WHY High-quality sushi that’s a bargain at lunch—the $11.50 special gets you miso soup, five pieces of sushi and a blue-crab hand roll; many regulars opt for the chirashi sushi box for $17. WHAT Owned by a pioneering family who started the second sushi bar in the U.S. and has been running restaurants in Little [...]
December 15, 2011 | Posted in
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WHAT A clever mashup of Japanese sushi and L.A. street food, this place makes sushi burritos that are big and filling, stuffed with rice and some version of sushi (though it’s usually of a non-traditional, deeply fried and mayonnaise-soaked variety) wrapped in a large flour tortilla or a thin sheet of soy paper that falls [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY On a coolish day there’s nothing better than a big bowl of Jinya’s aromatic tonkotsu ramen, laden with toothsome noodles and sliced pork belly. WHAT A Jonathan Gold rave put this ramen house on the foodie map, despite its location in a dark corner of a Studio City strip mall next to Marshall’s. The [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A simple, elegant noodle house where udon reigns. WHAT Udon is the neglected noodle in the Japanese canon, often overlooked in favor of ramen and even soba. But here it’s the sole focus. Oumi Sasaya imports its wheat flour and makes its noodles daily, a difference you can taste in the sesame chicken tempura [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A forward-thinking izakaya for the Downtown set. WHAT Aburiya Toranoko, it has been said, is the hip-hop equivalent of its rocking sister restaurant, Lazy Ox. It fits that description in soundtrack and style, but the kitchen hews closely to traditional izakaya cooking. There’s sumiyaki (every conceivable bit of chicken as well as vegetables and [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Brothy and flavorful ramen with lots of add-on toppings, like enoki mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and boiled eggs. WHAT This joint in the back of Weller Court serves some of Little Tokyo’s best ramen. There are seven kinds, but it’s the tan-tan men that keeps us coming back. The noodles are chewy, and [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY To give your taste buds a jolt with ramen that comes in nine levels of spiciness. WHAT The ramen is tasty and the soup is flavorful, but what Orochon is famous for is its spicy challenge. The levels range from seven (no spice) to one (extremely hot), then moves up to ‘special number’ one [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY To savor impeccably fresh sushi and terrific rolls. WHAT A sophisticated hideaway in upscale Toluca Lake, Sushi Yuzu boasts a loyal following of diners who appreciate top-quality seafood and creative flavor combinations. The specials list is a treasure-trove of temptations, from cold and hot appetizers, to nigiri sushi made with warm rice, to exquisitely [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The South Bay’s preeminent specialist in okonomiyaki, a Japanese pub dish that straddles the line between savory pancake and omelet. WHAT There’s more to Gaja’s menu than just okonomiyaki, but all the izakaya-style small plates combined can’t topple the popularity of its various permutations of the pancake-like dish. You can cook for yourself on [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A new, radical wave of ramen that fuses Japanese tradition with Californian innovation. WHAT Ramen California sprang from the mind of Shigetoshi Nakamura, a Japanese ramen prodigy who has taken on the task of reinventing the noodle soup. Indeed, diners should be advised to abandon all previous ramen knowledge—Nakamura’s noodle soups are all about [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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