Los Angeles - January 22, 2002

Go Fish

Katana Restaurant

Tuesday night. Blind date. (Friend in biz dev swears, “You’re perfect for each other!”) But, ugh, where to go?

Someplace trendy. Good food helps. So, you know, you have something to, um, talk about.

The date may disappoint, but Katana won’t. The latest from the guys behind Sushi Roku and Balboa, the 6,000-square-foot sushi restaurant and lounge is located in the Piazza del Sol building on Sunset Strip. The space is decorated in an Italian Renaissance style with added faux Japanese temples and a 600-year-old-redwood bar. (For effect, mind you).

Katana specializes in a style of cooking called robatayaki. You select your food (spicy crab, Japanese squash, and Kobe beef) from an ice bar before chef Hiroshi Sima perfects it. Too much choice overwhelms? Order from the Tokyo-style sushi bar. And, to ease the blind-date jitters, flag down the sommelier, who will wheel a cart to your table and select the perfect sake.

Then while your date isn’t looking, pass the sommelier a note for the hottie across the room, suggesting a nightcap at the Sky Bar — it’s oh-so-conveniently across the street.

Katana, 8439 West Sunset Boulevard, east of La Cienega (323-650-8585).