Sushi Nozawa is Closing!

Sushi Nozawa

is Closing at the end of February 2012

I've been going to Sushi Nozawa in Studio City since 2000. I tell everyone that it's one of my favorite places and it's all about the fish. Two years ago, I got to meet Nozawa san & Yumiko san and was fortunate to be one of the first to interview him for a non-profit organization, see article.

I remember the first time I went, they tell you "we don't serve California rolls, no spicy tuna, and we don't have miso soup. If that's what you want, go somewhere else." No real menu, but seeing the "Trust Me" signs on the nondescript walls, I knew that's what I was going to have. The fish is a good size piece and the rice is warm, but it goes so well together.

A few weeks ago I heard that he was going to retire from day-to-day sushi operations and close Sushi Nozawa. As word gets around that he's closing, I'm sure the lines will be long, so I'm glad that I've already gone twice and this is only the second week of the month.

Here's what I'll miss the most:

Tuna Starter

Nozawa san's hand selected tuna

served in ponzu and green onions

He selects only the best tuna available

and ONLY serves Yellowfin and Bigeye tunas.

Iconic Motto

It's suggested that you order the Special

or Omakase.

He'll serve you the very best of the day.

OR you can order a la carte.

Nozawa san

He'll still be involved with

SugarFish by Sushi Nozawa

There aren't many sushi chefs like

him around anymore...

Halibut

with ponzu and topped with yuzu

Ocean Eel and Sea Urchin

Once again, Nozawa san selects the best

seafood and knows how to prepare it.

I usually don't eat Anago (Ocean Eel), but at Sushi Nozawa

it's one of the fluffiest and melts in your mouth.

This might be the last time I eat Anago...

Oysters in ponzu

Nozawa san and his wife Yumiko san

Will miss seeing both of them on

a regular basis...

Just look for people waiting outside

and get in line, they don't take names

or reservations.

You might even see a celebrity or two...

Sushi Nozawa

11288 Ventura Blvd, Suite C

Studio City, CA 91604

Open

Monday - Friday

12 pm - 2 pm

5:30 pm - 10 pm

Closed Weekends

Remember, Closing at the end of February 2012!

Don't Think, Just Eat...

Photos by Jay Terauchi

(c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

"Outstanding in the Field" of Hawai'i

Being in the food industry, I've always been interested where our food comes from. When I try a new variety of a farmed product, it's amazing how climate, soil, cross-pollination, water, etc. plays an important part in growing something incredible. Farmers are really artisans, especially when collaborating with chefs and developing these special ingredients.

Outstanding in the Field, the California-based "restaurant without walls" is making its first-ever farm dinner visit to Hawaii. 'Outstanding in the Field' founding chef Jim Denevan did his first farm dinner in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California in 1999. By 2011, they have staged 87 dinners throughout North America and for the first time, in Europe. This month, they're kicking off the season in the Hawaiian Islands.

Chef Denevan and crew have created outdoor dining events in country farms and urban gardens, on mountain tops and sea caves, on islands and ranches. Wherever the location, the mission is the same: To re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food and introduce them to the local farmers.

Before dinner is served, diners are given a tour of the farm and then seated at a long communal table. You might be seated next to one of the local farmers, ranchers, or a food artisan. All of the ingredients for the meal are almost all local, often sourced within steps from the table, and prepared by a celebrated chef of the region.

Sonoma County, California*

Four chefs will be creating Four dinners at Four farms on Four islands. The Four guest chefs are involved utilizing local farm to table ingredients. Here's the Four Hawaii events and chefs:

January 14: Kauai at Kilohana Plantation in Lihue with Chef Aaron Leikem of 22 North

January 17: Maui at Kupa'a Coffee Farm in Kula with Chef Justin Pardo of Market Fresh Bistro

January 21: Oahu at Ma'o Organic Farms in Wai'anae with Chef Ed Kenney of Town

January 25: Hawaii at Kekala Farms in Waimea with Chef Edwin Goto of Village Burger

Pemberton, British Columbia

The Maui 'Outstanding in the Field' dinner will be the first one on a coffee plantation, the award-winning Kupa'a Coffee Farm in Kula, and hosted by Maui farmers Gerry Ross and Janet Simpson. "We're growing a whole lot of food, just for this event," says Kupa'a owner Gerry Ross. "Everything will be served family style. It's a unique opportunity for people to take a tour and see our land."

The Hawaii events start at 3 pm with a glass of wine and welcome hors d'oeuvres, followed by a tour of the host farm and a family-style, four-course meal paired with wines. Ticket prices of $190 per person includes the farm tour, multi-course meal with wine and all gratuities.

To learn more and reserve a seat at these Hawaii dinners, please visit: www.outstandinginthefield.com

Dinner is Served!

Don't miss out on this once in a lifetime event...

Jay Terauchi

Kahuna of the Kitchen

*Photo by Jeremy Fenske

Another Sweet Wednesday!

This Time The Flavor is...

Candy Cane!

Nina has done it again...

Candy Cane Cotton Candy

Great candy cane flavor...

See the other Tasty Cloud flavors

Tasty Clouds

Nothing tastier than Candy Cane

during this time of year...

Love the Mini Tasty Tubs,

but they come in larger tubs too...

The Exclusive Holiday Flavors

Cinnamon Apple

Candy Cane

Apple Pie

Checkout the

Tasty Clouds Store

Order Today

(310) 990-2435

Tasty Clouds Candy Company

12325 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90025

www.tastyclouds.com

Happy Holidays!

