Tsujita Almost Ready to Wreck L.A.'s Ramen Standings

July 14, 2011

Ramen at Tsujita

We've been keeping our eyes affixed to Tsujita, the Japanese ramen empire that's coming to Sawtelle to potentially rearrange L.A.'s top ramen standings (there is an existing location in Costa Mesa). The exterior looks good to go and today, Contemporist shows us that the interior is even more of a stunner.

Sweet Design's Takeshi Sano has created the ceiling out of 25,000 wooden sticks to conjure images of clouds and Izumo-Taishi, one of Japan's most important Shinto shrines. Looking just a little like those boxes of pinheads that you could press your face into and make a temporary mask, it's a pretty cool look, making us ever more eager to get our hands on Tsujita's food. From the looks of things, it won't be long now.

Nidaime Tsujita, 2057 Sawtelle Blvd. West L.A. Source: grubstreet.com

EDIT: If you want to see what the restaurant is looking like click on the link:

http://www.contemporist.com/2011/07/12/tsujita-la-ceiling-installation-by-takeshi-sano/#more-33118

^ Wow.

Maybe the Costa Mesa one is worth checking out.

bmwracer wrote:

^ Wow. Maybe the Costa Mesa one is worth checking out.

Yup. I agree. Although I think the reference to Costa Mesa is mistaken in the sense that it doesn't specify that Tsujita is not there at the moment; it was only there as a popup restaurant for one of Mitsuwa's fairs, not a permanent fixture.

Tu_triky wrote:

Yup. I agree. Although I think the reference to Costa Mesa is mistaken in the sense that it doesn't specify that Tsujita is not there at the moment; it was only there as a popup restaurant for one of Mitsuwa's fairs, not a permanent fixture.

Oh.

Tu_triky wrote:

Tsujita Almost Ready to Wreck L.A.'s Ramen Standings July 14, 2011 Ramen at Tsujita We've been keeping our eyes affixed to Tsujita, the Japanese ramen empire that's coming to Sawtelle to potentially rearrange L.A.'s top ramen standings (there is an existing location in Costa Mesa). The exterior looks good to go and today, Contemporist shows us that the interior is even more of a stunner. Sweet Design's Takeshi Sano has created the ceiling out of 25,000 wooden sticks to conjure images of clouds and Izumo-Taishi, one of Japan's most important Shinto shrines. Looking just a little like those boxes of pinheads that you could press your face into and make a temporary mask, it's a pretty cool look, making us ever more eager to get our hands on Tsujita's food. From the looks of things, it won't be long now. Nidaime Tsujita, 2057 Sawtelle Blvd. West L.A. Source: grubstreet.com EDIT: If you want to see what the restaurant is looking like click on the link: http://www.contemporist.com/2011/07/12/tsujita-la-ceiling-installation-by-takeshi-sano/#more-33118

WOW!! That ceiling is amazing!! I'm going to check out that place once it opens! Can't resist really good noodles. I also want to try tsukemen, too!!

bmwracer wrote:

Oh.

I know it seems like a stupid mistake to make writing about this restaurant...but I looked fairly diligently for info on this place in Costa Mesa and all I could come up with is info that they were part of one of Mitsuwa's food fairs...I mean if this place is as good as ppl say...we would have heard about it by now right? If it was in Costa Mesa or otherwise...

bmwracer wrote:

^ Wow, major eats... No dessert?

I KNEW we forgot something! We were too busy stuffing our faces to remember, haha

EstherM wrote:

And these are just the post-worthy, shoot-first-eat-later photos.

Tu_triky wrote:

Fantastic spread. I'm sure it was a fabulous experience.

Thanks! It was an amazing 7 days, I'm still trying to take it all in.

Sengo wrote:

WOW!! That ceiling is amazing!! I'm going to check out that place once it opens! Can't resist really good noodles. I also want to try tsukemen, too!!

Agreed. It looks stunning. From one ramen lover to another, I share your excitement about wanting to try this place.

I have never tried tsukemen myself although I know it is available at Daikokuya ramen.

What's really cool is that this place is actually a restaurant with an authentic Japanese pedigree. It's not every day we get a branch of a restaurant chain that actually hails from Japan.

Ender's Girl wrote:

Thanks! It was an amazing 7 days, I'm still trying to take it all in.

Awesome. Thanks for sharing some of your pictures. They look amazing. I bet you had a wonderful trip.

