Marugame Monzo 329 E 1st St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 4/5/13 I’ve always been surprised that Little Tokyo (or LA really, for that matter) didn’t have any udon specialists. Ramen is big here, of course, but there aren’t any shops dedicated to the thick, white noodle (I have heard there are a couple…
RyuGin Side Roppongi Bldg, 1st Floor 7-17-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 Dining date: 10/20/12 RyuGin was close to the top of my list of restaurants to try in Tokyo. The modern kaiseki restaurant garnered three Michelin stars in the 2012 guide and is ranked #28 on the 2012 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list (while I…
Raku 5030 Spring Mountain Rd Las Vegas, NV 89146 Dining date: 5/10/12 One of my (and my family’s) favorites in Las Vegas is Raku. It’s an off-strip spot located in a Chinatown plaza which was probably a hidden gem for some time. Not anymore though; it’s become very well-known for its homey, comforting Japanese food and robata…
Sushi Gen 422 E 2nd St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 4/6/12 and 4/11/12 Sushi Gen is one of Little Tokyo’s most popular restaurants (4.5 stars on Yelp with 1500 reviews is a good indication), seemingly always having people waiting outside. It’s probably one of my favorites too, and one of the first restaurants…
Dining date: 3/24/12 Black cod with miso is a dish commonly found in Japanese restaurants in LA. As far as I’ve read, it was popularized by Nobu Matsuhisa (being one of his signature dishes), though a number of Japanese chefs/restaurants have their own renditions (Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s is another popular one that comes to…
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,…
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…
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…