fish.

Chu toro. Lethal.

2005 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 95. Here the nose is completely different with pungent and almost aggressively intense green apple aromas infused with an underlying sense of wet stone that is in keeping with the character of the pure, chiseled and fantastically intense full-bodied and muscular flavors that possess serious punch and verve on the equally explosive and very fresh finish. This also has that ‘wow’ sensation because of the beautiful sense of tension that is like a tightly coiled spring. Terrific.

2008 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95. An almost completely inexpressive but relatively high-toned nose of lemon rind, acacia blossom, ripe peach and apricot gives way to almost painfully intense full-bodied and overtly muscular flavors that offer exceptional richness on the magnificently long, mouth coating and palate staining finish that is wrapped around a very firm core of ripe acidity. Chez Pernot, I typically prefer the Bienvenues but as good as it is, and it is very good, in 2008 I give the nod to the Bâtard, if only by a nose, no pun intended.

Handroll ingredients.

Uber handroll. Uni, king crab, toro, shiso. You’ve never had a handroll quite like this powerhouse!

Emil brought: Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year Old Family Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45.2%. 95 points. This was a great Bourbon and Emil was very generous because these are selling for a lot of money. Perhaps, however, a big glass of this at the end of a meal, after 27 bottles of wine split by 11 people wasn’t such a wise move as my hangover was pretty epic too.

A bit of berry sorbet. Dessert is not a big deal at Yamakase.

27 bottles of wine (well 26, with one being a magnum). 12 people (but 11 real drinkers). Plus a 750 of Bourbon. That 2.34 bottles of wine alone per person. Woah! Great stuff tonight too. Only the 2004 Rav was seriously flawed. We had lots of great whites. The awesome Krug Rose, and the few reds we did open (Yamakase being a white focused cuisine) were stunning. Really great stuff.

Plus, food-wise, this was one of my best meals this year — really quite excellent — and regular readers know I have more than my share of great meals. A really great format. A total blow out and Yama’s cuisine keeps gaining in strength and power. Really quite incomparable.

Oh, and that toro cheese dish and foie gras “ramen” are just to die for.

Click here for more LA sushi reviews,
Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

A gift from Kaz at Totoraku. haha

Related posts:

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  5. Raw Crab Guts are Yummy
By: agavin
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Katana – Stripping it all Down

Aug07

Restaurant: Katana

Location: 8439 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (323) 650-8585

Date: July 30, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese American Sushi / Robata

Rating: Best I’ve had here

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I’ve long had mixed feelings about both Katana and IDG (Innovative Dining Group). They bug me a bit for being style over substance, and there is absolutely nothing innovative about them in the food department. But that being said they often run a fairly tight ship. BOA is a pretty solid modern steakhouse.

Back to Katana, which lurks right over the heart of the Sunset Strip. The crowd is different than it was when I was last here in 98 or 99 — then it was super hip and trendy. Now it’s still very busy, but feels more like a strong concierge referral business.

The patio gets hopping later.

Inside is the sushi / robata bar. Katana is a “Japanese” restaurant like I’ve never seen in Japan and it fuses a couple different culinary traditions. The sushi side inherits from Nobu / Matsuhisa (more Nobu) and then there is robata thrown in too boot. Oh, plus a ton of those creepy American mega rolls (like Spider Roll) that I don’t like: too much sauce and fry.

Tonight, however, we were there with a super regular who is friendly with the chef and so he made a lot of off menu stuff — and no silly rolls.

Our first wave of sashimi-like apps. This general category of heavily produced sashami is non-traditional, and deemphasizes the fish, but it is really tasty.

2006 Moët & Chandon Champagne Grand Vintage Brut Rosé. VM 91+. Dried rose petals, anise, sweet red cherries and mint waft from the glass in the 2006 Brut Rosé Grand Vintage. The 2006 is a big, large-scaled Rosé built on depth and structure. The flavors show early signs of development, but the 2006 should continue to drink well for many years based on its stuffing. Today the Rosé is a bit tight. I won’t be surprised to see it improve over the next few years. In 2006, the Grand Vintage Rosé is 47% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, with a high percentage of still Pinot Noir (23%) that gives the wine much of its pure vinosity. Dosage is 5 grams per liter.

agavin: these two roses were a gift from a Moet rep and were much appreciated.

Albacore or similar tuna with ponzu, parmesan, avocado, and arugula. An odd blend of Italian salad and sashimi, this did taste great.

NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Light orange. Red berries, potpourri, toasty lees and orange peel on the highly fragrant nose. Lively and precise, with very good focus to its wild red berry and floral pastille flavors. The orange note comes back strong on the long, penetrating finish, which features a sweet raspberry quality.

Lobster, reduction, yuzu sauce, truffles. Again pretty over the top, but yummy.

2002 Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean. 90 points.

Salmon, truffle, and tomato in a ponzu. Drawing these together are the vinegary sauces. These were “invented” (more adapted from Purvuian sauces) by Nobu Matsuhisa to make sashimi “easier” on the western palette.

2001 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. Burghound 92. Ripe and extremely opulent intense citrus fruit and white flowers coupled with medium weight flavors dripping with minerality and enough fat to buffer the bracing acidity. There is a subtle underlying complexity and this is remarkably intense, assertive and precise yet there is excellent power and depth as well.

Scallop with yuzu and dressing. Delicious. Hard to go too wrong with scallop and vinegar.

2004 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 93. Noticeable reduction and very subtle wood influence highlights the strikingly elegant and airy white flower, grapefruit and anise-infused nose that precedes the intense, powerful and superbly well-detailed medium full flavors that explode like a bomb on the mouth coating finish. There is a bit more wood on the finish but there is so much material here that it will almost certainly absorb it over time. This is a steamroller of a wine yet one that maintains perfect balance and grace though I would strongly suggest decanting it for 20 minutes first because of the reduction.

agavin: a little bit of that 04 green on the finish.

Tai snapper with baby peach and flowers and dressing. This one was most novel, featuring the baby peach. It was really quiet lovely.

From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A truly wonderful nose of simply knockout complexity features notes of yeast and baked bread along with now fully mature aromas of a variety of floral notes and spice hints that gives way to mineral-suffused, round, intense and detailed medium full flavors that also offer outstanding depth on the sappy and mouth coating finish. This is drinking perfectly now and I wouldn’t hesitate to open one anytime as there is no further upside to be had. A beautiful effort of real style and grace.

Yellowtail with garlic and something else. Very tasty too, if rich.

2001 Domaine Fourrier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers Vieille Vigne. Burghound 88-91. A major step up as this retains the elegance and precision of the Chambolle villages and adds more depth, weight and complexity plus more length. This is first rate and offers excellent potential for 5 to 8 years of improvement.

Now we segue drastically heavier in an out of order filet mignon with mashed potatoes, foie gras, and truffles. Not that it wasn’t very tasty, but it was hefty!

From my cellar: 1970 Gros Frère et Sœur Vosne-Romanée. 93 points. Very much alive and drinking quite beautifully. A veritable chameleon in the glass, the aromas kept changing every time I brought the glass to my nose. First sour cherries, then papaya, then raspberries, then red clay, then lemon rind, then caramel — it was intoxicating. The palate, on the other hand, was a bit simple and one-dimensional, but I thought the nose more than made up for it. A lovely wine!

Beef rolled around foie. I guess it can get even heavier. Tasty too, but super rich.

1998 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays. Burghound 91. This has always had a wonderful nose and it has now reached the front edge of full maturity that complements well a flavor profile is a classy middleweight fighter’s grace and athleticism rather than a heavyweight’s power. The once relatively firm tannins have largely, if not completely, resolved to create a velvety and mouth coating texture that further delivers excellent length. There is a hint of acidity poking through on the finish but overall, this is indisputably an unqualified success for the vintage. Tasted multiple times with consistent notes.

Chicken liver skewers. Good for those with iron deficiency.

Sushi. Tuna, Yellowtail, red snapper, and salmon. These are the usual suspects of the nigiri world. They were nice pieces, but on the “been there done that” side.

Uni, battleship style. I never complain about good uni.

Toro. O-toro from the look of it. This wasn’t like Yamakase toro or anything, but I certainly wasn’t going to send it back.