Here are a few pictures I gleaned off a blog post documenting Tsujita's appearance at last year's Costa Mesa Mitsuwa Food Fair.

Tu_triky wrote:

This interesting... Curry ramen?

bmwracer wrote:

This interesting... Curry ramen?

Actually, I don't think it is...the dipping sauce for tsukemen is much much richer and more concentrated...I think it's still a pork bone based broth, with a touch of fish from what I understand.

Tu_triky wrote:

Actually, I don't think it is...the dipping sauce for tsukemen is much much richer and more concentrated...I think it's still a pork bone based broth, with a touch of fish from what I understand.

Ah, okay... A wild guess on my part.

The lime wedge is interesting... A squeeze to brighten up the flavor... Or maybe just decoration...?

bmwracer wrote:

Ah, okay... A wild guess on my part. The lime wedge is interesting... A squeeze to brighten up the flavor...

Exactly! I've read the acid from the lime is supposed to brighten the flavor because its acidity cuts the richness of the dipping broth since it's so concentrated for tsukemen.

But yeah, at first glance, it does look like a curry broth!

Tu_triky wrote:

Exactly! I've read the acid from the lime is supposed to brighten the flavor because its acidity cuts the richness of the dipping broth since it's so concentrated for tsukemen.

They seem to do that a lot on America's Test Kitchen: a squeeze of lemon juice on various dishes (particularly soups) to brighten the flavor...

bmwracer wrote:

They seem to do that a lot on America's Test Kitchen: a squeeze of lemon juice on various dishes (particularly soups) to brighten the flavor...

Yeah, it makes sense. The acid helps cut the fat.

Tu_triky wrote:

Yeah, it makes sense. The acid helps cut the fat.

I'll need to try that out one of these days.

bmwracer wrote:

I'll need to try that out one of these days.

Yes, sir. All us local LA denizens must try this ramen when it opens!

As far as the lemon, lime or whatever...It's the same principal when you make a vinaigrette...when you use lemon or vinegar to cut the fat from the olive oil or whatever...

NOAA Releases Annual Overfishing Report

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has come out with its 2010 Status Of Stocks report. The report is like a State of the Union for fish.

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2011/07/docs/report.pdf

The good news: Out of 253 stocks that could be measured for overfishing (fish that were caught beyond their annual catch quota) 213 fish populations (84%) are not subject to overfishing.

The bad news: 40 fish populations (16%) are victims of overfishing, compared with 38 fish stocks in 2009.
More bad news: In 2009, 46 fish populations were overfished compared to 48 populations in 2010. ("Overfished" is different "overfishing" because overfished population might also be due to other reasons such as environmental changes, disease and habitat degradation.)

The pretty good news: Three Northeast fisheries�\Georges Bank haddock, Atlantic pollock and spiny dogfish�\have been rebuilt to healthy levels. Twenty one fish populations have been rebuilt since 2000.
The good-to-know news: Stocks are typically reassessed every three to five years, so some of the numbers are carried over from previous years.

The NOAA and the eight regional fishery management councils are required to end overfishing under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act by using annual catch limits and accountability measures. Out of the 528 federally-managed fish stocks, including all stocks that are being fished at too high of a level, 203 stocks have limits and measures in place.

Panic! At the Grocery Store: Bacon Could Go Up to $6 a Pound

Here piggy piggies, we've got some news for you: The price of bacon could potentially skyrocket. You may have already noticed it the last time you were trolling the meat aisle for your slab of choice. "The price of pork is giving many consumers sticker shock at the supermarket, where bacon prices alone have jumped at least 30 percent in recent weeks," explains CBS2.

Por(k) que? It's the hogs themselves, says one commodity analyst. And the hogs are pricey because what the corn they--at least, the big factory farm ones--eat, has gotten pricier, too. Where once there was a corn price "protection" thanks to ample supply, our use of the veggie to make ethanol has upped the demand of late.

Your next supermarket-sourced breakfast of bacon could even run you $6 a pound, which is the frightening figure that first circulated last week, which is still way more than the price as predicted on its upswing last summer.

However, if you'd rather stay away from the bright lights, big aisles of the big box grocery chains and their mass-produced meats, you might want to support local businesses who sell local, organic, and pastured meats, like Lindy & Grundy, so you can cut the corn factor out completely, and get a better product for your money.