Japanese cuisine - Kaiseki

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EvaLSeraphim_IHB

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Does anybody know where in the greater OC area I might be able to find a restaurant that serves a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiseki"> kaiseki meal?</a>
 
[quote author="EvaLSeraphim" date=1247360375]Does anybody know where in the greater OC area I might be able to find a restaurant that serves a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiseki"> kaiseki meal?</a></blockquote>


I heard the only place in OC that serves Kaiseki Ryori is Kitayama in Newport. Must call ahead to reserve and specify kaiseki.



<a href="http://www.kitayamarestaurant.com/">http://www.kitayamarestaurant.com/</a>



Your choices in Torrance/Gardena/Lomita and LA will be larger. Most would go directly to Thousand Cranes at New Otani, but they're $$$$$$$$$$$$!



It'd be difficult to replicate a Japanese hot springs + ???? experience here though. You could do a Japanese tour package and go eat there instead. :D



<a href="http://www.supervaluetours.com/index.aspx">http://www.supervaluetours.com/index.aspx</a>
 
Kappo Hana in Laguna Hills(yes, Laguna Hills):



<a href="http://exilekiss.blogspot.com/2008/08/ridiculously-affordable-and-excellent.html">http://exilekiss.blogspot.com/2008/08/ridiculously-affordable-and-excellent.html</a>



Requires 3 day advanced notice. Crazy cheap at $35 per person. If you've never read Exilekiss' blog, you should. He's one of the expert bloggers on Japanese food in So Cal.
 
A bit late, just saw this thread when browsing for good eating options, but there is outstanding Kaiseki in Old Torrance - Kagura. They've been struggling financially since they opened, but they've managed to drop their prices quite a bit while maintaining the quality of the experience. We just had lunch there 2-weeks ago, around $15 per-person. Their dinner prices have dropped from around $75-$100 per-person to $50 or less. We're going back for dinner soon, this place is a absolute bargain at these prices. Note that lunch is not served Kaiseki style, in other words all of your dishes are served at the same time.
 
Think of it as a formal Japanese tasting menu. A chef's menu where the chef chooses what to serve based on the best seasonal ingredients he has available.



Just as you would find full fledged tasting menus in fancy Western restaurants like Spago and Providence, kaiseki is found in specialized Japanese restaurants. Kaiseki is formal and somewhat structured in that there's a certain order of types of dishes you get, though only the really old fashioned places follow it strictly. Like a sashimi dish followed by a simmered dish, followed by a broiled dish, followed by a rice dish.



Kaiseki emphasizes fresh seasonal ingredients and is quite artistic. Also quite costly. Last time I was in Tokyo I had a $300 kaiseki at a top Michelin-starred restaurant. It's really about the whole experience.
 
I tried Kappo Hana on Oxtail's recommendation and enjoyed it very much. Kaiseki reminds me of the type of Japanese cuisine eaten in Japan and Taiwan. In the West, high-end Japanese cuisine is all about sushi.



Each meal for $35 will look something like:



APPETIZER - Persimmon & Tofu Mixture

APPETIZER 2 - Salmon Daikon Radish Roll, Squid, & Dragonfly Shrimp

SASHIMI - Tuna, Halibut & Sea Urchin

BROILED FISH - Barracuda Saikyo Style & Lotus Root

FRIED DISH - Stuffed Matsutake Mushroom with Shrimp

SEASONED DISH - Tai, Snapper, Turnip, & Sea Urchin

NOODLE or RICE - Unagi Kameshi (pressure-cooked rice bowl with eel and mountain veges)

DESSERT - Rice cake Red bean sauce



The menu we had was very similar, except at the time featured uni in almost every dish which I love.
 
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