Two months removed from Tokyo, this was my first sushi, not pictured, on American soil since the trip.¹ It was comparable to the better sushi in Japan, falling just a notch below Sushiso Masa. The rice seemed warmer than usual², to the point that it sometimes warmed the fish. It is also clear that a full ten person bar might be too much for Hiro to handle, as sushi and dishes come at an uneven pace – six or eight has been a perfect-sized crowd in the past.

The prepared dishes, pictured throughout, were as elegant and delicate as usual. The hairy crab was my favorite, rivaling the tastes from Koju and Ryugin, but every dish was of a higher quality. The shabu shabu course can be a source of (silent) contention when they help cook it, as I generally prefer raw to cooked, so I immediately took the reins on that course. Hiro has also scaled back on the beef portions and dishes – which is unfortunate. The sperm sac risotto, covered by surprisingly aromatic truffles in the photo below, was a little too “creamy”, if you catch my drift.

As I’ve said before, ingredients rotate in and out of the dishes in an advanced choreography of tastes and textures. The crab began the meal in a bright cool salad, returning later cooked. Uni shines in the sashimi course, plays a support role in the middle of the meal, and then gets featured later as sushi. The ingredients come into focus and out; playing primary, secondary, and tertiary flavors throughout the meal. It gives the meal a tight cohesiveness and a sense of narrative – characters or themes running throughout – highlighting the season.

It is one of my favorite restaurants and I recommend everyone try it at least once. The only caveat is that it is very expensive – and he raised prices again – and I, embarrassingly, let out an audible gasp when I got the bill. The pricing is now Masa-like, solidly the second-most expensive restaurant in the US. If one were flexible, one could fly to Japan for cheaper than a dinner at Urasawa with alcohol.

Pictures are below – it has been too long for any detailed notes but KevinEats, Kung Food Panda, and Food Destination had a similar meal so you can peruse their blogs for detailed descriptions and impressions.

- chuck

1 – Seriously, I do not eat sushi often – I would rather let the fish live and re-populate than to denigrate their memory by eating the crap served most everywhere.

2 – This is probably my tenth trip or so to Urasawa.

Analyzing the food is nearly impossible. The meal, and its component dishes, are a system that can not be reduced to single elements – circular and inter-locking. The flavors are balanced, subtle, and fresh – despite some dishes approaching what could be a dangerous number of ingredients. Ingredients pop up in one dish as a primary flavor, recede to the background, and re-surface seven to ten dishes later as supporting cast. The meal is a journey with complex patterns.

I raced down to LA a day before a weekend of festivities (a friend’s bachelor party) so I could enjoy a meal at Urasawa. A trip to LA has nearly become incomplete without a visit. When I walked in, I saw Refined Palate sitting two seats down. There’s no better place to unexpectedly share a meal with friends. The sake and wine flowed freely (my hotel was a brief walk away!) for four hours.

Below is a sampling of the dishes. There were more cooked dishes and sushi – you can read the extensive list on Refined Palate’s Urasawa post. It is courtesy of her that I have descriptions below; my only intent was to take pictures and enjoy.

Okinawan Spring Seaweed – served with tiny, little shrimp and topped with Gold Flakes

Kinuta Maki – Red Snapper and Shrimp is laid on nori with shiso and then very thinly sliced daikon encases the fish to resemble a traditional maki roll. It is topped with finely grated yuzu and a slice of pickeled ginger.

Goma tofu, Kyoto-style – Tofu made from sesame seeds, stuffed with sweet Uni (urchin “roe”), topped with freshly grated wasabi and gold leaf, served in a light dashi seasoned with shoyu and mirin

Toro Tataki – Ohtoro, from Spain, lightly seared topped with Shiso no Hana flowers, Shiso buds, Radish and Gold Leaf

Uni Nikogori – Fresh Uni, Small Shrimp, Red snapper, Fish eggs served atop Yama no Imo (Japanese Mountain Yam), topped with Pure Gold Flakes.

Sashimi served in a hand carved ice bowl – consisted of Ohtoro, Red Snapper and Santa Barbara Uni placed in a manila clam shell. The wasabi is freshly grated, Hiro’s soy sauce is made by him.

Asami Age – a tempura “sandwich” of Fresh Bamboo, Shrimp Paste and more Fresh Bamboo.

