Jay Eats Worldwide

I usually take the Metro Gold Line to Downtown Los Angeles.  Traffic is usually bad and then I have no idea where to park.  Although some of my friends who know I'm downtown a lot, think I know where all the places to park, this is why I take the Metro.  As I was heading into town on this trip, overheard 2 guys talking about only having $5 and wanting to get something to eat. I know there are places in Little Tokyo where you can get something to eat in the $5 range, here's what I've found: See What Jay Eats... Half California Roll and Half Spicy Tuna Roll (includes miso soup) $3.95 Little Tokyo Sushi This is a grab and go kiosk inside the Little Tokyo Market Place.  They have a variety of sushi combinations ranging in price from a $2.50 hand roll to $12+. Little Tokyo Sushi at the Little Tokyo Market Place (former Mitsuwa Marketplace) 333 S. Alameda St #100 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 617-0343 Niku (Beef) Udon...

One thing that I don't see much anymore is good simple Japanese food.  It's hard to find a restaurant that does combinations with the classics, like tonkatsu (fried pork) and grilled salmon (without the teriyaki sauce).   A friend introduced me to At Home Kitchen in Gardena, it's at the old Bob's Okazuya on South Vermont, between Artesia and Gardena Blvd.  For my friend to go twice in one week, I knew I had to try it. I have to admit, the menu is a bit confusing, everything is a la carte.  The menu starts off by telling you about the set, but to go with what? The set is an additional $3, which includes miso soup, rice, and @Home Salad, your choice of mixed vegetable tempura, seafood poke, or a 4 pc. sushi roll.  The "@Home Salad" is actually two salads, a dressed green salad with a Japanese potato salad, it's more like a mashed potato salad on top. See What Jay Eats... Grilled Salmon (a la carte $6.60) ordered with the $3...

WHAT? Yes,  No Sushi Chef Required! It's been about 7 years since I last looked at sushi robots and I'm sure the technology has improved vastly since then.   I was invited to see some of the latest sushi robots at Suzumo International Corporation, one of the handful of companies producing such equipment.  Suzumo's tagline is "We Love Rice" and after seeing their robots in action, I can see why.   Being trained in sushi, there are many factors that can affect the final sushi piece.  The main factor is the rice, it can be overworked and starchy or the grains smashed together.  The rice in sushi should be individual grains and not packed too tight. Suzumo Sushi Robot Suzumo's Kiyoto san demonstrates the 30 cup sushi rice mixer MCR-SSC He adds in steamed rice, sushi vinegar, the mixing attachment, and hits the button. There are 3 different presets that you can use, based on rice volume and mixing time. ...

International Sushi Day! June 18th Not really sure what that means, but it's on the #foodcalendar... Although sushi originated in China in the 3rd Century as a way to preserve fish, the sushi we know today is from Japan. Here's the funny thing, the California Roll, which began the sushi revolution around the world, originated in Los Angeles. So, I guess in Japan the California Roll is International and thus today's celebration. Other than that, that's all I got... Sushi Combo Sushi Dragon Sun Valley I'll celebrate by visiting my friend Tommy at Sushi Dragon. Tommy Kosaka is one of those chefs who visits the fish market every day and selects the very best for his customers. I like Sushi Dragon, it's one of those small neighborhood places that does the old skool way that you don't find anymore. Seems like most places have gone fusion or what I call "confusion" and can't make a decent tempura. Funny how you can find those places around, but ...

June 18th is International Sushi Day! Not sure what that means... Here in Los Angeles, we have two originals that have been a worldwide sensation for over 20 years. Not many people know this, but the California Roll and Spicy Tuna didn't come from Japan, they're native to the Los Angeles area. In the late 60's, the California Roll was created in a restaurant in Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles. The sushi chef at Tokyo Kaikan was brilliant! He took ingredients that Americans would eat (crab, avocado, and cucumber), rolled it with the rice on the outside (hiding the black seaweed) and gave it an American name. This my friend is how the sushi boom began... The Famous California Roll Created by Tokyo Kaikan Los Angeles It would be considered a sin to add ingredients to fresh tuna in Japan. Remember, Japanese food is simple, subtle, and seasonal, and they really don't eat spicy food. Japan is not known for spicy foods, they leave that to China, Korea, Thailand, V...