Chicken cartilage skewers. Good flavor. Terrible cartilage texture.

Lamb chops. Oddball at a Japanese restaurant, but very nice.

Lobster tempura in ponzu sauce. Total guilty pleasure. This sauce was more like a sweet and spicy eggroll sauce. The lobster was so fried you would have never known there was anything in there. Despite that, it was amazing in a totally decadent fried way.

Snapper, and truffle, wrapped around foie gras with shiso. Such an odd combo, but delicious (if, like much of the meal, was very rich).

Turley Zinfandel. Don’t know which one. Well, it was a zin.

A dessert plate with flourless chocolate tart, a kind of cheesecake, and (way too little) ice cream.

2009 Heinrich Mayr (Nusserhof) Lagrein Alto Adige – Südtirol Riserva. VM 94. The 2009 Lagrein Riserva wraps around the palate with layers of super-expressive, radiant fruit. Sweet red berries, tobacco, crushed flowers, mint and anise are some of the many notes that are woven together in the glass. Extended time in barrel has added considerable textural richness. The 2009 needs quite a bit of time to open up, but it is fabulous. The silky tannins and overall depth of the fruit cover some of the wilder notes typical of Lagrein, but there is plenty of varietal expression. This is another striking, reference-point wine from Heinrich Mayr.

agavin: never heard of this — at all — but it was a great food wine.

A coffee chocolate mousse. My favorite.

Overall, a really fun evening. Service was fabulous and I enjoyed the food. It is, as mentioned above, an odd hybrid of different Japanese types and other more American influences. It emphasizes super rich ingredients and sauces in a way that really isn’t fundamentally Japanese. All the while failing to strike out on it’s own with any kind of real vision. This comes off more like an amped up “crowd pleaser” style, thus striking an odd note with my purist side. Still, it is a crowd pleaser — and plenty tasty.

For more LA Japanese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Shunji Sushi – Nonstop Nigiri
  2. Yamakase – Burghound Bday
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By: agavin
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Sushi Gen DTLA

Jun24

Restaurant: Sushi Gen

Location: 422 E 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 617-0552

Date: April 7, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: B+ sushi factory!

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People have been talking about Sushi Gen for some time, but given the surplus of great sushi on the Westside I don’t usually head Downtown (to little Tokyo) for it. But I saw it recently next to Kinjiro and decided to hit it up with my buddy Sebastian.

The interior is actually fairly large for a sushi bar, bigger than even this Pano makes it look.

And they have the usual sushi bar list of “rules.”

We sat at the sushi bar and had the chef make us a lunch omakase.

o-toro. Great fatty slabs.

Amberjack.

Ama-ebi (sweet shrimp).

Kasugo (Sea bream). With yuzu and chili.

Shrimp miso. The shrimp heads return!

Sawara (Spanish Mackerel).

Baby squid with sweet sauce. Yum! And in season.

Needle fish. Second time recently I’ve had this.

Ankimo (monkfish liver). Rich and tangy as usual. Very nice cut of it.

Shima-aji (White trevally).

Uni (Sea urchin). Always one of my favorites.

Toro and scallion hand roll.

Scallop hand roll with roe.

Sushi Gen was huge and mobbed. This place is like a factory, just churning out a volume of sushi that is rather astonishing. Probably at least 10x the volume per hour of a place like Zo or Sushi Sushi. Maybe 20x. The quality was quite good. Not as good as those above or an omakase at Shunji or Shiki or anything, but quite good. And it was relatively reasonable for very good sushi. I don’t know if I’d come here for dinner, but if I was downtown for lunch and hankering for sushi I’d be happy to return.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

Related posts:

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By: agavin
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Yamakase Return

May22

Restaurant: Yamakase [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: You wish you knew!

Date: May 15, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Even better than last time!

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I’ve been meaning to get back to Yamakase for forever (2 years) and finally got around to booking the whole place again (which is really the only way to go!). The Foodie Club easily jammed in here. Not that 11 seats are that much to fill for such a great place.

This is the kitchen. Well it’s also half the room.


Yamakase is the brainchild of chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto and video game executive Stan Liu. Here Yama-san scoops out some Japanese Uni. The restaurant is Omakase only, serving up a single seating of epic creative Japanese Kaiseki/sushi.

Those little white squiggles are some kind of seasonal baby fish. Accompanied by Hokkaido uni, some kind of homemade tofu, green onions, and I don’t know what else. This is typical of the Yama style, a mixture of richness and various sea-born textures. Very very umami.

This is the pescatarian (no shell fish version) with a special kelp.

Baby eels. Seasonal baby eels with caviar and a kind of slightly spicy mayo sauce. One baby sea creature not being enough, we have the eels, which are almost like mung bean noodles in consistency. This was bowl licking good.

Sea bass. Instead of the eels.

Uni and baby fish. The fish are wrapped in shiso and drizzled with a puree of avocado or asparagus or something like that. Delicious.

Abalone. The softest abalone I think I’ve ever had.

Perhaps Amberjack. Another replacement for the abalone.

Sashimi. This delicate fish was with a slightly tangy sauce. Amazing again.

Japanese scallop. With a light lemony sauce. Absolutely amazing.

A whitefish with a similar sauce.

Bluefin tuna, caviar, pine nuts. Some of the best chunks of tuna I’ve had.

Bonito. Again in a lovely vinegar based sauce. The fish was melt in your mouth.

Various marinated seafood. Scallop, two kinds of shrimp, and a pickled baby peach.

A version with no shellfish.

Oyster spoon. Kushi Oyster, quail egg, uni, caviar. This single taste shot is an amazing combination of umami flavors.

The chef chunks up some foie gras.

Eggplant and Foie. Foie gras, caviar, Japanese eggplant.

Toro rules. Chopped toro on eggplant.

Floored. Chopped toro, crab guts and meat, quail egg, and truffle cheese. Yeah, truffle cheese. This dish was absolutely out of this world. Just crazy rich and delicious.

Various spoons of toro, cheese, and quail egg.

This hairy crab from Hokkaido was still alive when we arrived.

Yama sets to work on them after steaming.

Served up steamed, simple, but delicious.

Red mullet or snapper cooked up in foil with mushrooms. The fungus turned into a lovely broth.

Ultimate bowl. This foie gras based seafood broth was topped with truffles and filled with yummy seafood bits. Absolutely stunning. So rich. So good.

A more classic fish-based dashi soup.

Toro “Sandwich”. A slab of frozen toro on top of uni on top of some toast. Wow.

Yama flames up some beef.

Yama slices the beef. True Kobe wagyu.

Wagyu with truffles. Simply cooked, with a bit of a soy based sauce. Wow.

Toro with truffles and sea salt. Wow. This was just amazing. Very salty though.

Blue fin tuna sushi. Mouth watering.

Amberjack. Amazing.

Sea bass. To die for.

Chu toro. Lethal.

O toro. Even better.

O toro with salt. Wow, wow wow. These might have been rich, but they were some of the best nigiri I’ve had in a long long time. Chef Yama spent a lot of time cutting and probably threw away 2/3 of the fish.

A dessert sorbet. Baby Japanese peach (in season) with yuzu and mint. Very light and refreshing.

This was one of my best meals in a long time — really quite excellent — and regular readers know I have more than my share of great meals. A really great format. The restaurant is only 11 seats. This made for a really fun time. We were there from 7 to midnight too. A total blow out.

Oh, and that toro cheese dish and foie gras “stew” were some of the best dishes I’ve had in forever.

Click here for more LA sushi reviews,
Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

The one and only (and very attentive) server

Related posts:

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  5. Go Sushi Goes To Lunch
By: agavin
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Shunji Super Omakase

Feb25

Restaurant: Shunji [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 12244 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 826-4737

Date: February 20, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: First rate traditional sushi

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I’ve been meaning for some time to come back to Shunji for a mega dinner omakase and tonight finally provided the excuse. My wine friend Sam was in town with his friend Matt and so Erick and I dragged set up some serious Shunji.


Shunji, which took over for the “Mr. Cecil’s BBQ” in this oddball looking building on Pico has developed quite a reputation.

At night, Shunji offers an amazing and advanced mix of traditional and modern raw and cooked dishes.


