L.A. trip suggestions

[tootallfortoques]

My wife and I are headed to L.A. in early October and would appreciate some restaurant suggestions.

I'd really love some super sushi, but am open to anything else.

We'll be staying in West Hollywood, but would be willing to drive too.

Thanks!

[dfunghi]

Sushi huh? Well your in luck because we have some of the best sushi in America here. Mori Sushi @ Pico and Gateway, Sushi Sushi on Beverly DRIVE just north of Olympic, Il Grano which is a Neopolitan restaurant does a "CRUDO" plate of raw and marinated seafood that is better than most sushi in LA. @ Santa Monica Blvd just west of 405 freeway. Uzen also on S.M. Blvd further west by about 10 blocks. Theses are recomended for the quality of the food not their decor or hype or customer list. If you want to see the beautiful people eat then there is Sushi Roku on 3rd. near Beverly center. These are my favorites others will tell you theirs. These are all within 15 minutes of west hollywood.

Non sushi I recomend Il Grano, Whist, Joe's (venice), Bistro 21, Campanille, for their food. I recomend Les duex cafe, Luques, AOC, for food and potential people watching (celebs)

D

Edited August 21, 2003 by dfunghi (log)

[dfunghi]

How could I forget Cafe Blanc on S.M. blvd in B.Hills

[FoodZealot]

If you haven't seen them yet, there are good suggestions for Los Angeles restaurants on this recent thread and this one. Their criteria might be a bit different, it's worth reading, IMHO.

For higher end sushi, I like Mori Sushi at Pico & Gateway, Hamasaku on Santa Monica Blvd, Sushi Ike on Hollywood and Gower and Matsuhisa on La Cienega (pretty hard to get a reservation). Sushi Nozawa is often mentioned, but I have not personally been there yet.

~Tad

[dfunghi]

Nozowa is top notch even with the original chef gone. I was trying to stick to westside. Zealot give it a try if you like top quality fish and dont need ambiance. I have not been in years since I moved to the westside but I loved it before.

D

[mixmaster b]

How about Hirozen on Beverly? I think it is a good place for a low-key meal, and the prices are quite reasonable. They often have fresh wasabi, but you have to ask them not to put the other stuff on the sushi pieces.

...Hamasaku on Santa Monica Blvd, Sushi Ike on Hollywood and Gower ...

Food Zaelot-

Could you say a bit more about these spots? (Price range, reservations needed, specail dishes, etc)

I am not familiar with them, and am always on the lookout for new sushi choices.

Thanks!

[hollywood]

Ike is nice. You generally don't need reservations. His monkfish liver "cake" appetizer makes me salivate. It's medium priced. About the same as Sushi Ryo at Santa Monica & Highland, which to me is a little cheaper and not as cheery as Ike.

[FoodZealot]

How about Hirozen on Beverly?  I think it is a good place for a low-key meal, and the prices are quite reasonable.  They often have fresh wasabi, but you have to ask them not to put the other stuff on the sushi pieces.

...Hamasaku on Santa Monica Blvd, Sushi Ike on Hollywood and Gower ...

Food Zaelot-

Could you say a bit more about these spots? (Price range, reservations needed, specail dishes, etc)

I am not familiar with them, and am always on the lookout for new sushi choices.

Thanks!

I'm happy to discuss, but let me qualify by saying that I enjoy sushi and fish so much that I have trouble distinguishing at the upper end - i.e. separating the merely tremendous from the absolutely paramount. I enjoy trying, though.

I like Hirozen, but I in my humble opinion, it seems more like a neighborhood place.

Sushi Ike - small joint in a mini-mall. Can't say as to whether reservations are needed or taken, even. Only been once, as it is not so close to me. It was also a while ago, like...yeesh...4 years ago. Still, it made an impression. I recall my meal being about $65 (1 beer, tip included, just me). I ordered a few things, then asked the younger chef to make me a few things. So, these aren't standard items. One was a handroll with yamaimo (mountain sweet potato, sorta like a long jicama) dipped in a seasoned tuna tartare ground into a puree. Hard to describe well, but delicious. Another dish that is memorable- they were about to close, so he took about two pounds of fresh clams, and flavored a miso soup with it. Best damn miso soup I've ever had. Supposedly, there are hardcore Japanese guys from Japan that like this place better than places in NY, etc, but take that with a big grain of salt. Now that I'm thinking about it, pretty reasonable value.

Hamasaku is in a mini-mall just East of Sepulveda on big Santa Monica - North side of the street. Next to Portofino, under that Chinese restaurant that no one I know has been to. It's one of those places that used to change every couple of months, but Hamasaku has been there for about 2 or 3 years now, I think. Not much going on outside, but pretty plush inside. Sorta reminds me of a smaller version of Nobu in Vegas. Not sure about reservations, but it was busy when I was there. Also, only been here once, about a year and a half ago. As I recall, I paid about $80, but that included some beers and toro. This was the first place I had seen cut rolls where they put the little tempura crispy crumbs inside the roll. Pretty contemporary, I liked it. It's a good special dinner, special occasion or date kind of place. On straight food, Mori or Ike is probably better.

