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Sake House is one of those lucky places that has a great location, just two blocks from the ocean and one block from the popular Third Street Promenade, so they are pretty much guaranteed business if they serve halfway decent food. That would be exactly how I would describe their sushi; halfway decent.
The ginger was fresh, but the crab meat was fake and those two facts were harbingers for the quality of sushi found here. I went for happy hour, a daily special menu with most menu items and drinks under $6.
We began with a seaweed salad which was about on par with most standard seaweed salads. The addition of micro sprouts and some radish were nice touches.
I ordered a spicy tuna handroll which came with fried onions and fresh scallions. As far as handrolls go, this was middle of the road for a sushi place. There was too much spicy mayonnaise and the fried onions overwhelmed the balance even though they added a nice crunch.
The sashimi plate had a decent selection of sushi and the fish was fairly fresh, but not outstanding in any way, and the presentation left much to be desired.
The crunchy onion tuna sashimi was a very basic combination of tuna, ponzu and fried onions. It was fine in the same way that a woman might say everything is “fine” when she has nothing better to say and tries to be polite.
We had a Monster roll of eel topped with spicy tuna which was the favorite of the evening, but again presentation was lacking and the spicy tuna was overworked with too much mayonnnaise.
I had the house sake, which was palatable, and they offer artisanal sakes for up to $147 for 750 ml, so I suppose if I had upgraded my drink, it may have made the food more palatable as well.
They say in Real Estate that the only thing that matters is location, and at Sake House it seems that rule does seem to hold true since the food is definitely not the draw.
I was early for my appointment with Akiko at Taka Hair Salon on Sawtelle, so I went across the street to try the newly open Tsujita for their famous Tonkostu Ramen. Since this location is the first US outpost of an international restaurant, either go early or be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes for a seat. Note that they are a cash only restaurant, so make sure that you stop by your local ATM before coming for lunch.
Comparing Tsujita’s Tonkotsu Ramen is to instant ramen is like comparing tap water to Champagne, about the only thing they have is common is that they are both liquids. Let’s start with a few definitions for those who only know the prepackaged supermarket soup. Tsukemen is served with the noodles in a separate bowl from the very rich broth. You eat it by dipping about a third of the noodles into the broth and then adding a squeeze of lime and or condiments to the broth and dipping the rest of the noodles. The flavors change as you eat, so that your taste buds get to experience a variation on one dish. Some of the condiments available are hot leaf mustard, red pickled ginger, sauce, and sesame seeds.
If all this sounds too complicated, you can also order Tonkotsu Ramen, which has the flavors blended together in one bowl, which is what I did. The broth for both soups is cooked for 60 hours, so no matter which way you prefer your soup, the luscious reason for coming here will be in your bowl.
The menu is very simple, you only have four choices, plain ramen, which has 2 slices of Char siu pork, Negi ramen, with spring onions, a version with egg, or what I ordered, the Char siu ramen with about 10 pieces of slices car siu pork for $13.95. The tonkotsu ramen are the thin variety, so you can specify how you like your noodles cooked when you place your order (they will come medium if you do not specify).
This bowl was a melody of flavors, the intense broth, the fresh green onions, the crunchy wood ear mushrooms, the roasted seaweed, and the silky pork belly slices, all performed like an orchestra of virtuoso musicians. Every ingredient complimented the others, so you could enjoy all the single notes or simply enjoy the concert.
Bravo, encore!
Virgin America is having a 3 day sale on fares that start at only $49 (to SF), for $129 you can fly to New York or Washington D.C., and for $159 you can go to Cancun between September 20 and October 5, 2011. The fares are one way based on round trip flights and don’t include taxes and fees, so if you need to get out of town do it with a Virgin deal!
For what you would normally pay for one or the other, you get both a room and an omakase dinner with this Bloomspot deal. For $500, you get a night in a deluxe room at the Peninsula Hotel and dinner for two at Nobu, featuring a six course tasting menu (with wine or sake pairings) on select dates through November.
