Orsa & Winston

One of my favorites in L.A. We had the six course tasting menu with wine pairings. It became almost a nine course with the extras provided by the kitchen. The beef carpaccio was excellent, combining lean meat with salt, oil, and herb flavors. The sunchoke soup was creamy, but with plenty of sunchoke flavor, poured over a beautifully cooked scallop. The salad was extraordinary — light, but with intense flavor, We followed with a delicate savory pasta dish, tender quail, and a lime custard dessert. The wine pairings were well though out, with the cab franc a real standout. Service was attentive and friendly.

I go every possible day for lunch. Their healthy bowls with seasonal veges are vibrant and they are filling and texturally interesting in a good way. I mix the grain and the kelp noodles and am always pleasantly pleased by this simply perfect meal. Also at a very reasonable price. Thankful that it is so close to my studio. Everything else I have tasted on the menu is great as well.

We, as in my hubby, chose Orsa & Winston (named after Chef Josef Centeno’s cute doggies) to celebrate our 10^th Anniversary and it was perfect! Having read mixed reviews on Unilocal,I wasn’t too sure but to each their own I guess. I’ll make up my own mind about the place and was quite excited to try the Omakase /​Prefixed Menu … I think it’s the way to go if you dine here. Cozy little place with 8 tables and the counter (seats 4). We chose the counter … feels like fine dining at home with private chefs.
Each course progressed exquisitely and thoughtfully. 10 courses total with some compliments from the kitchen. Learning from past mistake, we decided to ordered 1 wine pairing for the both of us (which was just right b/​c anything more would send me hugging the toilet before dinner was even over). Again, everything was so delicious, but if I had to choose top 3 it would be these extraordinary artsy dishes (dry aged beef carpaccio, nagareko spring salad w/​baby abalone, english pea agnolotti en brodo). I anything with truffle. The pennacotta, a gift from the kitchen was better than the kaffir lime custard but really enjoyed the peach.
With the small private setting, you feel privileged, a VIP which I think was what the Chef was going for and accomplished successfully (stating the obvious here). 4 waiters took turns serving us each attentive and knowledgeable. I applaud the extra touch of automatically changing my table napkin to black. Well done!
All in all, it was a great private dining experience. For those of you unsure, don’t think, just experience it for yourself as to each their own. Don’t take my words or anyone else’s.
A few Tips: counter, prefixed menu, 1 wine pairing for both and allow 2 hours. Valet parking is $ 10.
Buon Appetito!!!

4 for 4. Yup, the fourth and last of restaurants by Chef Josef Centeno to try. Orsa & Winston is the most upscale of his restaurants. Not my favorite, but was definitely a good experience.
There’s very few signage for this restaurant, however, it’s next to Bar Ama which is also owned by the same chef.
The restaurant itself is compact with only a few tables. It’s has a nice intimate setting. We were seated right at the storefront. The thing I loved was sitting on a couch which was really comfortable.
Menu here has only one tasting menu with additional options to choose. Tasting menu had 6 items and we also chose a few additional options. The chef was also generous to add a few items here and there. Here’s is what we had:
*Kanpachi crudo — abalone, citrus, passion fruit, nasaturtium: Dish had many flavors of sweet, smoked, sour, and salty. Not sure if I really enjoyed this dish. It was okay.
*Soup of English pea and spring garlic — scallop, maitake, farmers cheese, pickled grape: Love this dish. This dish had everything from great plating, texture, mixed flavors that went great together.
*Binchotan grilled red asparagus — Santa Barbara uni, baby artichoke, red walnut bagna cauda: Dish was good. Had the sweet and saltiness of the uni, texture from the wanuts, and some bitterness from the red leafs.
*Cultured grain agnolotti — egg yolk, sea bean, red orach, pecorino sardo: Honestly don’t even recalling eating this dish. Guess it was forgettable.
*Roasted Sonoma free range lamb — morels, beet and sweet potato hash, sunflower ramp pesto — Decent dish but mostly bone. Wish this was seasoned a bit better.
*Hen egg omelet, back perigord truffle — Part of the option. Love anything truffle. This would be great for breakfast with a side of bacon. Very good but more of a breakfast dish. It was cooked perfect and fluffy.
*Foie gras torchon, raspberry, pan rustic — Who doesn’t love foie gras? Even vegetarians would if they tried it. Smooth like butter.
*Squid ink spaghettini, maine lobster, kumquat — Good dish. I’ve had squid in pasta before. Not bad, nor great. Would of been better if the lobster had an enhanced flavor.
*Fennel palova — strawberry, tangerine, mascarpone mousse, crème anglaise: Good dessert but nothing special. We also had complimentary profiteroles which were okay.
Along with these dishes came a few other dishes from the chef: a palette cleanser tea of some sort, purple potato chip with micro greens and some sort of fish salad, breads with pickled oil dipping.
Service here was great and as good can be. If you love tasting menus and can appreciate taste, textures, plating, and different items, it’s definitely an experience whether you like the dish or not. Our experience was 4 hours long. Come open minded, enjoy the food and conversations. Definitely a must try.

