The Tech Elite Of Silicon Valley Dines In A Very Sophisticated Place (20 pics)

Posted in INTERESTING       2 Aug 2017       3968       1 GALLERY VIEW

Hiroshi is a restaurant in Los Altos, California, that accommodates only eight people per night and has no menus, no windows, and one table. It’s all because dinner there costs between $500 and $600 with beverages and tax and is made especially for deep-pocketed tech elite.

Located in a plaza in Los Altos — residents past and present include Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg — Hiroshi looked plain from the outside.

There were no hours posted on the door. A sign read "Open by appointment only."

The general manager, Kevin Biggerstaff, ushered me inside. Dim lighting cast a yellowish hue on the dining area, which was nearly swallowed whole by a single wooden table.

It was made from an 800-year-old Japanese keyaki tree. Biggerstaff told me it took 10 men and a small crane to lift the table into the restaurant. New walls were constructed around it.

I followed the aroma of meat crackling over an open fire to the kitchen, where I found the chef and owner, Hiroshi Kimura. He arrived at noon to prepare for the evening's dinner.

On a business trip to the Bay Area in 2016, Kimura surveyed the restaurant scene and decided that few locations served the region's wealthiest.

He decided the tech elite needed a high-end place to eat. The restaurant's details — from the privacy shades on the windows to the discreet back entrance — caters to their needs.

Hiroshi accommodates just one seating of up to eight people per night. If a customer's party has only six people, they must buy out the whole table. Dinner starts at $395 a head, but Biggerstaff said it averages much closer to $500 to $600 with beverages and tax.

Dinner is about 10 courses, and the menu changes daily. One dish, the tonkatsu sandwich, consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet prepared in a demi-glace.

Kimura and his sous-chef, who has a background in French cuisine, present each dish — like these sōmen noodles topped with caviar — simply and tastefully.

Kimura specializes in a rare dish. "Since the age of 16, I have spent 40-plus years in pursuit of perfecting the art of wagyu steaks," he wrote in a statement on the website.

Wagyu steak, which is sometimes called Kobe beef depending on where it comes from, is a premium meat known for its intense marbling and tenderness.

Wagyu fetches high prices. The American steak purveyor Allen Brothers sells four two-ounce tenderloin medallions for $165 online. Two rib-eye steaks cost a whopping $280.

Hiroshi has whole tenderloins flown in weekly from Japan. A supplier sends them sealed and packed on ice, via FedEx and includes a certificate of authenticity.

Kimura did not reveal much about how his wagyu steak is prepared. But we know he cooks the steaks over a hibachi — a traditional Japanese stove heated by charcoal.

Kimura cooked a different cut of meat over the hibachi to demonstrate.

The hibachi is between 800 and 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which gives the steak its charred outside and tender, juicy inside. Kimura cuts the steak into thin slices before serving.

The wagyu steak is sprinkled with gold flakes and served with white asparagus and a ponzu sauce. "The gold is more for show," Biggerstaff said. "It doesn't really have any flavor."

The dish arrives on a sheet of thin, fragrant wood, which prevents the sharp cutlery from destroying the plate.

Each guest has a miniature hibachi stove so they can cook their steak longer or reheat it.

Kimura said one of his biggest pet peeves was guests photographing their steaks before eating them. Wagyu steak is best enjoyed hot, according to the chef.

Since Hiroshi opened in June, the restaurant has welcomed executives from Google, Apple, and Oracle, according to Biggerstaff — though he wouldn't name names.

A large photograph of a Hawaiian rainforest slides to reveal a TV monitor, which several guests have used to display PowerPoint presentations during dinner.

Every part of the dining experience shouts luxury. The glassware is hand-cut crystal.

Guests use iPads to peruse the beverage menu, which includes sake imported from Japan, exclusive wines, and the award-winning Hawaiian Springs Natural Artesian Water.

Even the bathroom transports guests to a high-end spa. A toilet from Toto — the Mercedes-Benz of toilet manufacturers — is equipped with a remote-controlled bidet and dryer.

At the end of the evening, guests take home whatever steak they don't finish.

There are three reviews of Hiroshi on Yelp, and they are all glowing. One diner, who uploaded a photo of her bill broken down, called the experience "impeccable."

The diner made only one complaint.

"The only thing that turned me off was the gold flake," they wrote. "Gold flake looks nice but it does not add any flavor to the food. I prefer them to spend the money on real food instead."

"The price is quite steep for what it was, but worth trying if you can," another diner wrote.



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1   Comment ?
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channax 6 year s ago
I think it's too expensive, only pay "max" 500 x 8 jeeks = 4,000
( taxes & other taxes inc. ) WTF ... gratuity ? ? ? ? ? ?

The diner made only one complaint.
"The only thing that turned me off was the gold flake," they wrote. "Gold flake looks nice but it does not add any flavor to the food. I prefer them to spend the money on real food instead."

btw, that guy is ... ME !
       
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