If you want to stay in town but feel like you’re away, get this $12 deal from TravelZoo (good for the next 21 hours) for an all day pass (yes that means 24 hours) at the WiSpa in Koreatown. They have separate floors for men, women, and a co-ed floor in their 48,000 square foot spa which houses hot and cold baths, five saunas, free wifi and a rooftop terrace.
After my Cosmopolitan adventures in Sin City, I had dinner with some friends who live nearby at Sushi Tower in Summerlin. The big draw here is a specialty roll called the Tommy Lee which is a very suggestive roll built to resemble the infamous rock star’s private parts. Warning: The third picture in this post contains very graphic ADULT Food Porn!
I am always wary of sushi places in strip malls, but always interested when locals go to a place off the beaten path (pun intended) for a specific item.
Along with the usual assortment of sushi and sashimi, they offer teppanaki grills and unusual rolls, so there is something here for everyone. We started with seared albacore topping shaved radishes and sprouts in a “yum yum” sauce; the dish is named the “screaming orgasm”. It was a decent variation of a seared albacore and quite generously portioned.
This is the famous Tommy Lee roll ($17.50), made with tuna slices wrapped around chopped up fried softshell crab, drizzled with a mayonnaise sauce, and adorned with a seaweed garnish. (It was a good 10″ long and 3″ wide for those of you who are wondering about the actual measurements.) As much fun as it was to order and watch people eat, it was tastier than I had imagined. The rich filling made it too much to eat more than a few bites, but this is a nice conversation piece for a party and although some men might not want to take the first bite, everyone will enjoy at least saying they had Tommy Lee.
I wanted to try their regular sushi, so I ordered the Spanish mackerel and it was fabulous, fresh, well cut, and firm.
The next order of a spicy shrimp special with jalapenos & onions, arrived on a huge plate nearly as long as the table. The deep fried shrimp was topped with grilled onions and a few slices of jalapenos, then drizzled with a mayonnaise sauce. This was ok, but I didn’t care for the large onion pieces, nor the mayonnaise dressing on top of the already rich fried shrimp.
This lighter cucumber roll of tuna, yellowtail, crab, salmon & avocado was much more to my taste, with light flavors that were complimentary both to the eyes and palate.
We finished with a Monkey Roll, a combination of BANANAS with tuna. Yes, it sounds absolutely disgusting, and no it was not. The fried banana underneath the tuna gave each bite a crunchy slightly sweet contrast to the savory tuna topping that somehow worked. If you are brave enough to try it, you will probably like it.
So would I go back? Maybe. This is a fun place to go with a group of friends and the food is decent. Would it be my first choice, no, but you could do much worse in many places that are twice as expensive in Las Vegas.
Looking for a place to eat at 11:30 pm on the Westside during a week night is no easy task. There are of course the usual diners and the Brazilian place that over cooks nearly everything on their menu, but my friend Mika was starving and wanted something good. We were willing to try something new before resorting to the old mediocre standbys.
We saw the neon “Open” sign at Asian-Ya as we were driving to the mediocre places and Mika did a U-Turn, saying, “I hope they are good” as she turned into their parking lot. We were willing to chance it and we grew hopeful as we saw half the tables filled with young students, and the posted hours said open until 00:00 (Mika translated and told me it means midnight).
They are a bit of a sake bar, with a menu devoted to flavors ranging from dry to sweet, made from sweet potato, barley, and rice. Prices ranged from $5 to $15 a glass and a “glass” is a ceramic cup that is big enough to hold about 8 oz. For some strange reason when I asked for my sake cold, they put ice IN the sake. I didn’t mind since I had not chosen a $15 sake, but be forewarned if you do want your sake cold and order a premium sake.
Since I was along mainly for company, not because I was hungry, I chose the clams in sake for $7. They were very flavorful and tender. The broth was so delicious that I could have drunk it as a soup.
Mika ordered the Miso Eggplant which had a slightly sweet paste and the toasted sesame seeds added a nice smoky crunch to the soft eggplant.
Mika also chose the shrimp fried rice which was she liked so much she kept eating spoonfuls even after she declared, “I’m full” . It was also a very generous serving, easily enough for two.
