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The Lazy Ox
Sushi Omino
Chatsworth, CA
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Musha
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Maison Akira's August Menu Moliere
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Michelangelo's Restaurant (Sacramento, CA)
Sacramento, CA
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Elements Kitchen
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Shiro
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Honey Pig
K-town, LA, CA
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Girasole
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Vietnamese Eggrolls
Shiro
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Balut
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Menu Moliere: Maison Akira's Foie Gras Menu of Joy
For the month of April, Chef Akira (of Maison Akira fame) decided to create a themed dinner he endearingly called, "Menu Moliere", assumedly after the satirical French playwright. Each month was to have a theme, like an Iron Chef competition's secret ingredient, only he only competes with himself. The result is that Chef Akira ups his own ante and produces even more divergent and unique combinations of flavor than ever before!
And the best part? The theme of April was FOIE GRAS. Now, those of you who know me know that I have an inordinate obsession with foie gras. Its rich fattiness and flavors are only complemented by the fact that it came from a delicious animal. Take that and add it to every course of a meal? PRICELESS.
No, I take that back. It HAS a price. A very good one! $44 for the 3-course meal, and $66 for the wine pairing. How THAT for world class food?
D and I opted for the non-pairing, having brought our own wines from a wine tasting earlier in the evening. In addition to the meal, we went all out and decided it was best to toss in the foie gras appetizer from the menu, for good measure. The resulting meal?
Appetizer 1: Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with Daikon Pot au Feu and Roasted Pear. This is by far my favorite course, and it's fortunately one of the regular courses on the menu (meaning, I can come back anytime outside of April to have it!). The daikon calmed down the foie gras, without diminishing its flavors, and added a subtle vegetable flair to the meaty foie gras. The oyster mushrooms were also amazing, with their soft but firm (almost al dente) texture and their rich mushroom flavors. All in all, a balanced flavor in every bite. Very original, very balanced, amazingly orgasmic.
Appetizer 2: Duck Foie Gras Flan in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with King Oyster Mushrooms. You would think that foie gras flan was unheard of and blasphemous, but this was everything they tell you about gastronomy and more. The flan was still very milky and cremy, showing subtle signs of flaking apart when you break your spoon through it (like a real flan!). The flavors were also dairy and milky, with subtle hints of foie gras. I confess I didn't enjoy this course as much because I personally don't prefer flan, but if you're a fan of both foie gras and flan, it was an excellent mix of the two. Subtle hints of foie gras, flavors and rich texture of a flan. Pretty successful endeavor!
Appetizer 3: Puree of Celery Root with Grilled Duck Foie Gras and Balsamic Reduction. This one caught me by surprise. I really never had celery root before, and mixed with the balsamic reduction, it ended up being remarkably sour. But the foie gras was seared well, with the crisps on top adding the texture. If you took the celery root and balsamic reduction in moderation, you could create the perfect combination of flavors, but you just had to play at it. All in all, still a very unique combination of flavors and textures.
Entree 1: Napoleon of Big Eye Tuna and Foie Gras with Wasabi Potato Mousseline in a Plum Wine Horse Radish Sauce. Whoever thought about putting the liver of a land creature and a fish creature together in the same dish? CHEF AKIRA. The big eye tuna, which was light and fluffy (even lighter since it was PERFECTLY seared, leaving it virtually sashimi), brightened up the foie gras and complemented it with a different subtle fishy flavor. The mousseline was an interesting addition, a texture twist to the standard wasabi on the side of a sushi dish. The wasabi (in moderation) added a great "pop" to two items that subtly intermingled with each other.
Entree 2: Angus Beef Tenderloin Steak “Rossini” with Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Truffle Sauce with Spring Vegetables. Okay, anyone who knows me also knows I order my steaks "still mooing". Rare. Always rare. The rarest you can get it to the table without being called by the Health Department. This works out remarkably well with Chef Akira's cooking talent, the fabulous quality of the meat he selects, and the steak Rossini dish on the Menu Moliere. What ended up being presented was a dish where not only two of my favorite items were being served to me, but the flavors were explosive and the textures were remarkably interchangeable. The seared foie gras was obviously going to be tender, but the steak was easily cut and immediately chewable. Soft, tender, a perfectly prepared steak. Complemented with the foie gras, it was the absolute perfect entree, clearly the best steak Rossini I have ever had, or could ever imagine.
