mrhooks's Profile
Sushi In OC: Found! Kasen.
The only time I've ever seen them pull something out of the back cooler is when it's something that isn't in the front case, or the front case has run out of something. I've never seen them keep two versions of one thing, and not serve the un-butchered stuff to me.
Sushi In OC: Found! Kasen.
The thing about Shibucho is, sometimes you just have to ask for it, and they'll give it to you. I went for lunch today (I hadn't been there in almost 10 months I think, not for lack of wanting). I mentioned I hadn't had battera in a long time, so Naga-san gave me a piece. I also asked if he had himo (he had already given me aoyagi), and he did, so he gave me a piece. I loved the flavor and liked the texture better, but the fact that it's such a narrow strip of meat...because of that, I didn't necessarily like it more than aoyagi, let alone mirugai. Yeah, I'm nitpicky. I wasn't surprised at the narrowness, just surprised it made me like it less.
They also had engawa butchered right before my eyes, and baby eel two ways, both of which I got without asking. Also had tairagai, but again, it's one of those things that they don't always serve without asking for it. Unfortunately, I was full by the time I realized I should ask for it, plus I needed to be somewhere, so I didn't ask for it.
The rest of the meal included maguro, toro, kohada, tai, aji, kanpachi, uni, kani, ebi...that might be it. I'm having trouble remembering. Some were one piece, some were two pieces. And of course, the hot appetizer, miso soup, and the cucumber/daikon thing at the end.
~$61 after tax.
Restaurant NOMA rated "Best Restaurant in the World" 3 times in a row!
I ate at Noma back in 2008, when they were 10th on that list. With the possible exception of Urasawa, it was the best meal of my life. And it seems they've gotten significantly better since then. I have a friend who lives in Copenhagen and goes (or used to go) just about every month. Chef Redzepi had to ask her to take a six-month break, just so her next meal wouldn't be too similar to previous ones. So I've sort of been tracking their evolution through her.
Anyway, as Porthos mentioned, the closest thing is Red Medicine. You won't get the same flavors, of course, but the plating and techniques are similar. And Noma's service is like a precision machine - I was in awe just watching them move around the dining room. You won't find anything close in LA.
BTW, Chef Redzepi staged at the French Laundry. So there's another bit of commonality with Kahn.
Red Medicine. Wow.
Agreed. I sat against the wall, sort of facing the entrance. It wasn't impossible to carry on a conversation, but it wasn't nearly as easy as it was at, say, Hatfield's.
Visiting from NYC - what's the "best" of the things that aren't great here?
If the OP has been to places like Masa, Yasuda, or Kuruma in NY, there's no reason to visit any of the sushiya on Ventura. Only places like Urasawa and Mori would be worth visiting.
I have nothing new to offer, so I'll just say I agree with the Mexican and Thai recommendations. And Red Medicine.
Urasawa etiquette?
I usually find that, the slower the pace at which the sushi is made, the more I can eat. The sushi at Urasawa comes at a very relaxed pace - at times there were maybe 5-10 minutes in between pieces. I could eat practically indefinitely there.
Urasawa etiquette?
Do not wait to eat the sushi. Hiro-san feels it should be eaten within 10 seconds of preparation. I saw a couple who completely ignored their sushi and continued talking, and Hiro-san had to interrupt their conversation to get them to eat the sushi. I think it was awkward for everyone involved. If you're a picture-taker, have your camera ready to shoot the instant the sushi is set in front of you.
Also, if you can, bow and say "gochisou sama deshita" at the end of the meal.
About the "foods you don't eat" thing: I'm probably in the minority, but I absolutely despise ginger, unless it's mixed with other stuff and very faint. And IIRC his gari is stronger than the stuff that comes out of a jar. (I forgot to tell him; I felt so bad about wasting it.) I don't know how you feel about gari, but I thought I'd mention it.
Enjoy your visit! It is truly an unforgettable experience. If only I could afford to go again...
Red Medicine. Wow.
That dessert looks like something one would get at Noma in Copenhagen. And I mean that as a compliment.
The Ten Best Things To Eat In LA Right Now
In a bowl: Brussels sprouts, fish sauce, and shallots, topped with shrimp chips (miniaturized versions of the ones that come with Peking duck, but a little less greasy). Just as Porthos described. It's a revelation, one of the most surprising things I've eaten all year.
