Table Of Content
The neighborhoods near Dodger Stadium are filled with long-loved dining destinations like Philippe the Original and Guisado’s, but don’t miss our guide for finding lesser-known food and drink picks, spanning artisanal sake, fresh oysters and a Cypress Park slice shop. Keep reading if you need even more dining ideas this month, including a new Korean restaurant from a Michelin-recognized team, a viral bakery in Koreatown and a soba noodle bar in Culver City. Sushi Tama opened in August 2020 with a sleek counter and impeccable nigiri using Japanese-sourced fish. Chef Hideyuki Yoshimoto worked for years in Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market before partnering with Showa Hospitality at this stylish sushi destination in a chic part of West Hollywood/Beverly Grove. This is your guide to what the best sushi city in America has to offer, from the ultimate California roll to spectacular omakase.
Nearby Restaurants
Awarded a Michelin star within a few months of opening, this rarefied omakase counter from chef Seigo Tamura is one of the top sushi restaurants to open in Los Angeles in the past few years. The 20-course tastings that cost $350 per person include a proper mix of prepared dishes, such as ankimo (monkfish liver) and Japanese hairy crab, and sushi, like umami-rich kohada (gizzard shad) and seared anago (sea eel). Chef Fumio Azumi has brought a phenomenal destination-worthy sushi place to Alhambra (his partner chef Kwan-san has since departed for a new restaurant in Ohio), with $300 per person dinner menu served at the bar and a more reasonable $120 lunch on weekdays. Quality is top-tier, with two kinds of rice and all the freshest fish available. Currently operating out of sister restaurant Inaba in Torrance, Yasuhiro Hirano’s intimate sushi counter offers an ultra-premium omakase ($280) that deftly incorporates dry-aged fish and exotic ingredients like mantis shrimp and plump Japanese oysters. This is the kind of place where you can expect a crash course in the art of sushi from the chef himself, plus the appropriate tuition and fees to match.
Hotel West Hollywood
Issaquah's Costco offering made-in-store sushi, a first in the U.S. Is it good? - The Seattle Times
Issaquah's Costco offering made-in-store sushi, a first in the U.S. Is it good?.
Posted: Thu, 15 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Think strawberry XO-sauce and basil-bud olive oil over namahotate (day boat scallop) over rice. Longtime West LA chef Shunji Nakao moved his upscale omakase restaurant to Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, with an intimate counter starting at $280 per person to sit in front of Shunji, and $250 to get one of seven seats in front of chef Takahiro Miki. Expect near-perfect quality nigiri and Nakao’s careful construction and proper balance between fish and rice at these prices.
Nearby Hotels
Note that this sushi list is numbered, but consider the ranking relative; it mixes everyday and special-occasion restaurants. When it comes to ultra-premium sushi, however, know that any one of these places will deliver an experience worthy of special occasions. Shin Sushi brings a refined omakase experience from chef Taketoshi Azumi, whom patrons refer to as Take-san. The Michelin-starred omakase includes an appetizer, miso soup, and 14 pieces of sushi. Head to Michelin-starred counter Inaba for chef Yasuhiro Hirano’s impeccable array of sushi served at a six-seat counter within I-naba.
In a similar style as Nobu (and the chain’s original restaurant, Matsuhisa), Asanebo offers a selection of fusion-style seafood dishes, as well as traditional nigiri—but the right order here always leans towards the former. Where else can you find a deep-fried tempura “seafood stick” served in a martini glass, a flaming conch filled with bubbling hot broth and pieces of tender A5 Wagyu and juicy red onion in sweet soy? Plenty of other cheaper places around town might riff on the legacy of Matsuhisa’s signature yellowtail jalapeño sashimi, but none of them execute new-school sushi as well as this gloriously no-frills L.A. Native who enjoyed my first set of tekka maki at Hide Sushi on Sawtelle (which is still around, by the way) and cycled through love affairs with unagi (freshwater eel), saba (mackerel) and SushiStop’s famous dynamite rolls in adolescence and college.
Run by Katsu Sando’s Daniel Son, the omakase ($200) at Sushi Sonagi dazzles with Korean influences, California seasonality and thoughtful, warm service that justifies setting a reminder for the sought-after Tock reservation and paying the steep cost of entry. Bites like rainbow trout garnished with delicate, nutty-tasting sesame seeds and miso butter-topped tamago will leave you on cloud nine. The Korean American chef sources most of his fish from the same supplier used by the veterans at Morihiro and Shunji, yet Son fuses traditional technique with hints of bold Korean flavors and farmers’ market produce in a way that feels fresh and memorable.
Best of all is the option, once Onodera finishes making the last nigiri, to repeat as many sushi courses as you like—but personally, I left here full enough after the twenty-odd courses. If I had to pick just one place to spend $300 or more on sushi, I honestly still prefer Kaneyoshi, though Morihiro does offer a less expensive table omakase ($250) prepared by assistant chefs. Still, Onodera’s 40 years of experience and detail-oriented approach translate to one of the city’s finest omakase experiences, albeit not my absolute favorite.
But I have been eating a lot of sushi lately, so I have many fresh opinions. The current generation of omakase chefs in Los Angeles are returning to the essence of the cuisine. A trip to Tokyo confirms what’s been driving their pursuit for excellence.
All sharing options for:
The Joint Seafood founder Liwei Liao opened this casual handroll counter modeled after Kazunori serving high-grade fish in a parade of seaweed-wrapped creations. Liao’s market in Sherman Oaks specializes in dry-aged fish, though the offerings at Uoichiba aren’t necessarily of that style. Instead, cuts like tuna, kanpachi, steelhead trout, and blue crab salad are served with seasoned rice either a la carte or as lunch-sized omakase meals. If money is truly no object, the legendary craftwork at Morihiro Onodera’s eponymous Atwater restaurant is a gourmand’s delight. Book the bar-only omakase ($350 to $400), and you’ll enjoy a mix of kaiseki-style appetizers presented on ceramics made by the veteran chef himself and a diverse array of dry-aged and fresh fish (including a few I’ve had nowhere else).
Springtime also invites us to seize the sunlight with midday meals. Weekday lunch is a great way to shake up your work routine and to try a popular restaurant that’s typically booked for dinner — don’t miss our staff guide with some of our favorite lunch menus ranging from prix-fixe power picks to casual taco spots. Thankfully, we have Addison to guide us toward the best of the best. In possibly a first for LA, an Austin-based Japanese restaurant splashes on the West Coast as a notable sushi opening. Inspired by LA’s own Nobu and Katsuya, among others, chef Tyson Cole opens a suave and already bustling lounge in the heart of West Hollywood serving a tightly edited array of Japanese dishes. Sushi remains an important part of Uchi, and the preparations offer a thoughtful departure from classic Edo-style sushi that still preserves the restaurant’s high-quality fish.
Running $140 per head, the Whole Note at Kiminobu Saito’s Valley sushi bar is an above-average sushi experience on its own, but it’s the superb wine pairings, date night ambience and attentive service that make it stand out in the city’s crowded omakase landscape. A slightly more elevated menu can also be found at the restaurant’s second location, which exclusively offers omakase from a little bleached wood hutch inside a Beverly Hills parking garage. This more minimalist offering includes miso soup, edamame, goma tofu, sashimi, a palate-cleansing sorbet, 12 pieces of nigiri and a yuzu gelato. If you’d rather order the usual spicy tuna crispy rice and a few hand rolls, the Valley location also prepares crowd-pleasing appetizers, sashimi, temaki and nigiri à la carte, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not trying the Whole (or much lighter Half) Note at least once.
No comments:
Post a Comment