We're living in a time where the economy doesn't allow for extravagant lunches right now, we're all looking for GOOD lunch bargains. This week, I visited two Japanese places that really have that old skool flavor, taste, and price. Karaage Chicken Bento Bento Man $6.25 Bento Man is a small takeout place with picnic tables. All the food is "a la minute" or cooked to order and that makes it better than those found at the Asian grocery store. It's a bit more American taste, probably why I like it so much, without being too traditional Japanese. It's also a bargain, I've purchased the same fried chicken bento at Mitsuwa for $6.99, not sure how long it had been sitting in the grab & go case. My only concern, with a name like Bento Man, the bento menu is small. Other items on the menu are ramen, udon, curry, and sushi rolls. But the bento is the real deal here. Bento Man 1500 S. Western Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90006 (323) 733-5316 They just changed ...

Monday, November 1st was Sushi Day in Japan and I was all set for a sushi lunch. Massive phone calls and project deadlines didn't allow me to leave my desk. While on the phone, I happened to see a picture posted on "Burgers on the Edge" Facebook page and it looked so good... Right @jlieu? Avocado Burger If you missed it...I asked my interim assistant to pick up lunch on her way back from FedEx. She returned with a California Roll and tried to convince me that "The LA Sushi Guys" should eat sushi today... The real truth was that she had no clue where to get a burger that I had described, this is why she's an interim assistant, j/k... It was good and satisfied my need for a good burger, but was NO "Burgers on the Edge" and the fries were overcooked... It was close, but we aren't playing horseshoes... BOO! So, I'm still in search for a great burger and have to thank "Burgers on the Edge" for setting the bar so high...

In Japan, today is Sushi Day. This morning, I was all set to have sushi for lunch in celebration of sushi day. Somehow, I got stuck on the phone all morning. While on the phone, I was checking Facebook and saw a picture of an awesome burger combo with fries from Honolulu's Burgers on the Edge. That's all I could think of... Since I was stuck on the phone, I had to scramble to get a few things done today. Now it's 3 pm and didn't have a chance to grab lunch yet. I described the awesome burger to my interim assistant and asked her to pick up lunch for me on the way back from FedEx. This is what she picked up for my lunch today... No burger combo for me today...She said that I would probably regret not having sushi on sushi day, since Jeff Nitta and I are launching "The LA Sushi Guys" site today. She then told me that she had no idea where to get the kind of burger that I described and didn't want to disappoint me. Solution: I just have to get on a plane and ...

I LOVE Korean food, there's more to it than just Korean BBQ... About 5 years ago, my business partner and I were approached by a club owner at the beach. His club/lounge went through a few changes and was trying to find a concept that would work. They tried a lot of things and now wanted to try adding Asian food to their menu. We suggested a few things and one of them was Baja style tacos, but with Korean marinated beef. The owner wasn’t too into Korean tacos and mentioned that twenty year olds wouldn’t understand it and wasn’t going to work. We ended up not working with him. Fast forward 5 years ahead and Kogi BBQ is doing the same exact thing, Korean short rib tacos, kim chee quesadillas, etc. I’m very happy for the Kogi team and glad that they’re succeeding. Because of this, I knew that we were way ahead of our time with the Korean style tacos. Even Baja Fresh is trying their version of a Korean taco and burrito. I wish that club was still open so I could tell the owner that he ...

I often ask myself, why do most Asian restaurants FAIL? As mentioned in past postings, I've had discussions with many Asian food service companies wanting to come to the US and/or sell to Americans. Americans want Asian products and Asian compaines want to sell to Americans. The problem is that Asian companies don't know how to sell to this target audience and Americans don't know what and who to buy from. A consumer goes home with something they don't understand and Asian companies wondering why Americans don't buy, it's "Lost in Translation." What these companies don't get is that they need a bridge to gap between the seller and the buyer.These companies all want to serve Asian food to Americans and grow their distribution here. With a large Asian community and Americans hungry for Asian food, how hard can it be? They all think that it's just that easy. What they don't "GET" is who they're selling to and how to get the i...