Asakura

Outside of omakase bars, there’s almost nothing else in Los Angeles that feels as straight out of Japan as Asakura. The restaurant offers two different seasonal kaiseki menus—about eight courses for $200 and close to a dozen for $300. At that price point, it’s competing with the city’s fine dining greats, but Asakura delivers a delicious, slightly quirky mix of fusion-leaning dishes like noodles topped with cucumber and smoked caviar and grilled eggplant topped with uni and tosazu (vinegar jelly). For now, the kitchen is temporarily manned by chefs from Sudachi, one of La Bombance’s sibling concepts in Tokyo, so expect a bit of a language barrier unless you speak a little Japanese. Unlike hometown kaiseki greats like n/naka and Hayato, Asakura offers more of a native Japanese chef’s interpretation of modern kaiseki. In practice, this means unique details like slippery globes of konjac kelly and a slightly viscous fish soup topped with scallions and myoga (Japanese ginger). It’s not for everyone, but it will certainly delight Japanese cuisine aficionados—so if you love kaiseki in all its various forms, book a seat at the bar.