Sushi In OC: Found! Kasen.
Aah, himo sounds like heaven. I'll have to remember that. Thanks for the tip!
Sushi In OC: Found! Kasen.
I'm not sure, 7-8 years maybe, not counting his Little Tokyo sushiya back in the 80s when I was a teenager and didn't know anything about sushi. My consistency about going depends on how much money I have - right now, it's only a few times per year, but a year or two ago it was about once per month. So I'm not nearly as frequent a visitor as he or I would like (I know there are people who go every week), and maybe I'm not seeing the really good stuff as often because of that. But I don't really know.
The two times he's had sayori when I was there, the second time I had to request it. I was lucky enough to get shako without asking for it, the one time he had it. From what I remember, he doesn't even bother getting it anymore - he feels it's too expensive. Shame, I would devour his entire supply if he'd get it. Same with kama toro.
Battera is one of those things that I'm happy to have if offered, but I don't love it so much that I go out of my way to request it, so that doesn't bother me. I don't see him serve the fish bone soup even to his friends every time I'm there - I'm not positive it's something he has every day.
There are certain things in the cooler that he never seems to offer as part of omakase, like hokkigai and tako, even though he always has them. I don't know why that is. I seem to get aoyagi when he has it, but that isn't too often. I like the flavor of aoyagi, but I prefer the texture of mirugai, and texture is something that I am strangely picky about. So while it's nice to get both side-by-side, honestly I'd probably be just as happy getting two pieces of mirugai.
Sushi In OC: Found! Kasen.
Yeah, I have to agree, that's bad form. It's probably one of those things that restauranteurs can get away with in Japan, but not here.
I've had the fish bone broth before, but only a few times. I've never had battera to take home, but I have had it as part of my meal before (but only twice). I got some shrimp to take home before - he gets them for New Year's to serve at the restaurant, whole shrimp marinated and served chilled, really good. Occasionally he'll do some other things that are rarely seen there, like cooking anago on a skewer over an open flame and serving it hot with a little bit of sea salt, or pulling out a whole kanpachi and offering me a belly cut. He also took one of those big leaves he decorates his sushi platters with and, using his yanagiba, cut it into a crane with Mt. Fuji on its back, for me on my birthday.
My meals there usually end with a few pieces of Japanese cucumber, daikon, etc., or occasionally with his "vegetarian sushi" - a roll with radish sprouts, seaweed, and some other things in it. He seems to be inconsistent about giving out the tamago.
I have my visits timed, so I'm there either just before they're about to open, or a couple hours later, when his friends are about to leave. :) The former being better of course, because he usually runs out of amaebi very quickly, when he even has it. (And I actually prefer his method of preparing the heads. The best though, was when Naga-san extracted the meat while keeping the entire shrimp carcass intact, including roe, and put it in the oven. That was a shrimp dish that, for me, rivalled the shrimp dishes I had at Urasawa.)
Sushi In OC: Found! Kasen.
The times I've gone, it's been almost twice as expensive as Shibucho. However, that's Shibucho's Omakase (not the $35 table omakase, the real one at the counter that's usually in the $60-70 range) versus a la carte at Maki Zushi, so it isn't the most accurate comparison. However, the variety is greater. Quality is very high. Overall, I still prefer Shibucho, but sometimes the variety at Maki Zushi calls to me.
As for demeanor, the Shibutanis recognize me, and they always treat me very well. However, they always have, right from my first visit, and I am not Japanese. I am not a regular at Maki Zushi, so there is no reason for the itamae there to recognize me; his treatment is never rude, but it isn't very cordial either.
The only time I've ever seen Shibutani-san treat anyone unkindly was when three spoiled south OC kids came in, sat at the counter, asked for stuff like spicy tuna rolls, took forever to make up their minds, and talked very loudly with each other and on their phones.
The whole relocation because of a reservation error thing doesn't bother me too much, unless you were moved from the counter to a table.
La Paella Restaurant - the real deal
According to an old episode of David Rosengarten's "Taste" I watched back when it was still on the Food Network, it's a one-minute coddled egg. And the anchovy flavor comes from Worcestershire sauce, not anchovies. Wikipedia says the same thing.
