Japanese Cuisine: 12 Restaurants Found
Maison Akira
Address: 713 E. Green Street, Los Angeles, CA 91101
Near the Playhouse, in one of the quaintest districts in Pasadena, a rare jewel sparkles in the Crown City—Maison Akira. Step off the bustling Green Street into the foyer door and find yourself halfway around the world in an elegant restaurant just off Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence, France. Though distinctly French, a peaceful Zen-like esthetic pervades the atmosphere. That is because Maison Akira is home of the world-renowned chef Hirose Akira. His menu is like a symphony of truly beautiful French classics, made modern and dazzling with subtle Japanese influences, like his signature Miso-infused Chilean Sea Bass, which has made him famous throughout the world.
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Koi
Address: 730 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90069
Sumptuous and stylish exoticism lure both celebrities and locals to West Hollywood’s Koi restaurant. Its décor suggests the simplicity of a Zen garden, the lush seclusion of a bamboo forest, and simultaneously the sleek modernity expected of L.A’s fashion-forward populace. Its menu is similarly influenced by a spirit of eclecticism, with a cuisine firmly based in the Japanese tradition but executed with an experimental and distinctly Californian flair. With a variety of enticingly elegant dining environments featuring two patios, an atrium, and a sushi bar, Koi supplies an ambiance that is open to interpretation, be it romantically intimate or fashionably social.
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Park Grill
Address: 2151 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067
This culinary treasure offers an intimate and elegant atmosphere for the best LA dining. The menu features World cuisine which is enhanced by French cooking techniques. This creative approach brings flavor to the blue fin crab and asparagus soup for an appetizer.
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Sai Sai Restaurant
Address: 501 South Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Sai Sai’s menu is an exercise in culinary play. Tucked inside the Millenium Biltmore Hotel, this sophisticated restaurant stands out with its adventurous gastronomic creations, Zen-inspired décor, and eager staff. Chef David Bartnes has crafted a daring Asian fusion menu, seamlessly blending distinctive regional cuisines into a global pastiche that is both strikingly original and evocatively familiar. Exotic experiments like Kobe Short Ribs with Potato Gnocchi or the pairing of maguro sashimi with caramelized pear are surprising and satisfying. With noteworthy lunchtime bento boxes, prix fixe menus for theater goers, and in house infused sakes, Sai Sai supplies a variety of tantalizing dining options.
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Nishimura
Address: 8684 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Sushi Chef Hiro Nishimura’s restaurant certainly lives up to his name. The atmosphere here is soothing and intimate; to get to the restaurant diners walk through a Japanese garden out front. Amid the minimally decorated dining room, the sushi shines, with Chef Nishimura’s master hand creating some of the best sushi and sashimi in Los Angeles. In addition to sushi, hot Japanese dishes are also served, although it is the raw creations particularly the succulent toro, that have built Nishimura’s flawless reputation.
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