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And the best part? The theme of April was FOIE GRAS. Now, those of you who know me know that I have an inordinate obsession with foie gras. Its rich fattiness and flavors are only complemented by the fact that it came from a delicious animal. Take that and add it to every course of a meal? PRICELESS.
No, I take that back. It HAS a price. A very good one! $44 for the 3-course meal, and $66 for the wine pairing. How THAT for world class food?
D and I opted for the non-pairing, having brought our own wines from a wine tasting earlier in the evening. In addition to the meal, we went all out and decided it was best to toss in the foie gras appetizer from the menu, for good measure. The resulting meal?
Appetizer 1: Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with Daikon Pot au Feu and Roasted Pear. This is by far my favorite course, and it's fortunately one of the regular courses on the menu (meaning, I can come back anytime outside of April to have it!). The daikon calmed down the foie gras, without diminishing its flavors, and added a subtle vegetable flair to the meaty foie gras. The oyster mushrooms were also amazing, with their soft but firm (almost al dente) texture and their rich mushroom flavors. All in all, a balanced flavor in every bite. Very original, very balanced, amazingly orgasmic.
Appetizer 2: Duck Foie Gras Flan in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with King Oyster Mushrooms. You would think that foie gras flan was unheard of and blasphemous, but this was everything they tell you about gastronomy and more. The flan was still very milky and cremy, showing subtle signs of flaking apart when you break your spoon through it (like a real flan!). The flavors were also dairy and milky, with subtle hints of foie gras. I confess I didn't enjoy this course as much because I personally don't prefer flan, but if you're a fan of both foie gras and flan, it was an excellent mix of the two. Subtle hints of foie gras, flavors and rich texture of a flan. Pretty successful endeavor!
Appetizer 3: Puree of Celery Root with Grilled Duck Foie Gras and Balsamic Reduction. This one caught me by surprise. I really never had celery root before, and mixed with the balsamic reduction, it ended up being remarkably sour. But the foie gras was seared well, with the crisps on top adding the texture. If you took the celery root and balsamic reduction in moderation, you could create the perfect combination of flavors, but you just had to play at it. All in all, still a very unique combination of flavors and textures.
Entree 1: Napoleon of Big Eye Tuna and Foie Gras with Wasabi Potato Mousseline in a Plum Wine Horse Radish Sauce. Whoever thought about putting the liver of a land creature and a fish creature together in the same dish? CHEF AKIRA. The big eye tuna, which was light and fluffy (even lighter since it was PERFECTLY seared, leaving it virtually sashimi), brightened up the foie gras and complemented it with a different subtle fishy flavor. The mousseline was an interesting addition, a texture twist to the standard wasabi on the side of a sushi dish. The wasabi (in moderation) added a great "pop" to two items that subtly intermingled with each other. 
Entree 2: Angus Beef Tenderloin Steak “Rossini” with Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Truffle Sauce with Spring Vegetables. Okay, anyone who knows me also knows I order my steaks "still mooing". Rare. Always rare. The rarest you can get it to the table without being called by the Health Department. This works out remarkably well with Chef Akira's cooking talent, the fabulous quality of the meat he selects, and the steak Rossini dish on the Menu Moliere. What ended up being presented was a dish where not only two of my favorite items were being served to me, but the flavors were explosive and the textures were remarkably interchangeable. The seared foie gras was obviously going to be tender, but the steak was easily cut and immediately chewable. Soft, tender, a perfectly prepared steak. Complemented with the foie gras, it was the absolute perfect entree, clearly the best steak Rossini I have ever had, or could ever imagine. I'll bypass the desserts, since (1) there was no foie gras in them, and (2) I hardly had any once I was so full of foie gras. They were fairly good, as all of Chef Akira's dishes are, and they were closers on yet another NYC- and world-class meal.