I like La Española's paella, but sometimes I find there isn't enough socarrat. But it's a great option when I'm too lazy to make it myself.
Pro knife sharpeners in Santa Monica?
For the service they're providing, that's not high at all. However, it's also unnecessary for German knives such as the OP's Wüsthof, since they can be sharpened safely by machine. That service is primarily for owners of Japanese knives.
where to buy Ceylon (true) cinnamon in West LA?
Surfas in Culver City, or drive down the 405 to Penzeys Spices in Torrance.
Drinks, snacks and good jazz?
Not sure how you define "cool classic jazz" - swing? be-bop? fusion? something else? But the Tom Kubis Big Band plays at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach once a month (I believe it's usually the 4th Thursday of each month). Can't say much about the food, nor the vibe (faux Hawaiian/Polynesian), but the band is awesome - they're all top session guys. They feature a different outstanding high school musician every month, and Kubis's daughter's trio sings with the band as well. $15 cover, and it's almost always packed.
You could also try Spaghettini in Seal Beach. They have live music almost every night, but I think it's primarily smooth jazz.
Steamers has good music, but JAB isn't kidding about the close quarters. They'll also make you share a table with strangers if there is a not-full table.
As far as LA goes, as others have mentioned, the Baked Potato and Catalina Bar & Grill are two of the most famous places. They're the kind of place you buy tickets for in advance.
I haven't been in years, but Blue Café in Long Beach wasn't bad last time I went there. The main room downstairs was loud and crowded, with a wannabe blues rock band (think Blueshammer from the movie Ghost World) playing, but the upstairs lounge had a jazz trio and pool tables. Young crowd, but the music was good.
Is the Jazz Bakery back in business yet?
Scored reservations for LudoBites 8.0
When I went to 5.0, they did not have a way to chill white wines. Pack it in a cooler if that's what you want to drink.
What's your fav ramen shop and why?
Yamadaya, Horon, or Santouka, depending on my mood. Usually Yamadaya. I don't think any one aspect of their ramen is the best around (not even the broth - though very good, I think there's an over-reliance on lard to enrich it, plus there's a gritty, rustic quality to Horon's broth that seems more to me like what you'd get in Japan, that Yamadaya's is lacking), but they do everything pretty well to very well, the serving is generous (moreso than the other two places I mentioned), and I prefer the Hakata style of ramen. Horon does a similar style, but it's not really a ramen shop, and the wait for a table sometimes can be long, so I don't go there as often as I would like. Plus, they're a little skimpy with the toppings.
The very best are those occasions when places like Tatsunoya or Hakata Ippudo visit from Japan and set up shop in Mitsuwa for a few days.
I used to love Hanaichimonme for their yakisoba, but I haven't been there in years. I remember liking their noodles, but the broth was too light, even for that style of ramen. I love their soup spoons.
Best place you ate at this week?
Red Medicine. It reminded me a little of noma in Copenhagen, but with an Asian twist instead of Nordic. It's not as polished and perfect as noma, but it's very good. The Brussels sprouts were amazing. The rhubarb dessert was the best dessert I've had in a very long time, even better than the beignets at Hatfield's.
Slightly less fantastic were the leeks - I felt the raw turnip didn't quite fit in with the rest of the dish - and the Chinese lion peppers - except for the one unusually spicy one I got, they were too mild for the accompanying dates, which overpowered them. My friend felt the same about the rabbit and its accompanying five-berry compote or whatever it was called. But the rabbit itself was excellent, and every dish was enjoyable.
What's In A Name? Denmark Gefion Steakhouse Opens in San Gabriel
Do they serve frikadeller (Danish meatballs, which are very different from Swedish meatballs)? The Andersen's in SB only ever has it as a special around the Winter months.
Best Philly (style) Cheese Steak in LA?
In my experience, the cheese issue has always been there, although I like to consider it a "too much meat" issue (along with throwing off the meat/cheese ratio, it also makes the cheesesteak difficult to eat, and sometimes is a little too much grease for the roll to soak up). I always used to ask for extra cheese (extra $.50). I thought it was maybe a tiny bit too much cheese, but far better than not enough.
Best Philly (style) Cheese Steak in LA?
