Dinner last night at Nobu Los Angeles (903 N. La Cienega Blvd, LA 90069 www.noburestaurants.com) was sublime.  In spite of the fact that Victoria Beckham was dining there as well, our server Sara was flawless and attentive as she ushered us through the delightful Japanese menu.  She offered to order for us, but with her suggestions we chose off the menu instead.  The baby artichoke salad with inaniwa was a perfect fusion of Asian and Western flavors.  The shaved artichokes balanced beautifully off the handcrafted udon and citrusy dressing.  (The use of truffle oil in this dish was somewhat unnecessary.  It tended to cover up the brighter flavors with its suble ‘petroleum’ flavor.)  We continued through the miso glazed eggplant, so delightfully sweet and salty, then perfectly executed tempura of various vegetables (accompanied by a veg-friendly ponzu instead of the usual dashi procured by our thoughtful server), and finally the tofu tobanyaki, a steaming dish of fried tofu, king oyster, inoki, and shimeiji mushrooms, and vegetables in a saki/soy glaze.  We thouroughly enjoyed the entire menu and plan on going back soon!

tofu tobanyaki