I am Japan-a-file.
I know, you barely know me and already I am gushing embarrassing secrets about my personal life. This particular secret, my love for Japanese things/people/foods/snacks, cannot be blamed on me. I come from a long line of Japan loving Latin-Americans.
Blame it on my Mom if you want, she was the one teaching ESL to Japanese exchange students during my impressionable years. Blame it on my long lasting friendships with several spicy Japanese girls and boys from my art school days. All this bashful fascination aside, I didn’t even like Japanese food until I was in college. To this day I fear Sashimi like falling down a long flight of concrete stairs.
I have learned to love certain flavors, through gentle coaxing from friends. Flavors like Umeboshi, Tamagoyaki and cucumber salad. I love the Japanese French-style pastries, and their artful placement of bright and perfect fruits and candies. These foods transport me to a dream. A mini-vacation to Japan! By ‘mini’ I mean REAL mini. Like one hour mini.
This is how to eat like you DON’T live in LA.
Stop one on my journey to Japan was simple: walk out the back door of my place of employment. My home away from home (work) is conveniently located in front of a home style Japan-American diner. I may work in a 2 1/2 star restaurant, but that doesn’t mean I am opposed to eating in LITERALLY a dirty alley. Where is this wonderland of delicious, transitive Asian cuisine?
Tokyo 77 y’all!
Located in an alley behind Fraiche and Bottlerock, this “sigh coolly and you’ll miss it” little place serves up affordable, unique Japanese food 6 days a week. Its run by a gaggle of sweet little ladies and one bristly old man.
They make everything from egg salad sandwiches and pancakes to tomogayaki and chashu. As well as taking to you Japan, you get 2 pleasures for the price of one - sitting in this places takes you straight to the late 70’s! Its budget friendly, the Tokyo 77 breakfast special costs a meager $4.75.
I will warn all connoisseurs of fine Asian cuisine that this is not fine dining. You how sometimes even Johnathan Gold likes to eat at taco trucks? Well this is one of those things. Its a little guilty pleasure, just 2 notches above grocery store sushi.
Trips leaving daily for:
Tokyo 77
3839 Main St Ste B
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 204-5728
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1 response so far ↓
1 Bobbie // May 4, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Being half-Japanese I liked this review. I think most Americans equate Japanese food with sushi but there’s a whole realm of affordable items that would tempt a non-sashimi eating individual. Dishes such as donburi like Katsu-don, oyako-don or ten-don. Or many of the ramen dishes. All very light on the budget.
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