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Sandwiched between more casual fare, Orris is the type of place you could easily miss. It looks like a posh izakaya, a single room of close-set tables and some counter seating, pleasantly packed and respectfully low-key. A big, chiseled Okinawan (a man you could mistake for Beat Takeshi’s gangster brother) lords over the open kitchen: this is Hideo Yamashiro, the owner and chef.

Yamashiro (known by L.A. foodies as “Shiro”) is also the owner and chef of Shiro in South Pasadena. With Orris, he hones in on the sublimity of the small plate. He shops for his own ingredients daily, then serves up French-Japanese fusion cuisine, one of the many great gifts to come out of “the creative capital of the world.”

The four of us ordered two dishes each and split them all. Our first dish, the albacore lettuce cups, was gone in a crisp flash, leaving a tang of aioli and jalapeno. Our next plate came just as we finished the first, and was Yuri’s favorite: tuna tartare, accented with pignoli nuts and quail eggs.

The warm snapper carpaccio, a thin layer of white fish pressed to the plate, was third. Seasoned Szechuan-style and drizzled with bean paste, the flavors played together so well we could picture them holding hands and graduating from charm school.

We polished off the curry-infused shrimp (sprinkled with Okinawan sea salt) and free range chicken karaage. We wanted to bottle the perfect dipping sauces and sell them on eBay for millions.

The basil-marinated black cod was delicious, but not a showstopper (we still prefer Andre Guerrero’s): Shiro’s smoked salmon croquettes, however, were. These perfect little specimens -– perched on top of potato cakes, and topped with onion, chives, creme fraiche, and salmon caviar -– are so good you don’t even want to chew.

While we mulled, glassy-eyed, over dessert –- a flourless chocolate cake with coffee gelato, a raspberry wonton with cream sauce -– Shiro set aside his big chef’s hat, sat down at one of his own counter seats, and rested, with some red wine and a small plate of cheese. He looked serious but tired, massaging his temples, like he’d been cutting marble all day.

We asked our waiter to pay our compliments to the chef. Shiro grinned and bowed graciously. Forget Hollywood, we thought: here was an artist, right in the heart of Sawtelle, with good manners to boot.

Orris
2006 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90025
(310) 268-2212 (no reservations accepted)

By Chris and Yuri (see more of their posts). You can find more of Chris and Yuri's writing at their own website MIXED WELL.