Chef Shunji Nakao was an opening chef at Matsuhisa in the day, then opened Asanebo, then The Hump (one of my old favorites). It has quickly risen to the top of the LA Japanese scene.


From my cellar: 1985 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon. agavin 90. The wine started out old and oxidized, with a very sherry-like nose. But slowly over the next 4-5 hours it developed into this intriguing nutty ultra smooth beast that was really quite lovely. Given that this is a 30 year-old premier cru Chardonnay, pretty impressive.


Vegetable porridge. A mysterious vegetarian mix. There are clearly mushrooms here. It was mild and very Japanese.


Appetizer plate. A spread of various intriguing elements.


Colbrabi and pine-nuts.


Conch.


Fish jelly and stuffed shrimp. The jelly was really good. On the right, the purple ball was some kind of Japanese yam.


Seasonal baby squid with miso sauce and monkfish liver truffle with caviar. The truffle was amazing.


Erick brought: 1997 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. IWC 93. Green-tinged pale color. Classy aromas of tangy grapefruit, pear eau de vie and minerals. Dense, pure, ripe and delineated; vibrant, pristine citrus, spice and stony flavors. Firm and brisk but creamy at the core, in the style of the vintage. Palate-staining finish features almost painful grip.

agavin: mature and drinking great.


Baby sea eels with a sesame paste. Amazing flavor and texture.


Notice the eyeballs at the bottom of the eels! But they seem like pasta.


Cod sperm. Yep, the white part was a kind of mousse made from cod sperm. It was pretty amazing and creamy too. This led to an entire evening of immature jokes.


Sashimi plate.


Sea Robin (houbou). A rarity and in season. I’m not sure I’ve ever had it and so fresh he was still wiggling. The meat was firm and tasty.


Big eye tuna to the right.


Then wild yellowtail and to the far right, needlefish and fried needle fish spine.


Perfect o-toro.


Here is the needlefish head and spine again.


Sam brought: 2007 Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet. agavin 95. Like a coiled cobra. Reduction on the nose at first, then various elements of ripe fruit. Melon. Maybe even durian or jack fruit. Uncoiled slowly through the evening, but always maintained this tropical power.


Hairy crab from Hokkaido. Served with both crab guts and a sweet vinegar sauce. Yum! Oh, and the little momotaro tomato.


Two kinds of baby eel.


Baby eel tempura with shiso!


And baby eel sashimi with a bit of ginger and cucumber. Eyeballs!


A trio of salads.


Arugula salad with a bit of citrus and gorgonzola.


Lobster salad with flowers and citrus. An incredible Montrachet pairing.


Ball of fried something. Mushroom?


Miso black cod with pickled ginger.


Fried oyster wrapped in prosciutto!


Truffle duck “risotto.” Some whole grain risotto with black truffles and fatty yummy bits of duck. This had an incredible umami “stink.”



Sam brought: 2009 Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Sketch. Parker 96. 2009 Sketch, an Albarino sourced from a parcel harvested 1-2 weeks later than all the other vineyards. It was fermented and aged (without malolactic) in two 700-liter barrels for 12 months followed by 60 days of aging in the bottle at 30 meters under the sea. It offers up an enthralling bouquet of mineral, saline, floral, tropical, and marzipan elements. Intense, complex, impeccably balanced, and remarkably lengthy, this is as good as Albarino gets.

agavin 96: This wine was too sexy for me! 🙂 It had this incredible bouquet like a top flight dry Riesling filled with both mineral and citrus/tropical elements. And it just sang on the tongue. Really pretty crazy.


Red snapper (tai).


Goldeneye snapper.


Shima-aji.


Wild yellowtail. (Kanpachi).


Wild yellowtail. (Kanpachi).


Mysterious whitefish sushi of the yummy sort.


Japanese Baracuda. A bit of char flavor.


Another slightly charred fish, the exact name of which eludes me.

The poor prawns are about to be our dinner.


Sweet shrimp (Ama-ebi). This was the body of the above dancing prawns. Soft and sweet.


The heads return both fried.


And as miso soup.


Live octopus (taco). He squeezed it and it wiggled.


Santa Barbara Sea Urchin (uni).


Look at that toro!


Toro tartar, with a soft amazing flavor.


O-toro. Perfect!


Scottish salmon. A really rich and savory piece.


Beef sukiyaki. A bit of the classic. Lots of rich brothiness.


Soup. One of those delicate Japanese soups.


Foie gras with a nice sweet glaze. Nothing to complain about here. A very nice straight up prep of the fatty liver.


A dessert spread of pineapple sorbet, chocolate mousse, and mango ice cream.


This one is the same except on the right is lime ice cream. All three were superb.


Traditional tea.


All and all Shunji is rather fantastic, joining the large repertoire of top LA sushi restaurants. This was a really great take on sushi kaiseki style dishes, combining both innovations with a solid grounding in traditional Japanese flavors and seasonal ingredients. There was some really unusual stuff too (sperm!) and it all tasted fabulous. The nigiri was also top flight, with a lot of exotic fish and at the peak of freshness. Great great stuff. When you sit at the sushi bar like this talking to the chef, you always get the best stuff too — although the restaurant was mobbed and all the great plates making their way out into the room looked amazing.

Plus our dynamite lineup of whites didn’t hurt.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Shunji Sushi – Nonstop Nigiri
  2. Takao Top Omakase
  3. Sushi Sushi – Small Omakase
  4. Uh no, Takao again!
  5. Food as Art: Sasabune
By: agavin
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Japanese in China – Izakaya Akatora

Jan28

Restaurant: Izakaya Akatora

Location:115 W Main St. Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 943-7872

Date: January 22, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese fusion

Rating: Tasty culinary mashup

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Us Hedonists are pals with Michael Cardenas and so when he opened this new Izakaya (Japanese for “there is beer here”) in our home turf (the San Gabriel Valley) we zipped right on out for a big dinner.


The pubby interior.


NV Jérôme Prévost La Closerie “Fac Simile” Les Beguines. AG 94+. Layers of delicately scented, perfumed fruit caress the palate as the NV (2009) Extra Brut Rose Les Beguines Fac-Simile shows off its incredible textural finesse and pure pedigree. Mint, sweet spices and red berries are some of the many notes that are woven together in a fabric of nearly indescribable elegance. Prevost’s Rose is at times a powerful wine, but the 2009 is all about delicacy and understatement. If you haven’t guessed, I loved it. Prévost makes his Rose by adding one barrel of Pinot Meunier vinified on the skins to his blanc cuvée. Disgorged October 2011.


NV G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne Mumm de Cramant. IWC 90. Limpid yellow. Vibrant minerally, floral lemon and orange scents, with deeper pear and melon nuances coming up with air. Tangy and precise on entry, then fleshier in the mid-palate, offering sappy orchard and candied citrus fruit flavors with notes of chamomile and anise adding complexity. Closes smooth and long, with lingering toastiness and a hint of sweet butter.


The specials are on the board.


2008 Veyder-Malberg Grüner Veltliner Loibner Loibenberg. agavin 95. Amazing Gruner. Really nice with a ton of minerality.


Oyster with uni and caviar with ponzu.


From my cellar: 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. Burghound 93. This too is very opulent with a richness and breadth of aromas that is dazzling in their sheer range. Big, powerful, very masculine and exceptionally intense flavors blessed with huge extract but despite the size and weight, this also has the best acid/fruit balance of any of these 1ers plus this absolutely coats and stains the palate. In fact, there is an interesting textural quality by virtue of all the sap yet the finish is quite dry. A great effort that explodes on the backend and lingers for minutes.


Poke! Everyone’s favorite chopped and spiced tuna.


2003 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel. IWC 94. Chartreuse-like herbal essences and citrus aromas. Lemon-lime sorbet on the pure, polished, elegant palate, which today is slightly dominated by sheer youthful sweetness. Inner-mouth aromas of honey and flowers. Offers superb length, with the refinement of fruit and subtle wet stone character typical of the best slate-grown riesling.


Kelp shot. Slimy and quite delicious (lots of vinegar).


