The wine list at Hayato is pretty fire in some key areas. Had no clue they had this gem lurking on the list.
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Mitch & Allen need to bump this place to three stars asap. Criminally delicious meal. I get it they know how to sell a tire but come on
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Not until they start baking their own free bread.
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What are the gems you’re referring to in addition to this 2002 Krug?
Chef Go has mentioned to me that he enjoys wine tasting with his distributor.
I was there two saturday’s ago, but you were there when two of my friends were there! I’ll pass on your thanks to them.
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Please do! That was such a treat. I didn’t speak to them too much besides saying thank you on the way out.
They shared their bottles with everyone present so I was lucky enough to partake, even though I wasn’t sat next to them
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Not sure if it’s still on the list but there’s a 2014 Bouchard Genevrieres for good pricing - to be fair I don’t usually look at the wine list. It was on a lark the afternoon of our dinner my brother sent me a picture of the wine list asking a question about something else and I noticed the 2002 Krug Clos du Mesnil.
It was a very attractive price in a restaurant setting and dining companion was down to splitsies. A wine that’s pretty tough to find and I knew was stored properly due to Chef Go’s relationship with LVMH
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Warrior: I’ve thought about your economics point often. I can’t understand why a restaurant that is booked with reservations for months wouldn’t raise prices.
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Im pretty sure Chef Go breaks close to even on the kaiseke pricing itself. I think he said he lost money doing bentos but considered them a passion project.
Much like Skenes at Saison having ~60% food costs
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I think it has everything to do with Chef Go’s passion for his food. I don’t know how he makes Hayato work financially; I agree that he could easily charge a lot more. But I sense that he is not particularly interested in serving the high-rollers who will buy something expensive just because they can, without understanding or appreciating it. He wants to share with people the cuisine he loves so much, and I think he doesn’t want it to remain totally out of reach for diners who can maybe save up for a special occasion dinner (provided that they can get a reservation!).
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This is why we always buy an expensive sake when we go, as the mark-up is pretty high! Got to keep him in the black!
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Let’s be real here. Even at $260pp before drinks/tax/tip (and $295 soon), Hayato is out of range for probably 95% (?) of the general population.
I love what he is doing. It looks insanely delicious.
But, unfortunately, I will not be dining at Hayato unless someone else is paying.
Not that I don’t think it isn’t worth that much…
I, and many other, simply cannot justify spending that much on a single presumably incredible experience.
I often wonder what chefs (not just Go) that say they “do it for the art/passion” think/feel when they reach the level where they are feeding only rich people and the rare people that save up to splurge on the meal. It must be an internal struggle.
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I get it, for some people it’s just not something they’re into. I’ve found that there are certain things I won’t spend an equivalent amount of money on. For instance, I don’t really splurge on concert tickets, but I will for Hayato. It’s nearly a 4 hour meal, so the time spent is the nearly the same as a show, but it just depends on what someone wants to spend their money on.
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a couple new fall dishes:
anago and chestnut tempura
k & j orchards nashi pear, sake jelly
fuyu persimmon
and some honorable mentions because they’re so good 
ebi shinjo, matsutake
sakizuke - hokkaido kegani, kani miso, kanisu sauce
sabazushi, sesame seed and myoga rice
katsuo warayaki, chive, myoga, salt, soy sauce
binchotan grilled hokkaido kinki, lotus root, sudachi
kisu tempura, eggplant soaked in kombu dashi
nabe - amadai, matsutake, mizuna
gohan - black cod saikyo yaki, mitsuba
x3
yuki-san’s wasanbon
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That sake gelée! The rice grains in that sabazushi!
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x3 FTW
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I think we had a very similar meal as @PorkyBelly. The best meal we’ve had in LA. We enjoyed this much more than n/naka, Providence or any of the omakase experiences mostly due to Chef, his explanations of the ingredients and the quality of the food. Everything was sublime and met our expectations given the very high praise from everybody on the board. The couple at the end of the bar at one point had champagne, white wine and sake. I couldn’t see what wine they were drinking but I heard 87. The champagne was one of the Krug bottles. They seemed like regulars. I want to be them when I grow up.
Thanks again to our anonymous FTC friend for his generous extra reservation.
A few random shots of our favorite dishes.
Dewazakura Daiginjo and the cup I chose. It reminded me of the cup Indiana Jones chose in the Last Crusade.
Hairy crab with a vinegar gelee, crab brains and a few squeezes of ginger. Chef said this crab was about a one pound crab but the brains were from 3 crabs. Hoping to win the crab brain lottery.
Uni from Hokkaido. Sweet fishy salty goodness. I don’t know what he did to this but I loved it.
Young salmon roe with sake and mountain yam. Chef said in Japan they separate out this type of roe because it’s highly coveted due to the different type of membrane and it’s much less salty. Phenomenal.
The best Asian pears from a farm up in Fresno. Incredibly sweet. They source directly from the farm and they are not available at any farmers market.
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smart crabs are so tasty and delicious
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BTW Chef said 7 bowls of rice was the most anybody has eaten. I only had 3. For shame.
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