Gunsmoke Restaurant In Hollywood Is Based On Nikkei Cuisine
Chef Brandon Kida, owner of Go Go Bird and Go Go Gyoza, and executive chef of Hinoki and the Bird has a new restaurant in Hollywood. It’s called Gunsmoke and, according to the press release “embodies the Nikkei spirit showcasing how second generations, not just Japanese, interpret cuisine from their unique heritage.”
The restaurant is located at 1550 N. El Centro, near Sunset Boulevard and the Hollywood Palladium, and is Nestled within the ultra-modern Columbia Square Living tower, the new restaurant will feature what Kida does best, Nikkei dishes using Southern California ingredients, a beverage program from one of Hollywood’s top barmen and al fresco seating in an urban secret garden.”
The restaurant is named after its historical location of the CBS Radio studio where the famed western radio show Gunsmoke was produced.
As the press release states, “Rhino Williams, the proprietor of Hollywood’s speakeasy-style Lost Property Bar, has lent his expertise to the beverage menu which will feature libations exclusive to the bar and an evolving cocktail menu to complement the dinner menu.”
The dishes that were sampled that evening were a complete 180 from the crispy chicken, milky biscuits and tender gyoza that chef Kida serves in Culver City, but what both restaurants have in common is the comforting nature of the food and the creative innovations that still feel familiar to the mind and to the palate.
The Foccacia was amazing. It is whipped house-made ricotta, stone fruit, poppy seeds and the warm focaccia has a surprise inside that we won’t reveal. The ricotta’s creaminess and flavor versus the focaccia’s quality make this a great appetizer. As with all of the dishes on Kida’s menu, there are graduates layers of flavor that he carefully crafts with each preparation. It is those small touches of texture and seasoning that make his work and craft stand out.
The warm cabbage salad inverts the expectations of cabbage that one would normally have. It’s a chopped head of cabbage with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and crispy anchovies which seems very simple. The expectation when you eat cabbage is that it will be hard and crunchy but not very interesting. This dish was warm and the cabbage was soft with the flavors of the cheese and the crispy anchovies. It is a cabbage salad that is unlike any cabbage salad that you have ever tasted and another comforting dish that Kida has created.
The next dish is the mushrooms with garlic soy butter and a freshly baked baguette. The dish is a play on the idea of the classic French preparation of snails and butter known as escargot. Instead of snails, you get mushrooms nestled in a tray like you would at a French restaurant. It is particularly clever and useful for those who want to luxuriate in such a calorically sinful dish but don’t necessarily want to eat mollusks or who are vegetarian. You really can’t tell much of a difference and Gunsmoke’s dish gives you the hearty chewiness of mushrooms as a substitute for a snail. It is divine.
Between dishes, two cocktails were sampled, the Almost Famous, Aviation gin, lime, cucumber juice and foam, and the Smoking Monk, smoked applewood, chamomile tea infused Macallan 12-year-old double cask, lemon, Benedictine, and yellow Chartreuse. The presentation of the Smoking Monk was impressive with a glass cover that was removed from the drink to allow the smoke from the applewood to escape. Both were excellent cocktails that were in line with the fun nature of the restaurant and Rhino Williams did a great job matching the drinks to the spirit of the restaurant. They were also quite tasty.
The main dish was the lamb sisig. Sisig is a “Filipino dish made from parts of a pig’s face and belly, and chicken liver which is usually seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers. It originates from the Pampanga region in Luzon. Sisig is a staple of Kapampangan cuisine.”, however, Gunsmoke’s take is made with lamb, of course, and pickled jicama and soy vinegar. It is delivered piping hot and crispy. The dish is exceedingly tasty and manages to avoid the downfall of a lot of lamb dishes that go wrong, the lamb has the flavor but none of the gaminess that can sometimes come with lamb. It’s the soy vinegar that gives it acidity and tangy notes as well as the pickled jicama and makes the dish much more complex and interesting.
Finally, the melon pavlova was a light and refreshing end to the meal. It is melon, a cream cheese ganache, with a shisho lime granita. One thing about all the dishes on the menu is that none of them was the kind to weigh heavily on your stomach. The melon pavlova was perhaps the lightest of all. It was like a tiny glacier of soothing flavors, kind of like a dream of a dessert that still satisfied the tastebuds. It was like a memory of fruit ices in your childhood with a richer taste and piquant flavors that mixed so well together. It was like melons in the summer, but better.
Gunsmoke’s menu and the restaurant are playful with layers of texture, flavor and comfort for the soul. The mind of chef Brandon Kida has brought another excellent restaurant to life for all to enjoy.