I’ve wanted to try a Josef Centeno restaurant for a long time. As fate would have it, I finally had the opportunity with Unilocal friends Olin C, Joseph A, and Huy T. I had high expectations due to its remarkable placement each year on the Jonathan Gold 101 best restaurants in LA.
There’s only one tasting menu option: six course meal for $ 85. There are gifts from the chef peppered throughout the meal. We decided to add three supplemental dishes for sharing: the squid ink pasta, hen egg omelete, and foie gras torchon.
Three supplemental dishes:
$ 17 foie gras torchon ⁴⁄₅ stars
$ 15 hen egg omelette ⁴⁄₅
$ 18 squid ink pasta ²⁄₅
The foie gras torchon had a light, buttery richness to it. The hen egg was fresh and powerful; I’d love to wake up to breakfast in bed with this. Maybe I’m just not a fan of squid ink, but the flavor was not impressive. It was mildly salty, and the tiny bits of lobster were nothing to write home about.
$ 85 six course tasting menu:
kanpachi crudo ⁴⁄₅ stars
English pea soup ⁵⁄₅
red aparagus ²⁄₅
agnolotti ³⁄₅
lamb ²⁄₅
fennel pavlova ³⁄₅
Of the six courses, the best dish (by far) was course number two, English pea soup, spring garlic, Hokkaido scallop, maitake, farmers cheese, and pickled grape. This was a rich, welcoming soup with both complexity and textural contrast. The pea flavor had a rich subtlety to it. The grape complimented the soup surprisingly well, adding an ever so soft sweetness. There was a delicious aftertaste to the soup. There was a lot going on here, and it worked phenomenally.
For me, the meal peaked at this second course. None of the subsequent courses even came close to the pea soup. It was sort of a quiet and slow let down, especially since the meal took three and a half hours — sometimes with large gaps in between courses.
As well composed as the pea soup was, the asparagus plate was not. Throughout the dish, I felt something was off about the flavors. There were individual ingredients that did not mesh well together. Something was lacking to bring the dish together as a whole. There was a general bitterness that my palate could not overcome.
The lamb was disappointing, especially because it was the main dish, or main protein. The lamb itself was overcooked, and the accompanying beet and sweet potato hash was underdone and chewy (beyond al dente).
Orsa and Winston versus Bashan — Bashan restaurant in Glendale has a seven course tasting menu for $ 85. I left Bashan both full and dazzled by stunning flavors and textures. There was a better flow to the meal, and most of the dishes tasted better.
I haven’t experienced that many tasting menus, but I can say (as far as comparable restaurants) that N/​Naka, Bashan, Republique, Ink, and CUT were significantly better than Orsa and Winston. When I left CUT, I felt like I got a deal paying $ 98 for five courses. At Bashan I felt the same way about the seven courses for $ 85. Leaving Orsa and Winston, I just felt like a meal that was hyped up with a bang ended with a whimper.
Once you venture into the upper echelon of tasting menus, it’s hard to know what to expect. Overall, the only dish to really «wow» me was the English pea soup with Hokkaido scallops. That is the caliber of dish I expected most of the tasting menu to consist of. I’m sad to report that Orsa and Winston was just okay for me. It wasn’t terrible, but I won’t be back.

Scrummy… Delicious! Orsa & Winston represents new global dining in LA. Upon entering you feel at home– you feel as though you were invited to dine and experience delicious plates by a new artist owner/​chef. I love places like O&W because they highlights the talents of the chef, a chef who has worked for places like Manresa so I was really interested in his Art. I sampled the set menu of 6 plates, and 6 wine pairings. Here was the menu that night.
Amuse and Kohlrabi tea (loved the tea, asked for some more at the endd of the meal, sooo good)
1. Hawaiian kanpachi crudo– sashimi served with flowers, a small bite with a Prosecco. Nice beginning to the dinner. The veggies were a tad salty.
2. Soup of English peas, Hokkaido scallop, maitake, farmers cheese, pickled grape. Served with a sangiovese from Tuscany. This was a highlight; it was all about freshness and contrasting flavors of the delicious pea soup, tendrils, scallop 2die4 until I tasted the scallop, charred beautiful was also a bit salty. Too bad, this would have been the perfect dish.
3. Salted radicchio: Cauliflower. rainbow carrot, corn pudding, sea bean. Served with a Grillo wine from Sicily. This was a superior vegetable course, all flavors melded together as though I was eating a work of art.
4. Satsuki okayu: S. B uni, parmesan cream, nettle, lobster cream, miso. The Santa Barbara uni was nicely creamy and melded really well with the parmesan cream (I freaked out a bit), the end result was unforgettable and comforting to the palate, the rice a bit before toothy verging on half raw was not up to par.
5. Roasted quail: This was nicely crisp, nicely rare. If you felt you needed something that was substantial in a dish, substantial meaning meat, this dish was nicely satisfying– the crisp skin, crisp grain and chantrelle gave the palate a course fulfilling. The marionberry gave one that tease factor to highlight the best wine served for the night: a trebbiano from Emilia-​Romagna. I was so in like with this wine, I saved a bit for after dessert so I could remember it.
Gift from the kitchen– Panna cotta with a granita and preserved bergamon. A sufficiently good panna cotta, the bergamon however was a very nice touch to the palate– the panna cotta, a bit too firm yet acceptable.
6. Le Dessert: Fennel Pavlova. Harry’s berries, meringue, mascarpone served with a brachetto from PIemonte. This was a refreshing, a substantial plate and great for meringue lovers.
Service was super attentive with a casual delivery, unexpected of a restaurant of this caliber. I loved the service here, unhaughty, atypical, amen.
While this was a very nice meal, I found 3 dishes to be on the salty side especially salads and veggies (the sign of a chef who smokes heavily) and wish that Chef Centeno (who was there on a photo shoot) would have tasted the dishes before they were served to the guests.
In spite of the saltiness, giving it another try.
Loved it.
Coming back.
Visits: 1, and more later.
Tip: There is a chef’s table for 4 if you dont have a res. This is a small, casual space. The six wine pairing/​menu was easily shareable if you want to experience the great wine pairing here with your mate.