Maison Akira
713 E Green Street, Pasadena, CA
http://www.maisonakira.com/
Maison Akira
713 E Green Street, Pasadena, CA
http://www.maisonakira.com/
Duck House - Stay for the Peking Duck (but Not Much Else)
While most of us only know "Peking Duck" from what we get from those Chinese BBQ places with ducks hanging in the window, apparently most of us haven't gotten the TRUE peking duck experience. According to experts, only a few locations in LA actually make Peking duck the true way, blowing air into the duck between the flesh and the skin, stretching the skin and separating it from the flesh to allow for separate cooking. Tender cooking of the flesh, to retain the juices, and crispy cooking of the skin.
While all of us can boast that we've had some version fo peking duck before, I'd have to say my experience with Duck House was probably one of the best. The skin was crispy without being too oily, and the flesh was amazingly tender and still juicy. They provided us with fresh greens and a rich hoisin sauce to eat it with, and instructed us to roll it into these crepe-looking breads. The end product was a rich mix of juicy, soft meats, springy fresh greens, and crispy, salty skin. It was a good flavor combination and a good texture combination.The only thing I regret about this location was that we tried about 4-5 other courses, and they were all disappointing compared to other Chinese restaurants. Nothing really stood out as spectacular except the peking duck, but according to our friend, the more people you bring, the more dishes you can try. (How many people until you get the foie??) Next time I might consider waiting for more people, and/or savoring the peking duck while waiting for the mediocre dishes to pass me by.
Duck House
501 S. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754 - (626) 284-3227
Indigo Grill - San Diego's Gem in Little Italy
For Girls Weekend in San Diego, the girls and I went to Indigo Grill, mostly because one of us knew the owner (always nice when you have a connection). While this place was Mexican-inspired, it also touted inspirations from the entire Pacific Southwest and Pacific shore. What we ended up getting was Mexican-based food, with fresh seafood and some fusion elements to some of the dishes.
The starter was one dish, big enough for four people to share. They called it "Pipian Crusted Brie", which consisted of brie which was been baked in sesame seeds and a variety of other crumbs, accompanied by sides of jalapeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled nopales, mole negro, and scallion flatbread. I love this type of tray because it ends up being a mix-and-match feast, where everybody gets exactly what they like. Plus, who DOESN'T like a plate with a piece of roasted garlic?? Even the presentation worked, with a flatbread that appeared to have the name of the restaurant seared into the cake, sticking out as if to shout its presence from the rooftops!
Even between four girls, we ended up splitting two entrees, one bone-in rib eye and one special of the night--scallops seared on a brick of sea salt with sides of various greens cooked in a bacon dressing. (Because let's face it--bacon makes everything better!) I didn't try the rib eye, since it was a Friday during Lent, but the scallops were delicious. The sea salt brick was the cooking surface for the scallops themselves, making it both hot and delicious. Most of the girls thought it was too salty, but I thought it was just right, allowing the salt to bring out the fishiness and tartness of the scallops.
All in all a pretty good find, every good prices for HUGE portions, and a relatively casual spot for San Diego's Little Italy.
Indigo Grill
1536 India St., San Diego, CA - (619) 234.6802
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/restaurants/indigogrill/
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The starter was one dish, big enough for four people to share. They called it "Pipian Crusted Brie", which consisted of brie which was been baked in sesame seeds and a variety of other crumbs, accompanied by sides of jalapeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled nopales, mole negro, and scallion flatbread. I love this type of tray because it ends up being a mix-and-match feast, where everybody gets exactly what they like. Plus, who DOESN'T like a plate with a piece of roasted garlic?? Even the presentation worked, with a flatbread that appeared to have the name of the restaurant seared into the cake, sticking out as if to shout its presence from the rooftops!
Even between four girls, we ended up splitting two entrees, one bone-in rib eye and one special of the night--scallops seared on a brick of sea salt with sides of various greens cooked in a bacon dressing. (Because let's face it--bacon makes everything better!) I didn't try the rib eye, since it was a Friday during Lent, but the scallops were delicious. The sea salt brick was the cooking surface for the scallops themselves, making it both hot and delicious. Most of the girls thought it was too salty, but I thought it was just right, allowing the salt to bring out the fishiness and tartness of the scallops.All in all a pretty good find, every good prices for HUGE portions, and a relatively casual spot for San Diego's Little Italy.
