Kato (Los Angeles, CA) [6]

Kato Restaurant at ROW DTLA
777 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
213-797-5770‬‬
www.katorestaurant.com
Fri 07/11/2025, 08:00p-12:30a





Last year, I enjoyed a great birthday dinner at Kato, so when it came time to pick a place to celebrate this year, the neo-Taiwanese-American Downtown eatery came to mind once more. I was certainly curious to see what Jonathan Yao, Nikki Reginaldo, and Ryan Bailey have been up to these days, especially given the accolades that the restaurant's received since my last meal. In addition to retaining its Michelin star (twice), Kato also landed the #1 spot on the LA Times' "101 Best Restaurants" list (again), while Yao was recently awarded "Best Chef: California" honors from James Beard.


Here we see tonight's menu, which was priced at $325 per head (with optional supplements), plus 18% service. Click for a larger version.

In terms of libations, the standard wine pairing adds on an extra $145, or $185 for the vintage pairing, while the non-alcoholic pairing costs $120. As for the wine list, curated by Bailey and Lead Sommelier Matthew Fosket, it's been steadily growing ever since Kato opened, and is now one of the best in the Southland by my estimation, with particular strength in the departments of Champagne, Riesling, and Burgundy. And of course, there are also class-leading cocktails from Austin Hennelly and Han-suk Cho (조한석); in fact, the bar program was recently honored by the Spirited Awards for "Best US Restaurant Bar" (along with Donna's and Mírate here in LA). Meanwhile, the corkage fee is $75 per bottle, limit two.


A warm, wetted towel was presented after we were seated. It made for a refreshing start to the evening, and is a nicety that I'd like to see more restaurants implement.


1: Luóbo Gān | Radish, Daikon, Ginger Bud
Dinner commenced with a trio of canapés, meant as an homage to Taiwanese-style cold dishes (liángcài). Our first was inspired by dried radish, and comprised San Diego bluefin, several different preparations of daikon, ginger, chives, and myoga. I loved the interplay between the ginger's sting and the multifaceted incorporation of bái luóbo, with the brine of the tuna coming in on the mid-palate and lingering. I got some great textures, too. A fantastic one-biter to kick things off with.


We BYOB'd two bottles tonight, and first up was the 2024 Aramasa No. 6 X-type Direct Path (新政 ナンバーシックス エックスタイプ ダイレクトパス), made from 2024 harvest Akita Prefecture rice polished to 45%. This was also classified as a namazake, made in the kimoto junmai manner, brewed in wooden barrels, and bottled directly from the press, making it a jikagumi as well. On the nose, the sake was fresh and lively, with a mix of melon and pâtisserie supported by an underlying cool, saline element. Palate-wise, this was smooth and soft, with boatloads of honeydew perked up by a surprisingly zippy acidity and decidedly herby nuances. As the liquid warmed up, those aforementioned mineral aromas became more apparent, while on the tongue, the nihonshu turned even silkier, even sweeter. Just lovely.


2: Liáng Miàn | Sesame, Cucumber, Wasabi
Taiwanese-style cold noodles served as the inspiration for our next amuse bouche, composed of tofu stuffed with Santa Barbara uni, with salted cucumber. The beauty here was the back-and-forth between the dish's spicy, nutty, and herbaceous elements, all moderated by the soft salinity of the sea urchin and leading to a super familiar, long-lingering xiān wèi.


3: Duò Jiāo Yú | Preserved Pepper, Coriander
A rejiggered version of chopped chili fish made with locally-caught halibut was another winner. I loved the brine utilized here, which incorporated what I believe were Sugar Rush Peach peppers, coriander berries, and cilantro oil. The liquid showed off a sour, invigorating, astringent, and nearly bracing complexity that I reveled in, and which complemented the fish without ever overwhelming it.


Supplement: Yóutiáo [$45.00] | Sea Urchin, Ham, Caviar
Our first supplement was Kato's take on the famed Chinese cruller, one filled with Santa Barbara sea urchin and crowned with Kaluga caviar and Jinhua ham from Virginia. As always, the crux was that delectable marriage of sweet and salty and savory, all supported by a welcomed countering bitterness on the back end--I could've easily popped a few more of these guys. Also worth noting was how well the donut paired with the Aramasa above, thanks to the link between the sweetness of the dough here and the sake's aforementioned pastry notes.


Given the hands-on nature of the course above, wet napkins were provided--a nice touch.


4: Yúdù Gēng | Custard, Caviar, Fish Maw
The restaurant's preparation of fish maw soup was definitely a favorite tonight. I was pretty enamored with its wonderfully briny depth and cozy complexity, with the sweetness of the Dungeness crab being particularly well-matched by the dish's gingeriness. And if that wasn't enough, we also had a crab shell vinegar, which proffered a potent piquancy that enhanced the dish even further.


5: Suāncài Yú | Soured Vegetables, Preserved Peppers
Yao's interpretation of Sichuan fish with pickled mustard greens was probably my pick for the top dish of the night. The black cod arrived flawlessly cooked, coming out as fatty, flaky, flavorful, and well-caramelized as I was hoping for. As good as that was, what really made this work was the one-two punch of the pickles and especially the broth, with its deep, gratifying flavors and prickly, creeping heat, which managed to enhance the qualities of the sablefish without ever getting in the way. I was also a fan of the squash, which served to lighten things up while also providing some textural variation.


