Jay Eats Worldwide

 I've been to Jinya Ramen Bar in Studio City a few times and recently visited their Hollywood and Highland location. See my Hollywood Food Tour HERE When my food friend, Kristie Hang , invites you to a special ramen lunch at Jinya Ramen Bar in Studio City,  you don't just go, you run!  Reason being, this special ramen lunch, involves black truffles. Yup, you heard it correct, Black Truffles!!!  After arriving and getting set up on the patio, we headed over to the kitchen to watch our special truffle ramen being put  together. Jinya's founder Tomonori Takahashi is testing brothless menu items. One of them being the Truffle Splash. This limited edition, only 10 bowls per day, is only available in Studio City for a limited time.  Besides the shaved black truffle, the Truffle Splash includes pork chashu, Brussels sprouts, onion, cheese, and half a raw egg with thick noodles. ...

One of my favorite sushi places is Sushi Nozawa, it's all about the fish. Over the years, I've gotten to know Nozawa san and his wife Yumiko san. After 25 years in Studio City, I was sad when he retired and closed his namesake restaurant at the end of February 2012. "Famed Studio City sushi joint closes its doors" ABC7 News video Chef Kazunori Nozawa* BUT, he's partners in " SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa " and this Studio City location was converted to his partnership's namesake. Scheduled to open to the public on Thursday, May 17th, the Nozawas were kind enough to invite me to the pre-opening tasting. Although the sign is still reads "SUSHI NOZAWA", the front of the restaurant has a new look... Inside, the interior and layout has changed. It's a much different place than when I first walked in the doors 12+ years ago. I was greeted warmly by Nozawa san and Yumiko san as we were seated in the dining room....

Sushi Nozawa is Closing at the end of February 2012 I've been going to Sushi Nozawa in Studio City since 2000. I tell everyone that it's one of my favorite places and it's all about the fish. Two years ago, I got to interview Nozawa san & Yumiko san and was fortunate to be one of the first to interview him for a non-profit organization, see article . I remember the first visit, they tell you "we don't serve California rolls, no spicy tuna, and we don't have miso soup. If that's what you want, go somewhere else." No real menu, but seeing the "Trust Me" signs on the nondescript walls, I knew that's what I was going to have the special. The fish is a good size piece and the rice is warm, but it goes so well together. A few weeks ago I heard that he was going to retire from day-to-day sushi operations and close Sushi Nozawa. As word gets around that he's closing, I'm sure the lines will be long, so I...

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...