i hope you enjoy sushi sushi.
1 Like
I forgot about that. I will give Sasaki a try. I thought Maruya before was pretty good. Having been to Sho in Hawaii, I think the Sho style is pretty unique and hard to do well.
You’re describing the diners at most Michelin starred places in SF!
[quote=“beefnoguy, post:74, topic:5042”]
omakase explosion in SF, the big issue (and goal) is that everyone who is opening these high end omakase sushi restaurants want to jump on the Michelin bandwagon for a shot at a slice of glory pie[/quote]
Michelin “slice of the glory pie” could certainly be part of it. However, I think that part is often not on the chef, but on the investors and management who, trying to capitalize on the buzz, have strung together a team that made great marketing sense. That SF has certainly some competent sushi, but not great sushi, doesn’t mean that it’s all hollow; it suggests to me that making great sushi requires real skill and knowledge, in addition to long training, and the talent level here generally hasn’t caught up with the voracious market forces that result in the superficialities you point out. Which is to say, there is great demand, and restauranteurs are jumping in very quickly to fill that demand, but often times without the commensurately great food that one would expect at these prices. SF is developing in this area, but seemingly slow at times (how many of the new places are really good?), because 1) SF hasn’t historically been a sushi town, 2) there isn’t a large and historic Japanese population in SF, and 3) therefore a lot of the new sushi restaurants we’re seeing in the past 3 years or so are attempts by investors to build a popular restaurant, not a sushi chef’s own personal dream from the ground up. Not that such a model can’t result in a great sushi restaurant - it can - but I think that’s why we’re seeing more misses than one would expect.
I’ll give Sasaki a try eventually, but usually I don’t associate SF with great sushi, so I tend to focus my meals out on other types of cuisine. What I really wish we had was a competent neighborhood place for a solid but unfussy fix.
Anyway, I guess I’ve begun to talk more about “sushi business,” but that’s just my outsider’s opinion.
I do think that compared to SF, LA has a lot more breadth and depth for a lot of cuisines (except perhaps for fine dining, maybe Cal-Ital).
1 Like
Funny, but Gari is actually considered pretty tame in NYC. And moderate in pricing, as well.
Every time I find a great sushi place in SF it closes. I haven’t tried any of the places that opened since Masaki Sasaki and Hide Sueyoshi left Maruya two years ago.
I’ve never had sushi in SF that compared with what I had at Shunji, but I don’t drive to San Mateo or San Jose to try the places that are reputed to be the best.
1 Like
I’ve seen and admired your pictures and review of Sho Waikiki. This guy (Nakazawa) is a true legend and what he’s done with applying his Sho techniques with local Hawaiian ingredients…sounds like a good proper fusion. Not sure when I will ever make it there. He’s taking things to another level, and I’m sure breaking ground.
With Sasaki you have to set your expectations accordingly and keep an open mind. I say they are Sho inspired only because he uses both white vinegar and salt seasoned rice, and sake lees vinegar/aka zu seasoned rice, which is something the Sho disciples in Tokyo do very well (having visited Takumi Shingo in Aoyama Tokyo last November, it really opened my eyes and perspective about this style). Then there’s the pairing of ankimo with sake lees marinated pickled baby watermelon (although the texture is completely different), a delectable clam broth, and the dual tamagoyaki types. But that’s where the similarities end and the restaurant’s own interpretation of other things (and execution) begins.
I’ve heard that one to several of the Sho disciples have worked in sake breweries before, so you not only get great sushi, but your chef is also a pseudo-somm (who knows maybe at least one of them has a sake somm cert too, but if they don’t have a cert they have served their customers rightfully). If we are talking sake somms in Tokyo, one of the greats for non Japanese/washoku fare is Yoshinobu Kimura of Narisawa; his sake pairing and picks is so eclectic and unusual, and works so damn well.
People who have apprenticed under Nakazawa-san and have opened up their own Sho style restaurants, are also very comfortable with selecting really really good lower to mid end sake to go with the meal (generally tokubetsu Junmai and at most Junmai Ginjo types), and cater the flavor profiles of the food with the sake for a much enhanced experience. Sometimes it is the more obscure jizake (local sake, from different parts of Japan) that does something so right that it fills the niche of going with particular food or sushi profiles. This is one super wicked level of detail I have come to appreciate, and really take note of. Definitely a more Herculean task in California (fewer choices/distributors/types)
I believe you are right about the investors/owners of a place having a larger sphere of influence (and thus our perceptions), sometimes the chef does not have a say or as much as to the marketing or focus/approach. Agreed, it all could be better. It is steps up from years ago.
Going back to the main topic:
There are some really good Japanese places in LA worthy of a visit. For my next visit I’d definitely go back to Tempura Endo for a la carte for the shellfish, Yazawa for the yakishabu or sukiyaki style grilled with egg dip and curry rice (amongst other things), give Shoya in Lomita a try for oden, maybe the yakitori shop near Kiriko, Venice Ramen (for the shoyu bowl), to name a few.
2 Likes
So, SO glad Michelin isn’t touching L.A. right now…
2 Likes
4 Likes
I think Gari is interesting, but probably not what the OP was looking for. I love Take-san and his brother, but after talking to them, i learned that they have very little flexibility in what they serve, everything is dictated from NYC, down to the sequence of the dishes. I agree that the relationship between you and the itamae can make a good meal great, but many are professionals who will deliver awesome experience even if you meet them for the first time.
I think omakase at the sushi bar is the way to go here.
Both Shige-san and Hiro-san at Shiki are friendly, and eager to please the customer. Could be a good starting point.
