Magari

In Homage to now closed Magari:

Space was known as the Paley. Refined indirect lighting gently diffused into a serene, underwater, aquamarine world. 
New interior design seems more suited for 21st century restaurant theme of more noise & a happening party scene.   

Magari in Italian means hope; in Japanese a change in direction which is appropriate for this new restaurant ready to take on Italo-Japanese cuisine having its L.A. origin in the early 1980's by former iconic Chaya Brasserie. La Bohême still carries echoes of this trend that also married French to Japanese. 

Many dishes here follow the Japanese Izakaya tradition of small plates to nosh w/ alcoholic libations, and does so with panache. DineLA menu intrigued me with, unknown culinary terms that juxtaposed Le Cucine Giapponese e Italiane.

I sat at the bar since I found through experience that most bartenders take their responsibilities seriously and are often more aware of attentive service because many of them take territorial pride in manning their station.    

My primary bartender, Trexy F. was super informative about the food going above & beyond since he sensed my intense interest in the cuisine. I appreciate his passion for food & drink.  Another bartender, Ed, was friendly and had a natural knack of making you feel at home. 

1) Ash Cured Ora King Salmon, New Zealand:

Pillowy, soft, pinkish, orange red, raw salmon w/ thin streaks of healthful, white fattiness & faint, pleasing, wild gaminess. 

Charred, pickled, chopped, green onions, toasty pistacchio nuts & oil, finely cubed sweet apple garnish rounded out the  flavours. 

2) Burrata & Prosciutto di San Daniele: 

High quality Burrata that is refreshing yet creamy rich, ultra soft but having a slight fibrous contrast. 

Prociutto San Daniele as explained by Trexy F. is softer, moister, mellower than Prociutto di Parma w/ a deeper Umami & fermented, sweeter porkiness.  

Focaccia rustic, full of holes bread slathered w/ a sweet strawberry tomato jam. Put all of these ingredients together for a flavourful open face sandwich. 

1-2a) "Big O" Ōzumo Junmai Ginjo Sakè (sah keh), Nagano, Japan:

Faintly golden. Bouquet of ripe apple & Japanese pear, nail polish, diesel. Like Trocken Riesling, Ōzumo is ideal. 

Apple-pear cider, smooth, sweet then touch bitter, astringent. Finish is cleansing, acidic, salty to match w/ seafood so prevalent at Magari as told by Trexy F. 

3) Creste di Gallo "cocks comb" Pasta: 

Large maccheroni pasta that looks like the crest on a rooster for even more al dente chewiness.
Sugo of duck long braised in a delicate, meaty liquid makes the dark meat soft looking like North Carolina pulled pork. Thick, virgin olive oil, almost invisible Gremolata & kumquat add a hint of sour citrus, garlic. 

Spring peas using all its edible parts: fibrous tendrils, soft pea pod shell, nutty pea seeds was a great seasonal touch demonstrating the Japanese culinary penchant to use all parts as a waste not, want not philosophy.  
Excellently executed pasta dish.

4) Wood Fired Spiedini:

Beef & Asparagus is BBQ smokey, meaty, beefy, loin w/ a chaw sandwiching spring fresh asparagus on a stick. Beef is marinated in a subtle sweet Shōyu/soy sauce. 

Accompanying Fregola Sarda scented w/ saffron is like a big version of North African couscous pasta looking like small boba balls. Smooth, slippery on the surface yet chewy & nutty. Sauce is orange yellow, butter scented w/ pleasing meaty brothiness & possibly fresh tomato.

3-4a)  Eclipse, Junmai Sakè, Covina, California: I chose Eclipse to support artisanal, local businesses. 

Muroka, not filtered through charcoal to retain its original flavours. Nama meaning it doesn't go through a second heat inducing pasteurization that would kill the yeasts & Kōji that produce Sakè from rice for more probiotic effect. 

Light gold due to minimal filtration.
Scents of woody, peanutty, toasty soy bean Kinako powder, lacquer. 
Rustic, full mouthfeel. Agrodolce, sweet countered by good acid, to cut the fattiness of land meat. Toasty, sweet aftertaste. 

5) Castella Cake: 

Kasutera Cake was introduced to Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century along w/ Tempura, etc. that is now considered typically Japanese. 