Uni sushi – one of many sushi courses including, but not limited to, toro, kanpachi, tai with sundachi, spanish mackerel, squid, uni, razor clam, mushroom, kohada, needlefish, abalone, giant clam, scallop, spanish mackerel tataki, hokkaido beef (A5-10), baby shrimp, and eel.

Japanese Plum and Jelly

Urasawa is a top, if not the best, restaurant in America. It is no wonder it was voted #1 on the recent Opinionated About Dining guide. It is a must-visit for anyone that steps foot on the West Coast – your view of Japanese, and American, dining will be forever changed.

- chuck

Rather than leave LA at 2pm to avoid the traffic; I thought why not avoid the traffic by catching a good meal first. It sounded crazy, driving back to SF during the middle of the night, but my friend Oren turned me on to an incredible route for the trip home. Instead of racing up I5 on a literal midnight run, I stayed outside of Ventura, and made the exciting trek home the next day. The Porsche was as happy as I was with this meal.

It’s hard to find a bad review of Providence. Does its city’s lack of serious restaraunts make it shine? Or is it really that good? I’ve had one excellent meal and one decent meal. No Choice at All recently wrote a glowing review of a meal they ate around the same time as mine. The Infinite Fress, one of my favorite new blogs, wrote a glowing review last year. LA Amuse Bouche, LA & OC Foodventures, and Delicious Weekends all have good things to say. And Opinionated About Dining and I shared a meal at Le Bernardin after our first Providence meals; we both agreed that Providence was the new standard-bearer for seafood-focused restaurants.

Below is the chef’s tasting menu for the day. Chef Michael Cimarusti knew I was eating on this night but the menus is always offered in addition to the normal tasting menu. Pictures are provided for dishes served while the lighting was good.

Greyhound & Mojito – These are the El Bulli olive-inspired spoons that begin each meal. They are nice explosions of flavor – strong and bright. The textures, before the pop, were slightly rubbery but that is nit-picking.

Gin & Tonic gelee – A nice continuation of the cocktail theme; again, the flavors here were bright and strong. The initial punch of these three amuses reminds one of any beginning at Ludo Lefebvre’s former Bastide.

Fennel Saffron Shooter – An excellent, saffron-forward hot shooter whose temperature played counterpoint to the previous bites. This was very big on the palette, the flavor expanded as it lingered.

House-cured Tasmanian Sea Trout, Mint, Caviar – A stunning bite with a medley of textures. The sea trout belly was pristine with a luscious oily mouth-feel. The caviar and mint broke up the fat, while the caviar and puffed rice popped with each bite. It’s on the busier side but it was a remarkable bite of balance, flavor, and texture.

Goat Cheese Hearts of Palm, Pistachio – The only mis-step of the amuses – the ratio of pickled hearts of plan to cheese was too low. More acidity was needed, in the form of the pickled hearts, to break up the cheese.

Island Creek Oyster, Chorizio Consomme, Lime, Jalapeno – A great briny, spicy, and acidic dish that absolutely hit all of the right notes. The gelatin/consomme was a great vehicle because its texture was similar to biting into the oyster. It would be interesting to see Cimarusti’s take on the Jean Georges uni with jalapeno.

Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi & Japanese Kanpachi Belly, Yuzu, Soy – The ribbon textures of the two fish played an interesting dance together – the tuna yielding more quickly than the kanpachi belly. This also had a spicy chorizio broth that gave the dish a perfect heat.

Japanese Aji (seared), Salted Cherry Blossom, Olive Oil, Cucumber – Quality fish but the whole dish felt slightly disjointed.

Santa Barbara Spot Prawn, Flowering Arugula – Gorgeous prawns, simply grilled, two with their roe! This is a case where the ingredients are simply allowed to shine. Santa Barbara prawns never fail to impress when given the opportunity.

Foie Gras Saute, Carrots, Green Onion, Black Peppercorn – Sauted foie gras is not my preference so I glossed over this preparation. The carrots are an interesting sweet foil to the richness of the foie gras, shades of L’Arpege’s carrot with chocolate.

Slow-cooked Black Grouper, Tiny Fava Beans, Verpa Bohemia – A very nice piece of fish, simply prepared; I don’t know if I’ve tasted grouper with this much flavor before.

Crispy Skinned Arctic Char, Salsify, Spring Onions, Peas, Truffles – An interesting dish but it fell victim to the same problems i had w/ Jean Georges crispy skinned arctic char – the middle was undercooked and the outside was overcooked. They weren’t egregious errors but they did detract from the overall enjoyment of what could have been.

