On a Thursday night, Giant Robot's restaurant, gr/eats ("I say 'G.R.eats,' but some say 'greets,' says Nakamura, "whatever") is populated with young Japanese diners, and there's art on the walls by contemporary artist Ai Yamaguchi, an alternative spin on classical Japanese nature painting.
But this doesn't seem to be a Japanese restaurant, per se. Maybe the first clue is England Dan and John Ford Coley's '70s love-gush "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" blasting through the small cafe.
Then there's the menu, which features an "El Salvadoran-style" seafood paella, fish tacos, penne pesto and the gr/eats burger. Sure, there's still salmon teriyaki, \o7ohitashi \f7 -- a chilled spinach appetizer -- and a variety of tofu dishes, but clearly something else is going on here.
"We just wanted to make a place that made the food we wanted to eat," says Nakamura. "It has to be us, as Giant Robot and as people who work here now. It has to reflect our vision."
It's not as packed as, say, the Blue Marlin, the \o7youshoku \f7restaurant in the Sawtelle Centre where Japanese people really go night after night to eat. But it wasn't intended to be, either. It's a tectonic shift, an experimental act of reinvention that reflects the area's burgeoning new identity.
"Eric and I, we both went to Japanese school right around the corner from Sawtelle," journalist Shiomi says.
Although happy with the living, breathing culture thriving there, she's a bit wistful about losing places like the original Ketchy hamburger stand, or Yamaguchi Gifts. "We grew up on Sawtelle. It's basically diminishing in front of our eyes, our entire childhood."
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Orris
Chef Hideo Yamashiro (of South Pasadena's renowned Shiro) changes his step with French-Japanese \o7izakaya\f7, or tapas, and all the wines are available by the glass. 2006 Sawtelle Blvd. (310) 268-2212.
Sawtelle Kitchen
Diners are willing to bring their own wine and wait on line to enjoy the sweet little room and Kenji Minamada's reliable French-Japanese cuisine. 2024 Sawtelle Blvd. (310) 445-9288.
Curry House
Huge plates of chicken \o7katsu\f7 (breaded chicken cutlet, rice and curry sauce), Japanese spaghetti and coffee jello for dessert, on a student budget. 2130 Sawtelle Blvd. (310) 479-8477.
Tofu Ya
The only stop on Sawtelle for purists hunting Korean tofu dishes like \o7soon doo-boo jji-gae\f7, a steaming hot tofu soup with seafood and meat made extra spicy with red pepper. 2021 Sawtelle Blvd. (310) 473-2627.
