No. 211: Off-the-Strip in Vegas - Alizé

Having been to Vegas so many times in my past (it's practically an annual tradition for me & my friends from high school,) I am no stranger to all the places to eat & drink on the Strip. The buffets! The happy hours! The late-night joints for post-clubbing nosh! All of which are kinda yawn for me by now (especially given their recent proliferation of ripoffs from LA, SF, DC & NY restaurants.) So on my excursion last month, I made more of an attempt to wander off Las Vegas Blvd. for some truly distinctive bites & sips.

Which brings me to Alizé at the Top of the Palms.

Even though the meal is partially-hosted, my attempt to give it a preliminary incognito checkout @ the bar was foiled, as there was a receptionist checking me in @ the ground level elevator.

And... they certainly weren't kidding about the amazing view from the 56th floor. This photo doesn't do justice to the gorgeous panorama of scintillating lights and sparkles of the Strip & the city itself.

While deliberating on what to order, I got a Wild Turkey Manhattan. Purists might scoffed that it was not stirred, but it was not quite shaken either -- rather, it was more of a gentle rolling slosh in the shaker, and the resulting drink was still rather smooth and velvety with a nice balance of the vermouth & bitter aromas with the snappy, spicy bite of the rye.

Alas, despite promises of foie gras, duck breast & rib eye on their Chef's Tasting Menu -- I opted for the Vegetarian Tasting Menu instead, partly to take the road less traveled, partly because I've already eaten too much meat & seafood thus far in my Vegas weekender, but mostly because I'm impressed with the variety of items & preparations offered on that menu, instead of looking like a bunch of side dishes cobbled together.

Equally impressive was their tablet-based SmartCellar, which made for easy browsing and choosing of their 7,500+ wines--particularly with sorting by price range, regions, varietals, etc. Some of the details do lean on the generic side, but I have no doubt that a knowledgeable sommelier would be on-hand to give personal attention & TLC should the need arise . . .

Starting off the seven-course tasting was the butter lettuce & beet salad w candied walnuts. Lovely color and I loved the square-cut slices of the beets, and overall the salad tasted as colorful as it looked, with the tender and crisp leaves anchoring the flavors of the sweet and crunchy walnuts and the tender, earthy beets. And the dressing--a citrus-creme fraiche-shallot vinaigrette--was a wonderful combination of contradictions, rich & decadent but also delicate & bright at the same time, with the creamy texture nicely melding with its tangy savoriness.

Next up was a piquillo pepper stuffed with Provencal vegetables and herbed cream cheese. It was a festive melange of zesty & bold flavors, reminiscent of a ratatouille given a little more substance & oompf with the cheese. And the colorful streaks of red pepper puree & basil-infused olive oils added even more zippiness to the equation!

Following that was an asparagus risotto with truffle beurre monte & gruyere cheese. Subtle yet sublime with perfectly cooked rice (tender but with a toothy texture), a sauce that's thoroughly but delicately infused with truffles, and asparagus that retained its snappy-firm texture and bright, sweet-grassy flavor. What I love best is that this, like the salad dressing, felt like an indulgence without being over-the-top, guilt-inducing rich. Definitely gives me something to aspire to in my own risotto-cooking at home, which does lean a little heavier & a little cheesier.

Before moving onto the heartier savories, I was presented with a palate-cleansing intermezzo of tropical fruit sorbet with pomegranate arils. It was indeed refreshing & tangy but may have been frozen a tad too long, it did take a pretty decent hammering with my spoon before the shot-sized scoop broke apart.

To go the more entreé-ish dishes, I ordered a glass of the 2009 Pascual Toso Malbec, which was silky-smooth with soft tannins, a minor kick of peppery bite and pleasant notes of plum, strawberry and cocoa (though not so much that it smells & tastes like a chocolate-covered starburst.) But do note that by-the-glass markup here is on the high side -- this particular Malbec being $16 for a bottle that costs around $9-10 (the general rule of thumb being a restaurant's by-the-glass pour should be around the bottle's retail price.)