Indigo Grill
1536 India St., San Diego, CA - (619) 234.6802
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/restaurants/indigogrill/
Huckleberry Duck Hash!!
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Zankou Chicken
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Josie
Bacon-wrapped quail. Because really--how do you go wrong with bacon-wrapped ANYTHING?? 
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Marilyn Mon-roll (Sacramento, CA)
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Sushi Nozawa: Sushi Nazi!!!
This is the best sushi D and I have ever had. EVER. Both of us COMBINED probably wasn't this good.
Thank God for Fridays during Lent. Forced to abstain from meat got us thinking about what fishy dishes we'd try each Friday of Lent. We'd come up with some pretty good ideas, between Popeye's shrimp basket to Mario's Peruvian ceviche and grilled fish. This last Friday, I was craving sushi.
The truth is, my friends and I used to make a college tradition out of going to have sushi on Fridays during Lent. It was a great tradition, a chance to explore a new type of food, and semi-opportunistic, given that Little Tokyo is so close to USC. I was HOOKED.
With a surprising growth curve, I started savoring raw fish with almost as much zeal as raw meat (I always order steaks and hamburgers the rarest they'll let it get out the door without the Health police tackling them to the ground). There was something about the textures, the richness, and the subtly fishy flavor that made it... deliciously quirky. Like cheeses, I liked my sushi with a slight bit of stinkiness, funk and scents and flavors that reminded you that at some point, this was "game" food. Raw, wild, and fresh from the outdoors.
What I found in my sushi journey was subtle to the point of bland. To be honest, I like salmon nigiri a little more than tuna or yellowtail nigiri if simply because I could taste something. Most cuts of sushi just weren't fresh enough to give that zingy, fishy FRESHNESS.
...Until Nozawa.
Sushi Nozawa is hidden away in the corner of a strip mall, two doors down from a nail salon and hiding behind a parking lot with about 10 spots total. Walk inside and it looks almost like a retrofitted greasy spoon--torn seats from Asian restaurant chairs and tables sparsely decorated, with kitschy decorations that all declare one central message: "Trust Me." But what it lacks in ambiance, it MORE than makes up in flavors. The menu? Whatever the chef wanted to serve you. Seriously. You sit yourself at the bar and you take what the sushi nazi serves you. And according to Zagat, ask for a California roll and you might get kicked out.
The chef served us:
- Chopped ahi
- Yellowtail nigiri
- Crab hand roll
- Halibut nigiri
- Toro hand roll
- Black cod nigiri
- Lobster hand roll
- Oysters
The fish itself was outstanding. Good flavors, perfect amount of fishy smells and flavors, and perfect texture. Even the cuts were consistent, down to the angle at which the slices were cut. The striations were exactly the same width. The texture was delicate and yet firm. The cuts overhung the rice--every single piece looked and tasted like the fish was the focus, not just an afterthought on the rice, cut small enough to save money. These were generous cuts, amazing flavors. No soy sauce needed.
I loved that the chef had the flavors down to a tee. He interspersed yuzu, ponzu and other sauces in moderation, careful not to let any single flavor overwhelm any type of fish. If the fish was stronger flavored, the sauces were delicate, and if the fish was delicate, the sauces were even more delicate. Even the nori was high quality nori--thicker, slightly funkier-ocean smelling, and simply better quality. I didn't even know there was any such thing as a better quality nori until I had the hand rolls. It truly made the hand roll taste better, accentuating the flavors of the sea and delicately playing a salty-sweetness to the delicate zest of the fish.
Our favorite part was the personal touch, or almost lack thereof. The chef, Chef Nozawa, is known as the Sushi Nazi, and he lives up to his name. He hardly smiled at all, with our compliments greeted only by a grunt in our general direction. He didn't take any of the sake we offered him and he barked orders to the Mexican sushi chef next to him (who kept good pace and prepared just as well as he did!) and the Mexican server, who learned to speak to him in Japanese. Occasionally, he'd show a sign of empathy and barked orders in Spanish: "[Order.] Dos."