I’ve been holding off on this review because I’m still lukewarm about this restaurant even after two months of stewing. I guess I don’t understand why I wasn’t blown away. I love the location in DTLA, and the place is small but cute. I didn’t like sitting by the door like it was an after thought even though I made the rezzies specifying it was the hubby’s b-​day weeks before. There is an underlying snootiness here; in the service, in the food, in the preparation. And for me to enjoy myself, I need to feel the warmth and I just didn’t feel any warmth here.
I quite honestly don’t remember most of what I ate, except for that light egg dish because they’d forgotten that we’d ordered it and only sent it at the end, when we’d had all the heavy stuff so it totally didn’t mesh with the rest of the night. The hubster had the pairings and I’m glad I didn’t get it because there wasn’t much to drink. They also paired beer with a course, which was interesting but meh (I tasted all the hubby’s pairings).
The menu is basically a six-​course prix fixe with the option of add-​ons (like that egg thing). The servings are minuscule (think a slice of meat the size of your thumb) which didn’t fill me up at all. In fact, afterwards, I was hoping to run into one of those sizzling hot dog carts so we could nosh on something else.
So suffice it to say, we won’t come back. It’s disappointing because I’d heard so much about this place and have been attempting to come here for a year. Oh well, sometimes things just don’t work out and sadly, for me, Orsa & Winston was just an average experience. I was looking for the Wow and it never came.

My experience with Orsa & Winston was decent. I would suggest to come here hungry if you plan on doing their tasting menu. Although the meals were serving sizes — consuming liquids in between + serving time were 15 – 20 minutes increments — you’ll totally feel full by the 6^th course. We tried their 9 course tasting menu plus desert and I can barely breath after.
The restaurant was cute and small. It has O&W sign on the door to know you’re in the right place. The windows are not tinted so you will get stares and waves here and there from people walking by. There’s is a Mexican restaurant right next door and a club 2 doors down. So you can shed some weight off after pigging out… lol As you walk in you see a picture of 2 dogs — assuming it’s Orsa & Winston. Lol Some people did walk in without reservations and were able to accommodate them but, left after seeing the menu… lol
The food was interesting. I did see the Italian aspect and Japanese aspect of food representation. It also had a good mixture of refreshing and warmth. Also, to me — as far as light and heavy portions — it didn’t quite flow the way it should be. As an example, pasta shouldn’t go before salad if you get my drift.
Food representation was pretty. There were some that was okay. Dessert was simple and good.
It was quite an experience but I’m not sure if I’d go again. To me this restaurant is more like I went, I tried, the end.

Yes, five stars!
Pretty damn flawless from start to finish. Extrodanary everything, from service to ambience to food execution to plating to menu selection; really really good.
Was it expensive, affirmative. Was it well worth it, double affirmative.
This is a serious restaurant for serious foodies without that serious stuffiness you might get at some haughty uptown establishment. After all we were housed in what was once (less than 20 years ago) ground zero for Los Angeles ’ s skid row.
This is certainly not the case anymore. It is now this hot bed genterfied activity with its bars, restaurants, art scene, shops and hipness. What a wonderful transformation.
This metamorphosis can in part be thanked to the owner of Orsa and Winston Josef Centeno, as he owns three other restaurants all within a sand wedge of each other and all excellent eateries.
I would get into what we all had for dinner this glorious night, but my understanding is the menu changes frequently so there is no point. What I will say is the wine pairings with this grand meal was beyond fantastic. My palette hasn’t been hit this sublimely in a very long time, and I’ll leave you with that.

We came here on Thursday which was couple days before Valentine’s Day. I love everything here.
–menu: it’s a $ 85 set menu, which included 6 dishes and some complimentary from the kitchen. Every dish was good and you feel it really worth the price.
–service: all the people working here were supper nice and knowledge. They will definitely give you description of each dish. It’s very nice of them. Not like the one in owns two Michellin stars in Santa Monica.
–food: you will definitely feel how passion the chef is. He used his talent to create every unique dish. We both enjoyed the food and the service here.
–environment: perfect for candle night dinner
–parking: no valet parking, you might need to look for parking around the area.
Absolutely a good restaurant and we will come back next time since their menu changes every day.

