Los Angeles : Urasawa [27 Pics]

hiro-san at his station with a fresh flowerscape in the background


this night's fish and seafoods


hiro-san preparing the first course


seared toro with yuzu, daikon, nori, and a ponzu/sake dressing


goma tofu: sesame/tofu/kuzu dumpling with uni and gold flake


seasonal vegetable assortment feat. dried egg, beans, clam, uni, sea cucumber intestines, lotus
root, chrysanthemun flowers, miso-marinated abalone, and mountain vegetable

not shown: sashimi course feat. clam, toro, tai, seaweed, and daikon leaf

not shown: chawan mushi feat. mitsuba, cod sperm sac, uni, and hairy crab



kobayaki leaf "cauldron" feat. cod sperm sac, japanese beef, and shrimp in a miso-sauce


hiro-san preparing beef for...


...shabu-shabu (l-r: hotategai, lobster, and japanese beef)


toro nigiri sushi


seared toro muscle nigiri sushi


shima-aji nigiri sushi


toro collar nigiri sushi


saba nigiri sushi


tai nigiri sushi


giant clam nigiri sushi

not shown: ika nigiri sushi topped with salt and grated yuzu peel



abalone nigiri sushi


needle fish nigiri sushi


ohada (herring) nigiri sushi

not shown: seared shiitake mushroom nigiri sushi with grated yuzu peel



ebi preparation


ebi nigiri sushi


hotategai nigiri sushi


glazed and grilled unagi nigiri sushi with grated yuzu peel


tamago


dessert box feat. grapefruit jelly, mountain peach, apple, and an apricot in a pickled shiso leaf


hiro-san preparing green tea for each diner, one at a time


sesame pudding with kuzu root starch and gold flake

Notes:

- The cost of a meal at the restaurant is $250 before drink, tax, and tip.

- The restaurant seats 10 diners at the sushi bar per night. There is also a private, glass-enclosed dining area in full view of the bar which seats 2-4 diners per night.

- The preponderance of fish prepared and served at the restaurant is from Japan. Hiro-san does not need to negotiate the pricing of his supply, as the absolute best fish in Los Angeles is instead reserved for him (and him alone) each day. He has only to refuse the fish which he does not deem suitable. The uni (sea urchin) prepared and served at the restaurant is harvested in Santa Barabara, California, on the same day.

- The rice served at the restaurant comes from Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and is widely-considered to be one of the best varieties of Japanese rice. Hiro-san takes delivery of the new crop of this special rice each year and it is stored in a temperature-controlled facility in Little Tokyo.

- The beef served at the restaurant comes from Japan. Hiro-san considers this beef to be not only vastly-superior to American Wagyu, but also superior to the famed beef from Hyōgo Prefecture (Kobe), Japan.

- The salt which is used at the restaurant is from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The salt is prepared for service by combining it with a special seaweed, then stirring the combination over heat for four hours.

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I am hardly more inclined to talk about my experience now than I was after my first visit to the restaurant. The truth of the matter is that this meal was again an intensely personal, provocative, and moving experience. Sitting with Hiro-san is humbling, and he makes men like Mssrs. Achatz, Carlson, Myers, etc., look like charlatans. But, then again, one doesn't need to sit with Mssr. Urasawa to see that.

I will be back in May, and then it is my intention to go at least once a year for as long as Hiro Urasawa is doing his thing.

"High Fashion Dining" [gayot.com]

Urasawa Review [losangelesrestaurants.com]

Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential L.A. Restaurants [LAWeekly]

Urasawa
218 N. Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310.247.8939

E.M.

Wow! Looks and sounds like a spectacular experience. If I'm ever near Beverly Hills I have to dine here. Thanks for sharing.

Amazing.

any idea what needle fish would be?

jazzfood wrote:any idea what needle fish would be?

Sayori in Japanese.

Asian needlefish are of the Genus Xenentodon.

Here is a picture of one.

E.M.

Absolutely unbelievable. My travels rarely take me to LA, but if I find myself there I know where I'll be going.

Thanks for the great report and pics.

Toro collar? The fattiest part of a fatty fish sounds pretty good to a marrow/foie/uni/lardo guy. I owe someone in LA. Me. How far ahead do I need to plan this? Midweek would be fine.

JeffB wrote:Toro collar? The fattiest part of a fatty fish sounds pretty good to a marrow/foie/uni/lardo guy. I owe someone in LA. Me. How far ahead do I need to plan this? Midweek would be fine.

Actually, I'd imagine that the fattiest part is instead something like the toro "muscle" shown above. Why Hiro-san refers to this as "muscle," I will never know; it's the pure white striations of fat you can see running throughout the giant piece of toro in the case shown above.

BTW, in that same photo of the toro "muscle" nigiri sushi, have a look at the remaining piece of toro in the case (background). There is not much left, right? And, by the end of the night, the 12 of us had been served the whole thing.

Re: reservations

I made our reservation two weeks in advance.

E.M.

Holy motha' of!... I know we aren't supposed to get religous here but if raw fish can be a diety, me thinks I'd gladly go door to door converting the heathens to Hiro-san'ism!