Mika’s eyes were bigger than her stomach, so she only finish about half of everything she ordered, including the grilled mackerel, which was done classically and well; not too dry, and not too oily.
The mackerel dish also came with miso soup and the grand total for everything we ate (and all the food that Mika took home) and drank (Mika had a hot tea) was only $36!
It was a steal considering the quality of the food and the wide selection (there are some Korean choices on the menu as well as ramen, curry, and exotic grilled meats like beef tongue and gizzards). Even with these prices, they have a happy hour from 5-7pm with drinks priced below the already reasonable menu prices.
I think we may have found our late night spot on the Westside open and serving with a smile at 00:00:-)
What are you doing next Tuesday night between 7-11pm?
If you don’t already have plans, then I suggest that you head over to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to eat some wonderful dishes prepared by Nobu Matsushisa, Wolfgang Puck, Mako Tanaka, Hideo Yamashiro, and Tim Goodell to support the relief efforts in Japan. Tickets range from $40 general admission to $300 VIP all access to all the dishes, chefs and open bar!
All the chefs are donating their time and the food, so that all of the proceeds will go towards helping people who have survived the Tsunami and earthquake in Japan, so even if you can’t attend, you please donate.
My friend Cindy wanted to spend a day shopping, eating, and getting our nails done, so we chose to spend our day in the neighborhood around Robertson in Beverly Hills. Robertson is paparazzi central during the day with numerous stores and restaurants which attract both celebrities and their stalkers; tourists get can a taste of the Hollywood lifestyle here and for an out of towner like Cindy, it added an element of entertainment to our day together.
We went to Chaya because it had been nearly a year since we have gone there and they have since remodeled and hired a new chef; it was like going to a new restaurant in a familiar location. The remodel took away the outdated rattan fans and replaced them with a bamboo and white muslin garden, creating a relaxing atrium space in the center of the restaurant. It felt clean and peaceful and the food was as clean and fresh as the new space.
Nice crusty bread was offered with an olive tapenade as we sat down.
Cindy chose to start with the roasted beet salad with oranges, mizuna, goat cheese, and campari for $9. She adored the detail design of the goat cheese and delighted in the taste of the campari.
I began with the tuna tartare for $16. It was a great rendition of this classic, with lightly dressed fresh sashimi on an avocado base. The tasted bread accompaniment was a nice touch, adding a hearty crunchiness to the delicate tartare.
Cindy chose the tuna, tuna, tuna as her entree, with spicy tuna, tuna sashimi, and tuna tataki on a bed of mixed greens for $18. She asked for pickled ginger to accompany her dish, but enjoyed her salad without the accompaniment. She said it was the best tuna combination she has ever had (and she has had a lot of tuna).
I chose the soy glazed black cod with sesame soy dressing, bok choy, steamed rice, and a side of fried shittake mushrooms for $20. I love how Chaya Venice does their fish, and this branch is just as deft in their handling of fish; it was perfectly cooked and the sides were a nice contrast of textures with the crunchy tempura shittakes and the tender steamed bok choy. Although only the fish was soy glazed, the sides really did not need any sauce since the glaze on the rice added a nice accent without overpowering the main flavor of the fish.
We had no room for dessert so we paraded ourselves around Robertson, but no paparazzi were interested in photographing us; no matter, we preferred being happy rather than being famous anyway.
Although some people are weary of tasting menus (yes Anthony Bourdain I am talking about you), most of us revel in being able to sample a chef’s skill in a menu designed to amuse, beguile, and seduce diners into a food nirvana.
Some friends and out of country visitors went to the Hollywood location of Katsuya on a night when an infamous celebrity (a certain tall thin blond heiress) had paparazzi swarming the place. Since we were not sought for photographs, we entered the place easily and were escorted to an ensconced booth facing the sushi bar. No one could decide what to order (besides a few bottles of a delicious Sancerre), so we each went with the tasting menu of five courses ($65).
A ceviche began the meal, with nicely dressed citrus ponzu sashimi of yellowtail, tuna, salmon and a sprinkle of jalapeno and cilantro in a tea cup sized serving dish. A nice light beginning for a very delectable journey.