The first of the mains was a Royal Trumpet Mushroom atop a roasted potato galette in a pool of huckleberry-green peppercorn sauce with microgreens and a caramelized clementine crisp. With the mushroom being braised or poached, I wasn't sure it would hold up to the other more assertive flavors, but it worked surprisingly well -- lending a meaty texture and slight woodsy taste that complemented the latke-ish galette, celeryish greens, and the vibrant citrus & sauce that's fruity without being cloyingly sweet--the last of which I may have impolitely used bread to lap up long after everything else is gone.

The other entree in the tasting that was a black-pepper crusted tofu spaced with sweet potatoes, topped with toasted marcona almonds and an apricot glaze. Like the mushroom dish, it was a nice contrast of sweet, spicy and savory. I particularly love the combo of the intensely-fruity glaze against the piquant punch of the cracked peppercorns coating the tofu, which has a delightful crispy shell that quickly gives way to a luxuriously creamy interior. Last but not least, kudos to the accompanying vegetables, which still retained their integrity in flavor and texture (unlike many places that oversteam them to a soft & mushy, generic- & greyish- tasting goop.)

Following up was the cheese course featuring rectangular slices of Stilton with Port-poached figs a chocolate covered square of apple. In short, lots of intense flavors on one plate--from the funk of the bleu to the concentrated tangy-sweetness of the figs and the bittersweet dark chocolate--that I loved mixing and matching with. And to no surprise, the apple itself kind of got lost in the whirlwind of sharp tastes, but it did lend a pleasant crunch to the whole affair.

Desserts started with a poached pear brunoise in vanilla broth, topped with Belle de Brillet ice cream. Despite the plain color palette, this tasted heavenly - with an exquisite explosion of ripe, juicy pear aromas and flavors delightfully rounded out by the rich & comforting vanilla.

Afterwards was a deconstructed raspberry cheesecake of sorts, with a raspberry filled block of cheesecake coated in graham cracker crumbs accompanied by a graham cracker crisp and curls of dark chocolate. The cheesecake was solid (creamy, not-too-sweet, delicate tang with a punch of fruitiness) but felt a bit too cautious compared to the pear & vanilla. I almost want to invert the sweets order, favoring familiar to playful over light to heavy, so the final impression would be more of a bang.

But overall, Alizé certainly delivered on its promises, the ambience and views are amazing, the service polished and professional without being overbearingly fussy and a tasting menu that delightfully dances back and forth between comforting & curiosity-inducing dishes. And a definite top of my list as a recommendation for a "dinner to impress" in Las Vegas, and especially so for vegetarians & or even just veg-lovers... there aren't too many places where you'll find a tasting menu as dynamic and elegant as this one in the land of prime ribs, lobster tails and foie gras.

Alizé at the Top of the Palms

4321 W Flamingo Road

Las Vegas 89103

(702) 951-7000

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Special Foodventure #120: One Sunset... Again! (West Hollywood)

Thanks to Abby and the One Group, I got another opportunity to check out One Sunset for free (save for tips at the end) -- this time with a bunch of other foodbloggers! Since it's been about a month or two since my last visit there (when Jason Ryczek just became the new executive chef) so it's also a good opportunity to see how he steered the menu.

Like last time, the event occurred on a Tuesday to, of course, promote their "One of Almost Everything" Tuesday special ($45 for a four-course meal, each course being a duo or trio of dishes so more like 11-12 belly-busting "tastings", and a bottle of wine for only $1 more!) but this time, One Group mixologist Pablo Moix was on hand to help create cocktail pairings with the various courses. Which totalled up to five cocktails PLUS wine... um yeah, I'm thankful for my tolerance and my semi-legible notes (which, of obvious reasons, got more illegible as the night went on.)

Of the drinks, the ones I loved the most are the LUSHious raspberry served at the beginning (a delightful combo of fresh raspberries, Leblon cachaça and Gloria Ferrer Champagne) and the pictured-above Sucker Punch (Tommy Bahama rum, clover honey syrup, red wine with mint garnish -- or as I call it, the delicious lovechild of mojito and sangria.)

