Critics’ choice: Fun experiments in Japanese cuisine
Budonoki Los Angeles
Budonoki bills itself as an izakaya, said Bill Addison in the Los Angeles Times. In reality, though, Budonoki is “where club meets pub”—a loud, dark gathering space that “never loses sight of its essence as a neighborhood restaurant.” The Virgil Village eatery offers Japanese beers on draft, plus inventive shochu and sake cocktails, some served in adorable whale and penguin mugs. In the kitchen, chefs Dan Rabilwongse and Justin Vu “splice their respective Thai and Vietnamese backgrounds into Japaneseinspired drinking foods.” Start with the curry pan, which here resemble flaky empanadas and break open to reveal Wagyu beef simmered in sweet Japanese curry. You’ll also want the grilled chicken oysters (morsels taken from the bird’s thigh), which are glazed in galangal and tamarind. And don’t ignore the specials, particularly the seemingly humble sweet potato cooked in embers, slathered with miso butter, and showered with chives. “My eyes widen, every time, at its trip-wire womp of umami and earthy sweetness.” Not all of the chefs’ bar-food experiments succeed. Otherwise, “I love what this place is bringing to our dining town.” 654 N. Virgil Ave.
Kuma Nori Burlingame, Calif.
Among the Bay Area’s countless Japanese restaurants, none is “quite like Kuma Nori,” said Cesar Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle. Chad and Monica Kaneshiro had already wowed diners with their Hawaiian-inspired cooking, first at Diamond Head General Store, then at their brunch spot Morning Wood. Their latest project is a casual Japanese shokudo-style restaurant colored by Hawaiian sensibilities. In their cooking at Kuma Nori, the Kaneshiros “respect Japanese tradition but are also ready to break rules.” While the starters are hit or miss, “decadent comfort with massive portions is where Kuma dazzles.” The mentaiko crab pasta, for example “tastes like a spicy vodka sauce swirled with shiso oil and umami-rich fish eggs.” And the “exceptional” Wagyudon blankets aggressively seasoned rice with ribbons of succulent A5 Wagyu beef that are in turn topped with garlic chips, egg yolk, and a citrus-pepper paste. Because Kuma Nori is the Kaneshiros’ first dinner spot, they’re still working at some of the challenges of their well-earned popularity. Still, they “seem to be in their element,” and Kuma Nori should only get better. 1861 El Camino Real
Corima New York City
Fidel Caballero could have offered elevated interpretations of northern Mexican cuisine and stopped there, said Helen Rosner in
The New Yorker. Instead, the chef, who has cooked at some of New York’s “most enjoyably cerebral restaurants,” has pushed Corima into category-defying territory by incorporating French and Chinese influences, plus “a whole heck of a lot of Japan.” While Caballero’s tortillas are the talk of the Lower East Side, I was drawn in by the promise of his sashimi platter and happily diverted to a “marvelous” hiramasa crudo dressed in olive oil, soy sauce, a husk-cherry salsa, and an herb, sesame, and chicharrón dust. Other Japanese-inflected standouts include a “zingy” shrimp aguachile accented with shiso and Japanese cherry blossoms, and the bar’s “now infamous” uni gin sour, a stunt cocktail that truly works. Corima serves a tasting menu in the rear and has a front area where most of Caballero’s best dishes are available à la carte. “For now, stick to that half of the room.” 3 Allen St.