i just did a run of omakase restaurants in LA — takeda, shunji, shin, morihiro, kaneyoshi. all of them were very good-to-great, and all of them had their particular charm (especially morihiro’s mad max-like pacing once he gets to the nigiri — so much fun).
but kaneyoshi — both the food and experience — was a cut above. maybe it’s the dark, “showtime” lighting, where it sort of feels like being in a theatre for a show. maybe it’s the parking / elevator thing, where it feels vaguely secret and “in the know.” but something about that meal felt special.
my only “complaint”: it just felt weird not to end an omakase without some kind of dessert. particularly when the food is so interesting and creative that you can’t help but think what they would come up with for a dessert. but even a strawberry or apricot or something would’ve been good.
Kaneyoshi is elite, but all of my fellow FTC’ers know that. My friends, family members, and influencers often try to debate my opinions on LA’s “best” sushiyas. I typically always get responses like Fumi, Shibuya, and many ventura blvd spots as their best and then get asked what places like Kaneyoshi, Shunji, Kogane, etc. do so differently that make them so great. And listen, Fumi, Shibuya, etc. are fantastic for what they are; neighborhood spots that are not sushi temples or have a focus on traditional Edomae omakase. There’s something for everyone in our city when it comes to sushi and thats what makes this food scene so great. HOWEVER, when it comes to traditional omakase, none stand out more for me personally then Kaneyoshi. There is something beautiful about when every piece of a restaurant comes together and creates such a profound meal. Like an orchestra, Kaneyoshi’s asanoha cabinets, the attentiveness to see if the diner is left or right handed, the lighting, the knife skills, the jazz quietly playing in the backround, the temperature of the rice, the bincho kissed neta, the stemware for the sake, the primest of ingredients being sourced and skillfully prepped, the Michelin star service, it all harmonizes into the best sushi experience in the city of angels. On top of all of that, the ability to sneak into Sawa afterwards for a night cap or an extra handroll is chef’s kiss. Anthony, Ryo, and Nathalia are amazing and their skill with food and hospitality are bar none.
Anyone ever have any luck getting off the waitlist here?
We’re trying to hit a great sushi spot (hopefully here, Sonagi, or maybe Mori Nozomi) on August 8th as it’s the last night my partner will be able to have sushi for a while.
I saw Sushi Zo had availability but I feel like it’s not necessarily my thing sushi wise. Right now we have a booking at Sawa.
Were any of you at Kaneyoshi tonight? Need to make sure it’s okay to shit talk the god awful crowd in the room tonight including one particular individual.
funny. top sushi bars attract a variety of clientele. the most annoying for me aren’t those with poor manners, but rather those who chat with me the whole way through. they’re invariably in the entertainment industry – producers, dancers, etc. i know they’re meaning to be nice, and they are nice, and they’re better people than i am, but i just want to be in my own little world.
No we had 2 parties: one of 4 VERY loud guys who wouldn’t shut up.
But the real one was a group of three where one dude wouldn’t shut up trying to impress the chef with his naming of fish. Asking every second “do you have ____ tonight” then turning to his pals and (wrongly) explaining what he was talking about. He kept loudly clapping after each bite and was just the cringiest individual who thought the night was his show. At one point he asked for a piece of nodoguri/toro Kama that chef indulged and made for him and then would gesture to the whole restaurant and be like “I got the last piece I’m SOWWWWWY”
Somehow it was worse than the douchy finance bromakase dudes. I don’t know how to describe it but it would’ve been nice to have a window to ever interact with the chef. Since my wife was always being served first, he would see what the chef was preparing and start talking at him while the piece was in his hands waiting to go to my wife and it was infuriating.
Listen; it’s fun to be passionate about something. I feel that. I love to chat my favorite fish with a chef. But the cringe level was off the charts trying to impress him and the rest of the restaurant. I tried to tune it out and enjoy my meal (which was delicious) but always a bummer when you get a show you didn’t want for a price that was pretty high.
