doto. restaurant

My first visit to doto with Sara had been so memorable that when I was tasked with planning a Dinner with 12 Sisters event for my sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, it was the first place that came to mind. I worked closely with Tom of doto to craft the perfect menu and iron out every detail, genuinely thrilled by what the evening could become. When things didn’t unfold as planned, I pivoted – but I still wanted to honor the spirit of what I’d originally envisioned. And so, on a beautiful evening, Onnik and I found ourselves back in Virgil Village, settling into the warm, familiar comfort of doto once again.

As we browsed the menu, we received a complimentary glasses of bubbly, I felt honored and appreciated that it was Tom’s special way of saying “welcome back” to and “thank you” to me.

We began with an order of the bread & butter (bub & grandma sourdough, butter), house pickles (seasonal vegetables) and heirloom carrots (ginger butter, togarashi hot honey, sesame).

When we received a complimentary order of yellowtail crudo (seasonal fruit, tamari, yuzu, furikake), I felt so taken care of.

For our main course, Onnik and I shared the smoked chashu (Gloucestershire pork shoulder, kombu pickl, market greens, fennel pollen) and the short rib curry (Japanese curry, sesame, scallions).

These were absolutely delicious and another fantastic example of what doto excels at: quality dishes that blend California style with Japanese comfort cuisine.

Previously at
doto. restaurant

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There are some places that are just magic in a moment. Where every minute I spend there only makes me excited to come back again, with a new friend. Doto restaurant, stylized as doto, is one of those spots in Los Angeles. Nestled in a cozy corner of where Silverlake meets East Los Angeles, I absolutely love every time that I get a chance to visit the area.

I immediately felt a sense of comfort when I walked in.

It felt elevated and visually delicious.

I started with a tasting of a few wines to choose the starter for the evening:

Angeleno Wines’ ‘The Meadow’ – a gracianna Rosé blended in Los Angeles, California

Fattoria Mani di Luna’s 2021  Gre Glu – a grechetto style wine from Umbria, Italy.

and Tinto Amorio’s 2023  ‘jajaja’ – a zinfandel out of  Sonoma, California.

After tasting each – and admitting that I absolutely loved the orange skin contact ‘Gre Glu’ –  I chose the ‘jajaja’ – not only because the name was hilarious. But, because it was absolutely delicious.

With that, the stage was set. First out, was the YELLOWTAIL CRUDO (seasonal fruit, yuzu soy, rayu oil, furikake). This was a lesson in taste and craftsmanship. It was – in a word – brilliant.

The soft peaches went perfectly with the thin slices of yellowtail. It was the type of presentation that made me want to go fishing off the coast of Mexico, catch a yellowtail and have someone prepare it for me.

Next, was the RED SNAPPER HAND ROLL (yuzu kosho, ginger oroshi, shiso, cucumber, avocado).

This was unassumingly delicious. The creativity of doto also goes with their beautiful glassware – even the vessel for the soy sauce was delightful and visually pleasing to use.

As I’m a sucker for yuzu, the SCALLOPS SKEWERS (yuzu kosho) were outstanding. Especially, with the squeeze of lemon.

The PEACH & SCALLION (reiger peaches, charred scallion, yuzu kosho, sesame) was as tasty as it was exquisite. Alongside – rounding out as our main courses, the DOTO FRIED CHICKEN (cara cara spiced honey, sesame) along with the SMOKED BRISKET FRIED RICE (fresno chili, ginger garlic, scallion) was outstanding.

It was the best kind of casual luxury – refined and distinct in presentation and flavor.

For my second drink of the evening, I wanted to focus on the Japanese second of the drink menu. There was something about the sake list that inspired me to try something – more than just the standard issue wines of the day.

Our server – ever helpful and courteous, brought be taste of the Fukucho “Moon on the Water” – a junmai ginjo and the Kuheiji ‘Sauvage’ – a junmai daiginjo.

Even though the Moon on the Water was notably a cleaner, almost purer taste, I chose the Sauvage because it offered more character on the tongue. But, I will say that Sara preferred the Moon on the Water.

The smoked brisket fried rice (fresno chili, ginger, garlic, scallion) was also outstanding. The layers of flavor were brilliant.

Indeed my choice of sake went perfectly with the last – and my most favorite part of the evening: conversations over the SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM (furikake / sea salt).

I told Sara that every moment I’m able to see her, be with her and enjoy life over meals is a gift. Because, you never know what life has to bring. And with the recent seemingly random death of someone I truly appreciated and valued – life is too short for fuck boys and bullshit. Far better to cherish those that mean the most to you over good drinks, great food and conversation.

For me, that’s exactly what life is all about.

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