LoL! was that on a secret menu also?? I only went once and had a very memorable meal with a fugu plate but nothing that could have been in ‘The Freshman’
I paid $0. (I was the guest of a generous party.)
Again, I was a guest, but if I had to guess: About $325pp (includes tips, tax, booze).
But also keep in mind that we DID go into bonus food rounds, and that Hanasaki-gani was a special pre-order.
Yes indeed. BYOB was suspended for a while at the old Yamakase location, but it’s OK to bring alcohol there again.
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You need to introduce your friends to, like, all of us. 
That whole meal looks AH-MA-ZING. Was there any point at which you felt like you had to tap out b/c it was TOO rich???
Most Santa Barbara uni served at restaurants is called by the Japanese as murasaki uni (AKA purple or black uni) - The gonads from these Californian sea urchins (yes, you are eating the gonads) are sweeter-tasting, and slightly larger in size than their Japanese-caught counterparts. The classic “yellow” or “yellowish-green” trays of uni you see sold in Japanese markets in L.A. are usually Santa Barbara murasaki uni.
In Hokkaido, both murasaki uni and bafun uni (from a distinctly different species of sea urchin) are sought. The bafun uni from Hokkaido is prized for its richer, brinier taste. Size-wise, bafun uni is generally smaller than Santa Barbara murasaki uni. Bafun uni is also more “orange” in hue than murasaki uni.
When shopping for uni trays, you’re looking for a “cat’s tongue” appearance to the uni, with distinct “buds” showing; not too yellow, not too orange (brighter colors are not necessarily better; I think good-tasting uni should actually look a bit “dull” in hue!). Uni-mongers will have already sorted out the uni in separate trays by grades (‘A’, ‘B’, or ‘C’), so that it takes the guesswork out for us noobie consumers. I find that uni at most Japanese markets in L.A. have been ‘A’ class, with a rare ‘B’ tray slipped in.
While we here in L.A. lust after the Hokkaido-borne bafun uni, the native Japanese across the Pacific are often clamoring for our local Santa Barbara uni! I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the Pacific…
Other regions with producing uni of note: San Diego has exquisite gently-sweet murasaki uni, which I find more refined than the stronger taste of the Santa Barbara stuff. Chile is also a noted exporter of uni to Japan (and less so the U.S.)…
Hope that helps…
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No.
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Great! I need an uni tasting to get myself up to speed. Hmmm… Does that exist I wonder?
Mori Sushi on Pico often does side-by-side uni tastings, as does Kiriko and Shunji.
Just ask your shokunin for a comparison of uni from different regions. (Do I need to comment that this is best done when sitting at the sushi bar?)
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Okay. This is great.
I have a question. I’ve been wondering this for a while. You all take such great pictures. How do itamae / shokunin feel about the picture taking? I know some are pretty strict about things. @CiaoBob wrote recently that he goes to a place where the man would have had a fit. Also, don’t they want you to consume the pieces immediately?
Thanks for the kind words.
The dining world has changed immensely from even 10 years ago, when I was active on Chowhound. Especially in the sense that food photos (and photo-taking) of the food are now so prevalent. Chefs are not stupid - Most fully realize that these photos often result in free marketing/publicity for their restaurants.
And yes, the respect still has to be there. I often break out the camera as I sit down, in full plain sight, so that any astute chef is aware of my intent. At that point, if the policy is “no photos”, then I am politely told (and to which I utterly respect), and no one loses face.
As for consuming the sushi immediately: Very few places, aside from (1) Mori (with Mori-san at the helm), and (2) Hiro-san at Urasawa have recommended this to me. Even the “grouchy” Zo-san has let me take photos! As I have already fully obtained the permission of the shokunin to take photos at both places, I simply adapt to this tutelage by shooting my photos QUICKLY, before it goes down the proverbial hatch. The first thing I do as a foodshooter is to look at the light conditions at your seat when you first sit down, before even the menu is presented. This allows me to make the necessary adjustments to the ISO, aperture, lens, etc. to optimize rapid-fire shooting as soon as the food appears in front of me - Luck favors the prepared. I try to take at least 4-8 shots of each dish, so I have the luxury of choosing the best shot later on - bring a big memory chip.
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Oh good. Sometimes servers give the panic look when I start taking pictures. Everyone’s afraid of Yelp. When I see the look I usually explain it’s for a food board, not Yelp. They immediately relax and usually ask questions. Like you said, it’s marketing.
Good photo tips. You’re fully equipped. I have my handy dandy iPhone. But I have learned how to use the enhancement features pretty well 
. Good to know you take 4-8… makes me feel better.
Also, it seems a lot of posters advise calling ahead to discuss the meal?
Thanks for help!
yum…
many thanks for the uni primer, j_l.
That helps a lot! I grew up with Santa Barbara uni, so that’s what I’m used to. I’m pretty sure I’ve bought the Hokkaido uni at Mitsuwa, because I wanted to try it. But then I forgot to pay attention to the flavor because I ended up using it in scrambled eggs, inspired by Ludo LeFebrvre, which were quite delicious.
Has anyone been Yamakase recently. I am curious how Yama-san is doing and what the price for his omakase dinner is these days?
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Has anyone been in the last year? it seems on IG that nothing on the menu has really changed much.
Going next month so just wondering.
I believe $300
inclusive of tax and tip?
Not inclusive of tax or tip