Slice of moist yet heavy, dense & firm cake where the common Kasutera is a bit more eggy, light & airy. Sprinkled w/ bitter, dark chocolate powder like a Tiramisù. 

Namelaka is the Japanese word meaning smooth, soft, creamy & seems like a squiggle of Espresso infused, whipped Mascarpone cheese. 

Marsala wine blended ice cream. 

All this harks to creating a deconstructed Tiramisù doppelgänger which would have worked if the Kasutera were more soft, plush, moistened by more Espresso or better a coffee liqueur to mimic a classic Tiramisù. It was a valiant attempt.

I very much like the food at Magari. It is imaginative, creative, adventurous in marrying two ancient, venerable, cuisine traditions.  4+ stars

I'm really sad to hear this place has recently closed, but wanted to still share my thoughts on experience.

I had such a pleasant birthday dinner and the chef even signed a card which was a very sweet touch. Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu and everyone we interacted with was friendly.

Parking: Street parking is around and after I think 7pm or 8pm, it's free?! Don't quote me on that but I remember that we didn't have to pay haha and it was easy to find one right away.

Apps:
+ Dry Aged Yellowtail - favorite appetizer. It was complex with the citrus flavor and then the mint with the freshness was great. The light wafer crackers were a perfect pairing.

+ Ash Cured Ora King Salmon - really good pieces of salmon, a more simple dish. The shishito limonata was the perfect citrus.

+ Arugula Salad - super fresh and citrusy with the yuzu. I liked the pepper (tellicherry) with it too to elevate a common salad.

+ Arancini - very dense ball with saffron, peas, and smoked tomato sauce.

Pastas:
+ Yuzu Tagliatelle - favorite pasta (just wish there was more of it!). Flavor was amazing and peeps of crab and added uni for an additional $14

+ Mafaldine - love this pasta shape and the ragu had sweet and savory notes to it with the plum.

+ Squid Ink Fusilli - my least favorite of the three, pangrattato was crispier and I couldn't really taste the miso butter

Dessert:
+ Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta: Was silk and I liked the white peach compote!

+ Olive Oil Cake - on the denser side, presented beautifully. Wish there was more plum pieces or a drizzle or something to add more flavor.

Overall it was a great meal with a couple of great dishes. The hospitality really took it over the top for me!

Drinks:
Don't sleep on these! They are tasty and on the more refreshing side than heavy which I like. I got the Orsetto | Bee's Knees which came with a little honey pop! Super cute.

I hope the chefs/owners are able to open a new locations!

Hands down 5/5 dinner experience. We came here on a weekday evening for dinner and were seated right away. We were able to make reservations two hours before so they weren't too crowded at all.

The interior is incredibly cozy and inviting. Loved how intimate the setting was, but the tables not overly close together.

It was my birthday and the chef left a signed happy birthday card which was the first time I've ever had a chef care so much about people who dine in their restaurants. It was the sweetest gesture. For the food itself we got:

-akami tuna ($18): fish was incredibly fresh, burrata made it extra creamy)
-heirloom tomato salad ($15) (this was probably our least favorite as the flavors got lost in each other but was still ok)
-funghi pizza ($24) (amazing, from taste to dough to crust.....amazing)
-yuzu tagliatelle ($32) (favorite. Yuzu was perfectly there, not too muted and the crab was so sweet)
-Japanese cheesecake ($12) (loved it!)

Food was amazing, service was even better. Can't wait to try the rest of their menu.

Really happy with our first visit to Magari and will definitely be back the next time I'm looking for something delicious in Hollywood.

Dry Aged Yellowtail - this dish is almost impossible to describe. One of the most unique sets of flavors I've ever put in my mouth. Amazing.

Ash Cured Salmon - really good. High quality. Delicious.

Wagyu Carpaccio - melts in your mouth and a decent portion size. Really enjoyed this one.

Aragula Salad - rustic and simple in the best ways. The arugula was insanely flavorful.

Arancini - great execution on a classic dish. The whole table loved them.

Prosciutto Pizza - the cherry tomatoes on this thing were straight up umami bombs. I couldn't stop eating it.

Yuzu Tagliatelle - appears to be their signature dish and rightfully so. The uni and crab really took this over the top. Super well-balanced.

Squid Ink Fusilli - unreal. So good.

