Takami’s visual feast

Piled into the car, my dining stalwarts and I creep along deserted Wilshire Boulevard on the lookout for Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant, the new multimillion-dollar restaurant and lounge at the penthouse level of 811 Wilshire. When we spot the address, it’s a nondescript office tower. Where’s the entrance to Takami? And, more important, where do you park? On a second pass, we see a small sign with an arrow pointing down an alley, and tucked to one side, a telltale umbrella. Are they playing hard to get, or what?

We trudge through the lobby to the elevator and ride up, eyes averted from the bleary light and mirrors, to the 21st floor. The doors open onto a dimly lit bar with an extraordinary piece of gnarled wood as a coffee table and four wheels of Parmesan cheese as stools. No, on closer inspection, make that turned pieces of blond wood.

I look up and see the moon through the pillars and realize the extraordinary scope of this place, with its wraparound verandas running the length of the building. Now that’s a view.

In the bar section of the open-air veranda, it’s all low, white sofas and cubes. Martini glasses are lined up in formation. Every other reveler, it seems, is smoking -- seriously and with intent. Looking down the veranda, I see a flash of leg, a kiss, a nudge. Somebody snaps his fingers to summon a waiter. The crowd appears to be a mix of downtown hipsters scoping the scene, tourists sent over by one of the local hotels, and people who work in the neighborhood sharing an after-hours drink.

Now that Windows, the steakhouse on the 32nd floor of the former Transamerica building, has closed, Takami stakes its claim as the new glam spot to take out-of-towners eager for a glimpse of the glittering sprawl. The venue also includes Elevate Lounge, which takes up the opposite side of the building; with it’s own panoramic view, it boasts a dance floor where night owls can gyrate under pulsing blue lights, and perhaps recharge with a few bits of sushi and a couple of robata sticks.

Our sweet, nervous server wants to explain right away that there are three kitchens: the normal one, the sushi kitchen and the robata kitchen. I can see the latter two from where we’re sitting on the veranda. Both have a handful of stools in front. The sushi kitchen, though, is in the weeds.

Our sashimi comes out at a snail’s pace and the quality of the seafood, at these prices, is a real disappointment. An order of toro sashimi costs $56! The robata sticks are expensive too. A few bites of eggplant, $4; those with beef or other meat can cost up to $14 per skewer. Here, it’s best to stick with the basics over something fancy like the filet rolled around a dab of foie gras.

The rest of the menu is devoted to chef Kenny Yamada’s Asian fusion dishes. Yamada is one of Katsuya Uechi protégés and opened the Encino branch of Katsu-ya. He’s also been the chef at Bambu in Malibu, so he had a handle on what appeals to the trendy set. Think Japanese tacos -- deep-fried gyoza skins filled with spicy tuna, crab and avocado and scribbled with spicy mayonnaise from a squirt bottle. The poki martini -- spicy tuna buried in mashed potato and caviar -- is gooey and quite awful. Crispy and spicy dominated the menu; spicy tuna appears so often that the kitchen must have vats of it.

Traditionalists will find it hard going at Takami. Fortunately, there’s a simple bowl of miso soup on the menu. But rice? My Japanese dining companion practically wept.

Meanwhile music blasts out of tinny speakers, getting louder as the evening wears on. Over in the lounge, it climbs to a delirious pitch. Nobody can claim anymore that downtown is asleep. But if this high-flying spot is going to appeal to more than a fickle, trendy crowd, the kitchen needs to get its act together, and fast.

In the meantime, go for a drink and a light snack. And the view -- definitely worth the price of that admission.

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virbila@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant and Elevate Lounge

Where: 811 Wilshire Blvd. (at Figueroa Street), Los Angeles,

21st floor

When: Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Elevate Lounge is open later.) Full bar. Valet parking (Lebanon Street, off Wilshire).

Cost: Appetizers, $4 to $11; sushi and sashimi, $5 to $28; robata,

$4 to $14; main courses, $14 to $38; desserts, $8.

Info: (213) 236-9600; www.takamisushi.com