Seems like no shortage of restaurants you need to have the A team present. Like the newish pizza place on pico Sei. I’ve asked before if a certain itamae was going to be there to sit with bar with that person but it seems like some of this is another layer of (good) intel needed in advance at certain spots.
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Hi @chienrouge ,
Great thoughts. Indeed. It’s like something we took for granted years ago, that you go to a restaurant and you expect / hope that every meal you have there is the same as the first time you went (unless it was a bad 1st time). 
I think some places have that consistency that you don’t have to worry, e.g., Langer’s Deli, Gjusta (in our 20+ visits, always great, except that one visit when they lost their prep cook doing Prime Rib Butcher Sandwiches and we all suffered for a few months (@A5KOBE @paranoidgarliclover might remember that)).
Small mom & pop places are pretty consistent like the amazing Taiwanese cuisine at Cindy’s Kitchen, because it’s literally just the mom and pop running it (they are always there). 
But yah, you hope it’s always consistent. But it doesn’t turn out that way at times.
I think certain foods are so impacted by a lack of skill (or training): Sushi for sure as you pointed out, you can taste the difference if a newbie assistant is mangling the fish (not cut properly), can’t make the Sushi Rice properly (too mushy, too dry), etc. And as you said, you need to build rapport with an Itamae. That Sushi Chef gets to know you, know your favorite types of fish and what you don’t like, etc., it all helps and adds up. 
Yakitori is the same way: You get people who aren’t trained enough / not enough years of experience, and you get mediocrity (overcooked / dried out, or raw in the middle, etc.). There are too many Yakitori-ya around the city that are like that.
how is yakitoriya by the late kiriko these days? Been forever since ive been but it used to be pretty respectable (but kind of asshole hosts if i remember right that you had to put up with, which is why i haven’t been back). Any good ones in mid-city, ktown, westside etc?
Hi @chienrouge ,
No, that place has gotten much worse. I went there last year and it was miserable (overcooked skewers, zero atmosphere, no service, etc.). Avoid.
I don’t know of any good ones in the areas you mention. Mid-City LA lost its gem - Aburiya Raku - and it was heartbreaking (it was our favorite for the few years it was open). COVID-19 and declining business did them in. 
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thanks for that. Yeah we miss Raku. Thankfully lots of meat places in ktown but not quite the same itch scratching
One more quick related question @Chowseeker1999 - I need to be in torrance later this week and the spot i need to be is essentially right next to I-naba on hawthorne…is this still a good spot to get some tempura and noodles?
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Sorry, but I completely disagree with @Chowseeker1999. Yakitoriya is hands down the best yakitori restaurant in Socal. It is run by Toshi-San and his wife. He’s truly a master shokunin, been doing it for 35+ years. He use to work at Kokekokko before opening Yakitoriya. I admit service is very basic if they don’t know you or if you’re a first timer, but the more rapport you build with them (as @Chowseeker1999 mentioned for sushi spots), the more they open up to be the sweetest people ever.
His chicken is by far the best tasting and the most detailed. What I mean by that is his butchery skills, skewering skills, and cooking skills are so obsessed over, that the resulting skewer you get is nothing short of a master piece. As for the actual atmosphere, it’s very reminiscent of a neighborhood spot around Tokyo, where salary men would go after work. Sit at the bar, and watch Toshi-San work his magic at the grill. Be polite, patient, and ultimately rewarded with the best yakitori. In my opinion it’s the best in the US. Many respected chefs from some of the best restaurants in the city insert Yakitoriya in their regular dinner rotations. He also has a book written about him and his style of yakitori.
I day dream about eating there at least 3x a week 
While the spots in Torrance and Torigoya range from decent enough to good, I personally don’t think any of them even come close to Yakitoriya. I’ve learned how to make it myself over the last year because of my obsession with it and the need to save $$$ haha. Hope you give it another chance!
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Agree 100%.
I have had mediocre meals at Torihei but never ever with Toshi-san at Yakitori-ya. And if you respect the fact that they are a two-person show (be polite and patient) and take the time to get to know them, Mika-san and Toshi san are truly delightful.
I do think Torihei can be excellent but is far less reliable and uses inferior product.
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Just a bit off topic… Has Gjusta recovered??? I haven’t been since I had that italian sub awhile ago (that was subpar for them).
Hi @chienrouge ,
Yup, Inaba is still great for Tempura and Soba. They still get their Handmade Soba from their sister restaurant Ichimian.
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Hi @paranoidgarliclover ,
I think so. The last 2 visits over this half year have been very good. What happened with your Sub? Thanks.
It was awhile back, my memory might not be quite accurate right now. I vaguely recall that there was actually TOO much meat, and I think the dressing might also have been less interesting (and tasty) than usual? It wasn’t bad, but, for the $ spent and the hassle (in terms of the crowd, etc.), it was just disappointing, esp since I LOVED the sub b/f. Maybe it was just an off day, but I think you might have posted around that same time that Travis had left?
But, if your last visits were good, I’m willing to try it again.
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Hi @paranoidgarliclover ,
Ah, yes, that was around the time I know Chef Lett left, and after that they lost their prep cook (because we had that disappointing Prime Rib Butcher and we gave feedback, and the manager thanked us and mentioned that point). But the last few times have been good. I’ll give their Italian another try next visit and report back.