Roasted Tri-Tip - we ended up ordering a second plate because it was so good. Tender, well-seasoned, well charred.

The space is beautiful. The servers were awesome and the pacing was spot-on. We will be back!

Made a last minute reservation for 2
on a Saturday around 6pm. We had no trouble getting seated and service was attentive.

Akami Tuna- This dish puzzled me. The eggplant caponata and burrata was tasty, but I'm not sure I understood the pairing with the tuna. Burrata and tuna both have relatively mild flavor profile, and neither seemed to take center stage here. I'd happily order a full-sized serving of the burrata topped with the eggplant, not sure the tuna is necessary here.

Dry Aged Yellowtail- A complete dish from head to toe. The star of the show for me. Every element was perfect. The sweet citrusy burst of the grapefruit morsels balanced the creamy coconut kosho, while the crunch of the tempura crisp provided a wonderful textural compliment to the soft yellowtail. Don't skip this.

Arancini - Well executed, but nothing out of the ordinary. The smoked tomato dipping sauce makes this dish well worth a try. Comes in orders of three.

Roasted Maitake Mushrooms - Another winner, don't sleep on this dish. Perfectly tender, well seasoned, with a little char on top. The warm fonduta was creamy, but didn't overpower the character of the mushrooms. Another balanced dish.

Squid Ink Fusilli - Fusilli is an interesting pasta to me. I often associate it with a simple tomato sauce or a cold pasta salad, so it was nice to see it all dolled up in a squid ink tuxedo. The seafood bolognese provided some heat, but it wasn't immediately apparent to me what seafood was used. Flavor didn't exactly come through. In all a good dish, but I'd probably give a different pasta dish a shot next time.

Diavola Pizza - My second favorite dish of the night. I was a bit skeptical ordering a pizza here, but the sopressata, nduja, and Calabrian chilis might be the best pizza topping combo I've ever had. The sopressata and nduja bring a mature spin on traditional pepperoni and sausage, while the chilis bring a bright and acidic heat. The dough itself didn't stand up well to handheld eating (might be due to the dense dollops of nduja and chilis) but I was more than fine with taking it on with a fork and knife. A medium sized pizza with eight slices. Enough to split between 3-4 as an app, or between 2 as a main.

Came here as I was intrigued by the Japanese Italian fusion concept of the restaurant.

Didn't go too overboard on the ordering. Got the akami tuna, Hokkaido diver scallops, roasted maitake mushrooms, yuzu tagliatelle, and squid ink paccheri. Honestly, I can't really pick out a single dish that stood out above the rest because all of them were great! Also had the Japanese cheesecake, which didn't taste like a traditional cheesecake but was still quite good to end the night.

Service was great! Carolina was a fantastic server for us and helped us pick some excellent dishes.

Ambience here is near perfect. Very modern interior. It's a really spacious area with high ceilings. Didn't have to talk too loud to be able to hear our own conversations.

Valet parking is $12, although I was luckily able to find street parking right next to the restaurant

Definitely would recommend Magari to anyone! Really good food and overall a great place to eat.

They say their pizza is a must try here. The pizza is large enough for two people to share as an appetizer! Got the funghi pizza. The puffy disk was not too chewy, more pillowy than crispy. Mushroom-y flavor came through well. It did not overly rely on cheese--just enough here without being greasy.

Was disappointed by their pasta. Tried the squid ink pasta but found it very heavy and lacking a distinct identity. The lamb ribs were awesome in contrast. Tender and flavorful.

Beautiful outdoor patio. There's a little traffic noise from the ever busy Sunset Boulevard, but the patio is set far enough back and there's music to mitigate it.

Magari is a hip Italian restaurant with a bit of Asian influence that takes up residence across the courtyard from Neuehouse. We learned about Magari during a Resy promotion and also found ourselves there during Dine LA.

Ambience is great - modern, sleek, with a nice big bar on one side and an open kitchen on the other. There's also a projector playing episodes of cowboy bebop (fortunately the animated version).

We went with a dinela order and a side order of pizza. The salmon starter had good flavor and was fresh - the masago added a nice textural contrast as well.

Focaccia was fantastic as well - really good flavor, pillowy soft, and the butter injected even more flavor and sweetness.

Malfadine was great - classic good pork ragu flavors but I learned I liked the textural shape of malfadine as well.

