561745 Thu Oct 02 02:09:27 -0700 2008 2 2 Los Angeles Area 0 4076162 I hate to write this, but I tried Kagura last week with my visiting (Japanese) mother and was a bit disappointed. We both agreed the chef veers towards "adult" tastes (eg. not strong flavors...emphasizing the natural taste of the ingredient, eggplant tastes like eggplant, etc). This is, of course, what Japanese cooking is all about. However, what pained us was the flavors were so subdued that it was hard to find them. That plus the prices are a good bit higher than other locales. The matsutake rice was $20 for laser thin sliced bits of mushroom that barely permeated the rice. We didn't feel like we were getting a good value. It is clear that the chef is skilled. However, the question remains whether his skills can satisfy the Southern Californian palette. We escaped paying over $100 for the both of us. This pained me, as I could have had at least 4 Brunello meals for the same amount! SAM Thu Oct 02 02:09:27 -0700 2008 17297 SecretAsianMan 1 4077073 Hi SAM, Thanks for the report. When I went, Matsutake weren't in season yet; unfortunate to hear that you couldn't taste the Matsutake. If I may ask, what other dishes did you order specifically? And were they all too subdued for you? Thu Oct 02 10:50:20 -0700 2008 4076162 113442 exilekiss 2 4078646 The only real standout dish was the Duck Saikyo Yaki. Very, very tasty. Others that sounded better in concept than in execution were the aforementioned Eggplant Age Dashi, Yuba and Mushroom, Braised Ankimo, the Matsutake Rice, Chicken Kara-age (again, excellent quality but too simple in the flavoring). Nothing about the preparation was off...just the flavors needed more spunk. I forgot to mention that the sashimi plate was fantastic. The fish was first class all the way, and pure, creamy goodness. Fri Oct 03 00:42:42 -0700 2008 4077073 17297 SecretAsianMan