2005 Domaine Jomain Puligny-Montrachet. 88 points. Reduced. But could still get the sweet fine spice and citrus fruits.


2013 Guy Saget Vouvray Marie de Beauregard. 89 points. Understated notes reminiscent of off-dry Rieslings. On the palate I get flavors of citrus, sponge cake, and lime with a hint of rind; long, sweet finish, somewhat akin to sweet lemonade perhaps. Medium acidity. Better served somewhat chilled than at room temperature; seems to get a bit flabby as it warms up.


Pork belly with seaweed. Fine, but not the best dish of the night by any means.


2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard. Burghound 93. Like all of the Rhys ’08s, the aromatic complexity of the Alpine is more than just admirable, it’s distinctive as it offers a lacy and pure mélange of cherry and blue berry fruit aromas cut with floral and mild wood notes that precede the backward and moderately austere flavors that are underpinned by firm but not aggressive tannins and excellent length on the balanced finish. While the Alpine is also built to age, it appears that it may come around a bit sooner.


Rice crisps with uni. Yum.


2012 Domaine Eden Pinot Noir. AG 88. The 2012 Pinot Noir is a pretty, silky wine with plenty of near term appeal. Sweet red berries, flowers and spices meld together nicely in the glass. Overall, the Domaine Eden Pinot is forward, bright and nicely done.


Sashimi. Lobster, salmon, toro, scallops, hamachi, and some white fishes. Really very nice fish.


2006 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Ancient Way. Fruit bomb!


Wagyu and foie gras potstickers. Both absolutely fabulous.


From my cellar: 1991 Camille Giroud Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts. 93 points. Nice classic Vosne nose and spicy palette. Just reaching real maturity.


Pop corn shrimp with spicy ponzu. The usual guilty pleasure.


Sebastian wanted some sake!


Sushi. Besides some of the usual, there was some great uni, then foie gras! then toro. The foie was crazy. In fact, the city is foie crazy because of the ban lifting.


The lobster head returns as lobster miso.


Roll with uni and caviar. Notice a theme?


2002 Gary Farrell Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County Selection. 88 points. Still lots of acidity, which was a surprise. I would hold for a few years if it’s been temp controlled. Post- a decant, it’s apparent this is quality juice, but there wasn’t anything memorable. Lacks identity.


Blue crab handroll. Lump crab meat, little or no mayo.


2003 Château Rieussec. IWC 92-95. Medium yellow-gold. Reticent but pure aromas of fruit salad, spices and vanilla, lifted by floral and mineral nuances. Wonderfully honeyed, fat fruit flavors are complemented by cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. The sexy oak treatment gives lift to the wine. A bit youthfully aggressive but very long on the back end, showing vanillin oak and a bit of warmth. But this one offers superb potential.


Sweet potato cake with ice cream. Really sweet!

Overall, Akatora was a really fun night. Service was amazing (friends of the chef and manager and all — haha) and the food was quite good. It leans a little on uni, but I’m not complaining. Everyone loved it so much we already have a second dinner scheduled.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

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By: agavin
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Shiki Times Three

Nov07

Restaurant: Shiki Beverly Hills [1, 2]

Location: 410 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. 310-888-0036

Date: August 26, October 30, 2014, and January 10, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Some of the best sushi I’ve had in a while!

_

Shiki Beverly Hills recently replaced Enoteco Drago in the primo Canon Dr space right in the heart of Beverly Hills. It features extremely Japanese seasonal ingredient focused kaiseki and sushi. The space is elegant and modern, really not that different than it was as Drago.


Chef Shigenori Fujimoto was at Matsuhisa from 94-04 and brings with him both a traditionalist and “new style” sushi vibe. My friend Liz, who has impeccable taste, first brought me when she arranged a Sage Society dinner here. This post represents three similar Omakase blended together (two lunches and one dinner), so there are slightly more non-sushi courses represented than you might eat in one meal. Slight, given how large our meals were!



2012 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Friulano Ronco della Chiesa. 92 points. A very nice, very dry friulano. A clean crispy cool weather Italian white that paired perfectly with sushi.


Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) with ikura (salmon egg) and uni (sea urchin). Dashi. A wonderful blend of some textures and briny flavors.


Parfait of seaweed and various soft sea stuff. A very delicate flavor with unusual textures.

Kamamoto oysters prepared three ways, with a sort of mignonette, caviar, and uni!


Pepper and halibut salad. Fresh farmer’s market peppers.

Eggplant and Tai salad. Seared snapper with egg plant, dashi, and mushrooms. Really Japanese and delicious.


Halibut sashimi with truffles. Pickled tomato. Really a fabulous savory combination. The tomato is great too, and because it’s heavily marinated, it doesn’t bother me like a raw tomato.


2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte. Burghound 95. While discreet, there is a trace of wood that sits atop the ever-so-mildly exotic fruit and wonderfully layered aromas that are still admirably fresh even though they now display some mature notes. The exceptionally rich and overtly muscular flavors are quite forward though powerful as a still firm and prominent acid spine keeps everything in perfect balance on the magnificently persistent finish. This is classy juice that is knocking on the door of its prime drinkability.

agavin: This one started off so deep yellow, and with so much creme brulee on the nose that I thought it was premoxed, although drinking pleasant enough right now, but over the next 30 minutes or so it came into balance and opened up into an absolutely lovely Chevy. I don’t think it will last, so I wouldn’t hold them for too many years. I’ve open 4 bottles of it this year. 3 have been like this one, and 1 was so premoxed we could barely drink it. None have been pale and fresh/crisp. Now this is 14-15 year old white Burg, but I opened a 1991 Sauzet Chevy for New Years that tasted years younger! So the whole thing has me wondering where the large number of wines made in the new style that come off like this are going. I’m guessing we need to drink them!


Wild yellowtail sashimi with jalopeno. A variant on the now classic Matsuhisa dish.


Salmon with truffle sashimi. Another great.

Slow cooked fish, uni paste, and Japanese pickles.


Giant clam. Wasabi, dashi, seaweed. This was all about the texture. The big chunks of clam had a wonderful crunch.


Oysters. With a slightly sour pink suspension.


The next dish came in one of those cute tea pot/bowls.


Shrimp, mushroom, ginko soup. Inside is a broth with various seafood and vegetables.


This one had a slightly spicy suspension (you can see the chili flakes) and a strong acidity (you squeeze in the Japanese lime) and drink. Then pick out the seafood.


1995 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni. 93 points. 1995 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni. Like old cherries and truffles.

agavin: I love this vineyard, in part because it’s mild and elegant and quite a lot like Musigny (which it is adjacent to, being one of the best locations in Clos Vougeot). It paired perfectly with the beef below.


Wagyu sirloin and filet mignon, with vegetables. The meat melted in your mouth.


And daikon as accompaniment.


Fresh pickled ginger. Shiki pickles his own whole ginger roots! Super flavorful and stomach settling. I gnawed through two.


2000 Etienne Sauzet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 93. Intense honeysuckle, fresh sliced peach and pear notes with flavors that are not quite as robust and powerful as the Combettes yet finer and more complex. This delivers exciting intensity and a degree of persistence that borders on the astonishing. The Combettes is perhaps grander but this is finer – it’s simply a question of preference, not quality.

agavin: Our bottle started off extremely closed. Paler and clearly younger (less premoxed) than the 2000 Chevalier above. After about 30-40 minutes it opened up into a lovely mature Grand Cru, gaining both the mineral and the floral weight.


Goldeneye snapper. Salt,  yuzu, and a bit of kick.


Japanese Barracuda. The best piece of this fish I’ve had.


A different seared Japanese fish that is only eaten in winter (for its high fat content). Really rich and delicious.


Jumbo clam with shiso. More texture, but fabulous.


O toro. As wonder a piece of sushi as one could hope for.


Wild Baby yellowtail. Wow!


Wild Spanish Mackerel (Aji). No fishiness at all.


Japanese gizzard shad (kohada). Also fabulous.


Orange clam. Soft (for clam).


2007 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses Blanc. Burghound 90. As would reasonably be expected, there is just more here in every dimension with a more complex and more elegant nose that is layered and very fresh and this refinement continues onto the nicely concentrated middle weight flavors that display evident minerality on the sappy, intense and mouth coating finish that lingers and lingers. This is a terrific Savigny blanc and recommended.

agavin: This is a nice young Chardonnay that is drinking terrifically.


