Chuck's Eat the Street

Little Osaka, a Lot of LA (3x7)

Air date: Aug 21, 2014

In West Los Angeles, there's a gem of a neighborhood called Little Osaka. Japanese businesses still anchor the main street that runs through it, Sawtelle Boulevard, but a new world of influences is turning it into a hotbed of California cuisine. First, Chuck does a little swish-swish at a shabu-shabu restaurant. At Mizu 212, owner Irene Paek teaches him how to cook his own beef, seafood, and veggies in a pot of bubbling seaweed broth using chopsticks and an array of fun condiments. Next, Chuck indulges his sweet tooth on snow cream at Blockheads Shavery where Alex Yu and his partners use taro, black sesame, and green tea to create low-fat yet incredibly tasty frozen treats that combine the best qualities of shaved ice and ice cream. At Bar Hayama, home to California Sushi Academy, chef Toshi Sugiura teaches cooking students how to make authentic Japanese sushi. Chuck joins the class and tries his hand building the Haneda roll, which includes tempura shrimp, lobster, avocado, and eel sauce. Last, Chuck visits Primo's Donuts, where Ralph and Celia Primo have been making buttermilk and cake donuts since the Eisenhower administration, and they're not showing any signs of slowing down...delicious news for everyone!