Lunch with David Gelb, director of 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'

"I'm not an expert at making sushi," says David Gelb, with a pair of chopsticks poised above a plate of tuna sashimi at Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa downtown, "but I'm an expert at eating sushi." 

After filming 150 hours of footage at Sukiyabashi Jiro, the famed Michelin three-star sushi bar in Tokyo's Ginza district, the 28-year-old director of the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" knows a thing or two about nigiri and maki. "I like that the seaweed here is crispy," he says of a toro hand roll, into which he deftly pours a drop or two of soy sauce. 

Gelb's film is set to premiere in Los Angeles on Friday, and he has just returned from its debut in New York. The movie, which showed at last year's Tribeca Film Festival and was bought by Magnolia Pictures, has captured the attention of more than just food lovers, as Gelb has been talking up sushi-porn scenes and the importance of rice preparation on the media circuit. Naturally, the fooderati are drooling.

"I think I was lucky," says Gelb, dressed in a black T-shirt and bright blue Adidas sneakers. "Part of it is that there hasn't been a film about this level of sushi." Although reviews have been mixed, he says the goal was to film something "restrained and elegant" instead of relying on the "reality show kind of camera" usually aimed at food and cooking subjects. "I wanted to show sushi as an art form."

Got an iPhone 4 or 4S? You need one of these cases

I look at the Japanese design blog Spoon & Tamago from time to time. This morning it featured these astonishingly weird iPhone 4 cases. In Tokyo there's an entire neighborhood devoted to making and selling faux plastic "food samples" of sushi and other foodstuffs, even café au lait.

Now someone's had the moxie to apply some of that faux food to an iPhone case. Per the blog, some of the designs, such as unagi and matsutake are based on seasonal food and released in the appropriate month. Sure, wearing one of these iPhone cases is bulkier than going naked. (The food is three-dimensional.) But think of it more as an accessory for your phone to be trotted out on special occasions. They're hilarious, really.

Available from the site Strapya, which is only in Japanese. It looks like the price is 3990 yen, which is about $51. Shipping, I couldn't tell. But it can't weigh all that much. Anybody who covets one of these iPhone cases will have to get someone who speaks Japanese to translate.  

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-- S. Irene Virbila

Twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Photo: Delectable iPhone 4 cases. Credit: Strapya

 

'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'; you will too

Jiro Ono is widely considered the Yoda of sushi chefs in Tokyo (and thus, the world), and filmmaker David Gelb's new documentary, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," aims to show viewers why -- with cinematography as lush as the tuna belly served at Ono's Michelin three-star restaurant and a score that includes Glass, Mozart and Bach. In fact, the sushi is shot so lovingly, I'm pretty sure I felt tears welling -- and my mouth watering. 

The film has been making its way to the U.S. on the movie-fest circuit and will screen at the Tribeca Film Festival next week. Gelb spent a year documenting the 85-year-old sushi chef and his exacting standards -- one apprentice reportedly wept when Ono finally approved of his tamago (omelet), after he'd made more than 200.  

The "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" Facebook page says there's "no news" of public L.A. screenings yet. Stay tuned. 

-- Betty Hallock

Rick Moonen dishes on the X Train menu and his hopes for an L.A. restaurant

Rick Moonen, a finalist on “Top Chef Masters” and owner of RM Seafood in Vegas, will be conducting the X Train's food and beverage program. Moonen anticipates the train will have its maiden voyage from L.A. to Vegas on New Years Eve 2011, but he's already brainstorming ideas for the menu.

“We're going to have a sit-down sushi bar car. We want the food to be so good that people get on early. We might do something like a dim sum cart of some sort because it's immediate,” Moonen says. “It won't necessarily be fine dining. I don't think we'll open up with something that fancy.” In Moonen's classic childlike fashion, he wants to name the dining car Chew Chew.

But that's not the only project in the works. Moonen has been scoping space for a future restaurant in Los Angeles, including downtown's Union Station. It's still very much in the ideas stage, but he seems  enthused about bringing his sustainable-seafood-focused concept to L.A.

To read more about Moonen's upcoming endeavors, head to ThisIsBrandX.com.

