Fresh Out da Sea

You would not expect to find some of the freshest and most traditional sushi in a Studio City strip mall.  Well Chef Nozawa or "The Sushi Nazi" as he's known, serves traditional Japanese classics at his restaurant Sushi Nozawa.  You receive no menu, you must ask for one.  If you opt out of the menu, (which you should) you get the Nozawa's special: "Trust Me".   Nozawa prides himself on providing the freshest fish possible by going to the Fish Market every day in the very early morning.  Whatever looks best to him that particular day ends up on your plate that night.

Signs all over the restaurant simply say "Trust Me" and so that is what we did.  The first course was a raw tuna salad in a light vinaigrette.  Also worth noting is the house made wasabi and ginger.  The second course came swiftly following the first, as Nozawa watched vigilantly to see when we finished our previous course.  Next came slices of Yellowtail and Toro over hot sticky rice.  What's also different about this place is that the rice is always served hot.  If your chopstick skills aren't up to par, your hands will suffice.

Ginger and Wasabi

Yellowtail and Toro Sashimi

Raw Tuna Salad

Only midway through, 2 Crab Handrolls and 4 pieces of Albacore sashimi arrived.  The crab was  not overpowered by the sauce.  That's a trend Nozawa sticks to; he serves his fish raw with little to detract from the fish itself.  He wants the quality of the fish to shine through.  Yet another course, 2 Toro Handrolls and 4 Halibut sashimi were delivered by the only waiter at the restaurant.  Delicious as always.  After we cleared our plates, our server asked us if we wanted another course; Matt was ready to quit, but Ethan pushed him into one more course.  Probably the best sashimi of the night came here.  We were graced with Black Cod sashimi and Scallop Handcone.  We weren't hungry enough to fully enjoy the rich Scallop Handcone after 4 full courses, but the Black Cod was simply awesome.

Toro Handrolls and Halibut Sashimi

Scallop Handcones and Black Cod Sashimi

It's up to you how much to order, but beware of the price.  You won't know how much it is until your bill comes at the end, and "trust us" it's expensive.  However, like we said in our last post, it's worth it.  Quality comes at a price and you're sure paying premium here.  There are no fancy flavors or colorful plates here, just extremely traditional sushi served the way it's meant to be.

Pay For Quality

After watching the news and seeing that Carmageddon was actually a blessing in disguise, causing less LA traffic than normal, we decided to head to Santa Monica's Huckleberry.  We arrived in the back lot where parking is free and abundant.  Heading through the back door, we were swamped with people.  The line was long, however it only took a few minutes to order.  While waiting in line, you can see all the delicious pastries in display cases enticing you.  Although most probably tasty, they were definitely marked up based on location and prestige.  We opted for 2 moderately priced donut holes; they sure were well-made.

Our ratatouille and fried egg sandwich arrived at the table, just after we snagged a table in the bustling dining room.  The ratatouille was filled with fresh vegetables and it really let the quality of the produce come through.  An egg on top added some protein and richness.  The thick bread on the bottom was crunchy and freshly baked, a nice touch.  A hearty and energy-packed fried egg sandwich was a great way to start the day.  It had nicely cooked sunny side up eggs that added creaminess to the sandwich along with the aioli.  Niman Ranch bacon added a nice saltiness and crisp texture to the sandwich, and the gruyere was nutty and melted.















Huckleberry serves up a terrific breakfast that showcases fresh ingredients and simple flavors.  The cost of ingredients inflates the prices beyond a casual breakfast, but for a special occasion or treat, Bob Barker would agree The Price is Right!

The Lonely Trucks

We were looking around twitter trying to find a good food truck to eat at, and we saw that 4 trucks were going to be at the same location in Culver City.  We made sure to leave enough time even if there was traffic and the food trucks were packed.  We had experienced 1.5 hours with Nom Nom and Grill 'em All trucks in the past.  Well, there was no traffic and there was close to no one at the food trucks.  By that we mean there were maybe 10 people at most eating from the 4 different trucks when we first got to the large parking lot for Centinela Feed and Akiba Temple #badbusiness.

Nom Nom, The Munchie Machine, José O'Malley's, and Crepe'n Around.  We started with bahn mi from Nom Nom.  The pork and lemongrass chicken bahn mi were both good as always.  We didn't eat at Crepe'n Around or The Munchie Machine, although The Munchie Machine had a creative hangover/dank menu.  Trying to find out the attempted play on words of the truck's name Matt's sister asked the guy at Crepe'n Around "What's the pun?"  The befuddled Mr. Crepe answered her question with another question: "Are crepes fun!?"  Realizing he clearly couldn't formulate a simple answer to a seemingly simple question, she walked away laughing.

We wanted to try food from another truck, so we decided on chili and a beef quesadilla from the gringo truck (José O'Malley's).  Don't be thrown off by the overly tacky light up signs and flags that top the truck; the food is enjoyable.  It's nothing special or creative, but it tastes good.

