Anything similar to Musha, for Monday night, but not Musha?

[susancinsf]

Hubby HATES noisy, warm (hot) restaurants. Actually, he hates most restaurants, but he does appreciate good food, however, and particularly likes Asian cuisines....We are in LA for a few days, and I wasn't sure whether we'd get a break from babysitting World's Most Adorable Granddaughter for a dinner for just two. Well, looks like tomorrow (Monday) night is our night off!

If it were just me, I'd head for the bar at Musha, but I have the feeling that hubby wouldn't enjoy it as much as I do, especially early when the sun is still up, on a hot day in July. My fall-back plan would be to go early to Orris, and eat outside, and since Orris is only a few blocks from my daughter's, we could get there early enough to hopefully grab one of those outside tables. But unfortunately, Orris is closed Mondays.

We are now living in the Central Valley, and izakaya: well, it just doesn't exist there. Fusion doesn't either, (actually, we have a hard time getting any Asian food other than Lao or Thai, which my new home town does have) so any type of Japanese or fusion would work too. However, we *don't* want a place that is primarily sushi. Would love somewhere cool (temperature, not ambiance) and quiet, particularly since we left triple digit temps at home...

should I bite the bullet and make a reservation at Musha, or what are some other options? Price doesn't matter (edited to add: within reason). The closer to Culver City, the better, but anywhere on the west side is fine,

Thanks for any suggestions and recommendations!

[susancinsf]

thanks all, these were some great suggestions. Even if we did end up going in another direction altogether...

As soon as I started describing Musha, hubby, predicatably, said he didn't want to go. He also didn't want yakitori...I'd have considered the drive to Bincho, but the Chow link said it was closed Mondays and they didn't answer the phone.... I was leaning towards Bar Hayama or Place Yuu when something prompted to me to check out the location for Mariscos Chente. Not sure why, exept that we don't get good Mexican (or good seafood) in Merced either, and the reports have cetainly been enticing...

and discovered it was only 2 miles from the hotel where we are staying! I had read it was in Mar Vista, which meant nothing to me, and for some silly reason, I had just assumed that a place that loved couldn't be near my daughter's place :-)

so, anyway, we went to Mariscos Chente, and early on a Monday (sixish) it was cool and quiet, not at all crowded, and very casual, and we sat in a comfortable booth and drank beer and ate camarones, and thus hubby was happy. Will post more on DU's current thread elsewhere on this board.

and I will bookmark all of the westside Izakaya and similar spots on Sawtelle, as there will be other opportunities to try them....although, sigh, it looks like daughter and SIL are going to buy a home in North Hills. North Hills! I sure hope it is better chow territory than the map would lead me to believe....

[Ogawak]

Thanks for the update. I haven't been , but it's one of my "to-do's". Sorry about North Hills. No it's not much of a chow territory, but there are some nice places in the the San Fernando Valley. Just ask.

[J.L.]

Stop the presses, your quest has ended:

You want Place Yuu, on the southwest corner of Sawtelle & Mississippi

Open Mondays, excellent izakaya fare, not noisy, on the westside.

Place Yuu
2101 Sawtelle

[Phurstluv]

Have you tried Hamakaze in Venice?

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Hamakaze
13327 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

[ericat]

Just fyi, I was at musha yesterday (Sunday) and it wasn't particularly hot or noisy. I've definitely been when its been really noisy, but the last couple of times, it just hasn't been as crowded or noisy.

[Ogawak]

Given your husband's desire to sit outside, I would second Bar Hayama for their outside courtyard. Orris is better, but BH is good, especially their sake selection.

[a_and_w]

Raku on Olympic might work, though I can't recall if it's on the warm side.

[New Trial]

Just a few blocks North of Orris is the quite good (but not as) Bar Hayama, which also has outdoor seating (albeit around a large firepit, which might raise the temperature a bit). http://www.bar-hayama.com

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Bar Hayama
11300 Nebraska Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[bulavinaka]

Great rec - for some reason I was thinking they were closed on Mondays, but according to their website, they are open for dinner on Mondays:

http://www.bar-hayama.com/

[bulavinaka]

If you're in West LA/Santa Monica, Nanbankan in West LA has been around for a long time. Although it's more yakitori, their menu is much broader than just that. I think they're open on Monday - they may be worth calling. However, I like DU's recs as well. Although you're looking at a 25-40 minute drive from West LA/Santa Monica, Izakaya Bincho and Musha are great places. I don't know the Monday hours situation for either, so likewise, call ahead and make reservations if either is open.

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Musha
1725 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90501

Nanban-Kan Restaurant
11330 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Izakaya Bincho
112 N International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

[Das Ubergeek]

Well... what about Izakaya Bincho? It's in Redondo Beach. Or if you're willing to go just a WEE bit further, there's a larger, less claustrophobic Musha in Torrance, or directly across the parking lot is Torihei, which isn't big enough to be too loud.

If you're OK with a, hm, much more Western take on izakaya, you could go to Ronin in WeHo... but I'd rather go to the larger Musha, or maybe Bincho.

Or I guess you might be able to call Furaibo sort of kind of maybe izakaya.

[susancinsf]

Bincho is closed on Mondays, apparently....

[liu]

Das Ubergeek...
You mentioned Furaibo on Sawtelle in West LA. We had an exceptionally tasty izakaya dinner there this past Saturday night. They have added a menu to their regular menu; we were able to order a lot more very flavorful veggie dishes than in the past with the usual menu. The eggplant skewers were especially good!

Of course, one goes there for the chicken wings...and more chicken wings! In the past, however, I always felt like most of their "good" dishes were fried. With this new menu, I was able to select more veggies to "balance out" the chicken wings...at least in my mind.
Furaibo serves food that really awakens the taste buds.