And then there was a parade of desserts that I neglected to write down that ended with a complete tasting of chocolates from the pastry chef.

This was a very good meal that was certainly better than my last Le Bernardin meal. They are obviously different styles, Providence being more modern, but I think Providence is the best seafood-focused restaurant in the country (barring the high-end sushi places.) Despite only receiving one Michelin star, I think this meal, and restaurant, are deserving of two.

- chuck

Pizzeria Mozza (LA) – I was in LA for less than 24 hours but I managed to convince my pho-loving-ten-dollars-is-enough-for-food friends that, yes, this upscale pizza place might be worth it. It probably didn’t hurt that Mario Batali’s name was attached to it. And what pizzas they were! The crust was crunchy and doughy, full of flavor. However, it was the red sauce in the prosciutto pizza that told me I needed to return – amazing stuff – used all too sparingly.

Tailor (NYC) – The opening reviews slammed the place but I found them hard to believe. Sam Mason could do no wrong at WD-50; his desserts were often the best part of an already enjoyable meal. I ordered both the savory and sweet menus – 8-9 dishes in total – and everything was pretty good (for those that don’t me personally – that’s like saying “Mikey likes it!”) In particular, the inventive ice creams are highly recommended.

Range (SF) – When I read the opening reviews of Range, I thought here-we-go-again, another ingredients-first-San-Francisco restaurant from the Chez Panisse school of cooking. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that we have a few thousand of them. Then Michelin gave them one star and I thought over-rated. But my friend kept telling me it was worth it. And it was – it’s ingredient-first but the cooking was precise and the ingredients were better than I can procure at the farmer’s market. A great casual place to eat in San Francisco, in the same league as Blue Plate and Delfina.

Burger Joint (NYC) – I heard about this tucked-away spot and Luxeat’s review reminded me just in time for my last NYC trip. The line was long and hectic, but 20 minutes later, I ate a great hamburger. For the Californians, yes, this was better than In’n'Out – no question. Skip their fries.

Ino Sushi (SF) – Ino is a small sushi counter tucked inside the Japantown Plaza that is known but not terribly popular. Aside from Sebo, it probably serves the best sushi in San Francisco proper. I’d rate it a 7/10 on my sushi scale – not a destination but worthwhile if find yourself craving sushi in the city. My only real issue is that he doesn’t serve real wasabi.

El Paseo (Mill Valley, Bay Area) – When Michelin ran through our town last year, I read one interesting post that insisted El Paseo should have earned one star. Curiously, I’d never heard of the place and I grew a small fascination with it. The highlights were a high-quality piece of lamb (hard to find here in the States) and an impressive wine list (think French, not California wines.) Overall, the meal felt disjointed and inconsistent.

Spotted Pig (NYC) – I didn’t really do my research but the name led me to believe I’d be eating a lot of ham. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case; instead, I found myself in a quirky pub whose menu was transplanted from San Francisco. My burger with roquefort cheese was good, but I’d rather eat the Burger Joint (see above) one for 1/2 the price.

Sakae (Burlingame, Bay Area) – Sakae is often listed as the Bay Area’s best sushi restaurant. I tried a few lunches and dinner here but I fail to see the fascination. The fish is ok but it’s nowhere near the levels of the best in America. The rice temperature is a little cold and it doesn’t approach the levels of Masa or Sushi Yasuda. Some people have told me you need to become a regular to get the best; I don’t see enough potential to warrant the cost. Sebo and Ino are better in my book, unless you’re stuck on the peninsula.

Perbacco (SF) – Yet another Italian restaurant in our fair city. I only remember overcooked pasta and meat. Given the other options (Quince, Delfina, Rivoli), don’t bother – not even close to being in the same league.

Mijita Cocina Mexicana (SF) – The taco joint in the Ferry Building by Traci Des Jardines. Over-priced tacos without any of the soul, for the business-suit crowd. The only redeeming quality? They serve Mexican Coke – real cane sugar instead of HFCS. I could take a $4 train ride to and from the Mission and still come out ahead. If you need lunch in the Ferry Building, get a sandwich at Lulu’s Petite or oysters at Hog Island.