Diavola packed good flavor. Great for sharing as by third slice you may get a bit tired of the flavors.

Panna cotta was a good way to wrap up the meal. A lot of good elements put together for an enjoyable bite.

Service was excellent as well.
Street metered parking generally available but there's parking structure or valet as well

MAGARI is an Italian Japanese fusion restaurant that opened recently and is located in Hollywood.

The property the restaurant is situated on looks manicured and corporate. However across the street is a strip plaza with a Denny's as well as a drug store and other shops were transients loiter, had been subject to robbery multiple times and should be avoided.

Last week, I had a lunch meeting and decided on MAGARI. No valet parking, no nearby parking as their lot was under construction and closed off, such a parking challenge nightmare.

Once inside the restaurant, the staff were cordial, pleasant and attentive. Interior decor is the modern minimalist linear look most restaurants are exhibiting.. During COVID, I always prefer outdoor patio seating with sun protection shade and natural living green plants and trees surrounding me. DineLA specials was offered but only for dinner.

The restaurant's lunch menu was extremely limited, with no vegetable options offered other than boring salads. I would have like to order the japanese eggplant or maitake mushrooms, which were only offered for dinner :/

Ordered the Yuzu Tagliatelle poppyseed parmesan, crab and I added fresh Uni for an additional cost. The Uni was from Santa Barbara harvested by female divers...is what I was told by the server. To start; Ash cured Ora King Salmon.

The salmon was served Crudo/ sashimi style, with finely chopped apples and whole pistachio nuts. Those whole nut pistachio disrupted the sublime smoothness of the dish, perhaps crushing the whole nuts would have been preferable.

Initially excited to try the Yuzu tagliatelle which was presented nicely but portion was sparing. After a couple of tastings, I nearly choked as the pasta was overly salty, inedible, I sent the dish back. They offered to redo, but I couldn't eat anything after nearly choking. They prepared another Yuzu Tagliatelle pasta dish, easy on the salt and I had it boxed Togo. Later that evening, upon tasting the dish, the extreme saltiness was still present making that dish inedible twice!! Note to the kitchen staff: please taste test the dish for quality check before serving to diners. I've had this dish before at Nobu and at Spago and never encountered a negative experience with over saltiness.

Both signature dishes were unique, but resulted in disappointments, including the togo redo. Despite my enthusiasm of finding a new restaurant offering Tokyo-Italian cuisine, my less than perfect meals leave me with a rather pensieri negativi.

Perhaps you will have a better tasting meal, but based on my negative experience, I will politely decline returning here soon: Īe, kekkōdesu and No Grazie!

3-star does not mean it was bad but it wasn't a mind blowing experience and I'm not sitting here thinking "I must go back".
The service was excellent and the food was A-OK.

Tokyo Italian Cuisine-- sounds like everything I want in one dinner. I love Japanese food and to mix that with Italian, perfection.

We ordered the DineLA menu and added couple dishes from the regular menu. DineLA deal was amazing btw; 5-course for $55.00 that is AWESOME!

I just want to point out some GOOD dishes and some NOT SO GOOD dishes...

Tuna- burrata and Japanese eggplant : I think burrata and Japanese eggplant could have been a separate dish and I wouldn't have mind ordering! It was delicious!
Duck pasta (Creste di gallo) : was delicious!
Saffron Chicken Spedini: My fiance chuckled when I said this was one of the best dishes I at this night because... he said out of everything I chose 2 skewers, but it was delicious!

Seaweed Lumache : I do not recommend. Fresh raw spot prawns on top of the lumache and the server informs you to mix it before eating; it didn't go ... well. I didn't know if I should focus on the fresh spot prawns that are served cold or the ...luke warm spot prawns and the pasta once they are mixed it was confusing

Kumamoto Oysters with Uni: The oysters were fresh sweet and delicious, the uni was pretty sweet but... the strawberry mignonette together...did not go well, it over powered the oysters and the uni ...

Fritto Misto: this would be the bang for your buck menu item but... WOW it was so salty I thought it was a mistake but after reading a few other reviews I guess it's just salty... it was SO SALTY.

Desserts: Pana Cotta and Castella; no complaints.

Would I go back? Yeah... I want to go back and try some other things on the menu... but this place is a HARD hit or miss