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Plan Check (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Darin

Plan Check
1800 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Dining date: 4/3/12

Plan Check opened just over a month ago, bringing a ‘modern American’ gastropub to the Japanese-centric Sawtelle area of West LA. It’s a combination of ex-Umami Corporate Chef Ernesto Uchimura’s grub with drinks masterminded by Steve Livigni and Pablo Moix (Harvard & Stone, La Descarga, Black Market, Pour Vous). It’s one of the latest in LA’s gastropub movement and follows a similar template to many others – hire a noted mixologist to craft a bar program and serve interesting upscale bar food. Early on, the place has been packed so it seemed like a spot worth checking out.

Wooden tables grace the space, including one large communal table and a long counter that stretches the length of the bar and kitchen area. It was a full house on a Tuesday night, but the three of us were able to secure three seats overlooking the kitchen.

The menu is made up of snacks, sides, sandwiches and composed plates (which were like small plates); we honed in on the latter two categories. We started with a little bit of charcuterie from the snacks section.

pickled chorizo sausage green garlic

prosciutto americano

The chorizo was interesting, with its subtle heat and a lightly sour flavor from the pickling. The prosciutto was pretty typical.

Two more snacks rounded out the first wave of courses.

oyster on the half yuzukosho cocktail sauce

These were huge. Plump and tasty with the lemon and a zesty cocktail sauce.

warm crab dip dynamite sauce, masago, blistered tomato, toast

The crab flavor came through on the dip with nice spreadable creaminess, but I wished the bread was toasted more for texture.

We also ordered a selection of the sandwiches and all three of the larger plates.

PCB (plan check burger) akaushi red wagyu beef, americanized cheese, ketchup leather, savory onions, mixed pickles, crunch bun

I thought the burger was cooked well but it wasn’t really memorable in any way. I’ve heard a lot of talk about the ketchup leather, a fruit roll-up type method of bringing a ketchup flavor without getting the bun soggy (as actual ketchup may). A novel idea, I suppose, but I didn’t notice a significant difference. It ended up being a fairly standard burger, executed just fine.

pork belly pimento grilled cheese twice cooked pork belly, spicy green pimento cheese, inverted crunch bun

The pork was pretty good on its own but I thought the dish as a whole was a bit on the bready side. The thick slides of bread did have some light texture, though I didn’t feel the pimento cheese was very assertive.

pastrami poutine pastrami bits, pastrami gravy, cucumber pickles, melted swiss

The smokey peppery flavor of the pastrami was good, but I was looking for more of a gravy here to bring it all together. Also, the fries were on the softer side – with a poutine I always prefer them crispier to hold up as they soak up any oil/juices.

smokey fried chicken jidori chicken, smoked milk gravy, yam preserves, spicy pickled okra

The chicken had a nice smokey flavor and was quite juicy. I think the top two pieces were fried crispy but the bottom one (the one I got) had a mushy, soggy exterior. Sweet yams were a nice pairing.

short rib pot roast red wine, bone marrow turnover pie, sweet n sour mirepoix

The pot roast itself was good, although fairly typical. Tender, fatty and pretty flavorful. The bone marrow turnover pie was fun, tasting very much like a beef pot pie.

grilled rockfish rock shrimp tempura, flaked wasabi, citron tartar sauce, grilled cucumber, bonito

I thought the fish was cooked well, imbued with a smoky flavor. I thought the bonito was an interesting addition, adding much more depth of flavor. The tempura shrimp was good too, but I think it added more for texture than flavor.

veggie chips yucca and plantain, avocado

I found the plantain and yuca chips to be fairly greasy and undersalted. The avocado spread was tasty though.

stuffed mushroom roasted portobello, swiss cheese fondue, crispy kale, steak sauce

The portobello was meaty and kind of juicy, while the swiss cheese fondue was a good accompaniment. Steak sauce added more savory depth to the bites. One of the better dishes.

We also sampled a couple of desserts.

cruller donuts cooked to order, cream, fruit

These were basically churros shaped like a cruller donut. I liked the churro, though it was slightly on the oily side, while a light whipped cream was a good pairing.

ice cream bars milk cereal

This was also one of the highlights of the night. From Milk on Beverly, the ice cream had a sweet milk flavor with crispy cereal on the exterior. Whimsical and addicting. Pricing was a 33% markup over the ones at Milk.

