In ancient times, the root of the iris plant, the orris, was mixed with cinnamon and was thought to be a love potion. So when Chef Shiro was looking for a name for his new restaurant in 2004, he came up with Orris. It means sharing plates with the ones you love. It's a perfect name for food that you know is lovingly prepared to perfection.
Chef Shiro is the owner and inspiration behind the restaurant. He was born in Okinawa, Japan, but has been in California for more than 30 years. He cooked at Ma Maison under Wolfgang Puck, Les Anges, and Cafe Jacoulet in Pasadena. In 1986 he opened Restaurant Shiro, named for many years one of the city's top 10 establishments. Orris opened in 2004 and I'm happy to say that 7 years later, I found it.
One night my mom and I were going to dinner, and we both felt like dining on small plates. It's one of my favorite ways to dine, as you can have a little bit of several wonderful dishes. Every dish at Orris is a work of art, and a delight to the palate. In all, we tried 5 dishes on the night of our first visit. Here's what we ate:
Beets with Basque sheep milk cheese and balsamic sauce, grilled romaine with parmesan dressing, basil marinated black cod, with basil mashed potatoes, Japanese eggplant dish, and a chef speciality, little potato pancake, carmelized onions, smoked salmon and salmon roe. My two favorite dishes were the beet and the salmon, but everything was beautifully presented and delicious. Other items on the menu include shrimp mousse ravioli, lamb loin carpaccio, prime filet mignon on a skewer with roquefort butter, asparagus salade with tomato bruschetta, albacore lettuce cups, and seared ahi sashimi.
The restaurant is in Los Angeles, at 2006 Sawtelle Blvd. This street in Santa Monica has become a mecca for Asian and Asian fusion restaurants. There must be 25 restaurants in a 3 block area. It's a fun area to walk around after dinner, have a yogurt, and shop in some of the Asian shops. They have Shabu-Shabu, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants, in addition to Asian fusion restaurants. Orris is a fusion restaurant, and the food is so unique and so exquisitely presented that you will be ooo-ing and aw-ing as each dish is served. Big eaters will have to order a few more dishes to fill up, but that's even better. More variety and more great tastes. We did not opt for dessert, but the people next to us had a gorgeous apple tart with ice cream for dessert. The restaurant was packed when we arrived at 7pm and packed when we left at 9pm. Dishes range from $5-$16. Our bill for the 2 of us with out drinks, was around $40. I highly recommend this restaurant for the adventurous eater with a passion for good food. You can spend much more money at very trendy expensive restaurants for inspired food like this, but you won't find anything better. I hope you get an opportunity to try it.
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