Published on December 3rd, 2012 | by Lindsay N. Lauters Do you dream of sushi? When you close your eyes, do you see glistening slivers of toro luxuriating on delicate beds of rice? Do you crave an authentic, Tokyo sushi bar experience?Then you’re in luck, my friends, because I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Some of the best sushi in California is right in your back yard – at Kaito Sushi of Encinitas. Kaito Sushi is a slice of Tokyo-style (or Edomae, for you sushi snobs) heaven. Right when you walk in, you’ll notice the sushi bar takes up 75% of the restaurant – that’s because the two Chefs, Morita and Joe, are focused on building relationships with their customers as well as fantastic foods.  They do not take shortcuts and do not compromise. These two are the only chefs at work, every single day.Not only do they craft some of the finest sushi available, but their restaurant is ridiculously busy. In fact, for the best experience, I recommend that you visit at 5 PM and make reservations at least a day or two in advance.

Kaito is a Slow Food experience at its best, so make sure to budget around 2 hours for a meal. So once you’ve made your reservation, what can you expect from dinner at Kaito Sushi? You can order rolls here, but I highly recommend surrendering yourself to the Chef’s whims and ordering omakase (a tasting menu consisting of whatever is best, freshest, and in season).  Don’t worry, the Chefs will ask if there’s anything you don’t like before whisking you away on a journey of the best their sushi bar has to offer that day. I’ve been going to Kaito for several years and have never had the same dining experience; the Chefs create a menu on the fly based on your personal preferences and what fish was best from the daily delivery. As an example, though, I’ll detail a recent sushi dinner I enjoyed at Kaito. I had a bottle of Sapporo to drink, although sake and tea are also available. Chu-Toro (Medium Fatty Tuna) Sashimi – I practically clapped my hands when Chef Morita suggested this as our first course – it’s a decadent opener for a late fall meal.

He warned us in advance this was a particularly lean cut of chu-toro, but the flavor was excellent. Delicate and served at the perfect temperature, the fish melted on my tongue. Kaki (Oyster) Fry —   Next up, a fresh oyster fried in panko breading and served with Japanese katsu sauce, lemon, and a dab of Chinese mustard. We mixed and matched the three condiments for different flavor profiles. The oyster was juicy, savory, and hot – but not to the point of burning your tongue – and the breading was crispy. Amberjack Lemon Rosettes – A creative sashimi dish showcasing the texture of the fish. Sashimi pieces were places on thinly slice lemons with a topping of spicy tomato relish. As I bit into the lemon, the acid cooked the fish in my mouth and changed the texture. A rosette of unadulterated amberjack was in the middle of the dish for comparison; without the acid and spice of the tomato relish, the fish was sweet and a bit creamy. Ika (Squid) Sashimi – One of the things I enjoy most about Kaito is that the Chefs are constantly teaching me what a huge part season and location has in shaping the flavor and texture of seafood.

This Ika was sweet, a bit briny and incredibly creamy, with a chewy backbone texture. Small rolls of Ika with pickled vegetables and Shisho leaves completed the arrangement. This was my second favorite dish of the night. Red Snapper Nigiri – Lightly cooked, draped over rice, and dressed with freshly grated salt, real wasabi root, and yuzu, this was my favorite dish. The fish was soft with a slight char flavor, and sweet. In fact, sweet was rapidly becoming the flavor theme of the night.jiro dreams of sushi mkv Soy-Sake Marinated Maguro (Lean Red Tuna) Nigiri – Lean tuna flash-marinated in a house made sweet soy-sake mixture, with thinly sliced nagaimo (mountain yam) and radish sprouts. sushi grade salmon houstonIf you haven’t had it before, nagaimo has an almost slimy texture which is a great counterpoint to the dryness of the lean red tuna.  jiro dreams of sushi rice

The sharp bitterness of the radish sprouts cut through the sweetness of the marinade perfectly. Anago (Saltwater Eel) Nigiri – Lightly baked but still moist, the anago is laid on rice and brushed with a sweet sauce. The texture is fluffy, and almost akin to a moist cake. Negitoro Handroll – The simplest pleasure there is, the handroll at Kaito is about 1/3 rice, 2/3 chopped toro with thin green onions, and wrapped in crisp nori (seaweed paper). youda sushi chef 2 play onlineI had to eat it fast to preserve the texture of the nori, which snapped as I bit into it. The rich oil of the fish flooded my mouth for a decadent ending to the meal. The final bill hovered at around $70 per person with alcohol, so make sure to bring your biggest, fattest wallet. For me, it’s well worth it. Kaito Sushi will wow and amaze you… if you’re in the right mindset for the meal. Chef Morita is a casual guy who likes forming friendships with his diners, so don’t be surprised if he heads outside for a few minutes to enjoy a smoke or check out another patron’s new car.

