Totoraku
Average user Rating: 95
|
Outside, there is a sign that says Teriyaki House on Pico. To those in the know, it's referred to as the Secret Japanese Beef Restaurant. Totoraku can be experienced only if you know the chef, or if you go with someone who's already been there. With only one seating a night, a culinary journey, Tokyo style, is offered. High quality ingredients and the Chef's passion for food come through in the delicate dishes of each night's tasting menu.
|
User Restaurant Ratings
Sort Results By
96
Totoraku (Los Angeles, CA) [2]
10/6/2009
Is Totoraku (a.k.a. Teriyaki House Pico, or simply "secret beef restaurant") LA's toughest reservation? I'd say so. Walk up and try to open the door, and you'll find it locked. Give them a call, and you'll likely only get an answering machine with chef/owner Kaz Oyama's voice. The machine, though, is key. Leave a message with your details, and maybe you'll get a call back from Oyama-san's wife Shizumi, if you're deemed to be "in the know," that is. Officially, you'll only be granted the ability to make a reservation if you've been to Totoraku prior (though some unscrupulous individuals have scammed their way in), which means initially, you have to get someone with "the card" to bring you. Thus, you understand the dilemma here--the City's best yakiniku remains elusive.
1: Amuse Bouche Assortment
Our meal began with a selection of nine appetizers, to be shared amongst us:
• Sockeye Salmon - Salmon stuffed with avocado and sprouts, wrapped in soba. There was a nice interplay going on here between the salmon and the creamy avocado and tangy sprouts, though I would've liked bigger pieces to better explore the flavors.
• Alaskan King Crab Gelée - The crab itself was sweet as expected, with the gelatin acting as a sort of glue that bound the pieces together. What was fascinating though was that the gelée had a distinct spicy finish that slowly built up on my palate.
• Prosciutto di Parma and Cantaloupe - Lovely. The prosciutto was suitably savory, and was balanced nicely by the sweet, juicy melon.
• Asparagus and Sweet Walnuts - An interesting contrast existed here between the bitter, delicate asparagus and sweet, nutty walnuts.
• Seared Albacore - Deftly cooked albacore, heightened by a bit of spice and a crisp, vegetal wrapper.
• Quail Egg with Caviar - Some egg-on-egg action: always a good decision. I loved how the salty, briny tang of the roe penetrated the subtle gravity of the egg.
• Ankimo - A superb presentation of ankimo, with the liver's richness tempered by the crisp cucumber and light, tart gelée.
• Steamed Abalone - My favorite of the nonet. The abalone had a wondrous texture, just tough enough, yet yielding. Its flavor, meanwhile, was simultaneously sweet yet smoky. It was served with zenmai (Japanese royal fern), which had a pleasing crunch of its own.
• Shrimp and Matsutake - Perfectly cooked shrimp, elevated by the delicate earthiness of matsutake mushrooms.
2: Beef Tongue Carpaccio
This was the sole dish that I didn't have on my last visit to Totoraku. The tongue was sliced appropriately thin, giving the meat a surprisingly tender consistency that barely required mastication. The carpaccio was livened up by the application of scallion, which deftly complemented the beef with its bitter tang, as well as some sort of tart sauce (ponzu perhaps?). Very nice.
3: Beef Ribeye Tataki & Beef Throat Sashimi
Following came a duet of barely-touched beef. First was the tataki, done up with a lovely char that provided a savory contrast to the meat's mild interior. This was even better when paired with a bit of grated ginger. The throat sashimi (of two cows, apparently) was more interesting, with a great, crunchy texture and a subtle flavor that was superbly accented by soy and scallion.
4: Beef Tartare
Our final raw course was Oyama-san's interpretation of yukhoe, or Korean beef tartare. Though rump steak is usually used for this dish, I'm not sure what was employed here. Nevertheless, it came with a number of accoutrements, including raw quail egg, daikon, cucumber, pine nuts, and Japanese pear. I proceeded to mix up the various items into one absolutely ambrosial amalgamation, one of the best tartares I've ever had in fact. I loved the multi-faceted interaction between the savory beef, the tang of the veggies, and the overarching sweetness of the pear--superb.
5: Tongue
To the uninitiated, tongue (tan) may sound unappetizing, but it was actually one of the highlights of the meal for me. Totoraku's was a quintessential example: topped with scallion and salt & pepper, stupendously saporous with an almost foie gras-esque aftertaste, heightened by a delightfully rubbery yet yielding texture. As good as the tongue was on its own, it was even better when paired with a dash of the included lemon juice.
