Cuisine:

• French
• Fusion
• Sushi bar

Chaya Downtown Description:
The Chaya saga started 390 years ago, and as you can guess, not in the U.S. but in Japan. This downtown address is the third Chaya in the City of Angels. Whether you sit inside or on the patio, you will appreciate the vibe of the space with its stylish touches like the grand pink chandelier made of flotsam and jetsam hanging on strings, the Moroccan-style mirror, marble-top sushi bar and wall-size Japanese painting on the other end of the restaurant. Chaya is famous for its sushi and rolls, but on our visit we found them uninteresting, and much preferred the other dishes, executed with elegance and precision. Start with the tuna tartare, a true house classic since corporate executive chef Shigefumi Tachibe invented the dish in 1983. Or try the cast iron pan roasted Mediterranean mussels served with house-made chicken chorizo or the house-cured maple duck prosciutto with Petit Basque cheese. It's evident after reading the succinct descriptions of these dishes that even though the owners and chef are Japanese they have composed a menu with French flair. If you like fish, continue with a perfectly cooked miso-marinated sea bass on bok choy, eggplant and rice galette in wasabi soy broth, or the pan-roasted Mediterranean sea bream on brioche with pecorino gnocchi, in a Himalayan truffle jus and basil mustard. If you prefer meat, the winner is definitely the roasted Colorado lamb chops and lamb kefta on a bed of tasty Moroccan couscous. The braised Kobe beef short ribs, with Fontina mashed potatoes, are as tender as we would expect them to be. The cheese plate with marmalades is an option before the banana cake or the warm milk chocolate croissant bread pudding. Sommelier Mary Thompson is happy to help you discover one of the twenty globally-sourced artisan beers, her twelve sakés, and some three hundred wine labels. And now the verdict on the food: our rating will stay at 14/20, and if the sushi gets more exciting, it may go higher.


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