The second course was actually four samples of the most famous dishes offered: crispy shrimp, lightly battered and fried with a rich creamy sauce on the side, the yellowtail with jalapeno, crispy rice with spicy tuna, and spicy albacore tuna with crispy onion. Everything was nice if not necessarily inspired. I found the crispy shrimp too rich with the sauce, but nice without it. The spicy albacore with crispy onion too salty, and the spicy albacore tuna on crispy rice was not at all spicy but tasty, but the jalapeno yellowtail was perfect.
The next dish was Kobe beef with a small slice of foie gras. I loved the foie gras, but found my beef too cooked (medium); it is a shame for such a wonderful piece of meat to be overdone, but in the tasting menu they do not ask how you want the meat portion prepared, so if you are like me and love your meat rare, be sure to tell your server before you order.
The final savory course was tuna, halibut and unagi sushi with a rice paper wrapped baked crab hand roll. It was divine, but we were all too full to completely finish this penultimate course; we tasted what we loved and left the rest to save some room for dessert.
Since there were five of us dining, we got to see that each dessert plate had a different flavor of mochi ice cream along with the cream filled profiteroles and fresh fruit we all got.
We literally had to stagger out of the restaurant (good thing the paparazzi were gone by then). Next time we will order more judiciously, picking out our favorite dishes amongst those we sampled, but we were glad to have tasted it all celebrity sighting in Hollywood included.
I had lunch at Sashi in Manahattan Beach right after they opened, but it was time to try them again for dinner with sushi aficionado Cindy. It was a cold night at the beach (50F) with the fog rolling in, but we sat in the (heated) cozy patio and had a great dinner.
Cindy wanted only sushi, but when I saw they had a Miso Grilled Wild Alaskan Sea Bass ($6) on their robata selection, I had to order it. When I bit into the delicate fish I felt as if my mouth had taken a blissful bite of heaven. Cindy agreed that it was the best skewer of fish she had ever eaten.
Cindy ordered the spicy tuna roll ($12), made with avocado and she declared it the best she had ever eaten.
We ordered aji (skipjack), albacore, and tai (red snapper) ($6 per order) and every type of fish was delicate, fresh and delectable.
Cindy ordered the bikini roll with shrimp tempura, asparagus and crabmeat ($16). it was beautiful and tasty, but too rich for either of us to finish.
It’s always good to find a restaurant which does a nice lunch also does a nice dinner; it’s even nicer to share it with a friend.
It was a 90 degree day in November when I walked by cool inviting Robata-Ya and saw they had a lunch special Bento Box which included filet mignon, a tuna roll, tempura, and potstickers for only $12. It was too tempting to pass up, so I went in and was pleased to see it was nearly full of patrons even at 2 pm.
Service was very efficient and friendly with two waiters literally at my service refilling water, bringing me my soup and salad, and asking if everything was good during my meal. The miso soup and salad (also included in the Bento Box meal) were both much better than most, with seaweed and tofu chunks in the rich miso broth. The salad dressing was slightly spicy and (fortunately) not sweet, offering a perfectly crisp medley of radishes, carrots, and cabbage atop iceberg lettuce.
The Bento Box special was wonderfully presented and surprisingly generous with both portion size and quality of ingredients. The tempura included a shiso pepper as well as shrimp. The sushi was nicely done with a light hand on the rice and served with home made ginger. The lightly packed potstickers in delicate wrapping were placed in a ponzu sauce with scallions that was delicious (much better than Rock Sugar’s heavy handed version), and the filet mignon was grilled to medium rare, sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions, and very tender.
The only thing I would change in this nearly perfect meal would be enlivening the skewers which had good meaty flavor but could have used some spice or salt. For the price, the serving of meat alone would have cost $12 in a supermarket, so this deal is a steal considering all the skill, quantity, quality and presentation that went into the lunch.
The waiter mentioned that they also have a Happy Hour with $1 skewers and pitchers of beer for half price between 4-6pm, so whether you go early or later, just go to Robata-Ya on Sawtelle. You may need a Robot to wheel you out after your meal, but you will leave with a smiling stomach and wallet.