Sweet shrimp (Ama-ebi). Yum.


On one of the days the shrimp came with row! Even better.


And the heads of course can come back fried, or as Liz likes it above, grilled. Grilled really tastes incredible with a good shrimp like  this. You suck out the guts and brain basically (worth it!).


Or miso soup is an option with the head.


King mackerel. Not at all like Aji, but delicious.


Japanese squid (ika). With just the right firmness.


Hokkaido sea urchin (uni). Yum!


Santa Barbara Uni. Delicious.


New Zealand Sea Trout (salmon relative). Fabulous.


Halibut fin with salt and yuzu and pepper. This has a wonderful texture and chew, with some richness. Fin is a rare bit because there isn’t much usable meat in there.


Halibut fin with slightly sweet soy. Another take on the same meat. Both were good but I slightly prefer the first one.


Salmon eggs (ikura). No fishiness.

Anago (sea eel). With salt and wasabi.


Tuna (maguro). Also like toro.


A second wand of ginger.


Hokkaido scallop (Hotate). Just fabulous.


Red snapper (tai) with shiso. Yum!


Clam miso.


A toro and citrus peel handroll. Divine.


Yellowtail handroll.


Orange clam cut roll. Nice crunch.


Classic tuna roll. Not spicy!

Plum and shiso handroll. Incredibly traditional and with a sour “minty” taste.


Check out the inside with the plum paste.


Yuzu ice cream.

t

Panna cotta with fruit. Small and lovely.


Traditional mochi, saba sauce, and ice cream.


Wow. LA has lots of great Japanese, and I have good sushi all the time, but this was particularly awesome. Really the sushi itself was as good as it gets. Very traditional style too, which is my favorite. I love the acid washed Nozawa style too, but hand sauced traditional like this is my favorite.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

Taco yaki?

 

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art – Shiki Sushi
  2. Food as Art – Sushi Sushi
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  5. Sushi Sushi Sushi
By: agavin
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From Noodles to Fish

Oct13

Restaurant: Sushi Tsujita

Location: 2006 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. 310.231.1177

Date: October 9, 2014

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Classic Fish

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One of the busiest and yummiest spots on the busy Sawtelle Blvd is Tsujita Artisan Noodles (and annex), which  serve up an insanely rich and delicious porky ramen. The owner, Takehiro Tsujita, was cooked up a third place just down the street — well actually cooked isn’t the right word since this is a high end, omakase focused, traditional sushi joint helmed by chef Shigeru Kato.


Sushi Tsujita specializes in traditional sushi preparations that involve a lot of subtle salting, curing, and marinating.


The interior has been jazzed up since its previous engagement as Orris.


2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte. Burghound 95. While discreet, there is a trace of wood that sits atop the ever-so-mildly exotic fruit and wonderfully layered aromas that are still admirably fresh even though they now display some mature notes. The exceptionally rich and overtly muscular flavors are quite forward though powerful as a still firm and prominent acid spine keeps everything in perfect balance on the magnificently persistent finish. This is classy juice that is knocking on the door of its prime drinkability.

agavin: our bottle was unfortunately badly premoxed


Stewed motomara tomato.


A bit of everything. Persimmon with tofu (back in the sub-dish). Sea pike cooked with sake, soy sauce, & ginger (back left). Shrimp cooked with sake and black cod roe (front left). Oyster & baby abalone (front). Ginko nuts. Crispy rice (center back).


Steamed Abalone with mizuna mustard greens. Marinated with bonito broth.


Dobin-mushi. Matsutake mushroom, sea eel, chicken, mitsuba, ginko nuts, sudachi.

Very Japanese, this soup is in a little teapot with the cup (and yuzu) on top.


First one pours out and drinks the light dashi broth.


Then one can pick out the eel, shrimp, chicken and the like.


Sashimi. Nodo kuro (black sea perch), blue fin tuna, tai.


Snapper (tai).


Kinmedai (golden eye snapper).


Grouper (hata).


Scallop with truffle.

1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 92 points. Tis is medium gold. Nose is very ripe fruit and honey, but not boytritis. Sweet and satiny and weighty, acid is failing. Finishes with baked apples and pastry.


Steamed golden snapper head. With silky tofu. This was rather delicious, and was dipped in a light sauce zested with green onion and daikon.


Ginger. Chunks of very strong and tasty ginger.


Egg with eggplant caviar. Gooey!


Sea robin. (Hobo).


Sea pike? (sanma). It can be hard to remember which fish is which.


Chu-toro.


O-Toro. Awesome.


Kanpachi (amberjack).


Waygu beef. Delicious and melt in the mouth.


Halibut.


A pretty double course.


King crab (kani).


Salmon roe (ikura) and sea urchin (uni). Fabulous.


Sweet shrimp (ebi). The heads were still moving.


But not after being turned into shrimp head miso!


Mackerel (saba).


Sea bass (suzuki). Marinated in kelp.


Egg (tamago).


Melon for dessert.


And roasted tea.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Tsujita, but the meal proved to be quite interesting. Absolutely first rate sushi, and of a somewhat different ilk than most of the less cured or particularly heavy vinegar style places (like Sushi Zo). It wasn’t cheap, offering omakase in the $120, $150, and $180 ranges (above is more or less a $180), but this is pretty comparable to other top sushi houses in LA. It’s also on my favorite lunch street, giving Kiriko some competition in the serious sushi world.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

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  5. Shunji Sushi – Nonstop Nigiri
By: agavin
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Shunji Sushi – Nonstop Nigiri

Sep08

Restaurant: Shunji [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 12244 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 826-4737

Date: September 4, 2014

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: First rate traditional sushi

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Somehow, straight nigiri sushi is mostly a lunch thing for me. And oh do I love it, perhaps no other savory food offers such a consistent yummy bite factor.


Shunji, which took over for the “Mr. Cecil’s BBQ” in this oddball looking building on Pico has developed quite a reputation. Chef Shunji Nakao was an opening chef at Matsuhisa in the day, then opened Asanebo, then The Hump (one of my old favorites). It has quickly risen to the top of the LA Japanese scene.

At night, Shunji offers an amazing and advanced mix of traditional and modern raw and cooked dishes, but at lunch it’s straight sushi.

It might be noon, but great food enjoys some great wine.

1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A truly wonderful nose of simply knockout complexity features notes of yeast and baked bread along with now fully mature aromas of a variety of floral notes and spice hints that gives way to mineral-suffused round intense and detailed medium full flavors that also offer outstanding depth on the sappy and mouth coating finish. This is drinking perfectly now. A beautiful effort of real style and grace.


Tai (red snapper) with salt.


Seabream. Note that like most recent great LA sushi places, Shunji sauces all the fish.


Shima-aji.


This chef cut for me many many times at Takao.


Here is Shunji himself.


Magaro (Big eye tuna).


Japanese Baracuda. Not my absolute favorite.


Belt fish.


Sea Trout. Sadly, I  missed a couple before this. It’s hard at sushi places to remember to snap every fish.


Chu-toro (medium tuna belly).


O-toro (fatty tuna belly). This is actually super uber o-toro and was some of the best I’ve ever had.


Ikura (salmon roe). Nice and sweet.


Uni (sea urchin). Left is from Japan and right from Santa Barbara. The local one is sweeter and less briny.


Ama-ebi (sweet shrimp). It was alive about 15 seconds before we ate it. The head was still wiggling on the counter in front of the chef.


The heads come back as miso soup.


And fried.


Geoduck clam.


Himejako (giant clam).


Unagi (freshwater eel).


Hotategai (scallop from Japan).


Crab hand roll. This was good, but I probably prefer the kind that the Nozawa disciples make (like at Sasabune and the like).


Albacore hand roll. Nice.


Mixed berry sorbert. Lots of flavor.


Grapefruit sorbet. Intense bitter grapefruit flavor. Very refreshing.


Chocolate mousse. Very dark and strong.


Traditional tea.

