Small Plates at Orris

  One of my longstanding favorite restaurants in town is Orris, an unassuming little place nestled in Sawtelle's Little Osaka district. Orris serves up small plates cuisine with a Japanese-French bent. It is run by Chef Yamashiro "Shiro" whose prior adventures have included working with the likes of Wolfgang Puck and Patrick Jamon.  Shiro is often found in Orris, sitting at the end of the long counter sampling things that come out of the open kitchen and drinking a good amount of the perpetually changing wines that are offered nightly.  Shiro is also the force behind Restaurant Shiro in Pasadena, but in my opinion, Orris is the standout.

Apparently, according to their website, an orris is the root of an iris. We like that while Orris has a dedicated foodie following (it has been featured in Gourmet and Food and Wine magazines, and Zagat gives it a 26 food rating), it is unpretentious and the same friendly staff have been there for what seems like forever. Most of their food is made in a big open kitchen, and watching the exceptionally competent kitchen staff whiz around at breakneck speeds putting together delicious little plates is half the fun.

Basil marinated black cod on basil mashed potatoes

The menu at Orris is seasonal, but it seems like about 80% of the dishes remain available most of the time. It is all small plates, ranging from somewhere around $6-17 a plate.  The BF and I usually get around 6 plates when we eat, but we are much more hungry and enthusiastic eaters than most! On this particular night, the BF and I took our good foodie friends, F and J to Orris.

Grilled Alaskan King Crab

 

There are a few dishes that are a must if they happen to be on the menu that night. One of the more innovative is their grilled hearts of romaine with parmesan cheese.   Just suspend your disbelief, order it, and enjoy. It will make you think that it is ludicrous that everyone doesn’t grill their lettuce. As it turns out, the sugars in the leaves caramelize in a delightful way, resulting in a dish that is mostly savory but still a little bit sweet. It may not be much for presentation, but it is one of my favorite things to eat in LA, and that is saying something.

Grilled Romaine: a standout dish

Other standout dishes are the curry-infused shrimp tempura served with a curry dipping sauce and some Okinawan sea salt that brings it all together, and the grilled king crab leg.

Curry infused tempura shrimp

Ceviche

 

 

 

 

 

Orris is also an exceptional value. The BF and I usually get out of there for about $70 including drinks.


Orris Restaurant
2006 Sawtelle Ave
Los Angeles, CA
90025
Phone: (310) 268-2212
Open Tue-Sun for dinner
www.orrisrestaurant.com