And then came the miracle. After we drank a whole bottle of sake and ate more sushi than we thought we could consume, the chef asked if we were done. Hardly ones to admit defeat in the face of orgasmic food, we croaked past our bloatedness and said, "One more." The nazi, who had previously reserved all words for the servers and assistants, spoke those rare words that dared to show a hint of (dare I say it?) RESPECT: "Your choice." Shocked, I turned to all the decorations on the wall and said, "No, but we trust you!" ...No response. Not even a smile. (My goodness, he IS a nazi. Quick, order something before he kicks you out.) D did the proverbial bow back to our chef and asked what he recommended. After naming a few options, we opted for oyster.
At first, I was disappointed at the choice, scared that it would be a single cooked dish in my delirium of raw ecstasy. It wasn't until I fished out one of the two pieces of oyster from the little cup of sauces and put it past my lips that I realized--the oyster is RAW. This oyster was easily 2-3" large, and had the flavors and texture of a Kumamoto oyster. In the meat world, this is the equivalent of a wagyu steak the size of your head, served rare. This oyster was easily the best oyster I have ever had in my life, and I've had oysters freshly caught from the California north shores only a few hours old. Tender, almost al dente, and wildly flavorful without being sour. It was perfectly sweet, with several different textures that played with your tongue and reminded you that you were eating a complex organism that God himself created. Slightly firmer, then softer, then thicker, then soft again, it plays, like a choir singing hallelujahs. Delicious.
In short, while the price tag was high for a single dinner, when split by two and calculating the fact that we tossed in a damn good bottle of sake, it was a STEAL for the quality of the meal. This was easily the best sushi we'd ever had, followed by the best oyster we'd ever had, and on retrospect, it was refreshingly relaxing not to have to worry about deciding what we would like next--we simply liked everything that was handed to us. There's something about being able to place your life in someone's hands that's such a comfort, and to me--being able to place my stomach in someone's hands is almost just as much of a relief. Chef Nozawa took good care of it. Despite being, well, an unsmiling, uncompromising nazi.
Sushi Nozawa
11288 Ventura Blvd Suite C, Studio City, CA 91604 - (818) 508.7017
http://www.sushinozawa.com/
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Thank God for Fridays during Lent. Forced to abstain from meat got us thinking about what fishy dishes we'd try each Friday of Lent. We'd come up with some pretty good ideas, between Popeye's shrimp basket to Mario's Peruvian ceviche and grilled fish. This last Friday, I was craving sushi.
The truth is, my friends and I used to make a college tradition out of going to have sushi on Fridays during Lent. It was a great tradition, a chance to explore a new type of food, and semi-opportunistic, given that Little Tokyo is so close to USC. I was HOOKED.
With a surprising growth curve, I started savoring raw fish with almost as much zeal as raw meat (I always order steaks and hamburgers the rarest they'll let it get out the door without the Health police tackling them to the ground). There was something about the textures, the richness, and the subtly fishy flavor that made it... deliciously quirky. Like cheeses, I liked my sushi with a slight bit of stinkiness, funk and scents and flavors that reminded you that at some point, this was "game" food. Raw, wild, and fresh from the outdoors.
What I found in my sushi journey was subtle to the point of bland. To be honest, I like salmon nigiri a little more than tuna or yellowtail nigiri if simply because I could taste something. Most cuts of sushi just weren't fresh enough to give that zingy, fishy FRESHNESS.
...Until Nozawa.
Sushi Nozawa is hidden away in the corner of a strip mall, two doors down from a nail salon and hiding behind a parking lot with about 10 spots total. Walk inside and it looks almost like a retrofitted greasy spoon--torn seats from Asian restaurant chairs and tables sparsely decorated, with kitschy decorations that all declare one central message: "Trust Me." But what it lacks in ambiance, it MORE than makes up in flavors. The menu? Whatever the chef wanted to serve you. Seriously. You sit yourself at the bar and you take what the sushi nazi serves you. And according to Zagat, ask for a California roll and you might get kicked out.
