Tokyo Table

6pm Friday after work, racing to make happy hour. Missed a free parking spot by 2 seconds and swung around to the $4.50 parking. Not that bad I guess for La Cienega parking, but nothing is better than parking for free. I think the best part of this place is the swanky nooks and sections. The bar area is sectioned off from the restaurant dining, which was unexpectedly decorated, I wished I had sat in there. I love a restaurant I can be incognito in…but on restaurant row…that’s rare. So we opted for a bar seat, because I insisted that I needed a true feeling of this place. Even though this was Japanese casual dining, I wouldn't have felt overdressed in my little black dress. We chose martini’s and spicy tuna rolls quickly. I’d say they were average, but I’m not really a spicy tuna gal. And I swear in less than 2 minutes, we had our requests. I love that. Joi, the bartender was pleasant and a pro. Before I knew it, this place was packed with light chatter. That is until the birthday song, (um both versions) started…and the entire bar cheered for the birthday girl. It was a sweet, after work spot before the main spot. We ordered the shrimp tempura and another round of course, excellent. Time well spent, for sure. Especially since the bill was only like 20 bucks! Total shock. It's crazy though, when you spend less moola...for some reason you go somewhere else and spend more moola. Us Los Angelinos are never satisfied. We made our way out, and I think said bye to at least 10 workers. Lol. Sheesh, they were friendly. It was only 8:30pm now and I felt energized to conquer the world…or at least another drink. So we did….ha! ...until the next episode **Candice Williams