Our second BYO bottle was the 2024 Juyondai Soukou (十四代 双虹), also known as the "double rainbow," from Yamagata's iconic Takagi Shuzo. Made with Yamada Nishiki rice from Hyogo Prefecture polished to a seimai-buai of 35%, the sake was crafted in the tobingakoi, namazume style and matured at ice-temperature. The bouquet on this one was super zingy, with a healthy amount of bright, fruity melon. However, the aromas belied the palate, which was decidedly earthier, with a woodsy funk punctuated by a distinct mintiness. With time, I began getting a smidge more heat on the nose, alone with a cool, mineral-driven, saline element, accented by pinpricks of bouquet garni. Taste-wise, this then went in a spicy, anise-y direction, with a strong medicinal component that was unexpected, but not unwelcomed. Although Juyondai products tend to be known for being lush and fruit-forward, I have to say that this particular nihonshu was much more intriguing.


Supplement: Jīn Shā [$55.00] | Salted Egg, Habanada, Curry Leaf
A tribute to jīnshā featured a perfectly-textured tail of Atlantic lobster. The lóngxiā had its inherent sweetness accompanied by the even more intense sweetness of corn, a light touch of salt-cured egg, and most importantly, the familiar, comforting, long-lingering aromatics of curry.


6: Ānchún | Quail, Soy Paste, Stonefruit
Wolfe Ranch quail was done justice. The breast portion showcased a wonderfully meaty, satisfying consistency and considerable depth, and was set over an aggressively savory mushroom sticky rice and further boosted by the application of quail jus. As tasty as that all was, the most crucial item here for me was that Andy's Orchard stone fruit, which imparted a fantastic sweet-tartness that really completed the equation, bringing it all together.



We were also served the legs of the bird, cooked on the rarer side, which I quite liked. Compared to the breast above, the meat here was more supple, more tender, with a subtler balance of savory and sweet.


Moistened napkins were once again provided.


7: Zī Rán Yáng | Cumin, Preserved Allium, Magao
In our final savory course, Anderson Ranches lamb was presented in two ways. I began with the three week-aged saddle, which ate firm, fatty, and meaty, its considerable heft foiled just enough by the unmistakable warmth of cumin. Next, I went for the belly, cured Chinese-style, which was a much more luscious, luxurious cut, but one still well-completed by both the zīrán and that PNW gray morel. What was more surprising (pleasantly) was the sauce, a heady concoction based on Taiwanese mountain peppercorns (shān hújiāo) that did a fine job standing up to everything. We also had an unexpected bonus: a sprinkling of Red Fife wheat that I didn't mind at all.


The lamb above arrived with a serving of niúnǎi tǔ sī (a.k.a. shokupan). Think soft, sweet, and well-browned, with some delightful onion-y flavors to boot.


Lemon Drop [$21.00] | yoigokochi yuzushu, grey goose vodka, luxardo bitter bianco, rice milk, lemon - shaken, crushed ice
With the two sakes dispensed with, it was now time to get into some cocktails, starting with this revamp of the 1970s-era lemon drop. The key here was the use of yuzu liqueur, which lent a much more sophisticated sort of sweet, citric character to the drink and made a whole lot of sense with the bitter, herby qualities of the Luxardo.


8: Chá | Peach, Plum, White Tea
Our pre-dessert took its inspiration from the tradition of having fresh fruit and tea at the end of a meal. It definitely hit all the right marks for me, especially with that fermented plum, and I was a big fan of the dish's stone fruit-y, summer flavors, with just a touch of counterbalancing astringency coming in towards the close. Some great textures, too.


Emerald [$25.00] | slane Irish whiskey, kavalan oloroso sherry cask whisky, one year brooks cherry brandy, l'encantada xo cask strength armagnac, lustau almacenista palo cortado sherry - stirred, up
This next cocktail was undoubtedly the booziest of the three we tried, but despite its robustness, it possessed this palpable elegance. What stood out to me was the interaction between the drink's medicinal, oxidative, and nutty notes, in concert with this sugary, "grapey" quality that kept everything in check. This was right up my alley.


9: Căoméi | Strawberry, Rhubarb, White Chocolate
Dessert proper was another slam-dunk. I was pretty enamored with the dish's base of light, fluffy white chocolate chiffon cake, which linked up effortlessly with both the Harry's Berries Mara des Bois strawberries and the rhubarb compote. Simultaneously, a brown butter-almond tuile provided a lovely nuttiness and a healthy amount of crunch.


Highball [$25.00] | hibiki harmony whisky, giboin pineau des charentes, coconut water, bao zhong - carbonated
Somewhat to my surprise, the highball ended up be my favorite cocktail of the trio. In fact, this was probably the best highball I've ever had. I was smitten by its beguiling complexity, which paired woodsy, nutty, fruity, and oxidative components in masterful fashion with the utterly refreshing nature of coconut juice.


10: Liúshā Bāo | Cream Puff, Salted Egg, Brown Sugar
Our meal ended as it began, with another one-biter, this one based on the dim sum staple that is the salted egg yolk bun (a.k.a. lava bun). The puff was a joy, playing salty, sweet, and eggy against each other in seamless fashion. Perhaps not surprisingly, one of my dining companions was reminded of mooncake while eating this.


At the end of the night, we were given an abbreviated copy of the menu along with a small tin of Taiwanese Baozhong tea.

Once again, the team at Kato delivered a standout meal, one of my best of the year, no doubt. I consider the restaurant to be quite emblematic of the LA dining scene, its cooking highlighting the Asian-American experience as viewed through a Southern Californian lens, both celebrating and reinventing the cuisine that Jon Yao grew up with. It all makes for something rather special, one-of-a-kind, and uniquely Angeleno. Now I just need to try Kato's pān-toh-inspired, large format banquet menu, which unfortunately requires a party of eight...