TBA
n/naka
n/naka is always a superb meal, perhaps the top kaiseki meal in California, and possibly in the United States -- although having only very, very limited experience with kaiseki, that would be very presumptuoious of me to say that, so I would want to be so bold there.
Their remodel a year and change ago brought a somewhat different character to the interior, wirth more grace and peacefulness, if such a thing was actually possible.
And the menu remains quite the experience. Shiizakana, n/naka's signature dish, is the only dish unchanged since the beginning, and it remains superb, with many imitators but none matching the original's use of spaghetti, abalone, mentaiko, truffle, and kaiware. Yakimono, which was Channel Islands vermilion rockfish, jicama, smoked with Angeles Forest rabbit tobacco, was also unique and delicious, a more dramatic execution of the charcoal grilling that so many top-tier restaurants now do.
Sashimi and sushi are good, but with so many top-tier places in Los Angeles, it's hard to rave about it too much; the other parts of a kaiseki meal are far more unique. To that end the mizumono (sudachi + hoja santa sorbet, pear) and the following dessert course of shoyu koji ice cream/baked apple/kombu ganache... very impressive. Many compliments to Chef Nakayama's pastry chef, Chef Thunyakij.
Add in multiple certified sake sommeliers and Joe's refined sake palate (aka the birthday boy), and it was quite a night. Highly recommended if you enjoy Japanese food, fine dining, and are ready to adventure beyond sushi, ramen, yakitori, and curry. Can't forget, Happy Birthday Joe!