We had dinner at a fantastic izakaya restaurant in downtown LA thanks to the suggestion of a chowhound post. Called Izayoi, the restaurant serves the ubiquitous sushi but we were there for the small plates typically served in Japanese taverns. We started with their pudding-textured house made tofu. Next up was a tender and delish beef tongue stew enveloped in a rich boeuf bourguignon-like sauce. The pickled vegetables were tart, piquant and earthy, and rivaled David Chang’s own preserved veggies. Our medley of mushrooms (shitake, button, trumpet and enoki) arrived steaming in a foil pocket, which we dipped into scallion and tamari sauce. Finally we stuffed ourselves with beef tripe, swimming in a beautiful broth thickened and flavored with ground nuts and joined by chunks of turnips. This was one of the dining highlights of 2008 and it was worth the trip all the way to California for this place alone.