All and all Shunji is rather fantastic, joining the large repertoire of top LA sushi restaurants. I really have to come back here at night and get a big mega omakase to sample his more “modern” fare. Not that I mind the nigiri, because as I said at the beginning, it really is a classic for a reason.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

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By: agavin
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Food as Art – Shiki Sushi

Aug13

Restaurant: Shiki Beverly Hills [1, 2]

Location: 410 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. 310-888-0036

Date: August 6, 2014

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Some of the best sushi I’ve had in a while!

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Shiki Beverly Hills recently replaced Enoteco Drago in the primo Canon Dr space right in the heart of Beverly Hills. It features extremely Japanese seasonal ingredient focused kaiseki and sushi. The space is elegant and modern, really not that different than it was as Drago.


Chef Shigenori Fujimoto was at Matsuhisa from 94-04 and brings with him both a traditionalist and “new style” sushi vibe. My friend Liz, who has impeccable taste, arranged a very traditional menu for us and organized.


1988 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. 92 points. Like many older Cristal bottles, there was a bit of oxidation going on. But a very nice underlying champagne. Its always great to drink 88, and Cristal, even better when its 88 and Cristal!


Seasonal Pike Eel on a “mousse” of tofu, avocado, dashi and the like. This is one of those fabulous dishes that is intensely Japanese, with subtle dashi flavor.


Seared red snapper with various peppers. A little bit of heat to this, but deliciously bright.


Seared scallop and fresh white peach salad. Extremely fresh and tasty.


Check out the peach underneath, the fruit had been scooped out and made into the above balls.


1985 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année. 95 points. Golden colour, yeasty nose. Bead almost gone, but still some fizz. Beautiful fully developed fruit, long finish. A great vintage champagne still drinking at its peak. Outstanding wine. Fresher than the 88.


Octopus and Uni — really two dishes plated together.


Grilled octopus with chili. As tender and good as octopus gets.


Uni pasta with wasabi and nori. The paste wasn’t just straight uni but had been brined. The nori was a special Japanese variety. Really, spread on the seaweed with a little wasabi this was stunningly delightful. I could have eaten 10x as much.


From my cellar: 2001 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95. Incredibly beautiful and elegant aromas of white flower and citrus softly introduce steely, gorgeously pure and delineated medium full flavors that seem as though they’re chiseled directly from solid rock. This is much more mineral driven than the typical Bâtard, and blind I would have mistaken it for a classically styled Chevalier. There is plenty of punch and racy supporting acidity plus simply knockout length. Of all these impressive attributes though, it’s the stunning purity and overall harmony of expression that make this one of the wines of the vintage. Interestingly, this is not a dramatic wine in terms of sheer size and weight but the focus and sneaky length make this a wine that is impossible not to be struck by its intensity. In short, this is one of the best examples of young Bâtard that I have ever had and one that will age for at least a decade. Don’t miss it!


Halibut sashimi with black truffle and motomara tomato. I usually don’t like truffle on my sushi, but this was fabulous. Even the tomato was good (it was marinated, which makes them palatable to my taste).


1996 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. Burghound 98. As with the 750 ml, the purity, elegance and sheer beauty of this wine is frankly difficult to adequately describe as words just don’t seem up to the task. There is nuance after nuance among the brilliantly delineated aromas of white flowers, citrus, wet stone and rose blossoms that perfectly complement the focused and laser-precise medium full flavors that are like rolling liquid rocks around in the mouth. There is a barely contained intensity and one can sense the slow build from the mid-palate to the explosive finish that goes on and on. While no where near ready, this is so good that it’s still a wonderful experience to drink and it’s comforting to know for those that own it that it’s still on its way up. In short, this is a brilliant wine, indeed a text book example and quite simply the finest Jadot Demoiselles I have ever had the pleasure to drink and one that will last for decades in this format.


Conch steamed in its own shell. I’ve had this dish in Japan, and here, but this was probably one of the best versions. The conch was very tender. You drink the juices/soup afterward.


Pike eel soup. One of those lovely mild Japanese soups.


2004 Morey-Blanc Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 93. A reserved, indeed backward spicy green apple and white pear nose complements delineated but very rich flavors that display moderate wood on the big and weighty if not necessarily super dense finish that packs a serious punch and intensity. The length here is really impressive and the balance is such that this should age for 15 to possibly 20 years.


Maguro. Lovely big eye tuna.


o’o-toro. Absolutely perfect piece of premium tuna belly.


Shinko. Young gizzard shad.


Golden eye snapper.


Anago. Conger eel. Served without the eel sauce, instead with yuzu and salt. Fabulous.


Ebi. Shrimp.


Engawa. Seared Flounder fin, with yuzu and salt. Awesome.


Santa Barbara Uni. Yum!


Aji. Japanese jack mackerel.


Hotate. Japanese scallop.


Ama-ebi. Sweet shrimp.


The heads return, this time grilled. Sucking out the guts was a treat.


Seared halibut?


Ikura. Salmon eggs. Sweet.


Yellowtail belly. With a bit of stronger sauce.


Saba. Chub mackerel.


Awabi. Abalone. Very tender.


A chef with an albacore!


1995 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. IWC 94. Red-ruby color. Knockout nose combines rose petal, raspberry, mulberry, iodine, cardamom, tobacco and iris. Great sweetness on the palate; offers as much volume as the mouth can hold. Builds and builds. Really exhilarating delineation and depth of flavor. Tannins are substantial but ripe. A superb example of this great grand cru.


Wagyu beef with mushrooms and asparagus. Melts in the mouth.


Plum and shiso handroll. Incredibly traditional and with a sour “minty” taste. Very refreshing.


Ice cream with starch “mochi” on the side and fresh figs and other fruit.

Wow. LA has lots of great Japanese, and I have good sushi all the time, but this was particularly awesome. Really the sushi itself was as good as it gets. Very traditional style too, which is my favorite. I love the acid washed Nozawa style too, but hand sauced traditional like this is my favorite. We had fabulous — and correctly paired — wines too, not to mention just three of us at the sushi bar and great company. All and all worth the hangover.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art – Sushi Sushi
  2. Sushi Sushi – Small Omakase
  3. Food as Art: Sushi House Unico
  4. Kiriko Sushi
  5. Sushi Sushi Sushi
By: agavin
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Nothing like N/Naka

Mar04

Restaurant: N/Naka [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252

Date: March 1, 2014

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

For some reason I haven’t been to N/Naka in over a year (even though I love it). So when one of my Burgundy friends invited me we jumped on a return visit to see what the fabulous Chef Niki Nakayama has been up to!


The setting is elegant, minimalist, and very Japanese.


Tonight’s rough menu (kitchen notes).


1995 Bruno Paillard Champagne Nec Plus Ultra. IWC 93. Yellow-gold with a steady bead. Deep, smoky, complex bouquet offers caramel apples, poached pear, orange rind and baking spices. Broad and fleshy, with spicy orchard fruit flavors complemented by buttery brioche and creme brulee Rich and chewy but energetic, finishing with a gently tangy citrus peel quality and an echo of toasted bread. There’s an awful lot going on here.

agavin: A lovely mature Champagne.


Crispy potato, sea urchin, caviar, cauliflower puree, gold flakes. Pretty much consumed in one bite. The crispy potato dominated.


The vegetarian version with eggplant and truffle.


Seasonal appetizer plate.


A Santa Barbara spot prawn with a bit of beet. Deliciously sweet.


Tai ceviche with tomato. Even good by my tomato-hater standards.


Ankimo foie with mushroom. She may have pan seared the monkfish liver, not positive, but it sure tasted like foie gras.


Big eye tuna in the shape of a flower (with avocado).


Tempura nori. Yum.


The vegetarian seasonal plate.


English peas and mushrooms.


Pickled sprouts.


Eggplant.


Deep fried tofu rolls.


2002 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. Parker 96. The flagship 2002 Brut Clos des Goisses is simply stunning in this vintage. Seamless, ripe and beguiling, the 2002 is pure harmony in the glass. Dried pears, apricots, flowers, red berries and spices are some of the many notes that inform this towering, aristocratic wine. At once vertical yet endowed with serious length, the 2002 stands out for its breathtaking balance and overall sense of harmony. Layers of fruit built to the huge, creamy finish. This is a great showing from Philipponnat. The 2002 was disgorged in June 2011.

agavin: I liked the first better, but this was still very nice.


