Budonoki - Virgil Village

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I really like when he’s digging up new-ish places which he seems to be doing more and more

I don’t so much like when he insults the true yakitori masters in the city by saying Namba’s “soriresu yakitori set the standard in the city.”

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Methinks I doth revere the man too much, but I do find the “you” (second person voice) perspective to be a defining feature built into the endearing food writing from the late, great Jonathan Gold. Any other food writer who decides to employ this tone in his/her articles immediately gets a copycat vibe from me. Again, probably just a “me” thing, since imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery…

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Who are the true yakitori masters in LA?

Toshi at Yakitori Ya for one
image

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Dylan Ho

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I don’t disagree, but does yakitoriya regularly have oysters?

every night - but I do not think they are on menu.
I had them last night
.

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For the record, chicken oysters are not from the back of the thigh.

I was impressed by Torigoya.

Toshi always has them every day, but he may sell out later in the evening.

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the oysters at budonoki are very good

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That wikipedia article you link to doesn’t really explain why its not part of the thigh. Its basically the back of the thigh. As someone who has butchered thousands of chicken. Yes it may anatomically not be considered part of the chicken leg quarter but when you remove that part of the chicken it naturally wants to come off with the oyster as if it was meant to. But what do I know.

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I don’t recall ever having the oyster come off with the thigh when cutting up a raw chicken but maybe I just wasn’t paying attention. On a roast chicken it certainly doesn’t.

maybe listen to the person that’s butchered thousands of chickens then. Or go get a raw chicken and test it for yourself, it becomes pretty clear once you do it.

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I’ve picked the oysters out of the ilium bone on many, many roast chickens so I have good reason for considering them not part of the thigh.

Muscles attach to two bones. Which bone you leave it on is up to you.

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Right at this timestamp shows how easy the oyster separates from the back when butchering the whole leg quarter. The chef here does not even have to cut along the entirety of the oyster as it is removed with the entire quarter.

In my exceedingly basic home cook experience I have the most luck with the method for getting the whole oyster cleanly and quickly every time.

I’m not knowledgeable enough to argue the specific parts of chicken anatomy and what belongs to what, however I think I’d caution against using roasted chicken as a reference. Even if that would make avian veterinarian students have some DELICIOUS rotations (let alone those learning to butcher at culinary school).

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Warrior. I liked it. All the dishes were prepared well. I don’t enjoy socializing but if I did this would be a good place to socialize. While I would go back, I preferred a recent meal at Tsubaki in the same price range, and I thought Tsubaki’s yakitori was head and shoulders better.

Peony: I feel it is a little Americanized. The flavors are bold and heavy. The food is not on the light side. But it’s likeable. The flavor is right.

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budonoki x h woo

highlights were the dry-aged duck and mango sticky rice.

@Bagel @boourns review forthcoming?

toro tartare - tuna belly tartare, smoked daikon, negi, myoga, toasted shokupan

stonefruit salad - market peaches, tutti frutti farm heirloom tomatoes, fish sauce vinaigrette, mint & thai basil, crispy shallot, toasted chili flake

spot prawn handroll - soy marinated canadian spot prawns, sliced cucumber “kimchi”, shellfish oil, toasted nori

duck korokke - duck confit and potato croquettes, truffle bulldog sauce, frisee salad, yuzu hot mustard dressing

dry-aged striped bass - grilled dry aged sea bass, shellfish beurre blanc, roasted summer squash medley

dry-aged ny strip - grilled creekstone farms ny strip steak, sauce au poivre, smashed potatoes, market corn & red pepper escabeche

dry-aged duck ssam - 14-day dry age, coconut-honey- glazed duck breast, duck jus gastrique, “crying tiger” sauce, red leaf lettuce & herbs

mango sticky rice parfait - mango coconut pandan swirl, mango, mung beans, sesame, coconut cream

post dinner bang bang because you can never have enough mango

bhan kanom thai x kanomwaan

mango sticky rice

mango shaved ice

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When were you at Budonoki? I was there on Friday and this looks like (almost) a completely different menu!