MDB-LA

My current favorite tacos are found at Loteria Grill 6333 W 3RD St, Los Angeles, CA in the Farmer's Market at 3rd and Fairfax. They deservedly won Citysearch's best Mexican Food this year. Their barbequed beef tacos (actually braised beef) are outstanding... And their superb tamales sell out so quickly that they're usually gone by lunchtime... In Santa Barbara, many foodies rave about La Superica Taco, 622 Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 1 exit south of State Street, just a mile or so East of the 101. I like Superica, as do the fanatic fans lining up all day to eat there, but I think that Loteria in LA is far and away the best place I've found in California. Another fast food place in LA that's worth a visit is The Outdoor Grill, off the 405 in West LA on Washington. They make decent tacos, but the reason for visiting is their unbelievable tri-tip sandwiches. They're currently my number one guilty pleasure in LA... Have a great(and toothsome) trip, Michael Backes

I joined eGullet today, in order to provide (uhh...hopefully) a little context to the earlier discussion in this thread concerning Masa Takayama's new restaurant Asayoshi. I was a customer of his Ginza Sushi-Ko in Beverly Hills. What Takayama-san provides is a modified Kaiseki cuisine tailored to Westerners. I've eaten traditional Kaiseki in Japan on many occasions, including a few visits to the more formal restaurants where foreigners (& most Japanese, for that matter) are rarely welcomed. Takayama-san's cuisine is more playful and relaxed than the traditional Kaiseki. His use of foie gras or beluga caviar would be heresy to purists in Japan. As for his $500 prix fixe, while this might seem outlandishly expensive in America, it's perhaps 30% cheaper than the same meal in Tokyo. My favorite restaurant in Tokyo, Sadaya, usually averages $800 per person without wine. What could possibly justify such prices? The ingredients that both Sadaya-san and Takayama-san employ in their cooking are breathtakingly expensive. At Sadaya, the wagyu (Kobe) beef is the finest served anywhere. And Sadaya pays almost two hundred dollars a pound for the center of the ribeye. Takayama serves what I feel is the only great o-toro in the US. I can't even imagine what his o-toro costs per pound, since I've never seen anything (even in Japan) that compares in quality. His o-toro is pinkish-white and has the consistency of soft butter, whereas most "toro" served here is just better quality tuna. My point is this... as a fan of great Japanese food, I'd rather have one truly fantastic meal for $500, than five good ones for the same money. While there are certainly better bargains in great cuisine, such as E Bulli (or even 17th Street Bar & Grill), there are few experiences that can match what Takayama provides. And he's a very nice guy, too. Thanks for letting me join the eGullet community. --Michael