My first Orsa & Winston experience was good. We picked the regular $ 85, six course menu, for the night. Six courses are definitely enough to fill you, don’t worry about the small portion. The dishes started out very strong… after the 4^th course though, it became a somewhat average. I think O&W’s strong suit is their exquisite pick of ingredients to be presented and tasted together in a single dish.
For example, the very first course, chwanmushi, was outstanding. It was basically a steamed egg dish topped with citrus, uni, caviar, and sunchoke… it was amazing. Uni was very sweet, and the steamed egg was accentuated by the sometimes citrusy, sometimes sweet flavor.
Second course, smoked sawara, was also great. I enjoyed the combination of sweet, salty, and citrusy flavor in this fish dish.
Third course was shiso rigatoni «carbonara», a veggie dish mixed with beef lardon. Another amazing combo.
The winter squash with scallop (4^th dish) was rather so so. I wish another soup was chosen as serving a squash soup felt somewhat too casual in this upscale restaurant.
I was looking forward to the wagyu rib eye dish (5^th course, didn’t take a picture), but it was so average that I felt I was eating a steak at Tender Greens.
Finally, the dessert course, gianduja with miso caramel… the name sounds fancy but it wasn’t a fancy dessert at all. I felt like I was eating a fancy brownie.
As for wine, I picked the white bordeaux to go with my courses. It was a full bodied wine with fruit forward flavor. I didn’t like it that much. They also didn’t have that many wines that can be ordered by the glass, so I felt that the bordeaux was already one of the best ones.
Service was great! We got a free «breakfast in a shell», compliment from the kitchen. I was very appreciative.
Overall, I can say that I am a fan, and will return for another night. Hopefully my future visit will help change my rating from 4 to 5 stars. :)

Coming off a recent visit to Providence, I have to say I really enjoyed Orsa & Winston as well and felt like it was a mini version of Providence. The 6 courses totally leave you full (with bonus surprises added in between) so I’m not sure how people are able to add on! On the seasonal menu:
–Chawanmushi with uni and caviar — this is a japanese egg custard and I loved how it was warm. The uni was fresh and loved how everything in the bowl complimented each other with the tastes and textures. This was one of my favorite dishes of the night.
–Smoked sawara (mackerel) with grapes and puttanesca — really liked the flavor of the grapes and tomatoes — mackerel alone was flaky but the grapes/​tomatoes really added a pop of flavor to the entire dish.
–Shiso rigotoni with beef lardon — the shiso flavor was interesting and I liked the crispy bits of beef lardon but overall this wasn’t really a standout dish to me.
–Soup of winter squash and scallop — loved the presentation and this also had a nice combo of different textures and flavors. The scallops were cooked perfectly and mixed well with the butternut squash soup.
–Wagyu rib eye and yam tots — have to say I loved the yam tots! The beef was nice and tender as well but have to say that the one I had at Providence was a bit more buttery in texture. Might have been because the surface of the beef was a tad crisp and with such a small piece of meat, it hardens the overall texture of the meat.
–Gianduja with miso caramel and marscapone ice cream — this was one of my other favorite dishes of the night and I’m usually not a sweets person. The marscapone ice cream had cookie crumbles and the gianduja (which was essentially like a chocolate fudge bar) was very tasty along with the miso caramel.
Overally really enjoyed my meal and for $ 85, felt like it was a «deal» compared to Providence! I feel like I could come back again here without breaking the bank in order to experience some other seasonal menus.
Parking is available weeknights on the street (metered until 8pm) or there’s also valet parking in front of Bar Ama. I got there right before 7 and was able to find ample parking right in front! But as 7 rolls around, a lot of the spots fill up.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE. When I have exquisite meals like these, I can’t help but feel a) lucky b) amazed at Chefs’ ingenuity. My meal at Orsa & Winston is definitely in the Top 5 meals of my life but, just a bite under Qui in ATX.
We only ordered the 6-​course ($ 80) and we were so stuffed — it ended up being like 9 courses with the amuse bouche, etc. I can’t imagine ordering the 10-​course! I opted in for the wine pairing (addt’l $ 50). In course order:
*Pork belly with caramelized goose berries — Served as a gorgeous little amuse bouche. I didn’t love the pork belly because it was a little stringy but great flavor overall!
*Dry-​aged New York carpaccio, sansho, tonnato hen egg, semolina, pancetta, balsamic — I don’t eat beef so they kindly subbed this for me. Instead of the carpaccio, I got more of the tuna-​esque side that came with it. It really reminded me of an elevated tuna salad. The wine pairing for this was a northern Italian prosecco. I thought this pairing was a great start + good balance to the creamy «tuna salad»
*Bincho grilled garnet yam, nori mascarpone — this dish also came with seagrass, nori pesto & truffle. I never thought I’d like grilled yam this much. The sweet yam with the nori pesto mascarpone was a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Also since the Yam was grilled, the texture was good — not too mushy. The wine pairing was a Northern Italy white blend — Very clean taste against the earthy, savory dish!
*Bread — This was a nice little break in-​between. The butter was AMAZING. I forget how exactly it was elevated but it was extra creamy. I also enjoyed the side of radish that it came with.
*Shaved Cremini, Pea Tendril, Truffle Ume Vinagrette — This dish was so fresh and the perfect set up for the next dish. I also enjoyed having some veggies in the meal.
*Satsuki porridge, uni, parmesan cream — If you only eat one thing here, eat this. Our waiter explained this dish as the epitome of Orsa & Winston’s cooking style — Italian preparation with Japanese ingredients. The porridge was creamy but not too thick. Also, I really liked the more al-​dente plump little rice grains themselves. I also appreciated the wine pairing with this dish it was a cuvee blend from France filtered thru seashells. The minerality in the seashells worked well with the fresh uni.
*Dry-​aged duck, fennel, kurozato — This almost reminded me of eating peking duck: nice sweetness, perfectly cooked & not dry at all. At this point in the meal, I was excited to finally see a red wine. And of course, red wines & duck pair well together!
*Another surprise! It was Japanese mochi & grapefruit bite — the tartness of the grapefruit and pillow-​y texture of the mochi was a nice palette cleanser
*Chocolate napoleon, dulcey mousse, espresso ice cream — Wonderful way to end a meal. You can’t go wrong with a chocolate dessert! The pairing was a dessert wine blend from central France.
Overall, I was delighted by the incredibly well-​thought out. I’m not a big wine drinker but, the pairings were generous pours that added dimension to the dish. However, I think it’s important to note that the dishes were great on their own as well. An 18% service charge is added but, I actually prefer that. Makes it easy to The wait staff is great here!
As I write this review, I keep going back & forth if Qui is better or if Orsa & Winston is better. But, net-​net, they’re both must-​tries.