The chef served us:- Chopped ahi
- Yellowtail nigiri
- Crab hand roll
- Halibut nigiri
- Toro hand roll
- Black cod nigiri
- Lobster hand roll
- Oysters
The fish itself was outstanding. Good flavors, perfect amount of fishy smells and flavors, and perfect texture. Even the cuts were consistent, down to the angle at which the slices were cut. The striations were exactly the same width. The texture was delicate and yet firm. The cuts overhung the rice--every single piece looked and tasted like the fish was the focus, not just an afterthought on the rice, cut small enough to save money. These were generous cuts, amazing flavors. No soy sauce needed.
I loved that the chef had the flavors down to a tee. He interspersed yuzu, ponzu and other sauces in moderation, careful not to let any single flavor overwhelm any type of fish. If the fish was stronger flavored, the sauces were delicate, and if the fish was delicate, the sauces were even more delicate. Even the nori was high quality nori--thicker, slightly funkier-ocean smelling, and simply better quality. I didn't even know there was any such thing as a better quality nori until I had the hand rolls. It truly made the hand roll taste better, accentuating the flavors of the sea and delicately playing a salty-sweetness to the delicate zest of the fish.
Our favorite part was the personal touch, or almost lack thereof. The chef, Chef Nozawa, is known as the Sushi Nazi, and he lives up to his name. He hardly smiled at all, with our compliments greeted only by a grunt in our general direction. He didn't take any of the sake we offered him and he barked orders to the Mexican sushi chef next to him (who kept good pace and prepared just as well as he did!) and the Mexican server, who learned to speak to him in Japanese. Occasionally, he'd show a sign of empathy and barked orders in Spanish: "[Order.] Dos."
And then came the miracle. After we drank a whole bottle of sake and ate more sushi than we thought we could consume, the chef asked if we were done. Hardly ones to admit defeat in the face of orgasmic food, we croaked past our bloatedness and said, "One more." The nazi, who had previously reserved all words for the servers and assistants, spoke those rare words that dared to show a hint of (dare I say it?) RESPECT: "Your choice." Shocked, I turned to all the decorations on the wall and said, "No, but we trust you!" ...No response. Not even a smile. (My goodness, he IS a nazi. Quick, order something before he kicks you out.) D did the proverbial bow back to our chef and asked what he recommended. After naming a few options, we opted for oyster.
At first, I was disappointed at the choice, scared that it would be a single cooked dish in my delirium of raw ecstasy. It wasn't until I fished out one of the two pieces of oyster from the little cup of sauces and put it past my lips that I realized--the oyster is RAW. This oyster was easily 2-3" large, and had the flavors and texture of a Kumamoto oyster. In the meat world, this is the equivalent of a wagyu steak the size of your head, served rare. This oyster was easily the best oyster I have ever had in my life, and I've had oysters freshly caught from the California north shores only a few hours old. Tender, almost al dente, and wildly flavorful without being sour. It was perfectly sweet, with several different textures that played with your tongue and reminded you that you were eating a complex organism that God himself created. Slightly firmer, then softer, then thicker, then soft again, it plays, like a choir singing hallelujahs. Delicious.In short, while the price tag was high for a single dinner, when split by two and calculating the fact that we tossed in a damn good bottle of sake, it was a STEAL for the quality of the meal. This was easily the best sushi we'd ever had, followed by the best oyster we'd ever had, and on retrospect, it was refreshingly relaxing not to have to worry about deciding what we would like next--we simply liked everything that was handed to us. There's something about being able to place your life in someone's hands that's such a comfort, and to me--being able to place my stomach in someone's hands is almost just as much of a relief. Chef Nozawa took good care of it. Despite being, well, an unsmiling, uncompromising nazi.
Sushi Nozawa
11288 Ventura Blvd Suite C, Studio City, CA 91604 - (818) 508.7017
http://www.sushinozawa.com/
Gyu-Kaku: Hollywood, LA
Last night D and I went to Gyu-Kaku, which was my first time there. While we went to the Sherman Oaks location, it was still ominously "L.A.", ultra-trendy, crowded, and borderline pretentious crowd. Despite this, we were seated in half an hour (ugh) and we ordered from the happy hour menu, which was heinously cheap. And while there were some really good dishes (try the Bistro Harami), it was hardly worth the fact that there were probably only two servers for the entire restaurant. Our server took 10 minutes to do the simplest of tasks (drop off the check, pick up the check, etc.), and took probably 30-45 minutes to bring me a water.