6: Filet Mignon
Here we have some generous chunks of filet mignon, paired with peppers, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Compared to the tongue, the filet was much more subtle in flavor, lean and gossamer in its beefiness, brightened up with a touch of soy. Grilled rare, the meat was nearly melt-in-your-mouth--I wish I would've remembered to try some raw!
7: Crudités
Along with the filet came an assortment of raw veggies, helpful in tempering the weight of all this meat. First up was a bowl of lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and radish, served with a sweet miso dip. Next were Momotaro tomatoes, some of the juiciest, sweetness tomatoes I've had--we asked for seconds.
8: Outside Rib Eye
We now move on to the more marbled meats. Outside rib eye is also known as rib eye cap, and vis-à-vis the filet, it was far more luxurious, richer, fattier, oiler, and stronger in savor--an escalation from the tenderloin to the sure. No sauce was necessary here; the included salt & pepper did a great job in elevating the beef's flavor.
9: Inside Rib Eye
Compared to the outside rib eye, the inside version was slightly chewier and not quite as decadent. Flavor-wise, the beef came with its own marinade, which did an admirable job in complementing the meat's flavor while not overwhelming it. However, I must say that I preferred the outside.
10: Short Rib
Next was karubi, Japan's interpretation of the omnipresent Korean kalbi short ribs. This, however, was different in that it was served sans bone, and was far less marinated. The result was a less heavy-handed meat, more refined than galbi with a perfect ratio of lean to fat, blessed with just a touch of sweetness and a supremely tender consistency.
11: Skirt Steak
Our final cut was harami, or skirt steak, from the underside of the steer. Though it's often known as a tough but tasty cut of meat, Oyama-san's version was suitable tender, with a enchantingly beefy, yet lean and light flavor.
12: Kuppa Soup
Our final savory course of the night was this spicy egg and seaweed soup, a derivative of Korean gukbap ("rice soup"). It was a heartwarming concoction with a nice bit of spice, thanks to the use of Chinese chilies.
13: Ice Creams and Sorbets
Dessert at Totoraku consists of your choice of ice creams and sorbets, which I suspect are housemade. We had one of each flavor: pistachio ice cream, espresso ice cream, white chocolate/raspberry ice cream, lychee sorbet, blueberry sorbet. My favorites were the pistachio (replete with bits of the nut), white chocolate, and lychee.
The price for this bovine overload? $135 per person, sans tip and tax. You might suspect that some of the cost is associated with the exclusivity of the place, and you'd probably be right. But keep in mind that, in terms of yakiniku or Korean BBQ, I've had no better than at Totoraku. The fact that the place has been open for 10 years (with no advertising, actively turning away customers in fact) attests to that. I don't know if it's the source of the beef (not wagyu, by the way), or the way Oyama-san prepares it, but the quality of the meat is simply a cut above. This isn't an everyday, everyweek, or even everymonth place; it's an experience, one of the most unique in the City. If you ever have the chance to worship at this temple of beef, jump on it.
Full review with photos: http://www.kevineats.com/20 09/10/totoraku-los-angeles- ca-2.htm
93
8/24/2009
Totoraku pawns other yakiniku/bbq places in town hands down, but at a heftier price of $180 per person at the end of tax and tips. Not cheap enough for most of us to go regularly, but if you can get in and can fork the dough, this is an experience worth trying at least once.
Read more from their blog
96
11/21/2008
Totoraku, as many of you now know, is the Japanese beef restaurant that is extremely difficult to get into. Known also as Pico Teriyaki House and Secret Beef(no, it's not a Japanese porn front), Totoraku has built up a reputation of snobbiness and great food. Reservations are impossible unless you know someone who know's someone who know's the chef...or you know someone who know's the chef, or if you know the chef...but I digress.
We had the fortune of becoming friends with Kevin of kevineats.com. His professor knows Chef Kaz Oyama, so we were in for a party of 12. Included were Fiona, of gourmetpigs, Ryan of tangbro, Caroline of Caroline on Crack, Ore of Potential Gold, Aaron of Fooddestination, and of course Kevin.