Some of my favorites from my previous time there made a reappearance, including the short rib sliders with smoked cheddar and the "adult candy" (medjool dates stuffed with bleu cheese and wrapped in bacon) and those turkey meatballs that are SO moist and fluffy they don't taste "turkey" at all, but here are some new items I really liked:

- Strawberries and burrata - a simple spin off a traditional caprese salad, with strawberries standing in for tomatoes, but the subsitution was sublime. The strawberries still lent that familiar tartness to offset the creamy cheese, but I love how its ripe, sweet, fruity aroma worked with the almost syruplike balsamic vinegar. A generous sprinkling of pink peppercorn also gave it much-welcomed extra little zip.

- Tuna tartare on eggplant tempura - ok, not entirely 'new' since I had it at the last tasting, but this one worked considerably better since the eggplant slices were smaller so it didn't taste too heavy; the ratio of the crispy batter, the creamy eggplant and the fatty, meaty raw tuna were 'just right'.

- Chowder in a clam shell - asides from the cute presentation, it's a nicely-sized mini-course of roasted clam, chorizo and creamier-than-usual chowder sauce, satisfying my palate for something heavy without making me feel guilty for slurping down a whole bowl of chowder.

- Vegan Godiva chocolate gelato w a side shot of Disaronna amaretto - the gelato was deep and intense with cocoa flavors and not-too-sweet, and if Chef Ryczek didn't mention the vegan aspect of it I wouldn't have been able to tell, since instead of the usual rice or soy milk he used agar to give it that creamy/thick consistency (I'm sure it's more complicated than just throwing agar gel, cocoa powder and sweetener together -- but the rest I chuck up to culinary magic.) Mixing in that amaretto worked enchantments of its own as it slowly turns into an alcoholic chocolate-almond non-milkshake.

And as with most hosted dinners attended by foodbloggers galore, a major part of the fun is chatting up with them, as well as with Chef Ryczek, on food trends, places they love to hit up, and noting their food preferences from how they reacted to the dish (my sweet tooth is easily unveiled by my love of the desserts as well as the short rib sliders, which others felt were a touch too sugary.)

Nonetheless, I'm definitely glad to still be able to recommend the "One of Almost Everything" Tuesdays as one of the better and tastier deals going on at the swanky Sunset Strip, and with the seasonal menu direction that Chef Ryczek is adapting, I'm definitely looking forward to something fresh and innovative the next time I'm swinging by, which I'll gladly do on my own dime.

For other reports of this same meal, check out the posts by gas•tron•o•my, Kevineats, Tangmeister and When Tara Met Blog.

One Sunset
8730 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 657-0111
Website

Complete Flickr set with more photos here

Special Foodventure #116: Opening Night at the Bazaar's Saam (Beverly Hills)

My 2009 splurge meal came earlier than I expected, since my Jose Andres lovin' friend wanted to check out Saam on its opening night this past Friday. Despite my DineLA Bazaar meal being a hit and miss affair, I decided to give the place another shot ~ to see if it lives up to the perfect four-stars anointed by LA Times' S. Irene.

Having arrived a tad early, my friend and I went to Bar Centro area to check out a couple of drinks. I got the Jale Berry, which was still tasty though significantly less spicy than I remembered, and my friend had the bartender's choice (pictured above) - a mix of Partida reposado, lime, mint and ginger syrup that went down really smooth and had a nice bouquet of spicy, minty flavors with the slightest tequila edge. After our drink, we checked in with the host stand to be taken into the Saam section of the Bazaar.

Saam, which turned out to be a Baz*aa*r-ish play on SBE owner Sam Nazarian's name, is situated in a private room situated right behind Bar Centro. With its wood-paneled walls and roof, high ledges lined with kitschy books and knick-kacks, and a winebar smack in the middle, it gives off a den or game room feel, I was even keeping an eye out for a dart board or a box of cigars somewhere. But overall, it was cozy and comforting, and a far-cry from the glitzy-bordering-on-gaudy ambience of the other Bazaar areas and much more appropriate for a tasting menu affair than the noisy hub-bub and visual distractions going on in the Rojo and Blanca rooms.