We tried a pretty good selection of cocktails as well as their housemade moonshine sodas. I found the cocktails to be much more interesting. This first one, Tropic Thunder, was my favorite with a good balance of spicy and fresh citrus between the jalapeño and lemon. Yummy.

Tropic Thunder jalapeno infused kanon vodka, mango, lemon juice, sugar

Fuji Apple yamazaki 12 yr, apple brandy, almond syrup, fresh lemon, peach bitters

Godzilla pisco porton, midori, orgeat, lemon, lime

Spaghetti Western vida mezcal, tapatio, red bell pepper, lime, agave, beer

Bento Box brugal rum, licor 43, nigori sake, bitters

Moonshine with Cherry Coke

Moonshine with Tangerine Soda

Plan Check was a letdown, especially considering our meal was almost $100pp all-inclusive (though to be fair, I’m sure we ordered more than the average customer). Were my expectations too high? Maybe, but they weren’t really that high to begin with. There were a few solid dishes (rockfish, stuffed mushrooms, cruller donut, ice cream bar) but they were outnumbered by the underwhelming ones. I think conceptually most of the dishes sounded good, for example the pork belly grilled cheese and pastrami poutine could’ve been big hits. However, something was lost in translation between the concept and plating since the end results didn’t come close to the heights they promised.

800 Degrees Pizzeria (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Darin

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria
10889 Lindbrook Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Dining date: 2/15/12

800 Degrees opened early last month, a new concept via a partnership led by Umami Burger’s Adam Fleischman. After a dinner at LudoBites, somehow the topic of 800 Degrees came up. It was open late (until 2am everyday), was nearby, and would be relatively quick. We were sold.

There are plenty of pizza options in LA, but this one’s a little bit different. It’s essentially fast-food pizza, but customizable and made-to-order with fresh ingredients; I think comparisons to Chipotle are fitting. It reaches a medium ground between the quickness of a Domino’s or Pizza Hut and the higher end pizzas at something like Mozza. Kind of like Pitfire Pizza, but even cheaper and more customizable.

The pizza creation process is assembly line, with one’s preferences taken throughout. Three base pies are available (margherita, bianca, marinara at $5-6) at the first station, where fresh dough is rolled out.

Next a whole host of toppings are available, completely optional, most $1 each. Don’t want toppings? Fine. The Pizza Margherita is $6.

Once ready, the pizza is baked in the wood-burning oven for just a minute or two, all while the customer watches. Pretty cool.

Also cool is this futuristic looking soda machine – various “base” sodas and flavored syrups are available. It’s all about customization here, apparently.

Between our group, we ordered up a variety of pies.

Margherita with Salame

Bianca with Sausage

Margherita with Meatballs, Proscuitto, Arugula

Margherita with Artichokes, Salame

Margherita

How were the pizzas? Pretty good actually. The dough was soft, had some nice char, and had a nice chew. I thought the toppings were good, but none were particularly memorable. Overall, it was good pizza at a great price, fast. Very satisfying. I’m a big fan of the model, and gauging other reviews, it seems like the rest of the city is too. I fully expect expansion soon and potentially on a large scale…not unlike Umami Burger.

Tsujita LA (Los Angeles, CA) and Ramen Yamadaya (Culver City, CA)

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Darin

Tsujita LA
2057 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Ramen Yamadaya
11172 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
Dining date: 1/16/12

I first tried Tsujita over the Veteran’s Day holiday. Trying to fit two lunch spots into one larger meal, Tsujita happened to fall into the second slot where a humongous line awaited us. Sadly, the tsukemen (dipping ramen) ran out while we waited in line, and we were left with the good-but-not-great ramen. I knew I’d have to return to really try Tsujita. Over the MLK holiday we again went for a two-spot luncher, with Tsujita first this time. We arrived at 11am (opening) to ensure we would not be denied. Perfect timing! We got in without any problems.

Three tsukemen options are available – “regular,” one with extra seasoned boiled egg (ajitama tsukemen) and one with extra chashu (chashu tsukemen). Coincidentally, we all ordered the same thing – the chashu. A few accompaniments awaited us at the table – in my opinion, I didn’t think they were even necessary.

I marveled at the bowl that came out – noodles were topped with thick-cut chashu, a piece of nori and a lime wedge. Accompanying the noodles was a dark and murky broth, filled with a soft-boiled egg, pieces of chashu and a not-so-hidden layer of fat floating on the top.

