Last night was the 5th time I've been to Koi in L.A. in the last 2 years and I have to say it gets better each time. As usual, the place was packed. We had a relatively large party so we got the "red room", but for those warm summery L.A. nights, the patio area with the Budha is awesome.

If there were any celebs there last night, I didn't notice because I was concentrating on enjoying all the wonderful Asian-Fusion tapas dishes, sushi, sashimi, and Kobe beef!! All went well with "Ken" sake (some premium bottled Sake) or as my friends would call it, the Japanese clear Guiness! However, having Sake by the bamboo is great as well!

If you are ever in the Beverly Hills/Melrose area, check it out. It is on La Cienega north of the Beverly Center and just south of Santa Monica Blvd. It is on 730 N. La Cienega, (310) 659-9449. Apparently, Koi is going to open one in NYC so you east coasters should check it out when it opens (40 West 40th Street, NYC, (212) 642-2100)

Some of my favorite dishes we had at Koi last night:
Seared Toro Sashimi, Yellowtail with Grapeseed Oil and Wasabe, Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna, Tuna Tartare with Avocado on crispy won tons, Kobe Style Filet Mignon Toban-Yaki, Miso Black Cod, Creamy Rock Shrimp Tempura, and typical Sashimi like Yellow tail and Toro and Sea urchin ("Japanese Viagara"), and Baked Crab Roll with edible rice paper. We got their spinach salad last night, but I think I like the Lobster salad better! Ended the night with Molten Chocolate cake, some banana bread-cake like desert, and mochi with ice cream. (Just typing this is making me quite hungry)

Check out Koi's website and reviews:
http://www.koirestaurant.com/

http://www.la.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects...hi%2Fkoi%2F745


http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/ar...x/koi/koi.html

http://www.digitalcity.com/losangele...sbid=116040849