So true, it seems like the old-school JA businesses are eroding away very quickly. I still miss the great hardware store that was on Sawtelle.
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RIP Yamaguchi General Store, George’s Lawn Mowers, Sawtelle Kitchen, etc…
The nice old couple running Tempura House are still holding down the fort, right?
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Yes, Yamaguchi General Store, et al! Hopefully, the couple that run Tempura House own the land. I’d be sad to see them go in any case.
Speaking of Sawtelle Kitchen, have you tried Del Rey Kitchen? I was hoping they would fill the void, as I believe it’s the same owner. I think they’re temporarily closed for remodeling though.
In hapiper news, the venerable Rafu Bussan secured a space in Honda Plaza in Little Tokyo and are back in business.
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Oh, dear, thanks for the info. Will probably try to hit up the place this wk. The pasta you’ve posted has looked awfully good. Went there w/ the family for our only visit many yrs ago and was quite surprised (in a good way) about the food quality. Such an unassuming place from the outside. Maybe that was part of the problem? But that also seems very “Japanese” to me…
As for Clusi Batusi, my understanding was that the owner of the building sold the lease (or whatever the term is). Every time I walk by Lemonade and see how empty it is, I think, “Justice! Karma!! Revenge!!!”
But I also think, “God, what a waste of a space.” ::sigh::
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Yeah nothing stays the same. I’m going to be sorry to see them go. Sawtelle was my introduction to Japanese culture when I was growing up on the westside. The place I miss was a great bakery on the east side of Sawtelle probably closer to SM Blvd than Olympic. Haven’t been there since I left LA for grad school on the late 70’s, but what great cakes they had.
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Went here for the first time tonight after seeing this post.
It was sad to see the place so empty, knowing of the impending end to come, but we had a great meal and the service was very friendly.
I’ve been loving caesar salads lately, so I was excited to try their rendition that features seaweed, crispy wontons, parm and anchovies. It was good enough salad, but I’m not sure it was a good caesar salad. I just didn’t really get that caesar salad taste.
The calamari was really nice. Lightly fried, with a good chew. I liked the sauce that was underneath as well. It was olive oil, garlic and… pesto? I couldn’t place what the green was.
Collectively, for the Sawtellini pastas, we got the Uni, Dan Dan Muay and Japanese Wild Mushrooms. All three were very tasty and hearty and satisfying. The uni was briney and rich. The dan dan muay was like an Italian ramen. And the mushroom’s dashi had a great sweetness.
I was happy to try it before it went away. Thank you for the heads up.
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Yes I believe it is pesto.
Thanks for giving it a shot!
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We were there, too! When were you there, and which table were you at (if you don’t mind identifying yourself)?
Okay Mr. Busy-body - regain your focus and tell us what you folks ate and your thoughts. 
Well, there’s a reason why I left out the food…
Here’s a report (pics will be in the weekend thread when I have time to download them from my phone).
My only experience w/ Restaurant 2117 was 5+ yrs ago, when it was, IIRC, a white table cloth place serving upscale new American.
The current place is markedly different and more casual (although our server was very good). We started off w/ blue crab cake app and free bread rolls. The bread rolls were… odd. There was somehow one part of my roll that looked like raw dough on the surface (unless there was simply water that was in contact w/ that one particular spot for an extended period). The roll itself had good flavor but was unpleasantly tough and chewy.
Crab cake had a good amount of shredded crab meat but might have been a bit overcooked on the outer surface and also had a very curious (and not pleasant) aftertaste. The egg-tartar sauce was VERY tasty, as was the miso dressing for the very tiny and sad salad accompanying the crab cake.
I had the wagyu bolongese + “sawtellini” (thicker, chewier housemade pasta; they also have spaghettini available). Partner ordered the seafood after asking the server about the mushroom vs. seafood and having the server point out a pic of the seafood on the wall (which seemed to be almost overflowing w/ seafood).
I enjoyed the bolongese, although I can’t say that it was a lot richer than bolognese made w/ regular beef. There was also a curiously large amount of pepper in it. Sawtellini is indeed VERY al dente and chewy (which I think went well w/ the sauce).
Partner’s seafood had a decent amount of clams (which had some grit) but only one scallop. 
The taste was very good, but I think a thinner, more delicate pasta (like the spaghettini, probably) would’ve been a better choice.
The place isn’t unreasonably priced (the serving of the pasta itself is quite hearty), but, at a similar price point, there are other places I prefer. Hate writing that b/c I really wanted to like the place and hate to kick a place when it’s about to close.
If you’re close by, though, I still think it’s worth a try. Stick w/ the pasta, though.
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Nice! We were there early ish, around 7pm, at a table outside by the entrance.
Did one of you give a thumbs up to the chef when he came to give a couple of dishes to another couple?
I wish. But alas, it was not me who Fonz’d the chef.
But nice to know I had a close encounter w/ a FTC’er. I was actually wondering if anyone there had come based on @J_L’s post… 
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UPDATE:
There seems to be some sort of deal (not yet finalized) currently being negotiated regarding the future of 2117. Waiting for word from Chef Hideyo himself on this. Stay tuned…
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Huzzah. Just checked their website and didn’t see any updates… so no news is good news?
I will check with Chef Hideyo himself whenever I drop by someday soon.
August will be the last month of Restaurant 2117. (Direct info from Chef Hideyo himself)…
In case you’d like to try it, get there soon for a meal, y’all.
Or wait for a lunar visit.
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Rats. Thanks for the update.