Our foodie friend couple wants to try Totoraku, invitation only yakiniku restaurant. My husband tries to make a reservation for them, but they don’t accept without us going together. My experience I went there last time was pretty bad, so I had a mixed feeling but I went along because it’s been about three years since then.
The friend was excited to look at the restroom wall with a lot of wine labels. I was disappointed instead that it was no update or upgrade of anything such as old table cloth and tacky dining chairs.
Our wine selections: Flying Goat Pinot Noir Sparkling, Temecula Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, LWC Pinot Noir
Appetizer paired with Pinot Noir Sparkling
Beef Carpaccio with White Carrot & Ponzu Jelly
Beef Tataki & Lengua Sashimi
This tongue sashimi is new to me. It’s good and interesting to eat but not great.
Yukke
Sweetness of apple makes it so delicious.
Charcoal Grill
Beef Tongue
We opened 2012 Cab next. It’s well-balanced and complex.
We set timer as instructed. 90 sec, turn 30 sec.
This is always my favorite.
Vegetables
Miso Dip
FIlet Mignon
Very tender and perfect with the cab.
Momotaro Tomato
Very sweet.
Outside skirt (?)
The image is blur and I started getting drunk here.
Inside Skirt
We opened another bottle. Opps!
Harami
Again, I couldn’t get focused.
I really don’t remember I had soup.
Dessert
I had no idea about this neither.
OMG!
$190 Omakase per person. I truly feel it overpriced. Hate they add tip themselves. Hope our friends enjoyed it enough.
We don’t need to go back another 10 years or so, but promised each other to go to Providence sometime soon.
Totoraku
10610 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 838-9881
$$$$
two stars
Food is good but not worth for $246 per person. Service is mediocre or worse. We asked new glasses for different wine, but they didn’t have enough glasses and brought a bowl of water instead. We washed the old glasses off ourselves. This is not expected for $200 level restaurant and 20% tip. Ahhhh! Best things for tonight are quality time with friends and delicious wines!
I drank too much, passed out as soon as home and got hangover next day…
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Breakfast
Lunch
