Like a breezy summer afternoon, S. Irene Virbila gives one of the most positive one star reviews we've seen in a long time. After chopstick wars over fried chicken and an abundance of mediocre sushi at Sakura, a Japanese restaurant 56 years into its prime, Miss Irene keeps her complaints to a minimum this week. Sometimes a wait is just a wait (even if its cut short for her fussy husband), a spicy tuna roll just a spicy tuna roll. The charms and orderliness of Sakura works its way into Miss I's heart:
There's something about this place that's so reassuring, so familiar and diner-like, that you want to stay and eat, whatever the wait. It's not that the food is the best Japanese food to be found in L.A. It's good and it's abundant and a terrific value, but no one dish stands out as heart-stoppingly great. But in its very untrendiness, in its warmth and soul, and democratic scene, Sakura is a unique neighborhood restaurant.Does this make us want to run out and try the place? No. But if we're in the area, maybe we'd give it a try. Today, the "S". stands for "the standards," which no neighborhood could survive without. [LAT]
ELSEWHERE: LA.com swims over to Catch at Casa del Mar; the Downtown News tries homey Brazilian fare at Wood Spoon; Square One might be the best breakfast in LA; and Potatomato finds cheap reassuring rustic Chinese at 101 Noodle Express.
