Sake
Echigo
Omakase means “Trust”, or something similar to that, so when LA internet food entrepreneur Jonah asked me to meet him at Echigo I knew this would be a great meal. What I didn’t realize was what a great deal it would also be. Omakase may mean trust, but it also translates to bankrupt. We both [...]
Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori - Gardena
My friends and I headed over to Shin Sen Gumi on a Friday night for some grilled/skewered chicken parts. Absolutely one of my favorite Japanese foods. I spoiled myself with yakitori when I was in Japan in May and was bummed that I may never find a comprable yakitori joint in California. [...]
Isn’t She Lovely - Sushi Karen, Culver City
Isn’t she lovely…
Isn’t she wonderfull…
Isn’t she precious…
Less than one minute old…
I never thought through love we’d be…
Making one as lovely as she…
But isn’t she lovely made from love.
Stevie Wonder probably wasn’t singing about a girl named Karen, but that song comes to mind when I think about Sushi Karen in Culver City. Culver City [...]
Worth a Visit…Irori Japanese Restaurant, Marina del Rey
Some interior photos and outside signage.
In a previous life, it used to be East Japanese Restaurant. Today it’s Irori Japanese Restaurant.
Hidden in the Villa Marina Marketplace, in between Sav-on and Vons, it’s easy to miss this little Japanese restaurant that “promotes a festive atmosphere and symbolizes hospitality, down-to-earthiness, and enjoying good food and drinks [...]
Yabu Restaurant, West Los Angeles
I’ve been in West LA for nearly two years and have limited myself to the Sawtelle restaurant row. Obviously because of my last job working for a few pesos an hour. What about those places on Olympic, Wilshire and Pico? It was time to move on and feed my curious palate. [...]
Raku
Realizing that Japanese food was not all ramen, teriyaki, and tempura, I wanted to sample other parts of Japanese cuisine. One of my friends who had recently spent a year in Japan told me about izakayas. In a sense, they are Japanese tapas bars. Serving small plates (but bigger than those at [...]
Sake Illuminated, A Sake Tasting Event @the museum of neon art
After going to the MOCA Ecstasy Exhibit at the Geffen, I’m so looking forward to the next cool exhibit to visit. This upcoming event at the Museum of Neon Art may just be IT! Sake tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and Asian American neon artists may be a hard thing to pass up.
Here’s the scoop [...]
Are Yu Kidding Me? - Yu Restaurant and Lounge
If it weren’t for the fact that the entire street, Montana Avenue, was deserted save for the half block radius around the restaurant, we would have driven right by Yu, which is in a space that used to be a Wolfgang Puck Cafe. It’s is dark on the outside, and there’s no sign. That seems [...]