Another surprise is that for an opening night, Saam wasn't very filled -- only about a third to a half of the tables were occupied at any given time throughout our dinner. Then again, the buzz for the opening was kept pretty low (only Urbandaddy disclosed it ahead of time) and the server noted they are in a sort of soft-launch phase to see what works and what could be tweaked.

Soon after we settled into our seats, the waitstaff gave a breakdown of how the meal will proceed and asked about our allergies/preferences, then quickly presented us with a "snack and a cocktail" of their salty air margarita and sweet potato chips with tamarind paste and star anise. The margarita was decent and I do like the soft-and-light foam better than the typical coarse grains rimming the glass, but the tequila's harsh edge (blanco, I presume) was a bit too rough for my personal preference. Their spin on chips and dip was delicious, hitting three flavor notes with the slight saltiness of the sweet potato to the sweetness of the tamarind paste and the sourness of the yogurt.

As we finished our sips and nibbles, we were besieged with a quartet of bites. From front-to-back, we had a “olive oil bonbon” with a touch of saffron, caviar steamed bun with American sturgeon caviar, crème fraiche and “lemon air” on a mini bao, the bagel and lox crispy cone with salmon roe and dill cream cheese, and their cotton candy-wrapped foie gras. Here, the two fish egg dishes were wonderful tasting, with the roe harmonizing well with the other components and carrying it through with its briny, fishy (in a good way) flavor. The olive oil bonbon and the foie gras, on the other hand, seemed more fun to eat than tasty themselves. With the former, it was neat to crack the glassy bonbon in my mouth to flood my tongue with the saffron-infused oil, but ultimately it’s just oil on my tongue, albeit a quality olive oil which made me wish I had bread. With the foie gras, there’s that sweet-savory match going on and the expected richness of the fatty liver, but that was it and it felt single-faceted.

It was here that we also mentioned being interested in a wine pairing, and found out that instead of a traditional pairing, they offer four wine flights (self-explanatory Global, Spanish, Sparkling and Fortified) and essentially let the diners do their own pairings. Depending on your take, this can be DIY fun or a bit lazy on part of the restaurant. I started leaning towards the latter after some of my own pairing experiments went awry and resulted in puckery-cringe facial expressions. Also, I got the sparkling flight, which, despite being two 1.5 oz pours of four wines during the meal, didn’t last very well, since the bubbles ~ particularly for the two Cavas ~ dissipates fairly quickly and I really can’t let them just sit at the table and get flat while waiting for other courses to present themselves. A Spanish or a Global flight would work way better for pairing purposes…

After the four amuses and initial sips of our flights, we were presented with another Bazaar signature, the olive spherication, with olive juice contained in a gellified olive “skin” steeped in olive oil. A playful morsel that tastes like an extra dirty martini minus the alchy (though if you order a standard martini at the Bazaar you will get one of these lovelies in your glass.)

Following the spherified olive is Jose's Ham & Cheese sandwich (on an oddly-cute monkey pedestal tray!) with the deliate "air bread" bread filled with creamy La Serena sheep's cheese and topped with slices of jamon iberico. Pure decadence as all the components melded together, the cured, marbled ham with the creamy-yet-assertive cheese with the crisp, cracker-like bread.

After the monkey pedestal was bussed away, we were served the "canned" uni conservas with flowers and diced vegetables. Since my uni experiences thus far have been in sushi form, it was interesting to see it paired with the more lively veggies, but it worked surprisingly well. The creamy-sweetness of the urchin still came forth, and was nicely contrasted with the crunchy, mildly tart vegetables.

The boneless wing was up next, a 12-hour-marinated and breaded chicken with olive puree and iceplant. I like the mild garlicky flavor that was thoroughly infused throughout the moist chicken as well as the accompaniments that gave it a green-grassy note, but not so much the breading that was soggy rather than crispy.