Points for a $1.50 Sapporo, good tasting meats, excellent Happy Hour prices, and the fun experience of cooking your own meats to your liking, but bad points for the wait to be seated, the poor service, the pretentious crowd, and some of the dishes being a touch too spicy without warning (who makes an ahi poke spicy??). Worth the experience to go at least once to know, but will strongly consider a reservation and an alternative day of the week or time of day.
Gyu-Kaku
14457 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 - (818) 501-5400
http://www.gyu-kaku.com/
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Points for a $1.50 Sapporo, good tasting meats, excellent Happy Hour prices, and the fun experience of cooking your own meats to your liking, but bad points for the wait to be seated, the poor service, the pretentious crowd, and some of the dishes being a touch too spicy without warning (who makes an ahi poke spicy??). Worth the experience to go at least once to know, but will strongly consider a reservation and an alternative day of the week or time of day.
Gyu-Kaku
14457 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 - (818) 501-5400
http://www.gyu-kaku.com/
The Bazaar: Bizarrely Mediocre
The Bazaar wasn't very bizarre. In a sense, it almost seemed... disappointing.
D and I were totally excited about our date night, sometimes upscale, sometimes low-key, and yesterday, it was dressed to the nines and wining and dining. Maybe that set our expectations high. Maybe it was because E described this place as Heaven coming down in the form of food. Or maybe it was just because I was so hungry. But all in all, we were wildly excited for a wonderful meal that just ended up falling flat on its face.
Don't get me wrong--there were some dishes that were pretty good. Not orgasmic, but pretty tasty. The foie gras was better than your standard cheap French restaurant. In a mini sandwich, the delicate flavors of the foie gras complemented the salty-sweetness of the toasted brioche, with touches of sea salt on the top. In the cotton candy swirl, the flavor of the foie gras managed to nudge its way past the crushed cornuts (yeah, you heard me. CORNUTS. I had to ask the waiter to make sure I heard right). The vanilla cotton candy added a gentle sweet touch at the end and the whole dish was good enough to get D and me to order another portion each, since the order is just one bite and very time-sensitive.
Another one of my favorites was the Japanese eel tacos. The tacos were mini bites wrapped in cucumber and a shiso leaf, with chicharron crumbles on top. Yes, it was eel with cucumber and PORK RINDS. It was light and crisp at the same time.
Dislikes? Well, pretty much everything else we ordered. "The Ultimate Spanish Tapa!" turned out to be mayonnaise slathered all over some hard-boiled egg and mixed with carrots, potato, and all of two pieces of cooked tuna belly (which in my mind is absolute defiling of toro). It almost seemed ready to be sloshed in between two slices of bread and eaten as a "[Blah Blah] Salad Sandwich" at some sad sandwich to-go place with a man in a giant pickle costume holding a sign outside. Needless to say, D and I left half the dish intact.
We also left half of the Bunuelos, the codfish fritters that ended up being little more than crabcakes made with fish. The aeoli sauce made it a little better, but the garlic aeoli that comes with the fries at Comme Ca is waay better. Even the Embutidos platter was mediocre, with very dry salami slices and a dry, almost sour chorizo, which is usually one of my favorite flavor pallates. And it's not that it tasted BAD, it's simply that it tasted..... meh. For the price you pay, you'd expect Iron Chef GENIUS. I actually half expected "foie gras cotton candy" to mean that the cotton candy itself would be made out of foie gras, not cubes of foie gras covered in vanilla cotton candy.
