(26 Dec 2019) LEAD IN: A blend of two of the world's most popular cuisines is becoming an exciting new food trend in Hollywood.
Japan is meeting Italy for a creative, refined interpretation of each cuisine.
STORY-LINE:
There is a culinary cultural explosion going on in Hollywood.
The Japanese/Italian fusion dining trend combines foods from both countries to seamlessly create new combo-cuisine tastes.
The trend appeals to the many different palates in this melting pot city.
Blackship, in the heart of West Hollywood, is one of the area's most popular Japanese/Italian fusion restaurants.
The restaurant creates different collusions and interpretations of flavors; such as Arianchini made with fried rice, egg and soy sauce.
"While we tend to attract more curious and adventures eaters, we're usually met with scepticism when they hear Japanese and Italian but what we've done is created a menu of Italian dishes with Japanese interpretations and ingredients and preparation styles," says Manager, Lisa Fang.
The name Blackship is a reference to kurofune, the European ships that came to Japan in the 16th century bringing new cooking techniques and ingredients.
Pasta carbonara made with ramen noodles is a popular dish. Other choices on the menu include amberjack crudo made with green goddess and crystallized soy; beef meatballs with tamari glaze, polenta and wasabi relish and the Santa Barbara Uni Pizza (sea urchin) with ricotta, honey, shiso and pickled fresno.
Christopher Gialanella, Group Publisher at Modern Luxury covers restaurants and dining trends in their monthly magazines.
He says it's not surprising these diverse trends flourish here in Hollywood.
"LA is to me like a melting pot. You have all these diverse cultures here. The Japanese influence, the Italians, the Irish, you name it, LA has everything. So for me, I love the fact that we're melting noodles from Italy that are now part of the Japanese culture, I love that Milanese, which is one of my favorites is really a form of tempura. So it's really interesting how you see the two cultures mix and LA really is kind of the pinnacle of culinary delights and tastes and spices coming together into one."
SHU Sushi House Unico in Belair, California is a hot spot for celebrities.
Here Japanese food is infused with Italian to create sushi dishes like no other.
Halibut Carpaccio with Fresh Black Truffles is a favorite. Mixing uni (sea urchin) with crab legs and some Italian seasoning creates a buzz despite the hefty prices that almost double normal sushi prices.
The owner, Italian chef Celestino Drago has many successful Italian restaurants across Los Angeles.
Drago says today's customer in Los Angeles is very food savvy and wants new offerings regularly.
"Today thanks to all of this Food Network and TV shows, the guest is exposed more and is more adventures so in Los Angeles many other restaurants from around the world have come and the Angeleno and the world really has welcomed them and has introduced a different culture to LA and thanks to that, has welcomed more and more restaurants and many more will come," says Drago.
Creations include tuna with ricotta cheese, crispy risotto with spicy tuna tartar and sliced jalapeño, crab and mozzarella cheese tempura.
Drago says the two cultures are similar when it comes to food.
A mouth watering meeting of two cultures creating an interesting culinary fusion.
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