Bond St. Sushi Beverly Hills, CA (Seeing Red-sikowkski!)

SEEING RED-SIKOWSKI!!

Sometimes I find a chef I freak out about and then I go back and discover
they're off their game....or they've taken a wrong creative turn...or
they've gotten rid of that thing for which guests return time and time
again without finding an appropriate new player... So far, Redsikowski has
made none of those errors; he is consistent, inspired and playful.

Case in point, I went to Spago (SPAGO people) recently and had a series
of plates that were delicious, but sort of un-inspired. If one is paying
that much money shouldn't dishes be created that, upon arrival at the
table, cause even the most snooty diner's jaw to drop just a little?
Don't get me wrong, my toes have curled for the illustrious Wolfgang in
the past. But this last time... (Dare I say it?) My jaw just...it didn't
drop. And I really thought it would...

But at Redsikowski's Bond St...

OK, listen to this. Redsikowski is doing ridiculous things at BS. He
serves his melty Wagyu beef with shaved black and white truffle, perfect
little mashed potato CUBES, carrot SPHERES that burst with jus and SHAVED
french onion soup chips...there's actually not a proper description for
the chips. They're like... super yummy flavor accelerators. And
underneath it all is a piccolini mushroom and truffle sauce and a touch of
sweet ponzu. All the little bits and sauce amounts come together so that
each bite of beef has just the right accoutrement... and I'm sorry, biting
into a mashed potato cube is just plain fun. But the greatest thing is
that, even with mixing in all these inventive elements and artfully
balancing sweet with savory, Redsikowski never loses sight of the fact
that the dish is, at its heart, a comforting, fulfilling meat and potatoes
meal. That, people, is a fine line to dance upon.

Also of note: the pot'o'crab. Crab is a delicate meat to begin with. But
Redsikowski found a way to surround it, in its own little cast iron pot,
with an even more delicate, frothy, buttery broth made from the crab
stock. The liquid is pungent and steaming and lumps of crab melt in your
mouth. It's rich but not cloying because the hint of Meyer lemon and
accompanying bites of squash and zuchini play a perfect counterpoint.

Also, if you like panna cotta, try the "cereal" dessert. It is a silky
layer of vanilla panna cotta with seasonal fruits and chunks of
crumb-topping-like "cereal" drizzled, at table, with a sweet soy milk.
Redsikowski even makes fun of his own Nth degree creativity by serving the
cereal on a Sunday Morning Paper.

Standing Stars: The crazy good 24 Hour Sous Vide (How does he have it turn
out so good every time?!) with powdered olive oil and artichoke foam, the
aforementioned Sockeye Tuna Tarts, and the lobster Tempura, which is light
and complimented by a deliciously tart dipping sauce, peppery cilantro and
jalapeno shavings.

ALERT: If you ever see that Chef Brian Redsikowski is having a tasting
menu! Go! I lucked out and, on a whim, showed up on TRUFFLE night!
Eeegads man!

Genius is such a lame word these days, everyone uses it, usually when they
are overstating something or trying to impress people with the assumption
that they themselves are salient enough to define just what genius is...
So, in an effort to not go overboard I'll just say this; I think
Redsikowski could be a foodie freakazoid with some definite genius in
there... You decide.

The Loving Critic

Akasha, Culver City, CA.

The best part of Akasha is the design of the space, which is incredibly impressive and artful. But I'd say the whole facade was a bit like the curtain hiding the wizard, engendering false hope about both the food and service.
In fact... I might have had the worst dining experience I've ever had. And I have eaten out a lot, people. A LOT.
Two in our group ordered the seared salmon. One serving came out raw throughout and the other was dry and dessicated, as was the pork chop. So if you want a lump of salmon sashimi when you were expecting seared fish or you're hankering for a big chunk of pork "jerky"...this is your place!
To be fair, the steak was perfect, though accompanied by undercooked potatoes, the salty caramel tart and apple tarts were delicious and the little loaves of dinner bread were tasty...
But the true disappointment was in the wait staff, which so outweighed any slight achievements in terms of food that our party felt hugely gyped by the experience. The bussers hovered and roved as though every dish load dumped earned them a commission. They began clearing the table before everyone was done eating and two in our group picked up their bread to take a bite only to find their bread plates had been whisked away.
But worst of all was our waiter. You know when you see a TV show where an older grandma is shocked by some improper behavior or rudeness and then mutters "Well I never!" That's how I felt by the end...and I am too young to be muttering such things. Our waiter was inattentive and rude. He wandered off literally mid-sentance several times, smirked when we wanted to share a small appetizer and....
Oops sorry! I wandered off there. And he made snarky comments under his breath throughout the meal...it was really quite odd. Didn't he know we could hear him?
I say avoid Akasha and go a couple doors down to Ford's Filling Station, which also serves a lot of locally bought, but waaaaay more satisfying, American food.
The Loving Critic

Bond St. Sushi Beverly Hills, CA

Bond St. Sushi..."Unshackled!"
Brian Redzikowski (exec chef) and the management there have definitely pulled Bond St. out of whatever funk it was in. I'm a complete foodie, (even used to write mini reviews for Art and Living magazine) and on all accounts Bond St. has raised the bar.
The staff was lovely and attentive and the menu design and sushi was spectacular. It is a bit higher cost but it's worth it because this isn't just sushi...it's well thought out and artfully served sushi fusion. Where else do they find a way to serve delicious sesame crusted shrimp sushi with a silken curry sauce? And the Big Eye Tuna Tarts, which adeptly combine the rather fickle taste of truffle with sashimi grade tuna, are a study in flavor balance. I could wax eloquent but I have to get back to my "real job" so here are the basics.
*The first sign of a BAD sushi place is bad Miso soup. And the miso soup was rich and brothy, chock full of tofu, seaweed and flavor...almost creamy in consistency...
*If you go there and don't get the Big Eye Tuna Tarts you're an idiot. My sister envisioned checking herself into the hotel and having them delivered every hour on the hour for a day or so. Yeah. That's how good they are.
*There is none of the usual LA bullshit/waiter attitude (which I found in spades at both Fraische and Akasha in Culver City recently...) Either the management at Bond St. is enforcing better conduct requirements or they hired a new crew of actor/waiters who are much better at acting pleasant...
*The pacing of the meal was excellent and leisurely, no rushing one through like pigs to a trough while the waiter stares you down and thinks "go on, eat up so I can load in the next group of customers..."
*Presentation was consistent and pleasing to the eye. All the dishes were aesthetically strong and we know it's consistent because we ordered the Big Eye tarts at both the beginning of the meal and then again at the end...as dessert.
*Also try the eggplant in sweet miso, the lobster roll, the duck confit salad, and the spicy crab crispy rice, which offers a rich twist on the usual spicy tuna crispy rice...
The Loving Critic