I will pay my respects to the sangria, which was a mix of half a bottle of wine, fruit-flavored vodka, freshly sliced strawberry, and Hennessey, mixed using a thinly sliced sugarcane stick. Cute idea, excellent presentation, and a great taste--it was smooth as a fruit juice you'd drink everyday at breakfast. For the types of alcohol that were in it, it didn't seem that strong, but it tasted pretty good. For the price point (~$50 for a pitcher of 6 glasses), it didn't give me enough of a buzz. :)
All in all, we loved the foie gras dishes, but honestly you could find better tasting, home-made foie gras at Saint Amour, in Culver City, just down the street, and better-priced appetizers at Comme Ca. The Bazaar sangria was good, but nothing you couldn't make at home, and half the meal was either "Meh" or unfinished. For a largely expensive meal in a Beverly Hills hotel, I really expected more, but I suppose for that, it's back to Maison Akira for the tasting menu that outright made our toes curl!
The Bazaar by José Andrés
465 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 - (310) 246-5555
http://www.thebazaar.com/
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D and I were totally excited about our date night, sometimes upscale, sometimes low-key, and yesterday, it was dressed to the nines and wining and dining. Maybe that set our expectations high. Maybe it was because E described this place as Heaven coming down in the form of food. Or maybe it was just because I was so hungry. But all in all, we were wildly excited for a wonderful meal that just ended up falling flat on its face.
Don't get me wrong--there were some dishes that were pretty good. Not orgasmic, but pretty tasty. The foie gras was better than your standard cheap French restaurant. In a mini sandwich, the delicate flavors of the foie gras complemented the salty-sweetness of the toasted brioche, with touches of sea salt on the top. In the cotton candy swirl, the flavor of the foie gras managed to nudge its way past the crushed cornuts (yeah, you heard me. CORNUTS. I had to ask the waiter to make sure I heard right). The vanilla cotton candy added a gentle sweet touch at the end and the whole dish was good enough to get D and me to order another portion each, since the order is just one bite and very time-sensitive.
Another one of my favorites was the Japanese eel tacos. The tacos were mini bites wrapped in cucumber and a shiso leaf, with chicharron crumbles on top. Yes, it was eel with cucumber and PORK RINDS. It was light and crisp at the same time.Dislikes? Well, pretty much everything else we ordered. "The Ultimate Spanish Tapa!" turned out to be mayonnaise slathered all over some hard-boiled egg and mixed with carrots, potato, and all of two pieces of cooked tuna belly (which in my mind is absolute defiling of toro). It almost seemed ready to be sloshed in between two slices of bread and eaten as a "[Blah Blah] Salad Sandwich" at some sad sandwich to-go place with a man in a giant pickle costume holding a sign outside. Needless to say, D and I left half the dish intact.
We also left half of the Bunuelos, the codfish fritters that ended up being little more than crabcakes made with fish. The aeoli sauce made it a little better, but the garlic aeoli that comes with the fries at Comme Ca is waay better. Even the Embutidos platter was mediocre, with very dry salami slices and a dry, almost sour chorizo, which is usually one of my favorite flavor pallates. And it's not that it tasted BAD, it's simply that it tasted..... meh. For the price you pay, you'd expect Iron Chef GENIUS. I actually half expected "foie gras cotton candy" to mean that the cotton candy itself would be made out of foie gras, not cubes of foie gras covered in vanilla cotton candy.
I will pay my respects to the sangria, which was a mix of half a bottle of wine, fruit-flavored vodka, freshly sliced strawberry, and Hennessey, mixed using a thinly sliced sugarcane stick. Cute idea, excellent presentation, and a great taste--it was smooth as a fruit juice you'd drink everyday at breakfast. For the types of alcohol that were in it, it didn't seem that strong, but it tasted pretty good. For the price point (~$50 for a pitcher of 6 glasses), it didn't give me enough of a buzz. :)
All in all, we loved the foie gras dishes, but honestly you could find better tasting, home-made foie gras at Saint Amour, in Culver City, just down the street, and better-priced appetizers at Comme Ca. The Bazaar sangria was good, but nothing you couldn't make at home, and half the meal was either "Meh" or unfinished. For a largely expensive meal in a Beverly Hills hotel, I really expected more, but I suppose for that, it's back to Maison Akira for the tasting menu that outright made our toes curl!
The Bazaar by José Andrés
465 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 - (310) 246-5555
http://www.thebazaar.com/
Mario's Peruvian Seafood
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