Next up, their interpretation of the shrimp cocktail, with a Santa Barbara shrimp studded with petals, herbs and sesame seeds, pierced by a pipette filled with cocktail sauce and shrimp-head broth. Simply heavenly, and tasted every bit as colorful as it appeared; the plump, sweet shrimp was cooked to perfection (tender with that almost-crisp snap of firmness) and that broth-infused cocktail sauce tasted like a spiced-up red chowder. Totally could’ve eaten another few (dozen) of these!

Then came our intermission “show” where two servers almost struggled to push their ubiquitous liquid nitrogen cart in front of our table, to do a full on, cold-fog demo of their nitro gazpacho. For our photo-taking purposes, she really loaded up on the liquid N2 for the mad-science-lab effect. Nice!

As for gazpacho itself, decorated with edible flowers and airbread pieces and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, it was competent. All the expected flavor components were there, and I like the frozen sorbet texture, but the taste didn’t wow me and I actually could’ve used a little less of this since it’s very intense-tasting and left a distinct tomato and vegetal aftertaste that I had to drink plenty of water to get rid of before my next course of . . .

Bluefin toro with 63 celsius quail egg, caramelized watermelon, rice puffs and wasabi. Oddly enough, the fatty tuna belly had more of a salmon sashimi look and taste. The egg, whose yolk is still molten, had a nice richness that binded the flavors of the fish and the watermelon, and I liked the little poppity-crunch from the puffs. But again, another good-but-not-great dish – though I was still wondering about the salmon-y tuna for quite a while afterwards.

Following the toro was the Norwegian lobster with a thin slice of toasted baguette atop a seaweed salad, with a espresso cup of lobster broth. We were instructed to eat the lobster and baguette, have a sip of the broth, then eat the seaweed salad – which worked pretty well, the lobster meat was sweet and succulent, and the broth further brings out the savory flavor, and the seaweeds serve as an efficient palate cleanser, so that I can experience it fresh all over again. Definitely an impressive dish since I’m usually not that fond of lobsters.

Finishing off our seafood experience, smoked sous-vide salmon with a tzatziki sphere, chickpea pancake, dill, pressed cucumber, green chickpeas and olive oil. Rich yet refreshing and reminiscent of Mediterranean cuisine, this course was very delightful, distinctive yet familiar, basically a haute-refined salmon-dill-cucumber-yogurt dip. Definitely spoiled me for any creamy smoked salmon-dill spreads that I’ll encounter in the future!

Next is a partially destroyed “Not Your Everyday Caprese” salad because we forgot to take a photo before chomping down. It basically consisted of a liquefied mozzarella sphere with “sexy” tomatoes, airbread pieces, housemade pesto and dots of balsamic. Like the gazpacho, all the flavor expectations of caprese are here, but I don’t necessarily feel it’s an improvement over a traditional caprese and actually prefer a more solid mozzarella.

Rounding off the main courses is the Tournedos Rossini 2009, an homage to the famous composer and gourmand, consisting of a A5 Wagyu beef in a black-truffle gel, topped with foie gras shavings, king oyster mushroom and black trumpet mushrooms (mistakenly called “black trumpet truffles” by our server); between the truffle gel, the shrooms, foie gras and marbled beef, it was an attack of richness all vying for attention from my tastebuds. As such, this dish actually tasted better when I ate one or two components with the jus rather than a combined bite, when everything is just overwhelming one another in an orgy of fatty foods and it wounds up being an unappealing glob of heavy oiliness in my mouth. But it was divine when eaten separately, when the individual ingredients really shone in their unique flavors.

Transitioning our way into desserts, we got the signature and popular dragon’s breath (actually even too popular, such that the Bazaar won’t serve it unless Jose is in the kitchen). A fun, tasty bite of caramel popcorn, especially when the nitrogen vapors go up the nasal cavity and out the nostrils to produce that infamous effect.