This is a tough review to write as I have very mixed feelings. Obviously hearing great things I’d decided this was where I wanted to have my birthday dinner. As a fan of Josef Centeno’s other restaurants, particularly Ledlow, I was looking forward to trying Orsa Winston.
We arrived early and the first think that caught my attention was just how intimate this place was. I’d say the open kitchen is nearly the same size as the seating area that is probably good for maybe 30 – 40 people tops. Coming on a weeknight most of the tables seemed open so they gave us our pick. We ultimately decided to watch the action going on in the kitchen and sit at the bar.
Eating here is easy. It’s one menu. You make known whether you have any allergies or dietary restrictions ahead of time (we don’t), pick a wine or go with the pairing and let them do the rest.
Don’t let the six course menu for $ 85 dollars fool you. I’d say for every meal listed, they brought out another in between. This, along with saying yes to the wine pairing, may have ultimately led to our undoing.
While the menu lists certain items, such as «kasu cured pastrami scallop, satsuki rice with celery root and uni, or braised lamb neck,» it really doesn’t tell you just what to expect. Every dish came out looking nothing like what we would have expected (OK, winter squash soup may have), but they all came out looking and tasting exquisite.
Some of our favorite dishes were unlisted but included something of an egg scramble with a healthy amount of shaved truffle, while another were these warm moist biscuits with a healthy dollop of rosemary butter. Again excellent.
We came off very impressed. Our closest recent comparison to this was Trois Mec, and dish for dish we preferred here (I still love Trois Mec, btw). If there was one downside to all of these extra dishes, it was half way through I was completely stuffed. Sure you can argue not to eating everything, but a) I had no idea how many more supplemental dishes were to be expected, and b) they were all so damn good.
The service was on point, the wine pairing was great and we left happy. Extremely full, but happy. So you are probably wondering why the 3 stars?
Our troubles began later that night. I don’t get sick that often, in fact I can’t recount ever having food issues, but for both myself and my wife, something hit us both the wrong way (while it could be from any earlier meal as well, considering this was our first shared meal of the day, I am deducing).
Leaving out the details I’ll just say it was a long night for both of us. For me, that is worth removing one star. While I’ll leave things to chance, my wife was far more upset and wanted me to contact them. After a few days I finally gave in and left a nicely worded e-​mail (seriously, not sarcasm).
I’ll say this, I never asked for a refund or any kind of compensation, nor do I want it. The meal was phenomenal and service excellent, but it’s been a few weeks now and I never received any kind of response back. To me, that’s just bad business.
I’ve always believed that places deserve a second chance. You get sick, and honestly, it’s hard to really know where it might have come from. For two people to get sick, chances are better. But to not acknowledge something that potentially could have effected others there that night, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Took my GF here for X-​Mas Eve dinner. We were ready to get the 6 course menu for $ 80 or even the 10 course for $ 120 depending on what the menu looked like. However, to our surprise there was a 5 course $ 75 Holiday Menu which was PERFECT.
First off, make reservations. The restaurant is tiny which is part of the experience. I think I counted about 8 tables + bar seating in front of the kitchen — so about 24 seats.
Amuse-​bouche: Yellow Tail Sashimi with Persimmons. Very light, refreshing and buttery. Great way to start any meal. I am always happy to eat sashimi!
1^st Course — Pumpkin Broth, Kurozato Acorn Squash, 65 degree Egg, Brioche: For the first course, I was expecting some rich/​creamy/​rich broth. However, when the dish was serve the broth was surprisingly clear and light. The dish comes deconstructed — as in they pour the broth in front of you and it was amazing. Clear, light yet amazingly flavorful borth went well with everything. The roasted acorn squash gave it a bite and sweetness while the egg yolk that oozed out gave it rich and creaminess. The brioche gave it a nice crispy textured. Everything just worked.
2^nd Course — Shaved Cremini, Pea Tendril, Truffle Ume Vinaigrette: This was our least favorite dish of the night. I never care for salads and this one was not an exception. Basically greens on a bed of mushrooms. I couldn’t even taste the truffles.
Bread: At this point, we were served bread with Asiago Cheese Butter and Pickled Radishes. The bread was actually really like and fluffy just like a popover. The Asiago Cheese Butter was to die for. The radishes were lightly pickled.
3^rd Course — Butter Poached Lobster, Truffled Polenta, Parmesan, Santa Barbara Uni: This was AMAZING. I enjoyed and cried after each bite — and so did my GF. The Truffled Polenta was rich, creamy and very flavorful. The butter poached lobster was sweet and delicate and Uni is always incredible. Everything was just an explosion of flavors.
4^th Course — 21 Day Dry Aged Duck, Braised Turnip, Pear Mustarda, Sorrel: At this point, I was satisfied with the meal and kind of full. When the dish was served — I was surprised. I was expecting a few pieces of duck each and NOT half the duck to share. This was served family style — the duck in the middle and each of us got a plate with 2 sauces and butter poached daikon.
The duck was INCREDIBLE. Seriously, this might have been the best duck I’ve ever had. Since is 21 day dry aged, the duck flavor is intensified. The fat was rendered perfectly and the skin was so darn good — better than Pekin Duck skin! Even though I thought I was full, my GF and I killed this dish. I am drooling right now just thinking about that duck.
Palate Cleanser: We were served some fruits in a shot glass. Very sour and acidic but great after such a heavy meal.
5^th Course — Black Forest Chocolate, Amarena Cherry: I like chocolate and I like the dessert, but at this point I would’ve preferred something fruity or more like light a sorbet or fruits.
My GF and I had a great dinning experience here. Food was outstanding and service was on point. Can’t wait to come back!
P.S: Street parking was easy for us right across. They do share valey with Bar Ama and Ledlow