Until the next great meal…

- chuck

Shrimp sushi with Uni and white truffle

Sushi, sashimi, and Japanese dining were my original doorways into haute cuisine, particularly sashimi. You could call it the thrill of the chase. In a world of of always-on information and 3:1 staff to customer ratios, these enclaves of tradition sat hidden and relatively unknown, generally run by husband and wife teams. These places have to be tracked and watched. They would never register on the casual diner’s radar – most don’t advertise, relying on word of mouth and personal relationships. And, even then, access is not always guaranteed.

Ankimo with plum sauce

I originally learned of a “pretty good” place, complete with “truffles and caviar” that cost “$200/person”, somewhere in Los Angeles. I didn’t know the name but, whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t one of the normal LA suspects – Sasabune, The Hump, or Sushi Nozawa. The price point and ingredient list ensured it would be “serious” to be some extent. Later, I read this blog entry about Go’s Mart and I became intrigued – the hunt was on. He compared it to Urasawa and he’d eaten at some impressive restaurants. Yelp provided a touch more detail. And then I learned that “pretty good” places was, indeed, Go’s Mart – triangulation and confirmation.

Grilled Toro

The outside was as non-descript as the anonymous surroundings. A back-lit sign simply read “Sushi”; in fact, as we passed by the first time, my friend joked “we could eat there.” After our U-turn, we realized that, yes, we were eating there. Walking in, a few Japanese VHS videos are available for rent; a few drinks available in a cooler; and a brightly lit six person sushi bar sits in the back, behind a fish cooler. The decor, so to speak, is non-existent. The menu is written on the wall. Nothing more. Was this a well kept secret? Or a bad lead? Whichever the case, our fates were already cast and we ordered “omakase please.”

Grilled Cod Sperm Sac (Shirako) with white truffle

The entire meal came to 11 courses, many of which were unusual for an American sushi restaurant. We started with a series of richer dishes – ankimo, seared toro, and cod sperm sac with white truffle. The next set of dishes got lighter and brighter – flounder sashimi, oysters with caviar, and a white fish sampler – where he employed different types of toppings on each dish. A few pieces of sushi – tender abalone, clam, and a sampling of shrimp with white truffle – continued to show high quality ingredients. Two grilled shrimp heads concluded the savory portion of the meal.

Flounder sashimi with citrus zest

The ingredients were of generally higher quality – this was a serious place. Only the grilled toro was disappointing – it seemed a bit anemic, lacking much fat. Otherwise, all of the fish was of exceptional quality – fresh and firm. Go-san also used luxurious ingredients – white truffle, caviar, sperm sac, and freshly grated wasabi. This was more Masa (NYC) than Urasawa (LA) – a French California slant on traditional Japanese.

Kumamoto Oyster with Caviar

The toppings employed might be decried by some as Americanized or French,not always traditional. However, they almost always worked to great effect. The toppings always enhanced and rarely, if ever, took away from the main ingredient. My only complaint was the cloying plum sauce served with the ankimo – it was too sweet and its proportions too large. The white truffles lent an earthiness to the creamy sperm sac; the citrus zests and salts brightened the flounder sashimi sampler considerably; and the white truffle oil, normally a scourge, but used sparingly here, added an extra dimension to the white fish sampler.

White Fish sampler – Halibut, Kue, Snapper, & Butterfish – with shiso and white truffle oil

If one could point to a flaw in the meal, the sushi rice could be singled out. It was somewhat warm but it did not have the refinement of Sushi Yasuda (NYC) or Urasawa (LA.)

Clam and Abalone sushi

Overall, I enjoyed the spoils of the hunt. I was concerned when we sat down but the ingredient quality and conception was of very high quality. There is no question this is one of the better Japanese restaurants in the country. And where does it rate in the sushi/sashimi pantheon? I would rank it solidly in the second tier, alongside Sushi Yasuda (NYC) and Sushi Kaji (Toronto.) The first tier, which would include Urasawa (LA), Kuruma Zushi (NYC), Masa (NYC), and Sawa (Sunnyvale), have higher quality fish, rice, and/or refinement. Priced at $150-200/head, Go Mart is competitively priced for this quality of meal.

Grilled Shrimp Heads

Do you have a favorite sushi spot that is relatively unknown? That might truly rank in the first or second tier of North America’s best? Share it in the Comments..

- chuck

Grilled Shitake Sushi

Here are the photos from my meal last week. The first few courses are usually the same, ingredients and variations changing with the season. Then the usual onslaught of sushi arrives.

