Very sad news, it seems that Alpine Village Market is shutting down at the end of the month. I heard that the employees got word yesterday and that they won’t be restocking the shelves, so go load up on sausages, chocolates, bread, mustard, and beer while you can 
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WHAT?! I’m super sad to hear this. There were always folks there and they were the best place for half baked Prezels for a party and a huge selection of European beers. A real loss. 
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I went a little before Christmas to grab some things and found out they had been buying their meats from a distributor for a while. It seemed the writing was on the wall but I didn’t want to report it in the hopes they might turn it around.
A real shame. Alpine Village was the only legit central European butcher in the region.
We really are going into an endgame where there’s going to be nothing interesting left here. Step off the plane at LAX and welcome to Dallas/Ft. Worth.
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The deli seemed to have quite a bit of stock left (and a very long line); the rest of the store looked like post-Zombie apocalypse. Partner and I were starving, so I got a bag of puffed peanut snacks, which is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever eaten. We also got a pre-cooked Polish sausage and just started eating that in the parking lot.
After walking around the Village, we headed off for lunch. Partner nixed Korean (I wanted tang su yuk so badly!!!). Wadatsumi was closed when we arrived, as was Nozomi, so we ended up at Torihei, which was indeed
I don’t know if it’s a Sergio-specific thing, b/c we had a lovely meal there (our first) maybe a yr ago.
Today’s meal was crap (although partner and I agreed a more accurate and diplomatic description would be “adequate,” lower case “a” on purpose). Totally edible, but it all just felt so… indifferent. I guess the karaage had been fried, but that crust was so think and weak. Good flavor, though. Isn’t it usually served w/ some kind of dipping sauce? Chicken thigh skewer not very flavorful, skin was floppy. Oyako-don was the best of a very weak bunch (fine but a bit sweet). The soup accompanying it tasted like water w/ some vague flavoring added. Special shrimp was… okay, I guess? It tasted… grilled.
We were physically full but left feeling unsatisfied. Hrs later, I am still full. But I do not feel like I have eaten well today.
Weirdly anxious service from the older server only made a blah meal more awkward. I think it might have been kind of obvious we weren’t enjoying the food.
The bill was really low, so that was a plus.
Maybe Sergio comes out for the dinner crowd? While we ordered different dishes last time, the quality of the food we had today doesn’t remotely resemble what we had on the previous visit.
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BTW, has anyone been to the Sinoloan or Cuban places near Torihei? Are they any good?
Oh, that does mighty good. Welp, I know where I’m going in the area next time. 
Maybe I’ll bang-bang it w/ the Sinoloan place…
Anyone been to New York deli?
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we predictably went out for ramen again on our december trip. can’t remember if i mentioned it then but after visiting hakata ikkousha and jidaiya on our previous trips, we hit up josui ramen this time. scored an outdoor table and had a very good lunch. i have a brief report (with pictures) on the blog today for those who care to look.
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Glad you enjoyed it! I think Josui is our current favorite in the south bay, especially since they offer Tan Tan Men.
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a fuller report on this meal, with pictures, went up on the blog today. it looks better and better from a distance as i contemplate the sorry reality of dim sum in minnesota.
Nozomi for dinner last night. Good food, but man, it is pricey. $24 for a tempura udon with a couple shrimp, a piece of eggplant and cucumber. Broth was tasty, noodles were chewy, but imo, not worth the premium for such a paltry serving of tempura. Had 4 pieces of nigiri - amberjack, ika, sardine and mackeral. About $4-5 a piece… I haven’t had sushi in a long time so I imagine these are pretty standard prices these days at nicer, but not ultra high end places. The rice was well seasoned and formed, fish was nicely sized, fresh and flavorful. Not the highest end of quality, but better than your average neighborhood joint. Grilled chicken wings - 5 joints for $13. Total ripoff. Small pieces and overcooked. Fried calamari - not a huge serving, but lightly fried and dusted in a tasty seaweed powder. Different twist on a common dish and enjoyed by all. Salmon rice in broth - tasty, but I’ll take the Salmon Zosui at Ojiya on Hawthorne any day of the week given a much better QPR.
Overall, I’d say the food is well executed but way overpriced for what you get, unless you’re just gonna do sushi. For Japanese izakaya type foods, I’d much rather go to Torihei / Ojiya.
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Try Izakaya hachi too!
the sushi is also a lot more expensive now than it was just a year ago. the high-end pulling up the middle.
Yes! Forgot to mention them bc its a bit more out of the way for us, but that also felt like such a better QPR than Nozomi. To be honest, the $23 tempura udon was just offensive imo. Ojiya actually is a place we only started going to recently and really enjoy. Their salmon / roe zosui is an incredibly hearty and comforting dish on a cold day!
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I’ll check them out. Nozomi and hachi are prettty close to each other we love hachi it’s just hard to get a reservation sometime.
Yeah, you’re right re Hachi… it’s all mental for us. We drive up and down Hawthorne and Western all the time, which is where Ojiya and Torihei are… versus Hachi being off to the side so it’s out of sight / out of mind. But it’s a good reminder we need to back soon.
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This looks interesting Chef Daniel Son Is Opening Omakase Restaurant Sushi Sonagi in Gardena - Eater LA
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Hope it’s great, I went to Kura a couple of times prior to closing and was never super impressed. The portions of fish on the nigiri were always generous though.
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