Aburiya Toranoko

Aburiya Toranoko is a funky sushi bar Downtown with a hip, casual atmosphere. It's creators are Michael Cardinas of IDG restaurant group and co-owner/head chef Hisa; both, at one point worked for Nobuyuki Matsuhisa at his namesake "Matsuhisa" in Beverly Hills. In recent years Michael has transitioned into developing restaurants with a more casual and youthful appeal, opening Lazy Ox (a gastro-pub of sorts) and Fat Spoon (a japanese curry house); all located near Downtown's Little Tokyo neighborhood.

On this evening, Chef Hisa-San was not in but we were in experienced hands with chef Senji-San.

"Special" Hamachi Kama

Aburi Kanpachi. Seared. Crispy Onion. Garlic sauce.

Chef Senji-San in action

Hamachi Sashimi. Ponzu Style

Ichiko Shochu

Seared O-Toro

Seared Sake "Toro"

Seared Big-Eye Tuna. Ponzu. Crispy Spinach.

Chef Senji-San's Special Sashimi: hamachi, red snapper, scallop, uni, w/ olive oil, yuzu, salt, pepper. Delicious!

Tsunomono

Uni "2 ways"

The getting into this book dilemma... Overcome

Finally I know why I was reading about corn for 70 pages. Someone should have told me. There should be a disclaimer. Corn is the backstory. There is life -or more to this book- after corn.

Steak Dinner & Leftovers

Last nights dinner, cast iron skillet grilled steaks -ribeye and filet-, sautéed spinach w/ garlic, and sautéed mushrooms w/garlic and chillies finished with butter and creme fraiche. A bottle of 2009 Gevrey Chambertin Burgundy to accompany.

Today's lunch, steak sandwiches on grilled baguette with caramelized onions and mayo mustard. Is 130pm too early for wine?

Passover Seder

The Seder went great. Cooked kugel for my first time. Turned out great. Cinnamony, sugary, eggy, doughy, cheesy. Did a 5lb brisket that almost got ruined. But, thanks to some patient carving and delicious jus even boiled sneakers would have tasted good. Family turned up from all over. Well, mostly LA and 1 cousin from SF. I was excited about the organic wine I had chosen for the evening, but was disappointed by all except one. Think it was called green truck or something. I can check. Jojomojo did a great job of making the place look heavenly. And we didn't even fight over how to lead the Seder! No Elijah though. Maybe it's cause we gave him Manischewitz and kept the good stuff for ourselves.

Passover: Night 1

Just prepping tonight. Sedars tomro. 5 lbs of beef brisket. Afterwards opened a bottle of Bordeaux, cooked a bowl of pasta and put on a John Wayne classic, 'The Searchers'.

Unlikely Ice Cream

Mashti Malone's in Hollywood, lodged in a little strip mall on La Brea, might have the best ice cream in town. It's specialty is a selection of rose water based ice creams that, while were enjoyable, had a bit too much of a rose aromatic to suit my liking. On the other hand, their more standard flavors were delicious versions of familiar flavors. Two stand outs that I tried were black cherry and pistachio. Black cherry was not only light and creamy but also brought me back to my childhood days of black cherry Haagen-Daaz. Pistachio, despite having a suspiciously unnatural neon green tinge, turned out to be deliciously chewy and thick with a mild sweetness to it. The other flavor pictured however is the chocolate fudge; an equally tasty, chewy and thick treat.

Pa Ord

Great little hole in the wall authentic Thai restaurant in Hollywood's Thai town. Menu focus is on noodles, but the crispy pork served with Chinese broccoli or string beans or holy basil or all the above mixed is a great non noodle dish. This dish is made even greater by adding a fried egg to the white rice that accompanies the dish. Be warned: mild is spicy by American taste standards.

Umamicatessen

I tried Umamicatessen. Space is cool. Like a jazzed up food court (with servers). Just next to my favorite* venue The Orpheum. @michaelawesterlund and I tried the smushed potatoes, the exclusive shrimp burger, the tres leches doughnut and the house coffee. A stand out was the umami ketchup, the best ketchup I've ever tried. All plates were recommendable but that being said you can find better versions of all of them. Service was very good.

*would be my hands down favorite venue if they had more acts booked there. But all shows I have seen have been magical (last couple recent I can remember being Thom Yorke and Ray Lamontagne)

Farmers Market

Each Sunday I try to make it down to my local Farmer's Market. Each week's market is sure to bring familiar faces and reliable produce and there is always something new and exciting to see and taste. Here are some colorful looking veg from this Sunday.

Awesome Açai

Maca-Braina: This is the best one I've tried so far and it's from Liquid Juice Bar on Melrose.

Carls Jr.

Is it just me? Or does anyone else think this looks good?

Jinya

After loving it, then swearing it off, I am now back on the Jinya bandwagon (ahh, the fickle customer).

800 Degrees Pizza

800 Degrees is pizza in the same vain as Subway, Chipotle and the recent U-Sushi in beverly hills; Hop in line and customize your order. Great for what it is, in the end the pizza comes out to be under $10 with added toppings and is served in a couple of minutes. The ingredients are tasty and simple and there are a variety of them. The ambiance of this as of yet sole location is very college campus-y.

Dance Music

House, electro, dance, tech-house, minimal, warehouse, industrial, deep house... Call it what you want, but this music keeps you dancing all night. Often going until sunrise, some of the best parties tend to be thrown by Culprit, Droid and Incognito among others. Here are some upcoming events in LA.

Sunday Dinner

Roast Chicken, Garlic, Lemon, Thyme

Wine: 2000 Chateau Montrose