I had my first bite and was sold immediately. The noodles were thicker than usual with a wonderful chew, while the broth displayed a heady, rich porky and bonito flavor. It was well-balanced between the pork and fish, and I’m sure the fat helped made for an incredibly savory and comforting slurp that screamed umami. Apparently, pork bones are simmered for 60 hours with the bonito added at the end. The chashu was wonderful as well, thick and meaty – they just melted when heated by the hot broth (it should be eaten quickly since the fat will congeal if sitting out too long and the broth won’t be hot enough to melt it). Simply addicting.

The soup thickened and got richer over time as the noodles soaked up the liquid. By the time the noodles were gone, it was pretty much a gravy at that point. The lime was particularly clutch when it reached this consistency, helping to add a fresh citrus dimension as well as some acidity. Finally, they’ll add water to your leftover “gravy” for a drinkable soup – it wasn’t quite so much for me, still packing an incredible salty, porky punch. Personally, it needed to be consumed in small quantities per mouthful.

After some deliberation, we made the short trip to Ramen Yamadaya. We’d be ordering entirely different things, but we were still somewhat fearful that it would disappoint given what we had at Tsujita.

Ramen Yamadaya is a newer ramen restaurant to the SoCal scene, opening its first branch in Torrance in 2010. I’ve consistently heard good things about it, and its popularity has helped them already open up additional locations in Culver City, Westwood and Costa Mesa. The specialty here is the 20-hour-cooked tonkotsu broth, making for a rich and porky ramen.

It was my first time so I opted for the ramen. The rest of the party ordered some different items, less similar to what we previously ate at Tsujita.

Gyoza

Chicken Kara-age

Takoyaki

Ramen Yamadaya tonkotsu kotteri

I tried a small piece of the gyoza and chicken and found them to be rather typical variations. I wanted slightly more meat and less cabbage flavor in the gyoza, and I thought they could’ve been crispier too. However, the star for me was the ramen. Going for the extra-fatty kotteri option, the broth indeed was rather heavy, milky and fatty. Full of flavor, indeed. The fresh garlic was an awesome accompaniment, providing a fun garlicky bite to the rich broth. The noodles were perfectly cooked, lending a nice chew and soaking up the flavors of the broth. Two kinds of chashu came with it – a leaner, thinner cut shoulder and a thicker, marinated belly cut. I didn’t really like either. The shoulder was a little dry and flavorless, while the belly’s marinade had an overpowering flavor that masked the meat. Still, a very good bowl of ramen.

Ramen Yamadaya is good, and is worthy of a return trip on an emptier belly. Still, I’d be hard pressed to come here unless Tsujita is closed or out of tsukemen. I’ve never had tsukemen before and it was a bit of a game changer for me. I can’t say if it was a good example of the dish, but I just found it simply delicious. At this point, I actually prefer it over any of the bowls of more “typical ramen” in LA. There’s an inherent playfulness in dipping the noodles into the soup at-will, and I found myself conflicted between slurping everything up as soon as possible while it was hot, and consciously slowing myself down to savor every bite. I’ll be back for sure.

Tsujita LA (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Darin

Tsujita LA
2057 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Dining date: 11/11/11

Tsujita is one of the latest high-profile ramen shops to open in LA this year. As far as I know, this is the first American location for Japan-based Tsujita, which serves its own version of a tonkotsu ramen. The restaurant opened in August, only serving its Japanese fusion dinner menu to guests…which did not include ramen. Why? Because the restaurant wanted to make sure its ramen was just right before serving it for lunch hours only. Sounded like they were serious about their “artisan” noodles and it quickly became somewhere I wanted to try as soon as possible.

The lunch menu is as simple as it gets; ramen and tsukemen (noodles are brought out separately and dipped into the broth upon eating) are both available, with a few ramen add-ins and rice bowl combos. While ramen is clearly a draw, the restaurant seems to be even more notable for its tsukemen. I was excited to try both.

Having the Veteran’s Day holiday off, I wanted to make it count. After lunch #1 at Baco Mercat in downtown, we rushed across town to Tsujita to find an impressive line out the door. Apparently, others on holiday had the same idea. Dammit. While in line, they ran out of tsukemen (and many of the sides). Dammit again. We came all the way over here to try the restaurant, so we decided to stick around and try the ramen.

A number of table-side toppings were available to add into our soups. The server recommended the hot leaf mustard with the ramen.

