i went to try out my friends samuel and scott's new restaurant in west hollywood. sam used to be a part-time line cook for me when i used to own blue hen and i met scott when i gave a talk for little tokyo service center's small business course. they're great guys and i love their restaurant. scott's responsible for the menu, a creative collection of modern, inventive japanese tavern food. the food was delicate, clever, and beautifully presented. my favorites were the taco shimi (ahi tuna sashimi, avocado, and grilled shitake served on cumin-seasoned flour tortilla chips that come stacked like a napoleon); the carpaccio trio featuring ahi, yellowtail, and scallops; and scott's take on milk and cookies: a decadent chocolate cake made to resemble a cookie and served with a vanilla smoothie. scott's years of experience really shines through in the menu's composition as well as its execution.
as he was a graphic designer in a former career, sam's responsible for the restaurant's branding. he used to be a wine specialist for whole foods as well, so i suspect that he played a key role in the restaurant's beer selection. i tried the echigo beer that my eating companion ordered and it went really well with the food.
what i like most about the place is that it is an expression of scott and sam's personalities: sincere, unpretentious, detail-oriented, and friendly. the name of the restaurant is ronin, to indicate that the menu is not fettered by japanese tradition and borrows from other cuisines such as french and mexican. it's definitely a male place, most of the wait & kitchen crew are male and the dining room uses a lot of dark wood and is decorated with samurai swords. but it didn't feel oppressively macho. i felt as if i had entered an alternate universe populated by manga boys playing at rogue samurais, while in my world i am at work opening up a dinette called good girl.
ronin izakaya bistro
359 n. la cienega blvd.
west hollywood, ca 90048
310 289 8404
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