I just looked at Zagat, and was reminded of Sasabune on Sawtelle. I've only been there twice, both times enjoyable. They do the warm rice thing (Tokyo?), which I don't really get. I didn't pay, but my impression is that it's expensive. Definitely not spending it on decor.

Matsuhisa is pretty damn fantastic, and I'd like to have a life where I could go there more often. Progressive, contemporary, innovative. I had a great tasting menu there. Tempura course was perfectly fried, with just a whisper of cumin for aroma after it came out of the fryer - daaaaammmn. Not much in the way of decor besides stars or power players. For a cheaper hit of similar food, he has a noodle shop called Ubon on the North side of the Beverly Center.

For purposes of the original question, Mori and Matsuhisa are the places I can personally recommend for someone from out of town. Mori is a little more straight ahead, well executed, really good fish. Prettier inside. Matsuhisa is more of a fusion place (in the best sense of that word), and I would say of nationwide caliber.

dfunghi - thanks for your comment on Nozawa. I think if they're in West Hollywood, going to Nozawa wouldn't be too far or too difficult. I'm going to look into a few of your other recommedations as well.

~Tad

[dfunghi]

I seem to remember hearing that Hamasuka was a celeb hang out as well and some of the money behind it is celeb money. I misspoke about nozawa as to their chef. Was thinking of another place.

D

[hollywood]

Since you seem to like fish, you should investigate Shiro on Mission in South Pasadena (dinner only). His appetizers are uniformly good (tho small) and his fried catfish is great (get the big one if there's a choice of size).

[maggiethecat]

Has anyone eaten at Osteria Angelini? I'll be in LA later this week, and this restaurant has been suggested as a lunch venue.

[hollywood]

I've not eaten at Angelini Osteria, but I have had Angelini's food when he was chef at the late, lamented Rex. It was excellent, spare and expensive. This is supposed to be less expensive and hopefully larger portions. Reviews have swung from very enthusiastic to less so. Here's the site for more info. http://www.angeliniosteria.com/

[maggiethecat]

Thanks for the link, hollywood. I think we're going for lunch on Thursday. I'll post a full report.

[arkestra]

I just looked at Zagat, and was reminded of Sasabune on Sawtelle.  I've only been there twice, both times enjoyable.  They do the warm rice thing (Tokyo?), which I don't really get.  I didn't pay, but my impression is that it's expensive.  Definitely not spending it on decor.

Sasabune's chef-owner (Nobi) trained with Nozawa, so the styles, including the warm rice, are very similar. Nobi used to be a fish seller and Nozawa trained him to become a sushi chef, I believe about 20 years ago. During the first few years Sasabune was open, I thought it was the best in town. Qualitatively, it was slightly better than Nozawa and, although the place had no atmosphere, it was pleasant to sit there and he never rushed you like Nozawa, who seems to want to get you in and out within an hour. Over the years, as the place's popularity grew, the quality declined. (The clientele used to be almost exclusively Japanese; now, you rarely see any Japanese.) I haven't been there in a while and I'm sure it's still very good, but not like it used to be.

If I had to pick one place for an out-of-towner, it would be Mori on Pico and Gateway. The sushi is very good and, at least in my opinion, it's a really nice space.

I haven't seen R-23 mentioned on this thread. It's a little hard to find (in downtown, a little east of Alameda, between 2nd and 3rd). I find the quality of the sushi to be inconsistent, but the room is -- again in my opinion -- beautiful.

[FoodZealot]

Thanks for the background on Sasabune, arkestra.

I've only been to R23 once, but I agree, it's gorgeous inside and I had a great meal.

~Tad

[mixmaster b]

Thanks Hollywood and Food Zealot for the down-low on Ike and Hamasaku. Must try Ike, as it is not too far from me.

Ubon is a weeknight standy for us--not for the noodles, but for the salads and cooked food. We went on Sunday for lunch and had the special Bento Box--it was very Matsuhisa, and included a lot of fabulous stuff (miso-glazed cod, seared scallops, ceviche, toro sashimi w/jalepeno & ponzu, seared albacore with salad, fried rock shrimp w/ creamy mayo sauce, plus soup, rice and pickles), all for $50 for 2 people! Yum!

I am also very happy to see so much support for Mori--my fave!

Maggiethecat, I think Angelini Osteria is outstanding--probably the best/most authentic Italian in LA. They do really traditional stuff like bass in a salt crust, housemade pastas, etc. I have't been for lunch and would like to hear your impression!

[tootallfortoques]

Thanks, all!

I depart tomorrow with your suggestions in hand.