Chill out and buy the kitchen staff a beer or two while you wait.  Personally, I’m glad that he takes the time to enjoy his work. Because Kaito is so good, it’s also extremely popular. You may have to wait to be seated even with a reservation, and it’s not great for large groups. You’ll have difficulty fitting more than 5 or 6 people in your party unless you reserve well in advance and are willing to wait. But these small snags pale in comparison to the overall experience of eating at Kaito Sushi. After nearly three years of eating here, the Chefs still manage to surprise me at every meal.  You will never find another restaurant quite like it. 130-A N El Camino Real Mon to Sat: (5 pm – close)A prime hillside plot in the Hollywood Hills featuring the landmark Yamashiro restaurant has been sold to a Beijing company for nearly $40 million, the latest in a wave of Chinese investment sweeping Los Angeles.The sale represents the first purchase in the United States for JE Group, a hotel operator known for refurbishing historic properties on its home turf.

Kang Jianyi, chairman of JE, said there will be few changes to the site, except for sprucing up the aging buildings, including a small hotel, apartments and the restaurant building, a replica of a palace near Kyoto, Japan.“Los Angeles is a fashionable city,” said Kang, who was in Pasadena and spoke through a translator Tuesday. “The entire world knows Hollywood.” The seven-acre property was marketed by brokerage Colliers International as a development opportunity, but Kang said new construction would not be appropriate. Instead, he vowed to keep open both the restaurant and the Hollywood Hills Hotel and Apartments, which has a mix of 43 units.Kang added that his company is in negotiations with the current operators of Yamashiro — a restaurant popular with tourists and as a place to celebrate special events — and that it was possible there would be a new restaurant operator.Kang said some Chinese investors are part of the deal that closed Monday, though he declined to name them.

JE's purchase is just the latest marquee acquisition for a Chinese company in the United States, seen as a haven for diversifying holdings as China's economy slows.On Monday, Anbang Insurance Group Co., a Chinese insurer, made an unsolicited $12.8-billion offer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., which owns the Westin and Sheraton brands.The offer came only days after Anbang reportedly agreed to buy Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc., whose posh properties include the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego and the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.Now JE wants in on the action. The firm has seven hotels in China, and Kang said he hopes to expand beyond Los Angeles to other major cities, such as Seattle, San Francisco and Miami.The Yamashiro property, which drew interest from other international buyers, has been up for sale before.In 2007, more than 10 descendants of Thomas O. Glover, who bought the property for $150,000 in 1948, agreed to put it on the market, along with the nearby Magic Castle, a private club for magicians they also owned.

The property was seen as a development opportunity at that time — perhaps for a larger hotel — but local residents were concerned that any construction would spoil the neighborhood's ambience and worsen traffic. A sale was never consummated and the financial crisis hit.Now, the descendants decided to sell only the Yamashiro site, which also includes a vacant home, an administrative building and a 600-year old pagoda imported from Japan.John Tronson, a principal with commercial real estate brokerage Avison Young, said the nearly $40-million price tag seemed a bit high if JE didn't build something else, such as more residences or another hotel. But he noted the hillside property is difficult to develop, given slopes, its historic designation and likely strong opposition from neighbors.“It's a really challenging site,” said Tronson, who was not involved with the sale.Kang's plans not to develop the site could help to assuage concerns over the change of ownership.Colliers International's marketing brochure cites the land's “untapped development potential,” noting zoning would allow 382 residential units.

But it also states the historic restaurant building, gardens and other structures would need to be taken into consideration.The sale comes amid a backlash over development in Hollywood. Local activists are pushing a ballot measure to crack down on what they see as the “Manhattanization” of Los Angeles.In downtown Los Angeles, skyline-altering projects underway from Chinese developers include Greenland Group's $1-billion Metropolis hotel and condo development, as well as Oceanwide Real Estate Group's massive hotel, retail and residential project a few blocks away.Cranes dot the Hollywood skyline and recent projects include Kilroy Realty Corp.'s Columbia Square, a $420-million office, residential and retail complex that finished construction in January.More is probably on the way. Developer Crescent Heights, for example, hopes to break ground early next year on two 30-story residential towers known as the Palladium Residences.“There is a lot of capital and a lot of investor interest in this incredible, dynamic area,” said Stephen Algermissen, a Colliers International executive vice president who represented the sellers in the Yamashiro deal.

“There are a lot of businesses going there. There are a lot of people that want to live there.”Kitty Wallace, a Colliers executive vice president who also represented the sellers, said Hollywood's boom attracted interest from buyers all over the world.They included a group from Italy that wanted to turn the Yamashiro property into a private club and fashion runway, as well as a principal of a northern California tech company who hoped to base a think tank there.“It's arguably one of the best sites west of the Mississippi,” Wallace said.Finished in 1914 by the Bernheimer brothers, the Yamashiro building — with its garden courtyard and koi ponds — is part of Hollywood lore.Millionaire silk importer Adolph Bernheimer and his brother Eugene lived at the mansion for a time and charged Angelenos 25 cents each to see their Asian art collection they kept on site.By the 1920s, the mansion had transformed into an exclusive social club for the Hollywood elite, including actors Lillian Gish and Ramon Navarro.