-- Krista Simmons

Follow me on Twitter @kristasimmons

Photo: MGM Resorts International

Sampler Platter: Cherpumple, Slim-Fast recall, grocery shrink ray, chocolate Ritz

Your late-Friday-afternoon food news roundup, featuring the most insane cake/pie hybrid ever, reasons your waiter hates you and more:

-- The Cherpumple, the dessert version of the Turducken: a three-layer cake with a pie stuffed in each layer. Charles Phoenix
-- 20 secrets your waiter won't tell you + 30 more secrets = 50 reasons your waiter hates you. Reader's Digest
-- Tiger Sushi ready to open in former Luckyfish space; Santa Monica Bar & Grill to become Upper West. Eater LA
-- Eating with Kristen Schaal: oyster shooters, monkey brains and the tyranny of onions. Fork in the Road
-- Unilever recalls all Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products in cans because of possible contamination. FDA
-- Nine foods attacked by the grocery shrink ray. Live Cheap
-- Aqua Teen Hunger Force wants you to Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas.
-- Ritz now dips its crackers in fudge -- during the holidays.
-- Describe what Lender's Bagels mean to you to win $1,000 and a year's supply of bagels.
-- The world's most extravagant meals. Forbes

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Rob Takata / For The Times

Small Bites: Street's new seasonal menu, Kitchen 24's new cupcakes, Agura's new happy hour

Word on the Street: This Friday, Susan Feniger's Street officially debuts its new seasonal dinner menu, featuring: Argentinian/Italian ricotta dumplings simmered in brown butter and lemon with celery root puree; black-eyed pea fritters; lamb kafta meatballs; Moscow-style eggplant; toasted amaranth, chicken and spoon bread dumplings; beef tenderloin schnitzel; honey-glazed Peking quail; barbecued Hawaiian pork wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked over a marinade of sugar cane, pineapple and soy; and more. The new lunch menu, which debuts on Saturday, also has several additions: mini Kobe beef chili dogs; crispy lamb taquitos; Vietnamese pulled pork sandwiches; Andouille sausage and shrimp gumbo; Moroccan spiced winter squash with roasted chestnuts; Burmese lettuce wraps with lentils, toasted coconut, peanuts, fried onions and sesame ginger dressing; Hawaiian ono sashimi in spicy sesame mayo; and more. 742 N. Highland Ave., L.A. (323) 203-0500, www.eatatstreet.com.

Cocktails and cupcakes: Kitchen 24's pastry chef, Daisy Roman, recently launched a featured daily cupcake at the 24-hour Cahuenga corridor diner. Flavors include: chocolate (Monday), carrot (Tuesday), vanilla (Wednesday), pumpkin (Thursday), winter mint chocolate (Friday), buttered pecan (Saturday) and red velvet (Sunday). Kitchen 24 also debuted four seasonal cocktails, including the Sweet-Tartini with muddled cranberries, Tanqueray, elderflower liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice; and the Hot Spiced Cider with unfiltered apple juice, Jim Beam, orange liqueur and a secret spice syrup. 1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd., L.A. (323) 465-2424, www.kitchen24.info.

C'mon, get happy: Sushi and Japanese fusion restaurant Agura, the latest addition to La Cienega's restaurant row, recently launched a happy hour that features 50% off drinks and $3 to $5 small plates of salmon nachos, fried popcorn shrimp, spicy tuna and yellowtail rolls, shrimp-wrapped spring rolls, unagi avocado rolls, takoyaki and more. (10 p.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday and 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday). 514 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 289-1940, www.aguradining.com.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: The interior of Kitchen 24 in Hollywood. Credit: From Kitchen 24.

Sampler Platter: sushi fraud, Paula Deen hit with flying ham, Portland's food carts, 11 restaurants in 11 hours

The TV queen of Southern food gets whacked with a ham at a charity event while Food Marathon leads intrepid gluttons on an epic restaurant crawl. More in today's food news roundup.