Modern sashimi: Fresh Japanese Scallop, English peas, yuzu foam, ponzu. Everything was perfectly cooked. Those brown ponzu blobs alone were amazing.


Vegetarian version with various root vegetables.


The serving containers are lovely.


Owan “Still Water”: bamboo, seabass, mitsub, dashi broth. This dish had a wonderful Japanese unami flavor.


This vegetarian soup came in a teapot.


w

Traditional sashimi: blufin tuna chu toro, halibut, kampachi, kumamoto oyster, lobster. Perfectly fresh and delicious.


A vegetarian version with various fruits and vegetables, plus a tofu.


Yakimono (grilled): Alaskan King Crab with kani miso (crab guts). The crab guts leant a lovely complexity to the sweet crab.


Another gorgeous vessel.


Filled with some kind of egg custard.


From my cellar: 2001 I Clivi Collio Coriziano Clivi Brazan. Parker 92. The 2001 Collio Goriziano Clivi Brazan 140 Months is a rich and sophisticated wine that could stand up to roasted white meat, shellfish or pasta with shaved truffles. This thickly structured white has the density and natural heft to match important dishes. It evolves slowly in the glass to impart defined fruit and spice aromas. The wine shows an absolutely beautiful quality and successfully demonstrates the aging capacity of Friulano (with 15% Malvasia in the case of this wine).

agavin: This was my first time tasting the Clivi, and boy was it unusual. Not oxidized at all, but extremely unusual and herby — like ricola herby. Now, this made it a poor pairing with the food, but with the right stuff, it would be a lovely wine filling an unusual niche.


Mushimono (Steamed): steamed seabass with dashi. Another example of that lovely umani.


Agemono (Fried): cauliflower deep fried with sweet and sour sauce. It’s heated until the sauce bubbles then…


Eaten in this lettuce leaf.


We opened both red Burgundies at once.

From my cellar: 1996 Joseph Drouhin Romanée St. Vivant. Burghound 90. Airy, pure, elegant and extremely expressive as the aromas just float from the glass with rose petal and assorted floral notes. The mineral-infused, racy and finely delineated flavors are nuanced and textured though the backend has a somewhat dry and edgy quality to it that is highlighted by the racy finishing acidity.

agavin: I love this wine (and RSV in general). It was a nice LONG racy acidic finish.


1999 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart. Burghound 90-93. The oak that sat atop the fruit for so long has now almost completely integrated, allowing the relatively fresh aromas of black cherry, violets and earth hints to have center stage. The supple yet detailed middle weight plus flavors are attractively vibrant and restrained while culminating in a moderately austere finish where the mouth coating tannins are still noticeably firm and ever so slightly dry, which may be due to wood tannins. This needs a few years to sort itself out as it seemed unduly awkward. Note: I was surprised to see the slightly dry tannins as it’s not a characteristic of the vintage. The good news is that there is ample extract, which should in the end allow this to age gracefully but all the same.

agavin: also a great wine, with so much stuffing that I saved the last 25% of it for the next day and it was basically unchanged!


Shizakana: homemade seaghettini with abalone, pickled cod roe, burgundy truffles. Niki makes really wonderful and unusual pastas. This isn’t for everyone, being very “seafoody” but we all adored it.


Purple yam ravioli with truffles. My wife inhaled this it was so good.


Niku (meat): Japanese Matsuzaka wagyu beef. Absolutely melted in your mouth.


For the vegetarians: tofu cooked on a banana leaf.


Sunomono: fanny bay oyster, yuzu omoi from Kyoto Japan. Straight up and lovely.


A vegetarian version.


Sake. Super smooth, with lots of anise.


Sushi flights: tai and o-toro.


White asparagus and truffle.


Avocado.


Aji Mackerel and amaebi sweet shrimp.


Mushroom and okra.

Shima Aji and uni.


Vegetable cut rolls.


Buckwheat soba with dashi broth and tempura crumbles. A nice rendition.


We couldn’t resist another round of the pasta, this time a double.


Dessert: chestnut crepe and chocolate pot de creme.


Special green tea.

N/Naka really is a very special place. All the meals I had here were spectacular (here for the first, here for the second, here for the third). Plus we even did an amazing all foie gras meal here ounce. The place keeps getting better and better. This is thrice wonderful because often one finds a slight bloom to come off a place on repeat meals. At N/Naka everything is seasonal and constantly rotating.

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. N/Naka Reprise
  2. N/Naka Birthday
  3. Food as Art – N/Naka
  4. Knocked out by N/Naka
  5. N/Naka – Farewell to Foie
By: agavin
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East Meets West – Maru Sushi

Oct09

Restaurant: Maru Sushi

Location: 12400 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. 310.820.7240

Date: September 6, 2013

Cuisine: Modern Sushi

Rating: Creative

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Maru is a new addition to the excellent Westside sushi scene. It melds traditional (or at least mostly traditional) sushi with a “market menu” of interesting hybrid East/West dishes.


The big interior used to hold Sasabune.


They have a giant mid restaurant table.


2005 Marisa Cuomo Costa d’Amalfi Furore Fiorduva. An enjoyable wine, with minerality and stone fruit on the nose, good body, a nice mid-palate and length. Flavors included lemon, menthol, slight cinnamon and ginger, persimmon, mango,some oak, and simple syrup.


The menu.

Heirloom Tomato Salad. An assortment of vine ripened heirlooms in a sherry vinaigrette w/ a shiso pesto. Popular with the nightshade fans.

Roasted Beet Salad. With lolla rosa lettuce & a sherry vinaigrette. Topped w/ Red Wood Hill Farm goat cheddar cheese.

Hamachi Kama. Broiled yellowtail collar. Lots of cartilage, but a nice flavor.


Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice. crispy rice topped w/ spicy tuna & jalapeno w/ spicy mayo & eel sauce.

Crispy Duck Risotto. Our famous duck confit & risotto sautéed crispy on the outside. With an herb salad & tomato-truffle oil sauce.

This is one of the restaurant’s signature items. It was good, but the risotto itself didn’t have the ultra creamy quality that great risotto should.


Scallop Ravioli. Mascarpone, morels, tahitian vanilla bean, balsamic sauce.

Really nice. Soft with an interesting blend of richness and that hint of vanilla.


From my cellar, 2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis. Burghound 88. A very clean, fresh, bright and airy nose that offers good Chablis character on the white flower and green fruit nose that introduces energetic and mineral-infused flavors that are both delicious and deliver fine finishing volume. Good quality at this level.


Alaskan Black Cod. Half brown rice, bloomsdale spinach, meyer lemon broth.
Nice and light.


Pork in Puff Pastry. braised shoulder, local asparagus, gruyere, soy reduction.


The inside. This was darn tasty.

Curry Lamb. Colorado lamb loin roasted med-rare. Served over a bed of crispy-shiitake rice and marinated onion with cilantro and a Japanese style curry sauce. Excellent with the Soter Cab Franc or the Groth cabernet.

I liked the curry sauce.


Steamed scallop tendons in ponzu.


The meat of the Japanese scallop, server nigiri style and as sashimi. Yum!


A bit of sushi. In the back, toro, the in the middle salmon and kanpachi (young yellowtail). In the front, tamago (omelet).


Here in the back, some BBQ freshwater eel.


Ice cream sandwich of valrhona chocolate chip cookie with chocolate, vanilla, and mocha ice cream.

Quite excellent.


Rice pudding. Lemon grass infused, wong farms mango, key lime drizzle.

Subtle and refreshing, with nice exotic flavors.


Peach cobbler. organically grown, tahitian vanilla ice cream.

Overall, newcomer Maru Sushi boldly melds Japanese flavors with Western dishes and a bevy of local ingredients. As a seeker of new culinary experiences, I have to admire this. The results aren’t entirely even, with some dishes working well and others a little quirky. The menu is big too, which is probably a little confusing to the uninitiated. It presents a greater challenge in constructing a harmonious dining experience. I’m not entirely sure I succeeded. The sushi at the end was good, but didn’t marry totally successfully. This is difference than at the Nobu/Matsuhisa restaurants where the dishes don’t introduce as many dairy or heavy animal fat notes. After these, the sushi seems a little odd.

