How can I ever forget?! Shame on me…
Terried Sake House!!!
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The gutter cafe.
And
Nouveau cafe Blanc.
Moustache Cafe (Westwood Village): Best Grand Marnier souffle ever.
Tung Lai Shun (San Gabriel): Outstanding big Silk Road bing with scallion.
Chasen’s (BHPO): Dependable entertainment industry joint with comfy booths.
Harry’s Bar (Century City): Watering hole after work.
L’Escoffier (Beverly HIlls): At the old Beverly Hilton location. Grand dame French dishes prepared with proper sauces. Everyone dressed to the nines.
Kate Mantelini (Beverly Hills): Fun late night diner. Even De Niro and Pacino shared a table there in Michael Mann’s “Heat”.
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You win for longest span of time between replies to a thread. 9 years.
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Who were the chefs at thise places and where are they now, or where are the new versions of those places?
Lol indeed. Positively antediluvian. This is the OG “I miss this place” thread on the FTC board.
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Moustache Cafe (Westwood Village): Now Wolfsglen. No idea who the chef was.
Tung Lai Shun (San Gabriel): Now the whole Focus Plaza is under renovation.
Chasen’s (BHPO): Now a Bristol Farms.
Harry’s Bar (Century City): Now the CAA building in Century City.
L’Escoffier (Beverly HIlls): At the old Beverly Hilton location, since demolished. Chef there was Michel Blanchet, if memory serves.
Kate Mantelini (Beverly Hills): Vacant space since its closure.
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Pueblo in the OC Mix was in our regular rotation. I always thought they were underrated. Their dishes never disappointed and were some of my favorite bites in OC.
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Responding to my own replies from 2015, with updates in 2025:
Chef Victor (of Montefrio de Madrid): No clue. I will try seeking him out next time I’m in Madrid…
Chef Michele (of Clusi Batusi) is now a sommelier in Thailand…
Chef Christophe Eme (of Ortolan, Bastide) is doing private dinners (which, by the way, look spectacular on his IG feed) in the SoCal area…
Chef Mori-san (of Place Yuu, not Onodera-san) is happily retired, last I heard…
Chef Tomi Harase (of Nouveau Cafe Blanc) is retired as well…
Chef Evan Funke (of Bucato) - well we know where he hangs his apron these days…
Chef Leo (of Bulgarini Gelato) sadly saw his home burn down in the Altadena conflagration earlier this year. The restaurant/gelateria also suffered extensive damage. I hope he and his family are well, and that Leo will continue performing his gelato magic soon…
EDIT: Adding:
Chef Ken Namba (of Kiriko): Enjoying retirement… But I do selfishly wish he’d do an occasional pop-up lol. Side note: Tomo-san (of Kiriko) is working at Soma Suisan (on La Cienega), last I heard, and Shinji-san (of Kiriko) has relocated back to Japan…
Chef Mitsuno Hideyo (of Restaurant 2117) is currently a corporate chef in the Tokyo area. He marvels when I tell him that I miss that delicious Sawtellini of his…
Chef Teri-san (of Terried Sake House) was working at Moto Azabu (in Venice), last I heard…
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Amazing! Thanks for the update
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Teri-san!! There’s no Tofu Steak Part II on the menu, though. That would get me to schlep down there.
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mori-san used to smile every time i came in and ordered battera. i was probably the only non-japanese customer (who came in with a loud gaijin companion) to order it back then.
other than that i was (and still am) SGV-centric. more than anything i still miss liang’s. and i miss a little toisan eatery called wing hing deli at the corner of third & valley in alhambra that i took my toisin mom & dad to and my mom could have been a third sister. i had many gee nyuk beng there (steamed minced pork) which is still a major comfort dish for me. but since my parents are now deceased it’s highly unlikely they’re running some other place in the SGV.
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Not true: I too would also ask for the battera lol… My usual seating at Place Yuu was 11:30pm. Anyhoo, Mori-san’s battera was a magnificent way to enjoy hikarimono! Great memories.
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Whoa! Bringing back a true Chowhound dish from the 1990’s and early aughts for us!
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the loud gaijin who introduced me and accompanied me to place yuu violated most japanese social conventions. at other places he noticed that if we ordered the same things i usually got better cuts of fish. he refused to accept it was because my behavior reflected respect for japanese norms of behavior as well for being a knowledgeable customer; the point was that i could appreciate more fully the itamae’s expertise in contrast to my companion who would start off with something like a california roll while i might ask if engawa was available.
normally it’s the other way around; it’s a knowledgeable customer who typically introduces their friends to a good itamae to help establish the new customer’s bona fides as an equally knowledgeable customer. it’s often possible to get a ‘better’ meal from an itamae with whom one has established a good relationship over time in how the itamae will often do more for the customers who have demonstrated that they appreciate the itamae’s level of expertise. also, the itamae who knows that will often offer items not on the menu - or advise them to try something else based on their knowledge of the customer’s palate. i’ve had itamae advise me to skip the uni or mirugai that day and then serve it to another customer nearby while recommending things i might not usually order. i think my friend discovered place yuu mainly because of the late hours.
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I miss Needle. That was my favorite restaurant. Have no idea what Chef Ryan is up to hopefully enjoying his baby/family.
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Bistro 21
Chameau
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