One of the secrets to Secret Beef is that you should bring good wine to a) pair with the meal; and b) to kiss ass to Chef Oyama in the hopes of being remembered for future reservations. So, we lit up the joint with about 14 bottles including a 2000 Chateau Leoville Las Cases, a 96 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Unico, a 96 Chateau Montelena, an 06 Kistler and a 98 M Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal. Professor Himao kindly brought a gourgeous Hakkaisan Daiginjo sake, which we started the journey with, along with an amuse platter of:
-Cantaloupe and proscuitto
-Asparagus and Walnuts
-Lobster salad
-King Crab gelee
-Sockeye salmon rolled with avacado and sprouts
-Hard boiled quail egg halves topped with Osetra caviar
-Japanese persimmon salad
-Momotaro tomato and ricotta cheese
-Steamed abalone
Each amuse was nice, but my stomach and taste buds only had eyes for beef. And so it began in earnest.
-A plate of slightly seared beef tataki accompanied by raw beef throat pieces, paired with minced garlic and julienned ginger. The tataki was refreshingly cold, as was the slightly crunchy beef throat.
-Thinly sliced Culatello di Zibello Della Consorzio. This proscuitto-like culatello was a special treat that Ore brought, and Oyama-san sliced and served. Truly delicious.
-Beef tartare that consisted of julienned beef with raw egg yolk, cucumber, pine nuts and daikon. We mixed the concoction together to form a delicately balanced and flavored dish.
At this point, three grills with burning binchotan coals were brought out...one for each group of 4. In order, we grilled:
-slices of cow tongue. By far my favorite cut of the entire night, the seared tongue gave a slightly crunchy texture and flavor.
-Filet mignon. Tenderloin tends to be soft and lean, but lacking in flavor. This tenderloin had all three. Simply fantastic.
-Inside rib eye. Slightly marinated, the fatty and rich rib eye provided a contrast to the filet.
-Outside rib eye. This is the cap of the rib eye that is even fattier and richer than the inside rib eye. No marinade, just salt and pepper.
-Short rib meat. Great marbling in the meat made this tasty Korean favorite extremely tender and flavorful.
-Skirt steak. If handled improperly, this cut can be stringy and tough. No such issue here, as the meat was sweet and tender.
We were quite full at this point. Thankfully, sometime during the grilling, a crudite plate and a plate of Momotaro tomatoes were brought out. They really helped cleanse the palate control that greasy feeling. After the skirt, we were served a spicy rice soup that was an appropriate finish to the meal. After the soup, we were given an assortment of ice creams and sorbets that finished not only the meal off, but it finished us off, as well.
At the end of the meal, we were extremely full, and in my friend's words, ' highly buffered'. All of that wine and all of that beef created an evening of pure gluttony and merriness.
Oyama san came out to thank us and told us all we were welcome back anytime. It was a great end to a great meal...one that I will surely have again(as long as he remembers me!)
More Barbeque Restaurants
- Chili's Grill & Bar
American, Barbeque
West Hills, CA
- Outback Steakhouse
Barbeque, Steakhouse
City of Industry, CA
- Claim Jumper
American, Barbeque, Steakhouse
Long Beach, CA
- Suk San Restaurant
Barbeque, Korean
Gardena, CA
- Bandits Bar-B-Q
American, Barbeque, Seafood
Thousand Oaks, CA
- Mugaboka Korean BBQ
Barbeque, Korean
Lomita, CA
- Bad 2 Da Bone
Barbeque, Southern/Soul
Inglewood, CA
More Restaurants in Los Angeles
- Maya's Taco Market
Mexican, Salvadoran
Los Angeles, CA
- L'Orangerie
French
Los Angeles, CA
- Hatfield's Restaurant
American (New), Californian, French
Los Angeles, CA
- Acapulco Mexican Restaurant
Mexican
Los Angeles, CA
- Ho Sai Kai Chinese Restaurant
Chinese, Fast Food
Los Angeles, CA
- Amandine Patisserie
Bakery, French
Los Angeles, CA
- Okaya Maki & Teriyaki
Sushi
Los Angeles, CA
More Restaurants You Might Like
- Itacho Japanese Restaurant
Izakaya, Japanese
Los Angeles, CA
- Nook Bistro
American
Los Angeles, CA
- Starry Kitchen
Asian Fusion, Sandwiches, Vietnamese
Los Angeles, CA
- Claim Jumper
American, Barbeque, Steakhouse
Costa Mesa, CA
- Manpuku West Los Angeles
Barbeque, Japanese
Los Angeles, CA
- Outback Steakhouse
Barbeque, Steakhouse
Irvine, CA
- Sam Woo Seafood Restaurant
Barbeque, Cantonese, Seafood
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
