On October 2 & 3, South Coast Plaza sponsored a two-day food tour for a dozen L.A. and Orange County food bloggers designed to showcase five restaurants and a single premium food shop. Clearly, not every bite at South Coast Plaza was life changing, but here are my five favorite tastes during the course of our gluttonous walking tour.
Okinawa native James Hamamori was the longtime chef at Asakuma in Brentwood, but left to pursue his own interests in Orange County. He now owns three Wasu Sushi restaurants throughout the county, but his crown jewel is undoubtedly Hamamori, a white jewel box on the third floor of South Coast Plaza with decorative blue accents. During our journey, Hamamori was the only chef to score two dishes in my Top 5.
Silky Hokkaido scallop sushi was lavished with a cluster of bursting Osetra caviar, a dusting of Himalaya pink salt and a light squeeze of lemon.
The broiled freshwater eel sushi was absolutely luxurious, a nearly caramelized eel fillet topped with a molten slab of Hudson Valley foie gras. The finish: a spritz of citrus-sweet orange zest.
Blog Comments
Meet Your Access: Chi Vu | Access 360°
January 21, 2014 at 7:08 PM
[…] Me: Ok, so, Chi, you always seem to be like a very chic and chill person…have you ever done anything super embarrassing in a formal setting, or in an interview, things like that? Chi: hmm…what’s the most recent?….hahaha I know. I fell flat on my face at South Coast Plaza during Christmas shopping season like in a place where it was totally crowded. I was walking down the steps and I don’t know what happened but I just landed FLAT on my face. And you could hear everyone around going, :gasp: and I was by myself. And it was so embarrassing, and I had to get up and just kind of like pretend nothing happened. credit to http://www.foodgps.com/5-top-tastes-at-south-coast-plaza/ […]
South Coast Plaza and More | Costa Mesa
December 20, 2011 at 8:57 AM
[…] To read more accounts of the South Coast Plaza Restaurant Tour, visit Gourmet Pigs, e*star LA, Pleasure Palate and Food GPS. […]
OC Eating: South Coast Plaza Restaurant Tour – e*star LA
October 6, 2009 at 2:09 PM
[…] 5 Top Tastes at South Coast Plaza on FoodGPS […]
RestaurantZoom
October 6, 2009 at 1:36 PM
A little sourdough tang in the pizza crust…now that is worth talking about. Ummmm sourdough and what better place than in pizza dough?
mattatouille
October 6, 2009 at 3:28 AM
I think the FTC disclosure bit is just fine in my book. I think it’s ridiculous that some people think we shouldn’t review a place if we got comped. I think if we disclose that we were comped the meal, then people can read our opinion with a grain of salt.
Anyways, Ortica vs. Flour + Water? who wins?
Joshua Lurie
October 6, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Agreed, Mattatouille.
Flour + Water’s Margherita is slightly better, but Pizzeria Ortica’s Margherita is currently my favorite in Southern California.
Gastronomer
October 5, 2009 at 8:32 PM
Maybe full disclosure isn’t such a bad idea! This is the first time I’ve heard of such lucrative incentives. I’d go to Nordstroms with my $200 SCP bux 😉
Joshua Lurie
October 5, 2009 at 10:22 PM
I always made sure to specify if a meal was hosted, but this takes the idea to a micro level.
Elina Shatkin wrote a good article explaining the changes to the FTC regulations, if you’re interested:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/10/ftc-announces-new-guides-says-bloggers-must-reveal-payments-from-advertisers.html
carter
October 5, 2009 at 8:02 PM
Thanks for the disclosure. Wish your fellow bloggers would do likewise.