WHERE THE ELITE MEET TO HEAT JAPANESE GRILLING COULDN'T BE ANY CLOSER AT GYU-KAKU IN SHERMAN OAKS.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic CALLED YAKINIKU by the Japanese, individual table grilling by diners is catching on fast locally. An 800-location chain from Japan called Gyu-Kaku is at the forefront. With three already going strong in West L.A., Beverly Hills and Torrance, Gyu-Kaku has unveiled its first 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. restaurant in Sherman Oaks. And it's packed every night. You don't walk into this place at any old time and get seated. One night I waited 1 1/2 hours. Reservations are absolutely necessary. Yep, these tables are definitely hot in more ways than one. They have a nifty inset brazier arrangement topped with replaceable grills that alert staffers change periodically. Obviously it makes sense to replace them after cooking seafood and if the grill is used for dessert. This method, known as ``hware,'' is familiar, of course, to those who have frequented Korean barbecue eateries. The Korean heritage emerges at Gyu-Kaku in several ways. Soju, Korea's distilled beverage, is poured by the bar with several flavor options. Kim chee, kal-bi and bibim-bap (here called bibimba) are familiar Korean culinary names that appear on Gyu-Kaku's menu. Yakiniku - yaki translates as grilling, and niku means meats - leaves the cooking to the customer. Consequently, you cannot complain about overcooking or undercooking here. The quality of the meats and vegetables appears pretty high. Start with regular appetizers like ahi poke ($7.95), fashioned with delicious little cubes of raw tuna or a serving of edamame Edamame is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod commonly found in China and Japan. The pods are boiled in water together with condiments such as salt, and served whole. ($2.95), crunchy boiled soybeans. Something soupy soup·y adj. soup·i·er, soup·i·est 1. Having the appearance or consistency of soup. 2. Informal Foggy: soupy weather. 3. Informal Sentimental. like ramen ra·men n. 1. A Japanese dish of noodles in broth, often garnished with small pieces of meat and vegetables. 2. A thin white noodle served in this dish. noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. in steaming broth with egg ($6.45), titled ``goma negi,'' and/or a bountiful house salad ($6.95), topped with crisp julienned daikon dai·kon n. A white radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus) of Japan, having a long root that is eaten raw, pickled, or cooked. Also called Chinese radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish. and garnished with hard-boiled egg wedges, provide satisfying starters. Also as a starter or as a side accompaniment, choose the gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. bibim-bap (bibimba, $7.45) hot-pot rice dish topped with chicken, egg and veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. all ready to be mixed up and savored at every bite. From the seafood offerings, my recommendations are the miso-flavored scallops ($6.95), best slightly undercooked, and ahi tuna ($7.95) quickly seared sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. . Lots of meat choices. Generously portioned and perfectly tender filet mignon ($11.95) with ponzu sauce can be alternated with pork ($5.95) and chicken ($4.95), the latter either teriyaki ter·i·ya·ki n. A Japanese dish of grilled or broiled slices of marinated meat or shellfish. [Japanese : teri, glaze + yaki, to broil.] Noun 1. or basil flavored. Various grades of beef range from skirt steak to Kobe. I enjoy the lower- priced offerings almost as much as the higher-ticketed stuff. And for those who like innards, there's liver, tripe tripe the scalded and cleaned rumen and reticulum. The omasum is discarded because of the difficulty in cleaning between the leaves. or tongue. And veggies abound here. Some come foil-wrapped. Others you place on the grill like everything else. Potato and spinach ($3.95 each) are two of the wrapped items tried. Note that they need more time on the grill. We roasted some shishito peppers ($2.95) one night to good effect. Gyu-Kaku is fun. And young people call it cool. Eat as much or as little as you want. Sip beer, sake or wine with all these table-cooked goodies. And have a darn good time. Finish up with a fresh grill and the makings for s'mores ($2.95) and enjoy a good old American dessert finale. No doubt about it, Gyu-Kaku - and the yakiniku form of eating out - is here to stay. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com GYU-KAKU Food: Three and one half stars - Service: Three stars - Wine: Two stars Where: 14457 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (Also in Beverly Hills, West L.A. and Torrance.) Hours: Open for dinner only from 5 to 11 p.m. nightly, to midnight Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Tuna poke, ramen in broth, bibim-bap, shishito peppers, kim chee, house salad, filet mignon, kalbi garlic, harumi miso (Multiple Inputs Single Output) Pronounced "my-so," it is the use of multiple transmitters and a single receiver on a wireless device to improve the transmission distance. See MIMO. , yaki shabu beef, pork, chicken teriyaki, scallops, aburi-style ahi tuna, spinach in foil, potato in foil, s'mores. How much: Starters $2 to $8, entree items $5 to $20, desserts $2 to $5. Beer and wine. All major credit cards accepted. Wine list: Small list. Wines by the glass $7. Beverages of choice are sake (numerous options) and beer (draft and bottle from $4 to $8, pitcher $15) along with shoju by glass ($4.50 to $8) and bottle ($25 to $38). Reservations: Needed. Call (818) 501-5400. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Among the many choices for a self-grilled meal at Gyu-Kaku in Sherman Oaks is Kobe Kalbi (lightly salted beef), above, perhaps accompanied by a salad with mustard-miso dressing, right. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News |
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