MARK OKUDA’S ROCKET RIDE TO SUCCESS AT THE BROTHERS SUSHI
By Larry Levine – Mark Okuda eyed the slab of blue fin tuna on the cutting surface with respect. He turned it to a slightly different angle and paused the blade over the pink toro. The fat content promised a morsel that would melt on my tongue. One final... Read More
WHILE WE WAIT TO SMILE AGAIN / a food writer rides out the pandemic
By Larry Levine – I wonder where they are, the four men whose combined years may total one-third of a millennium. They were there so many days, regulars at a table in the back corner of Angelini Osteria on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. With the cork extracted and the... Read More
MELISSE / a story of the life-cycle of a Michelin-starred restaurant
By Larry Levine – Five hours before the opening of Josiah Citrin’s newly re-christened restaurant, Citrin, in the Santa Monica CA space in which he previously operated the Michelin-starred Melisse, we sat down for a scheduled half hour interview about the... Read More
MUSSO AND FRANK GRILL TURNS 100 / a Hollywood landmark prepares to celebrate
By Larry Levine – It’s in the middle of a block in the heart of Hollywood California. Thousands of people walk by every day. Mostly they are tourists. They are looking down at the names of the celebrities on the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Some are... Read More
A BIG STEP FOR A SUSHI CHEF AND HIS WIFE / the challenge of restaurant ownership
By Larry Levine – First, a question for our male readers: you are 36 years old; you are married and have two children – a boy, Shaun, 11, and a girl, Kairi, 10; you live with your wife and children in an upscale neighborhood in the suburbs of Los Angeles; you are a... Read More
LET’S TALK SUSHI / 4,000 restaurants, so little time
By Larry Levine – Ask someone in California to recommend a sushi restaurant and the reaction is likely to be akin to asking for a barbecue recommendation in Texas. Virtually everyone has a favorite. For some people it’s serial favorites. I remember a time many years... Read More
WHERE TO EAT IN L.A. / what our readers have to say
By Larry Levine – Ask 10 people in to name their favorite restaurant for a celebration dinner and you’ll get at least 20 recommendations. Big city or small town, west coast, east coast or in the middle, people everywhere will be passionate about the places they like... Read More
THE TWO-PART SECRET TO A GOOD STEAK / on the grill, in the broiler, or at a steakhouse
By Larry Levine – There’s a secret to a good steak: 1) Buy a great piece of meat, and 2) don’t mess it up. Number 1 isn’t difficult – expensive, but not difficult. It starts with “know your butcher and don’t be afraid to ask for advice.” And make sure the meat... Read More
A BONA FIDE SUSHI PLETHORA DILEMMA
By Larry Levine – I can hear the sarcastic groans of sympathy even before I write these words. But I’m suffering with a sushi plethora dilemma. There are too many excellent sushi restaurants in my life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know; there can’t be such a thing. So, how... Read More
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