Our first dessert is the chocolate biscuit coulant Michel Bras, essentially a molten chocolate-souffle inspired by the notable French chef, topped with gold flakes and served atop cardamom foam. Even if the chocolate-cardamom combo isn’t particularly edgy for me, this was a perfectly delicious sweet and I practically spooned every last bit into my mouth.

Second sweet was coconut-in-a-half-shell with an edible white chocolate-coconut shell, coconut sorbet, caramelized banana, passion fruit sauce with seeds and vanilla. Looks very pretty, and like the chocolate, tasted fine but also felt a bit ordinary on the creative scale.

Wrapping everything up, their petit fours of chocolate lolly with candied orange, saffron gumdrop and earl grey chocolate bonbon. All three were good but the gumdrop (with edible candy wrapper) was the most memorable because of its distinctive flavor and texture.

And for better or for worse, stomach-space-wise I left the meal feeling satisfied and not stuffed, though I will disclaim that my appetite leans on the lighter side. As for the overall experience of the meal? While it definitely is a mark up from the erratic menu landmine at the Bazaar, my Saam dinner felt less memorable than my previous years’ splurge meals at Providence and Spago, which were almost consistently good throughout the meal whereas with Saam I had greater variances, with some dishes being really good (Santa Barbara shrimp, Tournedos Rossini when eaten apart) and some that just tasted OK (gazpacho, caprese, boneless wing). But it was at least a nice visual treat watching many of these dishes being served (or served tableside!)

For the sakes of opening day, I’d rather not rate them since there’s bound to be a few significant changes over the next few weeks (for one, they’re trying to give Saam its own menu rather than borrowing a few dishes from the Rojo y Blanca one.) But if there’s one thing I’d recommend, it’s definitely to have a sommelier on-site to make appropriate pairings for the dishes. At $120 for the dinner and $40-$55 for the wines, that’s something I’d rather leave to the pros rather than blindly DIYing my way through.

A few more photos from me and my friend's flickr.

Saam at The Bazaar at SLS
465 S. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles
310.246.5545
http://www.thebazaar.com

Foodventure #114: Inaka Seafood Gourmet (Arcadia)

Inaka Gourmet's Chef Nikki and I go a ways back, early 2005, back when she was co-owner/chef at Azami Sushi Cafe at the Melrose/La Brea area, one of my fave spots for cheap-yet-delicious omakase ($35 up), but her co-chef/biz partner/cousin has since moved back to Japan. Nikki held up Azami with other chefs for awhile but ultimately decided to close shop. Sadness indeed.

But then, I found out that she re-established herself at Inaka Gourmet in Arcadia (way closer to where I live) doing reservations-only Chef's Table (maximum 10 peeps per night). The price has been bumped up a bit, a flat $80/person, but it's still cheaper than many of the omakase games in town (particularly the $350-400 wallet-draining behemoth known as Urasawa.) But mostly, I return with friends just to re-experience the simply delicious food prepared by Nikki. And because there's no corkage, I got some sakes - a sparkly Hou Hou Shu junmai and a Tozai "Voices in the Mist" nigori - to go with our meal. (Turns out I could've have brought another bottle of wine for the occasion, the four of us finished those up mid-way through the meal!)

Inaka, which by day is a homestyle Japanese restaurant serving bentos, roll-style sushi and bowl dishes, is easy to miss if you're not looking for it, being a small restaurant that seats about 20 people max. The interior is minimally-decorated, with warm-neutral tones and easy listening music piped out of a docked iPod.