Checkout

The First Sweet Wednesday

Photos by Jay Terauchi

(c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

Delicious Dumpling Tour

All I heard was dumplings

and I was in...

Met up with Six Taste Food Tours for their "Delicious Dumpling" tour in Arcadia, just East of Pasadena. This tour was to experience Taiwanese cuisine, culture, and a chance to meet other foodies. Our group was 8 people and with large appetites, we headed out to sample the best and most popular dishes in this Taiwanese neighborhood.

Our first stop, the world famous Din Tai Fung.

Our guide Michael Lin

giving us Din Tai Fung information

before attacking the dumplings.

Appetizer Course

Blanched cucumbers

in a sesame chili oil

Michael pointed out that in Chinese cooking,

vegetables are not served raw,

they're either stir-fried, steamed, or blanched.

Shanghai Rice Cake

Michael gave us a quick lesson on tea etiquette

and the correct way to flag down a server in a busy restaurant.

Pork Chop Fried Rice

This is one of my favorite Din Tai Fung

dishes, the pork chop isn't greasy

and well cooked.

Xiao Long Bao

Juicy Pork Dumplings

(soup dumplings)

The Specialty of the House!

Michael taught us how to properly eat

xiao long bao

without getting burned...

Shrimp & Pork Shao Mai

We also enjoyed

Juicy Pork and Crab Dumplings

Sweet Taro Dumplings

A nice way to end our dumpling stop

The Next Stop...

Explaining Taiwanese night market street food

and what to expect on the menu

Chicken Nuggets

Very similar to Japanese style karate chicken,

marinated chicken dusted in starch and deep fried.

The Sinbala Sausage,

this one served with mango

They have one type of sausage

with 20 different condiments combinations.

Spicy Wonton (Dry)

with Szechuan peppercorns,

chili, garlic, peanuts, and green onions

Spicy Wonton (Dry)

One of my favorite introductions of the day,

loved the wonton with a bit of heat.

Cold Celery

Blanched with carrots

Goes great with the spicy dishes and different sausages

Michael explaining

the different regions of China

What I didn't expect to learn on the tour

was the cultural tie-in

and Taiwanese history.

It all makes sense now...

You'll just have to take the tour to find out

The Next Stop...

#17 Grapefruit Juice Green Tea

with Aloe Vera

Thick Toast

Peanut Butter Condensed Milk Toast

and

A Crowd Pleaser

The Next Stop...

Michael explaining the different baked goods

and what to look for in a good Taiwanese breads

I could tell you, but you have to take the tour...

Last Stop...

Dessert!

Shave ice with mango, clear jellies, and

topped off with mango ice cream.

This was a great way to end a food-filled tour

and meeting some really nice people.

All tours include at least 5 food stops

and we had more than enough food.

Besides the food stops that we made, Michael

stopped at other restaurants and pointed

out their specialities.

As someone in the food industry and in the

neighborhood, it was very much appreciated.

This is only 1/20th of the information presented,

you'll have to take the tour for more...

Michael being interviewed for

The Backyard Bite

Michael has a lot of great food information,

follow his Stories of Food and Travel

S.O.F.A.T

I've been on food tours in other cities and they don't compare

with Six Taste. Not only do you learn about the specialties,

but also culture and how it relates to the big picture.

This tour is Highly Recommended!

Six Taste Food Tour

Gift Certificates

make great holiday gifts!

Other food tours include:

Downtown Los Angeles

Little Tokyo

Santa Monica

Hollywood

Thai Town

New Chinatown

For tour information or to book a tour:

888-313-0936

www.sixtaste.com

Thank You!

Marian the Foodie

Photos by Jay Terauchi

(c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

Gourmet Menu in the Sky?

YES,

if you're flying ANA to Japan!

All Nippon Airways

Introduces

"Inspiration of Japan"

Announcing new products and services.

at the

JW Marriott at LA Live

ANA's Business Class

A section of the Business Class was mocked up

with the latest cabin products and services.

Service will be introduced on January 21, 2012

on the Los Angeles to Narita (Tokyo) route,

aboard the

Boeing 777-300ER

In addition to greatly enhanced seating, entertainment, and comfort;

a new menu created by Chefs Yuji Wakiya and Masayasu Yonemura.

Some of the many selections to choose from on

ANA's Business Class menu.

Entrees can be selected on an

Ala Carte basis

Who else does this at 39,000 feet?

Lunch is Served!

Not your typical airplane meal.

But when you fly to Japan on ANA,

the meal is inspired by modern Japanese cuisine...

Congratulations to the Chefs

on a wonderful gourmet menu

in the sky!

Grilled Scallops

excellently garnished

Hard to believe this is served at 39,000 feet

Dessert Parfaits

With all of this great food,

now it's time to relax.

Business Class

Full flat seats, allowing passengers to rest in

complete bed-style seating,

especially after a great meal.

My view from a Business Class seat

17 inch widescreen LCD touch panel, the largest in its class.

Flyers can enjoy their own video, photos and music by connecting

their iPod* into the entertainment system and viewing their own

data on the 17" screen.

Access to the aisle from every seat

I can't wait for my next trip to Japan!

All Nippon Airways (ANA)

Displaying the latest addition to their fleet,

the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

They're the 1st ones to Fly the 787 Dreamliner

You can view the new cabin seats yourself at

Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance

Saturday and Sunday

November 19 and 20, 2011

9 am to 8 pm

Mitsuwa Marketplace

21515 S. Western Avenue

Torrance, CA 90501

Arigato!

ANA Airways

Neal Schaffer

Jay Terauchi

Kahuna of the Kitchen

* - iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc.