When planning the weekend to Austin, Texas, with my crew, I realized I had not been back to Los Angeles in nearly eight years. In that time friends had kids, built businesses, moved, started new relationships and more. Halfway to Los Angeles, just like Thelma told Louise, I kept going.
Although I would be having good California eats, in truth, this trip was not about food. It was about reconnecting with friends live and in person, seeing a city where I had once lived and its changes, enjoying a West Coast sunset and just having a “woo-sah” moment.
A late night flight into Long Beach airport and shuttle to LAX to pick up a rental car was not optimal. However, getting a powder blue convertible Volkswagen Beetle gave me life! Thank you Advantage! I was off into the night, recalling highways and byways to a friend’s home in my old neighborhood of Los Feliz.
Other than my hostess, Joanna, my first visit back in Los Angeles would be with a high school friend, Kerry. And, of course, my first real meal in LA had to be some damn good sushi! We met at Kiwami by Katsu-ya (@Katsuyabysbe, 11920 Ventura Blvd., www.katsu-yagroup.com). I’d heard folks rave about Katsu-ya, so I was in for a quick power lunch in Studio City.
We started with the now ubiquitous shishito peppers (sayonara, edamame). Every LA sushi meal thereafter started with Angelinos determining their order by asking the server the day’s “hot ratio”—3:10 is too high for most. Ours were cooked to perfection and well-seasoned, too, hot ones and all.
Kerry suggested the Kiwami tray so we could taste a little of everything. Wow! Wow! Wow! She wasn’t wrong. Each bite was as good as the next. Starting with the seared albacore tuna with crispy onion. This bite gave me umami, texture and sea meaty goodness.
The yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno and salmon sashimi with chopped avocado and onion did their job well and the California sushi staple, spicy tuna on crispy rice, never, ever disappoints in LA. However, it is the simple baked crab roll that is my new obsession. I can taste it now—warm buttery crab, topped with sushi rice and enrobed in a white sesame soy wrap. Come on!
This treat is just the first day back in Los Angeles. Stay tuned next week for more on my eats and treats, including cocktails in the converted Brown Derby, an exclusive brunch in Malibu and a Burrito Ultimo moment of bliss.
Happy eating and thanks for reading!
Kysha Harris is a food writer, culinary producer, consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service offering weekly and in-home entertaining packages. Questions? Comments? Requests? Feedback? Invitations! Email her at kysha@SCHOPnyc.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram @SCHOPgirl or on Facebook www.facebook.com/SCHOPnyc. For even more recipes, tips and food musings subscribe to her blog at www.talkingSCHOP.wordpress.com. Follow AmNewsFOOD @NYAmNewsFOOD.