Jozu: California-Pacific With Promise

Thick staves of bamboo shutter the windows of the former Itameshi-ya (and before that Tulipe) on Melrose Avenue west of Crescent Heights Boulevard. The name Jozu, outlined in blue neon, wavers in the driving rain. Inside is a spare and beautiful new restaurant designed by Margot Alofsin, who also designed Opus One Winery in Napa Valley.

Owner Andy Nakano grew up in restaurants; his family owned the Japanese restaurant Imperial Gardens on Sunset Boulevard (where the Roxbury is now) and he worked with John Sedlar at Bikini. For this, his first solo venture, he’s hired Suzanne Tracht, former sous chef at Campanile, as executive chef. Crissy Fisher, an alumna of Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in San Francisco, is sous chef. Their California-Pacific menu is intelligently conceived. Dishes sound appealing and interesting. Jozu shows definite promise.

Guests are welcomed with a glass of premium Japanese sake, a different one each night. The dozen or so appetizers include beautifully fried Ipswich clams with homemade cocktail sauce, crisp marinated quail in a tangerine glaze and delicate scallion crepes rolled around a filling of Cantonese duck and plum sauce.

Meltingly tender braised lamb shank would be better off paired with something other than pureed kabocha squash; it’s too many soft textures on one plate. But a special of wild white Alaskan salmon is one of the best fish dishes I’ve had all year. And for dessert, look no further than the double layer chocolate cake with mocha frosting. Cake. Now that’s an idea ready for a comeback.

* Restaurant Jozu, 8360 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 655-5600. Open Monday through Saturday for dinner, and, starting in January, Monday through Friday for lunch. Major credit cards accepted. Valet parking. Appetizers $5-$12; entrees $12-$24.