They have mushroom steak and pizza steak (and the oddly-named chicken steak) in Philly too. And Jim's will put peppers in your cheesesteak if you request them, but I guess that comes with the territory of being a touristy place.
Even locals can't agree on white American vs. Provolone vs. Cheez Whiz. Whiz may be the original, but I have no problem with real cheese, any more than I do with gourmet burgers. I like a cheese that melts, so it's white American for me. A friend from South Philly swears by Provolone. It's all good. Whiz wit' may be what one orders at Pat's, but IMHO there are better steaks to be had than the original.
Best Philly (style) Cheese Steak in LA?
Boos sounds interesting, worth checking out.
If the current South Street locations are the same quality-wise as the now-defunct Westwood location, it's gotta be the worst cheesesteak I've ever tried.
Hard to say with Philly's Best, as there are so many locations. But if they're all pretty much the same, then they're decent, but hardly the best.
I haven't tried SPE or Luigi Ortega's - sadly, I'm falling out of love with cheesesteaks the older I get and the longer I'm away from Philly - but as I've said in every other thread, the closest I've ever had to a "real" cheesesteak here in LA is at Big Mike's in Hermosa Beach. But I haven't been there in a few years.
Shibucho (on Beverly): A Pictorial Essay
I'm guessing you mean either pic #9, or the 3rd to last pic?
Although it's cooked in this pic, the segmentation of the body and tail is not subtle, no confusing it with a fin fish:
http://www.luxeat.com/.a/6a00df351eb58e88340162fdc0ebb3970d-pi
Although that could be the result of being boiled, I don't know.
Where around here serves live shako? Not doubting you, just curious. Okay, maybe a bit of doubt, due to the difficulty of getting them here intact. But if there's a place, I'd like to go.
Shibucho (on Beverly): A Pictorial Essay
No shako as far as I can tell. It would look like shrimp but with a weird, fat tail, and a different color. Plus, it's not in season until around April.
Sushi in the OC - Can't find anything decent and Yelp is absolutely useless!
As you said, Shibucho is not that close to Fullerton. However, ordering their table omakase is an absolute bargain at ~$35pp. The real omakase at the counter is more like ~$60+pp (though still a very high bang-for-the-buck ratio), and you get stuff you don't get at the tables unless you explicitly request it (and pay more). Either way, I would make the drive weekly if I could afford it.
Prices are before drinks/tax/tip.
Ramen Yamada-ya coming to Culver City in May
Who else gives kakuni, period? Your question is tantamount to saying it's okay to serve occasionally dry kakuni because they're the only ones who serve it at all. Sure, I suppose when you're the only game in town, you can do whatever you want. I'm saying they can do better. They most likely won't, and I'll continue to go either way (at least until a better place pops up - I would kill for an Ippudo here), but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. At the very least, I wish I knew which days they make their kakuni (if it's set - probably not), so I can just go on those days.
However...not "in a bowl of ramen" per se, but you can order a side of grilled chashu at Horon that's better than Yamadaya's kakuni on its best day. It's a shame their ramen is so light on toppings, because that and the ridiculous amount of peppercorns in the broth are all that's keeping it a step below Yamadaya.
I agree about Asa's broth (somewhat; it's never been that consistently salty for me, but it's just not that rich or flavorful in comparison), but I've had fewer issues with their egg than I've had with Yamadaya's.
My original comment was mainly about the noodles anyway. But then I'm probably more serious about katamen than most.
Ramen Yamada-ya coming to Culver City in May
I have to disagree a bit about the noodles. I've been there at least 25 times, and ordering katamen results in actual katamen only sometimes - usually it's somewhere in-between katamen and normal (this is compared to what I've gotten when Tatsuno-ya and Hakata Ippudo were visiting at Mitsuwa, not to mention Asa Ramen or even SSG (their noodles are kinda tasteless in comparison, but they're properly katamen)). They seem to be getting better about it though. Also, the kakuni sometimes can be a little dry, because they don't make a fresh batch every day. And I agree about the egg - Asa does a better job here as well.
Still, it's my favorite place for ramen in Southern California.
Ramen Yamada-ya coming to Culver City in May
17 days later, and the sign says "Open in 5 Days." 3 more weeks perhaps?
