Tsuruhashi - Fountain Valley, CA

kobe beef. if you consider yourself a steak savant you are likely familiar with the term. kobe beef is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days, it comes from kobe japan where they feed their cows beer and massage them all day: relaxed cows produce better beef, high in fat content, and simply melt in your mouth goodness.

kobe dunk / kobe beef

tsuruhashi is a japanese yakiniku restaurant, or japanese bbq restaurant - with a grill in the middle of thetable, you receive the raw meat and cook it yourself. not to be confused with korean bbq places (which i love) the thing that separates tsuruhashi is quality. its basically one of the best meat places i go to in oc. some of the meat itself comes slightly marinated, they also give you two different sauces to dip it in

beef yukke

marinated shredded raw beef served with shredded onions, kaiware sprouts, quail egg and crisp apples. the perfect cold appetizer that will contrast well with the hot beef to come.

pork sausage/belly/cheek

what we usually start with when we go, cheaper than the beef and served with lettuce wraps and sesame oil

prime outside skirt

this is probably the best bang for your buck item on the menu. juicy and tender cuts of beef and highly reasonable at $8/plate.

cap rib eye with onions

grilled onions over beef? yes please.

kobe beef boneless short ribs

the finisher. it changes your life. theres nothing i dont love about kobe beef short ribs - its like candy beef and serves as dessert. remember that scene in ratatouille where the critic tries the dish and has a memory to his childhood - making it an almost out of the body tasting experience that brings you to tears. that is what this does.

ice cream with coconut milk

the real dessert - who wouldve thought ice cream, coconut milk, mandarin oranges, tapioca and whip cream would be so delicious? tsuruhashi did.

all in all this is a spot i go to at least every other week. its dinner only, and its open late (1am) and has amazing food - it is on the expensive side, but if you're the type to appreciate the quality and basically something that cant be bought for $5 at a meat market this is the place to indulge. if this place had a downside it would be the smell you leave with in your hair and clothes.