https://www.instagram.com/p/DSTILACEsqi/
Looks like Derek Wilcox is back in the old Sushi Yamamoto/Urasawa space
9 Likes
who is Derek Wilcox?
1 Like
also from 69 leonard in nyc
6 Likes
My last meal in March 2020 before New York City shut down and very fond memories. Best soup I’ve ever had. Everyone tightly packed around the sushi bar and not really knowing what was about to hit the country. And here he is in LA five years later.
8 Likes
derek at 69 Leonard was a great time
2 Likes
A chef probably most noted for 69 Leonard St., a sushi restaurant in NY, as @PorkyBelly mentioned. 69 Leonard St. has since been rebranded a bit and taken over by Shion Uino (formerly of Sushi Amane in NY but notably one of Sushi Saito’s approved alums).
Derek Wilcox trained for 7 years at a Kyoto kaiseki institution called Kikunoi. Kikunoi is well known in the west because of their efforts to dialogue with other chefs, their 3 Michelin star rating, and they have a lot of alumni from a couple of branches (one is in Tokyo’s Akasaka as well). I’m not sure of his role there. He also did 3 years at Ginza Sushi Aoki, which is a pretty famous sushiya in Tokyo. Without getting too granular in Tokyo sushi landscape, Aoki does have some history (started 1986) and is one of the descendants of Nakada (1950-2015), which was one of the big 3 of Ginza and a descendant of Futaba.
I think that most recently, he took over Shibumi in DTLA and was doing a collaboration with Schlosser at Imari in Brentwood.
Perhaps coincidentally, there is a Sushi Miura 鮨 みうら in Akasaka, Tokyo, by another Kikunoi alumnus (Kenta Miura).
10 Likes
Shioin Uino’s last service at 69 Leonard St will be on Dec 31 sadly.
1 Like
knowing chef derek’s pedigree and having tried his food at imari and shibumi i was excited to try miura.
the message (warning?) when making a reservation was also encouraging, and reminded me of a similar message at yoshizumi (no caviar, gold, or tiffany cups).
We are an Edomae Style Sushi restaurant that serves many silver fish such as Aji (Horse Mackerel), Saba (Japanese Mackerel), Iwashi (Sardine), and Kohada(Gizzard Shad). Also, Ebi (Shrimp), Hotate (Scallops), and Kaki (Oyster) are often served. We strongly recommend you reconsider making a reservation if you do not like any of these items.
although there was only one hikarimono on the soft opening menu, dinner was still very solid. will go back when they’re fully open.
highlights
- lobster, lobster broth, lobster head sauce
- okoge with soy egg yolkstrong text
- kawahagi
- kuruma ebi
- iwashi
- shirako tempura
- buri
- hamaguri
- anago
hyogo roe-bearing snow crab, sanriku coast wakame
hiroshima wild kawahagi (triggerfish), ponzu
minami-kayabe (hokkaido) wild bluefin tuna, soy-cured yolk
catalina island lobster poached in shell
sumi ika, kagoshima
nodoguro, nagasaki
winter buri, ishikawa
akami, minami-kayabe hokkaido
chutoro
o-toro
iwashi, hokkaido
uni, kuril islands
kuruma ebi, yamaguchi
anago, nagasaki
toro-taku roll with rice-bran-fermented hinona radish
kasu-jiru sake lees soup with meiji tofu, kyoto carrot, daikon
bonus rounds
shirako, molise black truffle
sea cucumber sunomono
santa barbara uni
hamaguri
soba ice cream, soba castella, soba honey
lobster atsuyaki tamago
fin
18 Likes
They had me at silver fish – kohada and iwashi are my favorite fishes! How was the Iwashi? Didn’t think I would go because of the expense, but now reconsidering.
4 Likes
What’s the damage?
4 Likes
That looks wonderful! The kawahagi liver looks insane–I’ve never had kawahagi sashimi, and the amount of liver I get on the nigiri is never enough for me. Nice to know about the focus on hikarimono. Derek Wilcox is such a nice guy! The best dinners I had at Shibumi were when he was behing the counter and Schlosser was absent; the vibe was so friendly and welcoming, and Wilcox was so humble and approachable. I hope he does well at Miura.
9 Likes
I just had some kawahagi + liver nigiri at sushi sho and it was so well balanced. Never had it before and I get why you’d want enough liver!
6 Likes
quite the change from the previous chef.
1 Like
250 on my visit, tock is showing 320 now.
1 Like