Our server, who also came from Azami, was a delight. He quickly took away my sake bottle to chill and was pretty good with the pacing throughout the meal, which consisted of (in order):

smoked salmon-wrapped lobster with creme fraiche, chives, fried potato strands and dashi reduction -- great layering of flavors between the rich, velvety salmon, the firm, sweet lobster and crunchy taters, the chives and creme fraiche played nicely against the salmon's smokiness too.

trio of kumamoto oysters accented with, from left to right, orange caviar, yuzu-lemon and ponzu sauces -- I love the variations in taste, but they all seem to play up the creamy, slightly-briny flavor of the oysters (and the combination between the oyster liqueur and three accompaniments was slurppably good, we had no shame raising the shell to our lips and sucking every last drop.)

a seafood quartet from left to right: tai (red snapper) sashimi in ponzu topped with black truffle, hamachi (yellowtail) and mirugai (geoduck clam) sashimi and ankimo (monkfish liver) with ponzu gelee -- A great combination showcasing the spectrum of flavors and textures one can derive from raw seafood. While I honestly don't care for the crisp, chewy and relatively bland mirugai, I was pleasantly surprised by the ankimo, which was rich like a pate and nicely paired with the brightness of the gelee.

steamed sea bass with mountain potato in a dashi broth -- simple yet lovely, it has been a LONG time since I had bass cooked like this and I love how the delicate flavors come forth in this lighter and less-adulterated preparation. The broth-soaked potato had a nice woodsy, earthy flavor, almost like mushrooms.

scallop and shrimp ravioli with diver scallop, uni (sea urchin) butter and deep fried seaweed: the four of us all raved about this one, particularly the uni butter that was a nice, rich, slightly-briny foil against the creamy scallop and the mellow pasta. The potato-chip like fried seaweed adds a pleasant light crisp too.

kobe beef on yukon gold potato and pan juices with young chestnut and young broccoli floret, divided by a smear of freshly-grated wasabi -- a decent preparation of kobe, which melts on your tongue like butter leaving a lingering taste of beefiness, and I love the potato on bottom which soaked all those wonderful juices up. The chestnut had that raw, crunchy texture that I am not too fond of, but I finished it nonetheless. Wish I saved some of the beef to try with the wasabi though, which is world aways from the green-colored horseradish.

a lineup of sushi, from left to right, toro (fatty tuna belly), hamachi belly, saba (mackerel), amaebi (sweet shrimp), shiro maguro (albacore) and uni -- practically every piece was wonderful, and it brought back such delightful memories of the Azami omakase (which was more sushi-centric). All of them were fresh and delicious in their own way, exuding the expected flavors from the fattiness of the toro and hamachi belly to the creamy and "sea-like" taste of the uni. And even though I'm not usually big on saba 'cause of its fishiness, I ate this one up no problemo. And of course, the honeyed ginger is the perfect palate cleanser between the pieces.

finally (almost sadly) desserts of green tea creme brulee, freshly baked mochi with azuki beans and fruit -- simple, subtle and sublime. Both desserts were only mildly sweet, and I love the crusty-chewy texture of the baked mochi. The creme brulee is lighter than most, and I love the wisp of the grassy, nutty green tea flavor, just enough to assert its presence without dominating the entire dish with bitterness.

after we finished our sweets, Chef Nikki came out and greeted us all -- exclaiming how I haven't looked different after all these years. We talked a bit about her business and her current plans, all the while thanking her for slaving away in the kitchen for three hours over our meals. It's considerably different from the Azami omakase, but I liked the greater variety of dishes we've tried, and Nikki enjoyed the extra freedom in creativity she can employ.

And of course, it's something I definitely look forward to checking out again.

Rating:
Ambience (4/5) - enjoyed the homely feel of the small restaurant: like a converted living room to accommodate extra guests
Value (4.5/5) - the food felt very worth the amount paid; did I mention no corkage too
Service (8.5/10) - overall very friendly and nicely-paced but could be a bit more polished (server mis-identified a few dishes)
Food (18.5/20) - the meal was heavenly; the dishes each have their own signature but harmonized very well with one another
Bonus/Demerit - N/A
Overall (35.5/40)

Other Notes:
- please contact 7-14 days in advance if you plan on Chef's Tabling here
- during days, they also serve modern-homestyle Japanese fare (salads, noodle bowls, etc.)
- street parking readily available

What Do Others Say?
- 4 stars from the Yelperocracy
- a positive 90s score from FoodDigger
- and even more nice words from the Chowhounds

Inaka Seafood Gourmet
838 S. Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 254-9926
Website