Negi Ramen green onion ramen

Char-Siu Ramen extra char-siu

The bowl of ramen looked beautiful, carefully and deliberately put together. The soup clearly had a lot of depth with a nice porky flavor and a milky consistency. The noodles were very good too; I forgot to order ‘hard’ noodles but they still displayed a chewy consistency. The chashu was good too, tender and meaty…not too fatty. It’s really hard to compare to old standbys like Daikokuya, Shin Sen Gumi and Santouka. They’re all similar, yet very different. Tsujita seemed to be a bit more refined (and more expensive), and I thought the flavors may have been a bit cleaner. Personally though, I still prefer Daikokuya for the noodles, the in-your-face fatty broth, and all the oft-overlooked side dishes.

Kaedama (Extra Noodle)

I opted for extra noodles, which included extra soup too for $1.50. I’m not sure what happened here; the noodles were in one large clumpy ball, and individual strands were virtually inseparable. What was left was rather mushy. For a restaurant so deliberate in its actions, I wondered if this was intentional, but it seemed the noodles just weren’t stirred at all while cooking. Major disappointment.

In all, I had a very good bowl of ramen (aside from the refill). Not exactly a bowl I’d drive cross-town for again, but very satisfying if in the area. I was pretty disappointed that they ran out of tsukemen so I guess I have to return for that. Will wait for the crowds to die down a bit, though.

Totoraku (Los Angeles, CA) (2)

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Darin

Totoraku
10610 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Dining date: 9/26/11

Totoraku (AKA ‘secret beef restaurant’) is one of the more unique dining experiences in LA. I thought it would be a good idea for my parents to come and eat here while they were in town. Plus, my dad loves beef as much as I do. As far as I know, they don’t have quite the same type of yakiniku experience in the Bay Area. Given I don’t have the ability to make a reservation, this would prove tricky. However, my friend was kind enough to make one and dine with us.

I handled the alcohol duty, always fun since Totoraku is strictly BYOB.

Of my three visits, the menu has varied very little, with much of the differentiation being in the first appetizer course.

Shrimp with caviar, fresh abalone, asparagus, proscuitto with lemon, momotaru tomatoes, smoked salmon, king crab with mushroom, black sesame tofu and bluefin tuna with okra is what I remember from this plate. Always hard to catch everything on here. For the most part, this is the chef’s lone creative outlet in a menu full of raw beef dishes. Basically a plate of 9 different amuse bouche, the flavors are typically on the lighter side, just enough to get the appetite going. My favorite would have to have been the bluefin tuna with okra – something about the slimy and crunchy texture of the okra went well the flavorful tuna.

Sirloin Cap Carpaccio

The onion was a key component adding the brightness of raw onion, contrasting the rich, well-marbled meat. A well-made carpaccio, indeed.

Seared Ribeye and Beef Throat Sashimi

The ribeye was fine (it was about as expected), but I rarely see beef throat on a menu…let alone raw. Slightly chewy but I liked the texture, with a rather mild beef flavor. I just wonder what happens to all of the other cow throats out there.

Ha. Oh, the irony.

Steak Tartare topped with Quail Egg

A solid tartare. I think the quail egg, stirred into the mixture, really added a richness that brought everything together. I think there was a touch of light soy sauce here, a differentiating flavor from a French steak tartare.

The grill signals the start of the GYOM stage…that is, grill your own meats (yay!). The progression of courses have been exactly the same as my previous visits, so I won’t comment individually.

Beef Tongue

Filet Mignon

Assorted Raw Vegetables

Momotaru Tomatoes

Outside Ribeye

Inside Ribeye

Short Rib

Skirt Steak

Alaskan King Crab Udon Soup

We passed on dessert (ice cream), opting for Scoops Westside’s instead.

While the meats are certainly a highlight, the king crab udon may have been the most memorable dish of the night. I was glad they had this since my dad loves crab, and it’s really an impressive looking dish. It’s served in a huge bowl ready for sharing, topped with large chunks of crab legs and udon. So good. Seriously. If anything, it’s on the spicier end of my lame-ass tolerance, which means it’s probably just right (or mild) for most. Still, I love myself some soup noodles (udon was one of my favorites growing up), and the meaty crab legs just added to the fun. An excellent dish.