This meal was easily my best Urasawa meal – everything was hitting on all cylinders – it gets a spot in my A1 Best Meals section. The beef, pictured below, prepared 3-4 different ways, was incredible. The toro, the rare item of his I find not always up to par, was excellent – fatty but it still had a fairly intense taste. The abalone was perfect. The (many) live prawns & lobster – sweet. The uni was very firm, foie-like creamy, and quite sweet.

Matsutake Soup

If you’re in LA and skip Urasawa, you’re doing yourself a great disservice.

Kobe Beef “A10″ – There are 12 grades of kobe beef ¹, A12 being the highest, but the chef said A12 is too fatty for more than one bite. The A10 was a good compromise for serving across several dishes. I’ve never seen more marbled meat. For those that say “you haven’t had Kobe til you’ve had the real thing” – they are absolutely correct. This would put any “wagyu” you find in top-tier American restaurants like The French Laundry to shame.

The meat was served in a variety of ways – cubed and grilled, sliced for shabu shabu, and thinly sliced and grilled for sushi. The grilling was done for a few seconds – enough for a char. The piece of sushi was the best preparation where the intensity of fat may have been a bit too much in the cubed and grilled piece.

A10 Kobe beef

Seared Toro

Egg Custard with Ikura

Toro, Kanpachi, and Uni sashimi

Abalone and Uni

Toro tataki

Shabu Shabu with Foie Gras

Uni sushi

There is no recommendation high enough for this restaurant and it’s a must-visit for Los Angeles.

- chuck

1 – Here is an excellent grading tutorial on wagyu beef: http://www.vantageusa.net/reference/JapanseMeatGrading.pdf

It is ironic then that LA, that sprawling and fragmented pastiche of modern urban design, has Boule – a one-stop shop for many great desserts. It’s a can’t-miss destination for any LA trip.

Boule is owned and operated by Michelle Meyers, a co-founder of Sona restaurant. If you sit outside, you can watch pastry chefs hauling pots and pans from the mother-ship restaurant, directly across the street. Boule fashions themselves as fashion themselves as a Patisserie, Glacerie, and Confiserie. They have everything – chocolates, macaroons, pastries, cakes, marshmellows, and ice cream. Many items are good to very good and some are outstanding.

The Ice Cream

Boule ice cream is some of the best around. The flavors are crisp and precise with a smooth, creamy, and very satisfying texture. The butter fat is higher than most (that’s a good thing.)

I had a Santa Barbara honey ice cream. This was a honey lover’s dream. After the creaminess of the ice cream melted and gave way, the mouth was entirely coated with a sweet slightly sticky honey. Excellent.

Cannelés Bordelais

My first lunch in Paris was a trip to the Bon Marche Grand Epicerie “store”. I picked up an Iberian ham sandwich, creamy Brittany vanilla yogurt, and a cannelés bordelais and ate them in the adjoining park. Of all the fancy lunches I’ve had in Paris, this combination is still one of my favorites. The ham sandwich was ok (nothing like Spain), the yogurt ridiculously creamy, and the cannelés bordelais is a perfect ending to any meal.

It might be my favorite pastry – it’s got a completely satisfying caramelized outside with a rum and vanilla custard inside.

The Boule version deserves to live in Paris to be with its kind.

If you want to try making your own, both Sweet Temptations and Chocolate and Zucchini have recipes. I will put this on my to-do list next week.

Banana Bread

Alas, not everything can be excellent. They touted their banana bread as “exceptional” but it was too dry for my tastes. It reminded me of the inferior breads I’ve been sent home with after meals at 11 Madison Park and Alain Ducasse; perhaps Sona intended to do the same.

Fromage Blanc Cheesecake

On the previous day, I had a Cowgirl Creamery fromage blanc cheesecake. I tried to make one of these once and ended up with a quiche – that might be why I eat instead of cook. This was creamy and fluffy with a slight nutty taste. Unfortunately, the top (as seen in Foodie Universe’s mini-review) was rubbery – perhaps fromage blanc cheesecakes are not big sellers at Boule. Not quite as good as Lady M or Chikalicious in New York, but satisfying.

Macaroons

There were no macaroons on this trip. The macaroon lovers in LA fight to the death over their favorite macaroons – Boule or Jin Patisserie. Neither are in the Pierre Herme or Laduree league but I’d take Boule’s over Jin’s (although Jin does have its charms.) The Boule macaroons have good flavor but they are overly sweet and their texture isn’t quite right – they flake instead of giving the slightest of yields to the teeth. However, macaroons are too personal of a preference – you should try them for yourself.