Even though there was not much energy, we always like a food truck adventure.

Picca(chu) Peruvian

It's a Wednesday night and we call Picca to see if we can get a reservation.  But damn, no tables 'til 9:45.  However, word on the street is that the bar is usually open a cool place to dine.  So, we made our way to Picca for some small plates of Peruvian cuisine.  When we arrived, there was even a 20 minute wait for the bar.  This place was straight poppin' on a hump day.  To pass the time, we J-walked to Ralphs to browse and get the nice deal of 2 for 1 Hi-Chew.

By the time we checked back in at Picca, there were two seats available at the bar.  There were two bars at the restaurant: the one we sat at offers a close-up view of the kitchen.  We grazed over the menu and picked 6 dishes from the various categories ranging from ceviches to main plates like paella.  Ethan asked the waiter if 6 dishes would be enough, but he suggested that 8-10 would be just right.  We were sure to order a variety of different flavors and proteins.

The first dish to come out was lightly fried chicken with a tomato salsa and a pepper sauce; decent but wouldn't order again.  The first misstep of the night occurred here: it was the service.  At a tapas restaurant like this, timing is crucial to a diner's experience.  With many dishes, they must flow out in a regimented fashion with equal time in between each one.  Our chicken came out then we waited far too long only to have 3 dishes come out at once.  Those 3 were the ceviche criollo, papa rellena, and tuna tartare.  The ceviche was fresh and spicy seabass with a crazy duo of corn.  One way was corn kernels that had been roasted and the other was choclo... whatever that is.  The papa was perfectly filled with boiled egg and braised beef, much more memorable than the average tuna tartare.

Ceviche

Fried Chicken

Papa Rellena

After an appropriate wait time between dishes, we got the beef filet skewers and a quail egg-potato skewers.  The beef was good not great, although the sea urchin butter was classy, but the quail egg skewer was different and delicious.  Next came the star of the night: the seafood paella.  The rice was flavorful and the seafood was abundant and delectable.   The second but more easily corrected error was the waiter forgetting that we ordered mussels after he so strongly recommended for them.  We had to wait until they finally made them, but they were worth the wait.  Possibly too salty/garlicky, the broth was smooth and redolent.
The dessert options seemed unoriginal, so we returned to Ralphs to grab some Cincinnati native Graeter's Ice Cream.

Paella!

Skewers

Mussels

Straight from Cincinnati: Graeters!

The winners overall here are the adventurous dishes.  Don't settle for dishes you can get anywhere like beef filet or tuna tartare.  This place is serving up some unique peruvian food with an upscale twist.  With the need to order plentifully, we ended up spending close to $45 a person after tax and tip and still could've eaten more.

Sushi Done Right

Wabi Sabi is an awesome sushi bar and restaurant in Venice that has quickly become the go-to Sunday night family sushi place.  This place may not be in the most convenient location, but I don't mind the drive to get the amazing food they are serving up.  You walk in and there is soft music playing and there is the trendy feel that has come to be expected of any restaurant on Abbot Kinney.

This place does not let any aspect of their food or service slip beneath the highest of standards .  Even the miso soup, which is most often bland and really just something hot to eat quickly is packed with flavor and a great texture.  Their service is impeccable.  We have had Justin as our waiter many times now and he never fails to deliver.  This past time we went, he seemed to be able to read my dad's mind and brought him another napkin after a little spill before he could even ask for it.  My dad also kept asking for more ginger so Justin just brought out a huge bowl of it.  This past time Justin told us about their sparkling water which is a flat rate of $5 and comes out of a machine for all you can drink bubbly water.

Tons of Ginger

Unlimited in-house made sparkling water

Alright, as great as Justin is, that will be enough about him.  So, let's get to the awesome food he is bringing out of the kitchen!  One of my favorite dishes to order at sushi restaurants is miso eggplant, and I have never had better than at Wabi Sabi.  The miso sauce is sweet but not too sweet and even the tempura fried tofu that they serve with the eggplant is actually good.  I don't know about you, but I have never been a fan of tofu.  Somehow, Wabi Sabi has gotten me to enjoy the often slimy stuff.  The dish is served inside a ring of eggplant is simply unbeatable.  The spicy tuna on crispy rice that was made famous by the overpriced and overhyped Katsuya is done very well here.  The tuna has a great texture that is contrasted by the crispy rice and the spice is topped off with a wasabi mayo.

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

Miso Eggplant

Now to the sushi.  The fish is always so fresh and to put it simply they just do sushi the right way.  This past time the tuna, salmon, and red snapper were particularly fresh and great.  I always love their crab, whether it's in a california or baked crab roll it's always sweet and really blows away the quality of crab in most all other sushi restaurants.

Tons of Sushi!

This place is great because even if you don't like sushi the dishes that come out of the kitchen are great too.  I have had tempura shrimp, chicken curry, and sweet potato fries that have all been amazing.  They always have great specials that show off the best ingredients available and the freshness and quality are what really makes this place shine.