At about $200 a head, Totoraku isn’t cheap. It’s probably more expensive than it needs to be (heck, you do all of the cooking), but that seems to be the market price of a top-notch yakiniku place in LA. I think it’s worth at least one visit for the experience. The combination of variety and quality of beef is second to none in LA, and it’s really a treat for any lover of beef. The meat is pretty well-marbled, marinated just right and delicious. And that Alaskan king crab soup is something to behold. Oh, and it’s a fun experience too.

Previous Tototaku posts:
8/7/10 | 7/9/11

Totoraku (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Darin

Totoraku
10610 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Dining date: 7/9/11

I first went to Totoraku last August but had yet to return. The “secret beef restaurant,” reservations can only be made by those who have gotten a business card from the chef. I am not one of those people. However, I had the privilege of taking part in someone else’s party of six.

There is no menu; rather, the food just comes out of the kitchen unprompted. The meal tends to follow a basic progression: appetizers, raw beef, cooked beef, soup and ice cream.

Appetizers

Unfortunately, I didn’t capture what any of these were. Totoraku’s appetizers are very different from the rest of the meal, providing light amuse-bouche type bites as a precursor to the plates of rich beef to follow.

Top Sirloin Cap Carpaccio

The first few beef dishes were all raw. Here was a carpaccio, heightened by some onions and garlic. There was a slight sweetness too, but the beef was definitely at center.

Beef Throat Sashimi and Seared Ribeye

The ribeye was solid but rather ordinary; the throat was a big highlight. I don’t think I’ve eaten throat anywhere but here, and it makes me wonder if most cow throats go straight to animal feed (or hot dogs?). Slightly chewy and very beefy, it was really delicious.

Steak Tartare

The last raw dish was this one, meant to be stirred. Sesame oil added a slight nuttiness, while the quail egg added an oozy richness. A tasty tartare, for sure.

The tableside grills signaled the next stage of the meal.

Beef Tongue

Mmm beef tongue. Slightly chewy and tender, really fatty and rich. The marbling was incredible. Seriously good.

Filet Mignon

Surprisingly juicy and full of flavor, this was one of the best variations of the tenderloin I’ve had in a while.

Some raw vegetables and tomatoes were brought out next to help balance out the richness of the beef.

Daikon, Cucumber, Carrots

Momotaru Tomatoes

Super sweet; some of the best tomatoes I’ve ever had.

Outside Ribeye

One of my favorite cuts of the cow is this outside part of the ribeye, much fattier than the inside. As expected, the meat was really juicy, tender and beefy.

Inside Ribeye

Although I prefer the outside of the ribeye, the inside is no slouch. Totaoraku’s meats are all very well-marbled; this inside ribeye was exceedingly tender and really held its own.

Short Rib

When I saw the marbling on this meat, I knew it would be good. Amazing. The texture was melt-in-mouth with a sweetness from the marinade.

Skirt Steak

Excessively marbled as well, this was another delicious cut.

We opted for seconds on a couple of cuts, including the tongue.

Beef Tongue

Inside Ribeye

Both as good as before.

We had the option of two soups, a vegetable-based one and a king crab udon. The choice was easy.

King Crab Udon Soup

Whoa. The soup came out in impressive fashion – a large bowl (must’ve been about 16 inches across) filled to the brim with udon and king crab. Surprisingly, the udon maintained a nice chew, while the crab was sweet. A delicious seafood broth really elevated the dish. Now, if only I could find this in Little Tokyo…

White Chocolate with Raspberry, Espresso and Pistachio Ice Creams; Lychee and Blueberry Sorbets

We sampled each of the 5 ice creams/sorbets on offer for dessert. Simple – just something sweet to end the meal with. My favorites were the espresso and pistachio.

Lastly, the wines – the six of us each brought one for the meal.

This visit to Totoraku was better than my last. I’m not totally sure why since the menu was substantially the same (except the soup). Maybe it was because I barely ate anything during the day. Or maybe because I felt more comfortable around the grill this time. Either way, it was delicious. I don’t hesitate in saying Totoraku serves the best beef I’ve had in LA, in both quality and (especially) in variety. At around $200, it’s quite a splurge. However, I think it’s a worthwhile experience, particularly for the beef lover.

Darin Dines

A Food Blog

Tag Archives: west la

Plan Check (Los Angeles, CA)

800 Degrees Pizzeria (Los Angeles, CA)

Tsujita LA (Los Angeles, CA) and Ramen Yamadaya (Culver City, CA)

Tsujita LA (Los Angeles, CA)

Totoraku (Los Angeles, CA) (2)

Totoraku (Los Angeles, CA)