On a recent visit to LA, my fiancee and I had the distinct pleasure of dining at Hokusai. We never bothered to even look at the menu as the omakase option was recommended by our dining companions. From start to finish, this was one of the most exceptional and exciting dining experiences we've ever had. When the original Iron Chef show was on the air, I always thought being invited to guest judge would be gustatory nirvana. I believe our meal at Hokusai topped that! Since we didn't order from the menu, I'm afraid I don't know the names of the dishes we were served. Everything was phenomenal. Some of the highlights were an amazing hamachi symphony, extraordinarily tender squid with mushrooms, and a foie gras dish served over a rich soup. We actually had to request the chefs stop preparing any more food as we were satiated. The last dish before dessert was described as the ""Secret Weapon"". Initially, several glistening, round, black, flat objects were placed in front of us. We were puzzled as to what they were and assumed they were some type of dessert. Squid ink sweet rice cakes, perhaps? It turns out they were very hot stones upon which we were to quickly sear both sides of the exquisite slices of Wagyu beef that came out next. The marbling of the beef was so uniformly consistent it was hard to believe it was real. And the taste? There's a reason this dish earned it's nickname... You will be floored. Dessert was presented on a large tray and had several treats on it: Orange Fantasy, Red Bean Cheesecake, and a chocolate fondue type item. I rarely have the desire to eat dessert; but, after the quality of all the dishes we had just eaten, I had to try everything. All were fantastic.
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