Week in Reviews: Kiwami Gets the Deuce

This week, Miss Irene checks out Katsuya Uechi's latest endeavor, Kiwami in Studio City. She quickly notes that the prized seats are in the rear sushi bar where Uechi himself presides, and unlike the various Katsuyas, Kiwami is Uechi's minimalist ode to tradition:

Although Uechi gained a big following for his fusion-tilted sushi, he's veering toward the more traditional at Kiwami, though you can, of course, get some of his best-known dishes, such as the crispy rice cake with spicy tuna, here as well. To hedge his bets (not a bad thing in these times), he's also offering some more substantial meat and seafood dishes.

Though she seems slightly disappointed by a repetitive omakase (not to mention sitting in the main dining room), Miss Irene appreciates the "authentic, impeccably prepared sushi and sashimi" that reign at Kiwami, especially in the back with Uechi behind the bar. Final SIV grade: two stars. [LAT]

THE ELSEWHERE & THE BLOGS: The Find is at Mariscos Chente in Mar Vista, Dig Lounge discovers another Korean truck called The Flying Hotteok, Losanjealous does recession eats at Taro Sushi & Teriyaki, Eat: LA checks in at the unfortunately-named (and expanding!) Red White & Bluezz, the OCR stops by Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Cafe in Fullerton, and on the new eatery front, QuarryGirl was at the Locali grand opening (more on that later today).

[Photo by Natasha Bedu/Zagat]