I had heard so many good things about this restaurant and was dying to try it. The food itself was phenomenal. However, the whole experience was sub-​par. In actuality, I would rate this place a 3.5 star.
I took my BF here for his birthday in November. The restaurant is small and intimate, but was cold. We decided to sit at the bar so we could watch the Chefs do their work. The bar only seats 4.
You can either get the 6 course meal for $ 80 or the 10 course meal for $ 120. We decided to get the 10 course meal, so we could try more dishes. You can add a few extra dishes to your course and we elected to add the foie gras. The food started off wonderfully with the beef carpaccio and hen egg. Both amazingly delicious! They gave us complimentary buttered rolls and bone marrow which were both excellent!
As the course moved along, it took them a long time to prepare the other dishes and the lapse became long (like 10 – 15 mins between dishes). The dishes are small and eaten in 5 minutes, so the wait between each dish shouldn’t be that long. It wasn’t that crowded in the restaurant, maybe 2 – 3 other tables of couples, so we didn’t quite understand why it was taking so long. Towards the end, it seemed to drag on and we were just sitting there inbetween dishes waiting… and waiting. My BF was getting tired and not feeling as excited about the meal. In the middle, there were more vegetarian dishes, so not a lot of meat or fish, but the entire course was still filling nonetheless because of the amount of dishes we had, plus complimentary dishes. (You really could go with the 6 course meal and still been very full with almost 8 – 9 dishes if you add everything together.)
When our meal was coming to an end, we noticed them cleaning up, but we still didn’t bring out our foie gras yet? And I’ve been waiting to eat that all night! Apparently, they had forgotten about it, even though the waiter and I had this whole convo about how I loved it and wanted to add it. I don’t know how he could have missed it. An innocent mistake, but one that I was really disappointed about. Since they were already cleaning up the kitchen, and it was getting very late and my BF was tired, we didn’t get it after all. My BF was literally falling asleep because the timing took so long. Even the dessert took about 15 – 20 mins! So he asked for coffee and the coffee they gave him was cold because it was out of a prepared jug that they just poured him. It wasn’t even made hot & fresh. It seemed years before the dessert and bill came out. We were so tired by then and were no longer enjoying our meal.
Also, I had hot tea with my meal because it was so cold in there, and they gave me a small pot of tea but never checked to see if I needed more water added. I had to request more hot water twice from the waiter because it was empty and they weren’t attentive enough to check.
Overall, the food was amazing. But the whole experience was not great. Our meal took 3+ hours which is a long time. For a restaurant of this caliber and price point, they shouldn’t be making these kinds of mistakes such as long waits between dishes, serving cold coffee, not being attentive with refilling tea, and most importantly, missing our added foie gras dish! We were very disappointed.