Chocolates

No chocolates on this trip either. They are too sweet for my tastes but they do have interesting flavors – rose caramel, candied ginger, scotch bonnet pepper, and many more.

Condiments

They have a wall full of condiments that will try to part you with your cash – marshmellows (yum), chocolate sauces, teas, honey, and anything else you can imagine.

Sitting Outside

You can order some desserts and coffee and sit outside. If you’re into cars, you will see and hear every high-end car imaginable – open-exhausted Ferraris, blacked-out AMG’s, street-illegal British TVR’s, countless Lamborghini Gallardos, and even a Porsche or two. There’s nothing better than LA if you like hearing cars racing down the street. If you hate cars and all of the smog they cause, just look at the plants.

Boule is a great place to stop in for a (sweet) lunch. Pick a few things, take them outside, and gobble them up. Go back in and order some more for the trip home.

- chuck

Official Site: http://www.boulela.com

1 – I haven’t tried Pâtisserie Philippe or Petite Patisserie yet. Next week is supposed to be sunny; perhaps a long walk is in order for lunch one day. I know Miette Patisserie has its fans but I only care for their chocolate pot de creme.

]]> http://www.chuckeats.com/2007/04/20/boule-la-a-patisserie-fit-for-paris/feed/ 3 http://www.chuckeats.com/2007/04/18/providence-la-fantastic-surprise-in-la-la-land/ http://www.chuckeats.com/2007/04/18/providence-la-fantastic-surprise-in-la-la-land/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:13:50 +0000 admin http://chuckeats.com/blog3/2007/04/18/providence-la-fantastic-surprise-in-la-la-land/ Despite being a large city, LA has a dearth of fine dining. There are minefields like Spago that have been known to perform to their reputations when you are a known quantity; otherwise, all bets are off. There are question marks like Sona, a restaurants whose menu piques more interest than their national reputation. And then there is Urasawa – one of the greatest restaurants in the country. If you’re in LA for the weekend, and you’ve got 2 dinners, Urasawa is usually an automatic choice. But I did things differently this time – I ventured out.

You don’t jump into the deep waters blindly; various online fora have begun talking about Providence. The Opinionated About review rated it an excellent meal. The chef, Michael Cimarusti, prides himself on pristine, wild seafood. Michel Bras’s Essential Cuisine is one of his favorite cookbooks (btw, if you’ve got a copy for $200 or less, I’ll take it.) These tidbits hardly add up to the stereotypical LA chef. I prepared myself for a good meal but I didn’t expect a great meal.

If it performs at this level on my second visit, I will happily add it to my list of Favorite Restaurants.

The maitre’d offered to let the chef cook – that’s always an easy answer – yes! Lights were too dim for the camera but the plates below were nicely presented.

1. Littleneck Clam, Lemon Gelee w/ Lime Foam

Perfectly acidic, a little more citrus than sea but the salty clam taste was absolutely there. A nice beginning. Very Good.

2. Big-eye Tuna, Black Truffle, & Tomato Compote w/ Parsnip Chip

Very good (not great) tuna where the tuna and compote blended (in both taste & texture) while the black truffle provided counterpoint in both dimensions. Very Good.

3. Octopus w/ Soy, Octopus, & Lemon Consumme

This could have been a Manresa or Urasawa dish – tender “not cooked, not raw” octopus with a very delicate consomme poured table-side. The consomme was quite complex – the soy was the primary flavor with subtle hints of lemon. Excellent.

4. Diver Scallop w/ Pickled Jus & Plum Reduction

The scallop was of high quality – exceedingly tender but it was the plum reduction that made the dish. The plum flavor, reduced but not overpowering, carried the sweetness of the scallop through a fairly long finish. Very Good.

5. Spot Prawns cooked in Rosemary Salt mound

These were presented table-side ala L’Arpege – a giant salt mound w/ spot prawns buried inside. The prawns were dug out, cut in half, and served w/ their roe and brains. These were sweet Santa Barbara spot prawns perfectly cooked with slight rosemary tones every once in awhile. The roe (and brains and even some of its exoskeleton) were all very good. Very Good.

