Los Angeles, CA 90064
I went to Totoraku about a month ago with my old point & shoot camera and the pictures came out horrible. I went back two weeks later with my new s95 so I can take better pictures for my blog. (and to eat of course!)
This place is absolutely phenomenal. I had just returned to LA from a food trip in Europe and wasn’t expecting much but this place definitely lived up to it’s hype. The owner/chef & his entire family are seriously the nicest people I have ever met and the food was extraordinary. Definitely the best beef in the city.
I took tons of pictures and didn’t leave anything out.
Table setting with sweet sauce, salty sauce & lemon juice.
The many wine bottles
Fresh mozzarella, quail egg, steamed abalone, prosciutto and melon, sockeye salmon with soba noodles, black sesame tofu, and monk fish liver with Alaskan king crab, persimmon salad, tuna with caviar, and mushrooms
Short Rib Carpaccio - this was one of my favorite dishes
Beef Throat Sashimi
Seared Ribeye - another one of my favorite dishes. Perfect with just a bit of garlic.
House Smoke Beef Tongue
Steak Tartare topped with Quail Egg - I loved this dish. The beef, along with daikon, cucumber and a quail egg are mixed up together. There’s a nice accent of sesame oil, which really brought everything together. Sliced fruit added some sweetness and crunch.
Beef Tongue - I know I love almost every dish here but this one was my absolute favorite. The tongue was so tender and perfectly seasoned with only salt & pepper. All you had to do was add a bit of green onions on top and stuff it into your mouth. I had to ask for more since it was THAT good.
Beef Tongue on the grill
Filet Mignon - definitely the most tender filet I’ve ever had.
Filet and Veggies on the grill
Momotaru Tomatoes - these were awesome!
Assorted Raw Vegetables - Cucumber, hickama, carrots, cabbage & lettuce with fresh bean dip
Outside Ribeye
Outside Ribeye on the grill
Inside Ribeye
Inside Ribeye on the grill
Short Ribs
Skirt Steak
Soup - This soup was made of bamboo, bean sprouts, egg, shiitake mushrooms and spinach. You have the option of choosing the spiciness level of the soup. The first time I chose medium but it wasn’t that spicy so the second time I chose spicy which was perfect.
Assorted Ice Creams and Sorbets - The flavors available are blueberry sorbet, pistachio ice cream, lychee sorbet, espresso ice cream, and white chocolate with raspberry ice cream. I had a scoop of every flavor the first time but the second time I chose espresso, my favorite.
This is one of my favorite resturants in LA and I plan to go back again next week! :)
UPDATE: He now offers spicy king crab soup with udon noodles! YUM!