My BF did some research for Christmas specials and found this amazing restaurant. Located in DTLA, me and my BF were first concerned if the area would be a little unsafe. However, when we arrived at the restaurant, we were totally relieved. It is at the busy area of DTLA and people still walked on the street. The restaurant was pretty small and they don’t take many tables which is great. Some restaurants love to take as many customers as they want and sometimes the dining experience and service failed due to the overtaken capacity of customers. Every table have enough space between each other so they could enjoy the time with their party without listening to other people’s conversation.
We chose the 5 course meal they offered for Christmas specials.
Yellowtail Appetizer — 4 Star
This was their complementary appetizer. I think they added a bit yuzu on the sashimi which made it taste super refreshing. This definitely increase my appetite.
–Pumpkin Broth, Kurozato Acorn Squash, 65 degree egg, Brioche — 5 Star
This was phenomenal. The pumpkin broth wasn’t creamy at all which keep its rich flavor. I personally does not like pumpkin but I found myself enjoy this dish a lot. The egg was perfect, poached it to let the yolk mix with the soup and added a great richness.
–Shaved Cremini, Pea Tendril, Truffle Ume Vinaigrette — 3 Star
This tasted okay, just like every other salad I had. The leaf was bitter and I could not finish this dish even the sauce was delicious.
–Butter Packed Lobster, Truffled Polenta, Parmensan Cheese, Uni — 5+++ Star
This was my favorite of the night. I wish I have 100 star for this dish. Every bite was a magic. Truffle polenta was creamy and delicious. I could taste the strong truffle flavor in the polenta. Lobster was to die for. It was super buttery and tender. They also gave a lot of truffle on the dish. Honesly, I ‘ve tried alot of truffle dish but restaurants were usually giving out tiny piece of truffle because of its value. I was amazed by how generous this restaurant was in terms of providing the best ingredients. I combined uni, lobster, truffle and polenta into one bite and I almost cried with happiness after taking the bite. THE BEST THING ON THE MENU!
–Freshed Baked Bread with Pickles and Butter — 5 Star
Complementary bread to fulfill my carbohydrates cravings. Butter was sweet and salty which I enjoyed.
— 21 Day Dry Aged Duck, Braised Turnip, Pear Mostarda, Sorrel — 5 Star
Since the duck was 21 day dry aged, duck flavor was strong. The meat itself was super tender and melted in my mouth. Since the duck flavor was savory, they provided the sweet pear and braised turnip on the plate to balance the strong duck flavor. I’ve never had this combinations but I really enjoyed it.
In the end of the main course they also provided a sour drink to clean your palate before serving the dessert.
–Black Forest Chocolate, Amarena Cherry — 4 Star
We got one chocolate cake and one cherry mouse on our plate. They both tasted delicious but I found it too rich after the heavy meal. I wish they had some sorbet to match with the chocolate cake. I still enjoy this dessert a lot!
Overall I was pretty impressed by this restaurant. Our was waiter was also great and friendly. The ambiance was nice and quality of food was fantastic. The crowd was not loud and you can get to enjoy the talk with your party. There is 18% service charge on all checks so they could provide the best service. They also have 6÷10÷20 course menu on normal business days. I will definitely come back and try different menu.

Came here to celebrate an intimate birthday with friends. The restaurant is small, and I think the biggest table seats 6. Ambiance is nice and most of the food was a hit — nothing was terrible or bad, but a few weren’t memorable. I am a fan of the chef’s, having been to Ledlow, Baco, and Bar Ama… oh, and the now defunct Lazy Ox., and Orsa & Winston did not disappoint. It’s definitely the priciest out of the bunch but great for a date or special occasion — no need to dress up either. We were seated promptly at our reservation time. I liked how they asked us if we wanted white or black napkins — that was a first.
It was a pain making reservations, however, for any party larger than 4. Instead of making it online, you have to email (not call) the restaurant. There was a lot of waiting and going back and forth to reserve a date — I was getting antsy because I didn’t want to lose out on a reservation even though I booked well over a month in advance. Sometimes the manager would take days to respond, possibly because of his schedule, but I really think they need to come up with a better system than this. I had even contemplated just going with another restaurant because of all the hassle. You are also then required to secure the reservation with a credit card, which I did by email — I probably could have done it over the phone. Anyway, I’m glad that whole ordeal is over — and my friends and I were able to enjoy our meal!
Our server was great — he took lots of pictures of us (at our request, of course) and we were the last to leave the restaurant. I’m not going to go through everything we ate, but we did opt to go for the 10 course for $ 120. We were all stuffed by the end. We got a free plate of bone marrow and milk foccacia, which was nice. I love getting free food! I really enjoyed the beef carpaccio, which came with potato chips. The hen egg was one of my favorites, though one friend didn’t like it, so I ate hers. Pumpkin broth was light but delicious, and the duck was also tender and flavorful. I wasn’t a big fan of the pea tendril salad (tho, my friends liked this one a lot) or the roasted pear, which had some kind of sausage pieces without the casing. I’m not a fan of sausage in general, though.
The dessert was seriously the highlight. It was a thin chocolate Napoleon with some caramel mousse and espresso ice cream. I don’t know what made this so fricking delicious, but I wanted more. We all did. Even one friend who couldn’t eat anymore finished her entire dessert — not that it’s large or anything. Seriously one of the best desserts I’ve had in a restaurant.
Overall, we had a great time with each other — the place only sells wine and no hard liquor, but we did go next door early and got a drink.