6. Dungeness Crab Poached in Wine/Butter/Ginger

Small sweet piece of crab with a surprisingly crisp jus. Butter was the main ingredient but the ginger and white wine gave it a crispness that went perfectly with the sweetness of the crab. Very Good.

7. Tarragon Butter poached Lobster “Ravioli” w/ Beet Ravioli & American Caviar

Just a decadent butter poached lobster with a pronounced tarragon finish. Very Good.

8. Pork Belly w/ Salsify & Lemongrass Foam

The lemongrass foam came on very strong and immediately cut the fattiness of the pork. Although I would have loved more fish courses, the foam tricked the mind into thinking this was a lighter dish. Very Good.

9. John Dory w/ Carrot & Vandoven sauce

The fish was slightly overcooked (a nitpick considering the previous successes) but the carrot and vandoven go very well together. It was a slightly sweet blend with a subtle spice finish. Good (Very Good if fish correct.)

10. King Salmon Belly w/ Fried Salmon Skin & Rhubard Reduction

Silky fish with a quite crisp (and delicious) skin – I couldn’t ask for a better piece of cooked salmon. Excellent.

11. Colorado Spring Lamb w/ Last Black Truffles, Spinach, & Applewood Bacon

A good tasting lamb, but nothing extraordinary. There were copious amounts of truffle but they were flat tasting – we were told this was the last of their truffles. Good.

12. White Chocolate Lollipop filled w/ Blood Orange & Cardoman

A potent blend of orange and spice with surprisingly little sweetness. Good.

13. Raspberry Stuffed w/ Raspberry Puree, Balsamic Marshmellow, & Graham Cracker Ice Cream

A weird version of Smores? Nonetheless, everything was tasty – again, nothing overbearingly sweet. Good.

14. Pineapple Foam, Chocolate Chipolte, & Corn Tortilla Streudel w/ Avocado

A great finish to the proper dishes – the pineapple and avocado tempered the earthy, spicy chocolate in their respective ways. Good.

Watch out Urasawa – I might have a favorite new LA restaurant. I expected this meal to satisfy but I didn’t imagine it would triumph. It would easily make my Top 10 America right now. I only hope it can sustain that rating w/ repeat visits (there will be more after this meal.)

Yes, this particular meal was that good. When you read the descriptions, it sounds like the dishes might be pulled in every direction. But the meal reminded me of the simplicity of Manresa many times – more ingredients, yes, but the flavors generally blended together effortlessly and often induced small bits of sublimity. With Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert and Manresa’s David Kinch (and Urasawa), I can’t imagine anyone else in America who cooks fish this well.

And who says I don’t enjoy the meals I eat? If you know of other great finds in LA, please list them in the comments; please include links to reviews whenever possible.

- chuck

Other Reviews:

• L.A & O.C. Foodventures
• OMG Food!
• Daily Gluttony

]]> http://www.chuckeats.com/2007/04/18/providence-la-fantastic-surprise-in-la-la-land/feed/ 6 http://www.chuckeats.com/2006/11/20/urasawa-la-serene-refined-elegance/ http://www.chuckeats.com/2006/11/20/urasawa-la-serene-refined-elegance/#comments Mon, 20 Nov 2006 06:28:56 +0000 admin http://chuckeats.com/blog3/2006/11/20/urasawa-la-serene-refined-elegance/ Urasawa is the most refined Japanese restaurant in the country. The chef, Hiro, trained under the now-infamous Masa (most expensive restaurant in the country, blah, blah) but he has certainly eclipsed his teacher. His fish is not the very best (that designation is only reserved for Sawa Sushi and Kuruma Zushi), his rice second to Sushi Yasuda, the cooked dishes second only to Masa, but the sum at Urasawa is far greater than its parts.

The food is deeply personal – this is the closest you’ll get to experiencing a chef’s cuisine. It’s a one-man show from reservations to daily flower arrangements to ice carving to preparing the dishes. Hiro tastes every ingredient on *every* dish that gets served – inferior ingredients are discarded, fish is trimmed, etc. No corner is cut. The dishes have a refinement only seen in the world’s greatest kitchens. This is very special dining.

This was my 4th trip to Urasawa. It wasn’t my favorite meal but even a lesser meal at Urasawa will eclipse nearly any other Japanese restaurant in this country.

The Highlights

Turnip filled w/ Seafood Paste

This was quite spectacular. If you look closely, you’ll notice Hiro intricately carves each radish (!) before boiling it. The end dish is delicate and light.

