Yusho Monte Carlo Resort and Casino 3770 Las Vegas Blvd S Las Vegas, NV 89109 Dining date: 5/7/14 Yusho is one of the more notable openings in Las Vegas this year at the Monte Carlo. A Chicago transplant, Yusho’s original location became popular for its concept inspired by a Japanese noodle house/yakitori shop. Matthias Merges,…
Yamakase 10422 National Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90034 Dining date: 4/8/14 Yamakase has been on my radar since I first heard about it a couple of years ago. The restaurant is an invitation-only (request one here) “secret” Japanese spot serving high-end Japanese. The meal may be best described as kaiseki, but it’s not really; it’s moreso a progression…
Ramen Burger Pop-Up Osawa 77 N Raymond Ave Pasadena, CA 91101 Dining date: 9/8/13 Keizo Shimamoto’s Ramen Burger is America’s latest food mania since debuting just over a month ago. Shimamoto has served his burger a few times at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg, generating extremely long lines comparable to the cronut. Already, it’s inspired other restaurants across…
Ikemen 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St #108 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 1/28/13 Ikemen is the latest ramen chain to open up shop in Little Tokyo (following other notables Shin-Sen-Gumi and Men Oh Tokushima). Located in Weller Court (the plaza shared with super-spicy Orochon), it kind of replaces the recently-closed Chin-Ma-Ya. Ikemen’s first…
As everyone probably knows, there’s great ramen in Japan. It’s seriously everywhere, and the breadth and depth of options is impressive. I can’t think of a food in the US that is matched with such passion (obsession?) as ramen is in Japan. There are countless restaurants specializing in the dish, and it really seems hard…
Men Oh Tokushima 456 E 2nd St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 10/9/12 Men Oh Tokushima is the latest Japanese ramen chain to hit Los Angeles. Like the gourmet pizza/cupcake/burger, these shops seem to be popping up everywhere. However, the Little Tokyo scene has been rather quiet, with the likes of Tsujita, Yamadaya and…
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…