Red Miso

Elite '08

46

143

Tak K.

Lake Forest, CA

While I like the idea of having a one kitchen for Red Miso and Ramen Rama, thus enabling customers to try dishes from both places, ramen is nothing special, nor their skewed special.  I would go other more acclaimed Japanese restaurants to satisfy my craving for grilled dishes and noodles.

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Elite '08

378

2636

Anita L.

Irvine, CA

Although the staff tells me that this is a bar, they do serve lunch and dinner as well. Sharing a kitchen with Ramen Rama, Red Miso also serves Japanese-style cuisine, but mainly, snack-like items which act as accompaniments to the alcohol -- they want you to drink more so these little appetizers are meant to keep you drinking. They have a variety of sake available but no one was drinking when I was there. I guess they have to make up for some of the business during the daytime when people don't generally have drinks, so they serve bento box lunches as well as grilled (robatayaki) items ranging from $2 to $9 per serving. I had the grilled mackerel bento box which came with soup (which was lukewarm), a daikon salad, cabbage salad, heaping bowl of steamed rice, grilled mackerel and a piece of curried croquette. It was tasty but nothing special. The environment most probably looks best when it is dark outside as it has chic colors and the plasma TV now a permanent fixture in new-style Japanese restaurants (does anyone know why this is so????!!!!) is on mute. Might come back for grilled items, but the selection of sake wasn't special enough that I felt they went out of their way to acquire, so not sure if it'll make it yet as a sake bar. Beer and Japanese wine are also available

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