Cuisine:

• Others
• Japanese
• Sushi bar
• Fusion

Gonpachi Description:
The Japanese owner of Gonpachi wanted to make sure that coming to his restaurant on La Cienega's Restaurant Row would be like a small trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. Centuries-old houses were disassembled in Japan, shipped here, and then reassembled to create this compound, complete with gardens. The result is quite stunning. The 11,000-square-foot venue, encompassing two floors, boasts a bar; a sushi bar, of course; booths; tables; and private dining rooms. After a hesitant debut, the restaurant has brought on chef Katsuo Nagasawa as executive chef. Remember him? He opened Café del Rey. Nagasawa has definitely elevated the level of the cuisine. You will surely find your favorite sushi or sushi rolls from the authentic Edo-Mae (Tokyo-style) sushi bar. There is a large selection of starters, cold or warm, from soft shell crab with spicy garlic miso dressing to crispy rice topped with tuna and albacore tartare and Japanese eggplant stuffed with king crab, sea scallop and corn kernels in a spicy mayo. The house-made soba noodles are a must-try, made with the best buckwheat. There is a ceremony involved with eating them; ask your server. When ordering skewers from the sumi-yaki (robata grill), you should know that the charcoal used is one of the most expensive in the world, called "Kishu bincho-tan," imported from Japan. Our favorite skewer is the minced chicken and duck. Continue with spaghetti turned black with squid ink and seasoned with lobster, shrimp, calamari, scallops, peppers, enoki mushrooms and shiso-garlic-soy yuzu; nori-crusted salmon; or the Kobe-style beef shabu-shabu, a signature dish. Finish with the pumpkin zensai, a sweet red bean paste or a more traditional chocolate fondue. As in many Japanese restaurants, we recommend the sakés.


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