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all this talk of yakitori makes me want to visit soon…it’s the ultimate Thursday night food for me. all the better if the restaurant is playing jazz.
I love a good karaage. Excellent drinking snack.
Good note on the Take no Tsuyu. I find that Junmai Daiginjo sometimes tends to work best with more delicate dishes in washoku (particularly with sweet shellfish like crab), whereas “only a Junmai” or Junmai Ginjo can pair better with bolder dishes, including fried, and some nigiri, too (admittedly a Junmai Daiginjo can hit some high highs with particular neta). At a very approachable price, it’s not too precious for copious drinking
One of my favorites.
Love this for the bouncy texture.
Maybe my favorite to pair with beer.
Very interesting experiment in sake and one to pair with. In terms of rustic, doing things differently at the fermentation level, and a layered and robust palette with high acidity…this sounds like the sake counterpart to a champagne I recently had, the R. Pouillon Chemins du Bois “Methode Fabrice Pouillon” (2014) - made with grape, grape sugar, and ambient yeast only - massive concentration and richness but a strong spine of acidity.
Nihonshu is almost always going to pair better with washoku than wine can, but I like to experiment. This bodaimoto sake is interesting and maybe is good for some dishes with spice and funk, maybe some Thai cuisine? Or maybe some izakaya appetizers like shuto, takowasa, aburi mentaiko, or karasumi daikon (or grilled mochi)?
Sounds really comforting, especially the daikon, gobo, and fishcake.
sometimes known as “unicorn leatherjacket” the flesh (particularly with its liver) is delicious; the skin surprised me, but it’s almost jerky-like and a good drinking snack.
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Hi @BradFord ,
Great post, thanks! Yah, that Takacho Bodaimoto is something special. Even some friends from Japan who visited last time were blown away by this when we shared it. That R. Poullon Chemins du Bois sounds very interesting, thanks for the tip.
Ah, interesting idea! I think the Takacho could hold up quite well with Thai cuisine, definitely some mentaiko!
That is amazing that you had Kawahagi Kimo! 
How was it? That sounds like a great drinking snack along with the Kawahagi itself that’s served here at Torihei.
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Extremely delicious to accompany kawahaghi nigiri. Some pack it underneath the neta, others put it on top. Actually, I had it once at Sushi Yoshizumi. Other times have been outside of California. I’ve seen it to accompany kawahagi no usuzukuri sashimi on a platter, but I’ve never been served it that way. I’ve only had it in sushi, not in an izakaya. But with some kawahagi sashimi, the kimo could be great with sake!
Absolutely; I do like R.Pouillon. Perhaps the Chemins du Bois is a bit of an experiment and for the price, it’s a bit indulgent compared to some other values, but it’s interesting nonetheless. I quite like his rose champagne (the opening aperitif at some nice French restaurants right now) and his all-meunier cuvee Les Chataigniers for about 40-60% of the price of Chemins du Bois and considerably easier to find. However, I do remember thinking that R.Pouillon Chemins du Bois was robust enough to stand up to a nice soy sauce.
The only other one similar to Pouillon’s Chemins du Bois that I know of is Vouette et Sorbee’s Sobre (I have a bottle in my cellar, but haven’t tried the wine yet). For about half the price of Pouillon’s Chemins du Bois, there’s also Domaine Nowack’s Les Arpents Rouges which is quite a nice experiment as well in somewhat of the same vein.
For actually pairing wine with yakitori? My bet is on rose, and currently my move would be Antoine Bouvet’s Saignee de Bisseuil (perhaps Clement Perseval’s Rose d’Saignee, or for ultimate QPR, Laherte-Freres rose de meunier) for a sweet spot of value and drinkability. There are others (my go-to favorites in the slightly higher range being Bereche et Fils’ Campania Remensis and Egly-Ouriet’s rose before getting to the precious stuff), but not sure how well they’d do with tare.
Anyway, sorry to hijack and make this about champagne
For oden though, I doubt wine will work - just sake or beer. I would like to have some oden in the colder months, especially.
On that note, Torihei doesn’t have a chicken ramen to finish, do they? I think they could make a mean broth with all of the bones. (Would be so good with mitsuba and clams, too).
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Great point re: the chicken ramen. prior to trying torihei, we’d been going to Koshiji a lot, and every meal was chicken ramen + a few skewers. coming out of Torihei earlier this week, our only lament was they didn’t have a chicken ramen!
Confirmed.
Torihei, for a diner who isn’t on special terms with chef and/or restaurant or doesn’t make special arrangements is just OK, and not even in the same league, IMO, with Yakitoriya.
Went on a Tuesday night. Did not call to see who would be cooking.
The quality of the bird, the butchering of the bird, the composition of the sticks, the char from the grilling, the binchotan flavor and the saucing were all quite average. About the only thing I can say that is better at Torihei is the number of servers. The menu is broader too, with many more non-yakitori items (meats, fish, oden), though they are not very good…would rather hit up Manpuku, or a great izakaya, if that’s what I am after. Oden was pretty disappointing too - though, to be fair, it was during a heatwave so maybe they weren’t planning on selling much.
Yakitoriya remains excellent in all phases of the game. Though they play a smaller game on a smaller field with a smaller team.
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