anyone have a recent pic of the bar alc menu?
do you have one of the food or remember what was on it?
Dang those are some interesting things on the bar menu. I’d be tempted to try another Kato dinner if I wasn’t going to Japan so soon. 
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This taro oxtail puff comes with the supplemental a5 wagyu dish.
I ate some of it sans oxtail and it might be the best version of this available in LA. Smokes every dimsum restaurant out of the water.
Kato veering more and more into chinese cooking and back to those Kato 1.0 roots but in a fine dining setting has made the restaurant hit new heights.
It feels like when they didn’t get 2 stars doing a more weather based dish approach they’ve veered more and more into incorporating stronger flavor profiles that mimic a lot of the things we find in chinese cuisine. To me it’s been a huge plus.
Most everyone I’ve spoken to that’s eaten at Kato 12 months ago and then eaten there now has noted a marked improvement in the meals. They are putting out really cool and exciting food right now.
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got @NYCtoLA and @Clayfu’enced
pro tip supplement with ooe from the bar alc menu for some hunger insurance.
highlights
fish maw
scallop
duck
stuffed morel
duck sausage
oxtail puff
lu rou fan
carb 1
suancài yú - sea bream, fermented vegetables
uni donut
yúdu geng - fish maw, dungeness crab, caviar
bàng bàng ji - skipjack tuna, sesame, szechuan pepper
carb 2 x2
yú xiang - scallop, doubanjiang, garlic chives
jiucéngta chão géli - thorny head, basil and clam sauce
kaoya - duck, mushroom, soy preserved vegetables
carb 3
niúroumian - a5 wagyu, oxtail, black garlic
lú rou fàn - pork jowl, rice, taiwanese pickles
maitake, fermented chili
dessert 1 gŏuqi - goji, osmanthus, meyer lemon
dessert 2 qiaomai - buckwheat, kindernut squash, caramel
dessert 3
dessert 4
dessert 5
dessert 6
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My god, that looks good. Gotta go back ASAP!
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Only 6 desserts? How the mighty have fallen.
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that is impressive.
Stopped by last night for my favorite cocktail in LA (milk punch) before dining at Sawa. The uni donut is a phenomenal bite and the maitake were quite good, but did have a touch of fryer oil flavor. Can’t wait to go back for the full tasting menu.
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Are they letting walk ups to the bar?
Yes. We were the only people there last night from 6-730ish
I think you need to call first - bar program seems to be evolving. When I went a few weeks ago, we asked before arriving, if we could walk in and have a la carte at the bar, but the bar had tasting menu only. It was a different TM than at the tables.
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I stopped in twice in the past month and they let me walk up. They have either a bar tasting menu or just 4 items on the bar menu last time I was there.
Probably best to call ahead they actually pick up during dining hours unlike some other restaurants.
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Yao: I do want us to get two stars doing what we’re doing now. I feel like when we first opened, we were trying to check the boxes, but traditionally it’s more of a Western system. We’re trying to flip that on its head and kind of do things our way and hopefully be rewarded for that. I feel like we’re doing what we’re supposed to do. It makes me not wish for anything but it makes me very optimistic for the future. I’m just super excited to see where we’re at next year and the year after, and it gives me great hope to know that we’re going to be in a great spot in a few years. Awards aren’t the end-all be-all but, financially, awards play a part, so it’s not everything but it means a lot.
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This is what I’m saying. I want Jon and Kato to get a second star. And then doing it the way they are doing is even more special to me.
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Anyone know if they’re doing alright as a business? Every time I’ve gone it isn’t anywhere near full and this is a place I’d absolutely hate to lose in LA.
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if they get a 2nd star, I’m sure the price goes up another $100 