-- Sushi fraud! DNA tests reveal that "tuna" is often fake or endangered species. Wired
-- 13 restaurants in 11 hours: the 11 in 11 Food Marathon 
-- Portland's food carts, from New Mexico to poutine. Los Angeles Times
-- Hershey needs over $17 billion to top Kraft's offer for Cadbury. Wall Street Journal
-- Salon launches a food section
-- Paula Deen hit by a flying ham! WHEC
-- Police drop theft charges against two students who didn't tip. The Morning Call
-- Ben & Jerry's makes Maple Blondie ice cream in honor of Olympian Hannah Teter
-- Gift suggestion for beer lovers: "The Naked Pint." Brand X
-- OpenTable unveils list of 70+ L.A. restaurants that offer private dining services
-- The four acts of Ondal's spicy crab soup. Eat, Drink & Be Merry
-- Six reasons bacon is better than true love

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Celebrity chef Paula Deen. Credit: Dr. Billy Ingram / Getty Images

Sampler Platter: Veterans Day deals, Toshi Sushi celebrates anniversary, Ruby Tuesday gets posher, bacon envelopes and chocolate mousse Peeps

Even among fast casual eateries there's a caste system. And Ruby Tuesday wants to move out of the neighborhood it shares with Applebee's and Chili's and into the classier 'hood alongside Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse. All this and more essential food news:

--Speaking of Applebee's, they're giving a free meal to Veterans today. Krispy Kreme giving away free doughnuts. Consumerist
--Ruby Tuesday upgrades with fancier decor, more expensive food. New York Times
--Toshi Sushi, "greatest omakase bargain in Little Tokyo," celebrates anniversary. Sinosoul
--Mendocino Farms to open 2nd downtown venue at 5th and Flower streets. Blog Downtown
--Portland brewer makes beer from Bac-O Bits, Nutella and more. Houston Chronicle
-- Food pioneer: Chef Fergus Henderson. The Times
--The folks who made Bacon Salt bring you Bacon Envelopes. J&D Foods
--Crispy tripas at Rambo's Taco Truck in Eagle Rock. Gourmet Pigs
--Miniature finger-food plates: Absurd or absurdly practical? The Kitchn
--Everyone loves the cheese dust. Dorito's DIY commercial contest returns.
--Burlingame officials try to run Curry Up Now truck out of town. California Taco Trucks
--Chocolate mousse-flavored Marshmallow Reindeer Peeps, new for the holidays.
--A roundup of pumpkin-based restaurant specials. Caroline On Crack

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: Toshihiko Seki, owner and chef of Toshi Sushi in downtown Los Angeles, prepares a plate of sashimi and rolls. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Sampler Platter: Agura sushi soft-opens, absinthe in Rome, Halloween cupcakes

A cupcake so cute it's scary, a Roman milk bar and a new sushi restaurant on La Cienega lead our food news roundup.

-- Teetotalers may be more depressed than drinkers. Time
-- Absinthe in a chocolate shake? Welcome to Latte Piu, a milk bar in Rome that’s patterned after "Clockwork Orange's" Korova. Los Angeles Times
-- Agura sushi on La Cienega soft-opens. Blackburn + Sweetzer
-- Figs, cupcakes, Guy Fieri and seven more things David Chang and Anthony Bourdain hate. Grub Street LA
-- San Diego Meat Co. recalls 925 pounds of beef products due to E. coli threat. Los Angeles Times
-- Red Mango has a new seasonal flavor: pumpkin spice.
-- Most adorable Halloween cupcake ever? We Love You So

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: It looks innocuous, but the Diavaolo, a chocolate milkshake with 80-proof absinthe, packs a big punch. It's served at Latte Piu, a milk bar in Rome. Credit: Baxter Holmes / For The Times

Sampler Platter: Babycakes cupcake recipe revealed, Pink's Hot Dogs opens in Las Vegas, sushi robots on the rise

You want the recipe for Babycakes' much-loved vegan chocolate cupcakes? You got it! This and more in today's food news roundup.

--Eight great street-food vendors in Los Angeles. Gourmet
--Will investors show an appetite for local food? An exploration of the venture capitalism behind the slow food movement featuring the Let's Be Frank hot dog truck. Los Angeles Times
--I, for one, salute our sushi robot overlords. YouTube
--Playboy bunnies, B-grade reality starlets and former Spice Girls show up for grand opening of Pink's Hot Dogs in Las Vegas. Monsters and Critics
--A postmortem on the failure of the iconic Tavern on the Green. New York Times
--Gwyneth Paltrow sits down with Erin McKenna, the founder of Babycakes NYC (slated to open its first LA location... eventually) and gets her recipes for chocolate cupcakes and vanilla frosting, double chocolate chip cookies and lemon poppy tea cake. Goop
--Fort Smith, Arkansas considers a 3% table tax. Restaurateurs unhappy. KFSM

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: Sue Moore's Let's Be Frank food trailer serves hot dogs made from grass-fed cows and humanely raised pigs. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times