If you think you want to be visiting on a regular basis it would make sense to form a relationship in a place that you can visit once in awhile.
I am curious, if buying your itamae a beer would signal good will, or is that obnoxious if you do not know them?
2 Likes
I could not agree with you more. I just wanted to add a link to more Gari photos, that’s all.
Yeah, but what about San Pellegrino???
It would be nice, one day, for Michelin to rate LA again, if even only for the fact that good restaurants exist in LA and they deserve recognition, since lots of other major metropolitan cities get Michelin ratings. I really disagree with Eater “Hypothetical Los Angeles Michelin Guide,” but then again, I’m not Michelin, and Michelin is getting less predictable.
Michelin is perhaps having somewhat of an identity crisis, wanting to shed any notion of being stuffy. I think that’s led them to go on a spree, at least as I’ve experienced in SF - they’re quite generous, and there exist significant distinctions IMO among restaurants in the same rating. Not all 3 stars are alike, not all 1 stars are even noteworthy, and certainly they would not be there a few years ago. It’s still hugely relevant for business though, and of course, you can still generally get a sense of what a 3* is like - even if sometimes, 3 stars seems generous and we can bicker about the details…there’s a generally reliable profile.
Anyway, the effect that Michelin has on the dining scene? High prices, very aspirational restaurants (a double-edged sword, that IMO has inspired a lot of effort but also led to a somewhat saddening level of homogenity), and oh, did I mention ridiculous reservations? Or maybe we San Franciscans like things ultra exclusive, so that when we do get that golden ticket of a reservation, so to speak, we’re in the club. It’s kind of bizarro, like the decor at E by Jose Andres. Why doesn’t Vegas have a Michelin guide? That would be a weird one to rate, since so many restaurants are derivatives of others.
With all that said, I think Michelin would be interesting for LA, eventually, at least hypothetically. But I think that now, it would probably bring in a lot of baggage and unwelcome effects. I’m not really sure how it would work, since lots of LA’s strengths IMO don’t typically fit the “Michelin” stereotype (could be a good thing in some sense). For me, LA’s strengths tend to be the authenticity of the food of its many different cultures, because there are so many deeply rooted communities in LA. What excites me is that there’s a whole range of good, solid, very enjoyable food for nearly any type I want.
I’m planning my New York trip right now, and felt that I had to diversify away a bit from the cluster of Michelin places, because I want to experience a lot more breadth. With THAT said, any idea on what’s the top notch sushi place in NYC now?
At Yazawa, the “Yazawa Yaki” is amazing. I’ll be visiting LA in a few weeks, but just a short trip, but getting that “Yazawa Yaki” again is high on my list. Tempura Endo had a great scallop, the caviar didn’t do much though. I didn’t know you could do a la carte there.
Any thoughts about Tempura Matsui in NYC? They have a $40 lunch which looks to be a great deal.
If you’re hoping to sit at the bar at Mori Sushi, then this isn’t completely accurate. I was informed by the restaurant last month when I called that I could not sit at the bar at Mori Sushi unless I got one of the Omakase meals. Perhaps if you’re a regular you can sit at the bar and order a la carte, but I was told that I could not.
You can definitely do this at Shunji though, and you can probably do this at Kiriko, although I’ve never done this. But, keep in mind, if you set an amount under $70/person, you will likely not get many pieces.
Disagree. Myself having to often travel and do business in “Michelin towns” in Asia and Europe, I often cannot wait to return to the varied cornucopia of culinary offerings in L.A.
I feel that Michelin culture remains stuffy, especially if you compare its current criteria against the incredibly divergent evolution of the Los Angeles dining scene since Michelin left L.A. a few years back. I rue the day when/if Michelin returns. Having Michelin in a city’s dining scene is like a nuclear arms race - Restaurants are forced do what the other guy’s also doing or else you run the risk of being steamrolled. Michelin’s set of built-in rules (yes, these rule have been loosened in the past 1-2 years, but they are rules nonetheless) stymie chefs’ creativity, quirkiness, and most importantly risk-taking. And all for what? Just so you can say your 3-star lacquerware is shinier than that 2-star’s next door? We have seen the enemy, and its name is homogeneity.
The dining populace at-large (who by and large won’t likely take the time to scan boards like ours for the real scoop on picking places to eat) are too often seduced by the easiness of Michelin taking the guesswork out of choosing a restaurant for them. In so choosing from that set list of Michelin-vetted eateries, scads of smaller (often more creative, mom&pop, or menu-wise left-of-center) restaurants suffer the loss of potential business from everyday people exploring their options.
L.A. diners deserve to browse and select from a richer, un-skewed field.
Sorry for the rant.
7 Likes
Yes, this is a new one for me. I was raised with the rule that it’s impolite to discuss money period. Of course, I don’t always follow that rule. But I brought it up because some have advised doing it. If we decide yes, I like your approach.
Everyone has given me advice beyond expectations. It’s great! I’ll do some research to decide which place fits us. TBC…
Thanks!
There’s that name again. We might just have to do it 
.
1 Like
Definitely going on the list. Fusiony be damned. It looks exquisite. Have I mentioned I wish you reported more? Lots of info and great shots. I like the including pictures of settings.
1 Like
I think you’ll enjoy Nozawa bar, friendly non-intimidating low stress environment, nice classic hinoki high end style counter. I personally think the warm rice is quite delicious.
Some sushi porn, Kama toro from Saito Jr.
3 Likes
What a tease. Why do you both think it’s not what I’m looking for? Too much going on?
'Cuz I think you should start traditional, and THEN explore the fusion-y, second-wave stuff like Gari.
2 Likes