Amazing Food and Service: Visiting Katsuya Brentwood (Using InKind Credit!)

My wife recently celebrated her birthday and we visited Brentwood, California’s fantastic Katsuya restaurant for the special occasion. The meal and service were absolutely top-rate.  Plus, we saved some money by using inKind to pay the bill.

This was our third visit to a Katsuya during the past several years. (If we were millionaires, we’d eat there more often. 🙂 ) The restaurant was started by Master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, who “is recognized as one of the major trend setters in the world of Japanese cuisine.”

Making the Reservation

We started the afternoon at the Museum of Illusion in Hollywood (that was our daughter’s birthday gift) and decided to end the day at Katsuya. There’s a Katsuya literally two blocks away from the museum — but it doesn’t participate in the inKind program. Plus, Brentwood is a much nicer neighborhood and was sort of on our way home.

I used OpenTable to make a 6:00 PM reservation for that Saturday. For what it’s worth, I just learned that several Katsuya restaurants also participate in Resy, which now features statement credit options on six Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards. (Enrollment is required.)

Where is Katsuya in Brentwood?

You’ll find this particular Katsuya at 11777 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049.

It’s a 5-10 minute from Westwood-U.C.L.A.

There are several other locations in Los Angeles, such as the aforementioned Hollywood; Downtown L.A. at L.A. Live; Woodland Hills; and one is coming to Century City.

Arrival and Getting Seated

Unless you know the neighborhood well and really enjoy walking, just valet your car. Trust me. It’s worth the $12.

One of the hostesses had the same (relatively uncommon) name as our daughter, which our kiddo got a kick out of. We were escorted to a relatively empty side dining room.

By the time we left around 7:30 PM, the place was packed.

Dinner

Our server was a wonderful young lady named Jane. This woman should run a school on how to wait tables. She was incredibly friendly and personable. She knew the menu inside and out — and gave spot-on recommendations. We watched her when she was at a couple of other tables — and she was quite patient 🙂 .

For beverages, Mrs. Carley opted for hot saké. I ordered a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned. Jane asked if I’d like to try Katsuya’s Japanese Old Fashioned made with Japanese whiskey. (They also do something with the bitters.) Hey, when in Katsuya, why not?

It was good. I prefer bourbon Old Fashioneds, but I would certainly have it again.

Katsuya’s menu isn’t limited to sushi. There are plenty of hot items, as well. Here’s the complete menu.

We started with probably our favorite dish: the Albacore Onion. It’s flash-seared albacore with crispy onions and ponzu. Per Jane’s recommendation, we started with the Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice. I’m not a big fan of spicy food (although, I love the chorizo breakfast tacos in the Delta Sky Club. Go figure.) Jane insisted the spicy tuna wasn’t very spicy. (Who are we kidding? Jane could’ve recommended a bridge and we’d jump off it.)

Lo and behold, it was pretty mild — and delicious.

Here’s the Albacore Onion.

The albacore featured a perfect hint of smoke. And, like all of the fish we ate that night, was very fresh and soft. It generally felt like the fish melted in our mouths. It’s so good.

We also ordered Chef Katsuya’s Signature Baked Crab Handrolls. Those are Katsuya’s dynamite baked snow crab wrapped in soy paper. (I have a slight allergy to soy. Basically, I get a little congested afterwards. But this is worth it.)

Hamburgers, fries, and pizza are three of my huge weaknesses. My fourth is a rainbow roll. Anyone who’s eaten sushi with me will confirm this.

Again, the fish was some of the freshest and tastiest I’ve ever eaten. At one point, I was so blissed out that I heard my wife explain to our daughter, “…because it’s so good that he’s savoring it.” Apparently, my eyes were closed while I sampled the bites of Heaven. 🙂

We then ordered Sushi Moriawase, which is a chef’s choice of one specialty roll and eight pieces of sushi.

The scary-looking sauce on top of the roll is actually Greek yogurt. I didn’t love the roll (I forget what it was called — but it was good.) Some of the chef’s hand-picked sushi included salmon roe (salmon eggs/caviar — it was decent), scallop, salmon, and a couple of different tunas. Again, amazing quality fish.

Our seven-year-old daughter isn’t exactly a daring eater. She ordered a bowl of plain white rice. Her review? “O.M.G! Mom and Dad: this is the best white rice I’ve ever had! I’m not even kidding! Like, for real.” Then she ordered another and ate that!

Dessert was spectacular. We ordered mochi donuts and mochi ice cream.

The dark sauce at the top was a black sesame, the middle was almond (I think — I was too busy enjoying the sesame and the third one), and the bottom was strawberry.

The donuts were warm and sweet. The mochi ice cream was a little tricky to navigate — but tasty.

Paying the Bill

We used most of our inKind balance to pay the check. (Our referral link gets you $25 free when you spend $50 or more at any participating restaurant and pay your bill using the inKind app. Then, you refer your friend, spouse, partner, etc. You’ll earn a credit and they’ll get the $25 free. You can go and enjoy a nice meal for a great discount.)

inKind balances are not eligible toward gratuity, so I paid that with my Chase Freedom Flex® and earned 7% cash back (7X Chase Ultimate Rewards® points) because InKind codes as a dining purchase. The card’s 5% bonus categories this quarter include dining purchases. Given that those earn 2% back as a bonus anyway, those stack for 7% during Q2 2024.

Final Approach

Our family celebrated my wife’s birthday at the wonderful Katsuya restaurant in Brentwood, California. The food and service were fantastic and we highly recommend it. If you want to save some money on your meal, look into inKind, which allows you to purchase credit at discounted rates.