Service was nice, but they brought the “market” dishes too rapidly in a big group. I would have preferred them one at a time.

Still, I enjoyed the experience, and a number of the new dishes were excellent and interesting. I’ll have to give it another try and see how it holds up.

Check out more LA Sushi places I’ve reviewed here.

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art: Sushi House Unico
  2. Sushi Glutton – Takao Three
  3. Sushi Sushi – Small Omakase
  4. Sushi Zo
  5. Food as Art – Sushi Sushi
By: agavin
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More Mori Sushi

Jul15

Restaurant: Mori Sushi [1, 2]

Location: 11500 west pico blvd. los angeles, california, 90064. 310-479-3939

Date: June 25, 2013

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: One of LA’s best traditional sushi restaurants

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There is always considerable date as to which of LA’s many great sushi bars are the best — and it’s a fairly subjective question — but there is no doubt that Mori Sushi is often on the short list.


The owner in the foreground, Chef Masanori “Maru” Nagano who bought the restaurant from his former boss, Morihiro Onodera back in 2011.


Our main chef of the evening.


The bright interior.


NV Agrapart & Fils Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs. Parker 92. Agrapart’s NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs is another fabulous wine. Here it is the combination of tension and weightlessness that is especially appealing. Sweet floral notes and a suggestion of mint meld into white orchard fruit in this effortless, totally gracious wine. All the elements meld together on the seamless, crystalline finish. The Terroirs is a blend of fruit sourced from Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry, equal parts 2007 and 2008 vintages. This release was aged partly in 600-liter barrels. Dosage was 5 grams per liter.


Homemade Tofu with wasabi and special homemade soy sauce. This is my favorite kind of tofu, the silky soft kind. It has a very soft texture and seductive subtle flavor.


1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A truly wonderful nose of simply knockout complexity features notes of yeast and baked bread along with now fully mature aromas of a variety of floral notes and spice hints that gives way to mineral-suffused round intense and detailed medium full flavors that also offer outstanding depth on the sappy and mouth coating finish. This is drinking perfectly now. A beautiful effort of real style and grace.


Our first round appetizer plate.


A sweet marinated fish. Really tasty. The bones are so soft you just crunch them up.


Skewers of abalone with yuzu. The green behind is a special farmer’s market spinach that is chewy.


On the left eggplant with bonito flakes. On the right, Conger eel roy in a gelatinous cube (be afraid!) made from conger eel bones!


Left to right: some kind of row balls from a fish. Farmer’s market tomato, okra, and kumquat.


Conch boiled in dashi and shell with shitake mushroom quail egg.


Here you can better see the meat itself. One drinks the tasty broth afterward.


Santa barbara spot prawn, santa barbara uni. Charred flavors contrast beautifully with sweetness.


And who is this?


Die lobster, die!


2007 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 96. Seemingly like all of Boillot’s wines in this vintage, a strikingly pure nose of green apple, white flower and spice aromas complements perfectly the delicious, intense and stony flavors that are among the ripest in the range yet remain wonderfully vibrant and gorgeously detailed on the taut, transparent and bone dry finish that bathes the palate in dry extract. This is beautifully balanced and among the best wines of the vintage from Corton. In a word, brilliant.


The sashimi plate. In the back is the spiny lobster tail drizzled with lobster gut sauce. In the middle special Hokkaido scallop. In the front, tuna, and baby barracuda sashimi. The last had a bit of a sweet charred flavor.


Yummy, lobster guts!


1996 Joseph Drouhin Romanée St. Vivant. Burghound 90. Airy, pure, elegant and extremely expressive as the aromas just float from the glass with rose petal and assorted floral notes. The mineral-infused, racy and finely delineated flavors are nuanced and textured though the backend has a somewhat dry and edgy quality to it that is highlighted by the racy finishing acidity.


Traditional grilled river fish and in the front a shiso sandwich filled with fish meat. To the right is sauced daikon radish and pickles.


This I’ve never had. The fish is a deep deep sea fish, with the lantern and big eyes! To the left is shiso pepper and on the right abalone tempura.


Guess who comes back for round 2? Mr. Lobster head, this time boiled up in some lobster miso soup (which was fantastic).


1996 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux. Burghound 91. Still quite deeply colored. A perfumed nose that is now in a transition phase from primary to secondary aromas is given added nuance by the presence of earth¡ subtle spice notes and a smoky quality that is also picked up by the fresh¡ bright and energetic medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent detail and obvious minerality on the ever-so-slightly dry finish where the dryness does not seem to compromise the length as this is seriously persistent. The structural elements of acidity and tannins are still quite firm though not aggressive and this should continue to successfully age over the next 25 to 30 years as the balance is almost perfect. Tasted several times over the last few years with consistent notes save for one disjointed bottle that seemed unduly dried out.


This may have been Tai (Red Snapper).


Cuttlefish. Creamy with a bit of chewiness. There was shiso underneath which I love.


Wild yellowtail (seki buri).


I think this was Aji (Spanish Mackerel).


Chu-toro. Delicious.


O-toro, even richer.


Japanese Mackerel (Saba). A little fishier than some of the other fish, but firm and delicious.


Geoduck clam (Mirugai). Not always my favorite, but in this case tender and delicious.


Ikura (salmon roe). Incredibly sweet.


2005 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale. Burghound 91. In contrast to the expressiveness of the first two ’05s, here there is a completely different aromatic profile and one that is brooding with more deeply pitched and quite ripe blue and violet aromas combining with pungent earth and game hints that continue onto the sweet, rich and sappy flavors wrapped around a firm tannic spine. This is impressive as it is clearly Nuits in character yet with refined and sophisticated structural elements. Also recommended.


Lightly grilled albacore? I can’t remember.


Santa Barbara Uni. Super sweet.


Hokkaido Uni. More of a brine note.


Sea eel (Anago). Really soft and fabulous. The sauce is reduced from eel bones.


Hokkaido scallop sushi.


Sweep shrimp sushi.

Chef/Owner Sal Marino of Il Grano (a fabulous nearby Italian – one of the best Italians in the city) joined us about halfway through the meal and partook in our libations.


A number of different roles. Some have shiso leaf, some various pickles, some tamago. Really yummy and refreshing.


1995 Philippe Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combes aux Moines. Parker 90-94. A few wine writers have recently written that some producers in Burgundy are making Pinot Noir that resembles Syrah. My impression is that highly extracted, late-picked, and lavishly oaked Pinot Noir does in fact show traits of Syrah in its youth. Both varietals have a tendency to contain high acid levels (relative to Merlot and Cabernet) and often exhibit berry fruit characteristics. Philippe Leclerc’s dynamite Gevrey-Chambertin Combe Aux Moines certainly could be confused with a northern Rhone wine during its early stage of development. Readers who love Cote Rotie and Hermitage will adore it. Dark-colored, almost black, and revealing an awesomely dense, ripe, deep, nose of cassis, mocha, spices and oak, this monster of a wine explodes in the mouth with rich, layered, roasted black fruits. Full-bodied and thick, with a hard tannic backbone, it indeed reminds me more of a young Syrah (but without the typical raspberry and red currant notes) than what I generally taste in Burgundy.


All four red burgs lined up for tasting.


Two kinds of homemade ice cream. On the left, soy sauce ice cream, on the right tofu ice cream. Both were fabulous.


Hojicha (roasted green tea) to finish.

Overall, this was some really stellar traditional Sushi. Both the fish itself and all the starters were fantastic. Mori sushi sticks fairly closely to traditional Japanese techniques and flavors. It doesn’t jazz things up with too many vinegars and crazy sauces, but uses first rate ingredients that emphasize the purity of the flavors: very Japanese.

The produce mostly comes from the farmer’s markets. He makes his own tofu and soy sauce and I believe, even the rice, which is specially sourced from some special rice farm. All in all, really fabulous.

For more Foodie Club meals click here.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Mori Sushi – A Top Contender
  2. Sushi Sushi – Small Omakase
  3. Food as Art – Sushi Sushi
  4. Sushi Zo
  5. Go Go Go Sushi!
By: agavin
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