The Santa Barbera Spot Prawn sushi

Cut live, as most things at Urasawa are, was spectacular – very sweet w/ an intense prawn taste. It may have been better than the Monterey Bay prawns served at Manresa (which are a personal favorite of mine.)

Seared Pike Mackerel w/ Shiso sushi

Pristine fish w/ a quick sear – here’s an action shot

The Entire Menu

1. Toro w/ radish

2. Uni / Egg custard w/ Shrimp & Salmon Eggs
The salmon eggs had a quick burst and provided some briny counterpoint to the sweeter uni/egg custard. The shrimp was not as good as the first time I’ve had this dish but still perfectly acceptable.

3. Miso Abalone
Delicious.

4. Toro, Red Snapper, & Spanish Mackerel sashimi
High quality fish in an ice-carved boat.

5. Turnip w/ Seafood paste
See description and photo under Highlights.

6. Japanese Sirloin
This wasn’t my favorite – a touch dry without much beef flavor.

7. Toro seared on stone
Very fatty toro + very hot stone = very caramelized decadent buttery fish.

8. Toro, Japanese Beef, & Foie Shabu Shabu
Hot broth and various raw ingredients you cook yourself. This is always one of my favorite dishes. Look at the marbeling on this beef (no, it’s not Kobe.)

And then there’s the sushi – you won’t leave on an empty stomach. Below is an example shot – each sushi comes one piece at a time:

The rice is warm, just ever so-slightly sweet, with a nice touch of vinegar.

• 9. Toro
• 10. Grilled toro
• 11. Tuna
• 12. Aji
• 13. Shrimp
• 14. Needlefish
• 15. Shitake mushroom
• 16. Uni
• 17. Spanich mackerel
• 18. Santa Barbera Prawn
• 19. Seared Pike Mackerel w/ Shiso
• 20. Eel
• 21. Seared Pike (encore – although he was reluctant to serve it b/c he used the best parts of the fish w/ the previous piece.)
• 22. Fresh Fruit
• 23. Sesame Ice Cream w/ Green Tea

Urasawa is very special. Easily a top-10 restaurant in the US (and it probably breaks my top 5.) Eating @ Urasawa is the closest you can get to peeking inside the soul of a chef.

- chuck

]]> http://www.chuckeats.com/2006/11/20/urasawa-la-serene-refined-elegance/feed/ 1 http://www.chuckeats.com/2006/04/28/il-grano-la-hitting-on-all-cylinders/ http://www.chuckeats.com/2006/04/28/il-grano-la-hitting-on-all-cylinders/#comments Fri, 28 Apr 2006 05:39:10 +0000 admin http://chuckeats.com/blog3/2006/04/28/il-grano-la-hitting-on-all-cylinders/ In town for 1 night, just returned from a very good to excellent meal w/ Olivia & another co-worker. This dinner was much better than my previous lunch last November; of course, i used a special password – “the XXXX’s sent me”

I think it worked.

We opted for the ‘tasting menu’; but I wanted my own dishes too. Well, what do you know – the dishes I chose were the exact ones Sal (the chef) served for the tasting menu.

1. Crudo
An oyster, line-caught fluke, line-caught snapper, line-caught tuna; & octopus w/ some sort of oil i forget. This was *much* improved over my crudo plate in Nov; in fact, the fluke & snapper were beautiful.

2. Grilled Fresh Santa Barbera Spot Prawns
Excellent – very sweet & tender – these nearly rivalated the perfect shrimp i had at Urasawa in November. Perfect.

3. Squid Ink Pasta w/ Uni Sauce
Excellent – I’ve proclaimed in the past squid ink makes anything great and this dish continued the trend. The pasta was toothsome, the squid ink rich, and the uni a nice coating. I tasted the uni by itself and it was fresh & sweet.

4. Seared Sturgeon
Excellent – the waiter was singing the praises of this fish (“line-caught, super-fresh, etc”) and it really showed. This was a Le Bernardin-quality fish dish – perfectly cooked w/ a nice flavor throughout.

5. Variety of Desserts
Don’t really remember, all were forgettable, this isn’t why I eat out

In November, i could see hints of the rave reviews but that meal didn’t live up to the expectations. This meal was excellent w/ Sal’s fish/seafood really shining through. Il Grano will now get serious consideration when I find myself in LA.

- chuck

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