11÷27÷15: My brother just introduced me to the «Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants» (apparently-​The…) list. I’m not really one of those celebrity-​chef chasers or blogger followers, but I took a quick look at The List and was amazed I knocked down maybe 20−30% of the 101 over the years! – so perhaps Mr. Gold and I have similar tastes… NOT. Well, at least not on this one.
This restaurant is typical of 4-​$ fancy schmancy restaurants: tiny plates, nice presentations, servers that actually converse with you, etc. However, it should be noted that though those tiny plates are well, tiny, I’ve always been full after a long multi-​course dinner. Not so here – still hungry. So, if you want to leave full you’ll need to get the 10-​course for $ 120.
As mentioned, this place has most of the good stuff you expect from an über-​expensive dining experience, but alas, behind the pretty facades lies flavor simplicity not worthy of more stars. Overall, the food’s kinda boring…
1. Badoit (sparkling water) $ 8
2. Emile Beyer Riesling «Tradition» Alsace $ 15: Typical riesling. Good balance of dryness and sweetness, for a sweet-lover’s dinner wine. ⁵⁄₁₀
3. Baird Wabi-​Sabi Japan Pale Ale Japan $ 12: Very nice richness you’d expect from upper-​tier Japanese beer. Pale, but very flavorful. Hints of rice. ⁸⁄₁₀.
4. Iced Tea $ 4
6 Course Menu $ 80:
0.1. Amuse Bouche, Drink: Atypically, they used a drink as an amuse bouche. That’s cool! It was good, but unfortunately I kinda forgot how it tasted. But certainly a good thing. ⁶⁄₁₀.
1. Beef Carpaccio, sansho rub, tonnato: At least they started with a highlight. REALLY tasty. Packed full of flavor, spicy, char, and even some fishy saltiness from caviar. I guess it’s technically not «carpaccio» as the outside is seared, but really great still. ¹⁰⁄₁₀.
0.2 2^nd Amuse Bouche, Bone Marrow: This other on-​the-​house dish was bread balls, radish pickles, and bone marrow. Now that is really nice! The bread was really fresh with a great crust, and just melted in your mouth. Also served with a special butter. Butter PLUS bone marrow??? Yeah, now that’s heart attack food that’s worth it! ⁷⁄₁₀
2. Pumpkin Broth, acorn squash, farro: And then here… Right Here… the awesome momentum DIED. The soup wasn’t very flavorful. Squash was okay. Had some nice rustic brown rice, but unfortunately rice really doesn’t help with the dullness. ⁴⁄₁₀
3. Shaved Cremini, pea tendril, truffle ume vinaigrette: Can’t remember much about this salad except yes, lots of truffle flavor. Definitely was very generous with the truffle oil. But besides that not standout. ⁴⁄₁₀.
4. Satusuki Porridge, s.b. uni, parmesan cream: I dunno what they were thinking with this one. Awesome texture for Asian porridge, but REALLY plain. Clearly they added some cream, but can’t taste any of that parmesan. And the uni did nothing for taste. ²⁄₁₀
5. Dry-​Aged Duck, puntarelle, persimmon: Apparently this is their Must-​Try dish, and I totally agree. The duck is so juicy and so meaty, and heck it is so packed with flavor but so melty-​in-​your-​mouth it almost tastes like aged wagyu beef! Never had any duck like this! And I love the persimmon and other vegetables – everything is so harmonious. Best dish of the night. ¹⁰⁄₁₀
0.3 Amuse Bouche #3: This one was interesting. A small shot of various fruits. Not quite sure what they put in there, but it had an interesting geleatin-​ish texture, along with some fresh fruit. Really tart, which I love! My gf and bro thought it was over sour, but hey, I LOVE sour. If you’re into sour gummy bears, this is your dessert (or tiny bite-​of anyway)! ⁸⁄₁₀
6. Chocolate Napolean, dulcey mousse, espresso ice cream: Really great dessert. Lots of chocolate and varying textures. The wafers were crunchy and just tasted damn good with the mousse. Ice cream was great, and all that chocolate underneath was awesome too. Very good chocolate-lover’s dessert. ⁸⁄₁₀
So, the food’s a mixed bag with the highlights easily the Carpaccio, Duck, and Chocolate. We all unanimously agreed on that. The rest was quite bland. For a $$$$ restaurant on some famous dude’s renowned list I expected a lot more than this.
Well, I did like half the food, so it was still a good night.
³⁄₅
#american #japanesefusion

My best friend Juston treated me to a wonderful dinner here on Friday night. We had reservations at 7pm and the restaurant was a bit empty when we first arrived so we had our pick of where to sit. I chose a window seat because lights were hung up on 4^th street and it was a very pretty view.
The menu consists of 6 ($ 80) or 10 ($ 120) courses that are pre-​set. We opted for the 6-​course because I’m always on a diet. We ended up with 10 courses anyway because the kitchen gave us extras. Thanks! Each course were paced perfectly and the service was on point. I never felt like we had to wait for the next plate nor did any dish feel like it had been sitting out. This is what was on the menu in September 2015 (the asterisk denote items that were compliments of the chef):
1. watermelon haberno gelee*
2. kanpachi and cannellini beans
3. heirloom tomato, lemon cucumber, and beet salad
4. Bread with bone marrow*
5. mussel chowder
6. ginger and pear juice*
7. satsuki porridge with uni
8. huckleberry, mint, and grapefruit*
9. dry aged duck, spigarello, chanterelle
10. malt chocolate mousse bar and chocolate sorbet
Everything was really good. My favorites of the night were the kanpachi and the satsuki porridge with uni. The heirloom tomato, lemon cumber, and beet salad was very refreshing.
This restaurant only has a wine and beer license so no cocktails are served.