VALLEY EATERIES SCORE ANNUAL ZAGAT HONORS.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer The sign behind notoriously grumpy sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa reads ``Today's Special Today's Special was a children's television show produced by Clive VanderBurgh at TVOntario from 1981 to 1987. It also ran on Nickelodeon and the Faith and Values Channel (now the Hallmark Channel) as well as many PBS stations throughout the United States. : Trust Me.'' But the temperamental owner of Sushi Nozawa, who once gave the boot to Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron for ordering too much food, on Tuesday won the trust of foodies across Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The Studio City sushi purist pur·ist n. One who practices or urges strict correctness, especially in the use of words. pu·ris  tic adj. - dubbed the ``Sushi Nazi'' - won best food award in the latest Zagat survey Zagat Survey (pronounced za-GAT)[1] was established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979 as a way to collect and correlate the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering New York City, the Zagats surveyed their friends. , which also ranked Cafe Bizou of Sherman Oaks as the most popular restaurant in L.A. ``Makes sense, it's great,'' said ``American Pie'' star Jason Biggs, 26, of Hollywood, who comes over the hill several times a week for $60 lunches of raw toro Toro may refer to:
``It's the freshest, most delicious sushi I've ever had - it would be my last meal request.'' Who ever said the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. can't boast some of the city's top eating spots? Sushi Nozawa beat out Matsuhisa of Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. , which held the No. 1 food spot for six years running. Cafe Bizou clinched most popular restaurant for the fifth straight year. The Zagat Survey rates restaurants from coast to coast. Its 2005 Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, guide covers 1,744 restaurants rated by nearly 7,000 diners in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palms Springs and Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. . Among the survey's key findings: --Los Angeles residents eat out an average 3.8 times a week, the highest in the nation. But on average, Angelenos were rated among the worst tippers, averaging 18.2 percent. --Though the average meal rose 1.9 percent to $30.17, 65 percent of Los Angeles food mavens report spending more when dining out, while 55 percent of all meals were eaten or prepared outside the home. --The most irritating aspect of dining out was poor service, according to 76 percent of respondents. ``Southern California leads the charge when it comes to the rise of Asian-inspired cuisine, offering more top-rated Asian restaurants than any city in the U.S.,'' said Tim Zagat, chief executive officer of the Zagat Survey. ``The most interesting thing is now the influence of L.A. in the rest of the country.'' One such influence is French casual, exemplified by the Cafe Bizou hot spot on Ventura Boulevard. The decade-old eatery, favored for such dishes as sesame-coated salmon, was founded by Philippe Gris, a natty native of Paris, France. ``I'm very proud, I'm very happy,'' said Gris, who devotes 75 hours a week tending to customers at the green-awning dinner house. ``When they come here, I try to make them feel at home away from home.'' On one side of the restaurant sat Aimel and Pauline Ferris and their son Larry, who have been eating at Cafe Bizou since it opened. ``We go to a lot of places, and we've never had a bad meal, never a bad meal (here),'' said Aimel, 86, of Tarzana, digesting a bowlful of bouillabaisse bouil·la·baisse n. 1. A highly seasoned stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish. 2. A combination of various different, often incongruous elements: a bouillabaisse of special interests. . ``Philippe is the best.'' On the other side sat jazz balladeer Beverley Church Hogan of Studio City, with her friend Dorothy Taylor, leaning back after some Chinese salads. ``When we say we're going to Bizou, we're always happy,'' said Hogan. ``We love to dress up when we're going to Philippe's.'' The atmosphere at the Spartan Sushi Nozawa is somewhat less accommodating. Nozawa, who is fanatical about choosing his fish each morning at the downtown fish market, is known for dishing out food to his customers - whether they've ordered it or not. And don't even think about ordering a California roll at the traditional hole-in-the-wall sushi bar. Charlize Theron was once asked to leave after she reportedly ordered more food than Nozawa deemed necessary. Though the serious Tokyo native refused to be interviewed or photographed, his wife is proud of the best food designation. ``Very happy,'' said Yumiko Nozawa. ``Very honorable, too.'' ``Best food, without a doubt,'' said Joe Yavetz, 34, of Woodland Hills, who'd just forked See forked version. forked - (Unix; probably after "fucked") Terminally slow, or dead. Originated when one system was slowed to a snail's pace by an inadvertent fork bomb. out $100 for sushi for two. ``It really is great.'' Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Philippe Gris, owner of Cafe Bizou, chats with customer Pauline and Larry Ferris. (2) The exterior of Sushi Nozawa in Studio City belies the award-winning cuisine served within. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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