latimes.com – Niku X – Find the Colibrí residency at Los Balcones in Hollywood. Plus, a new Japanese tasting menu lands downtown, a dumpling shop expands, and Bootleg Pizza is back (sort of).

Niku X

A new Japanese tasting menu can be found within downtown’s Wilshire Grand Center with robatayaki grills, a focus on Wagyu, and black and white truffles — with more set to launch next month. The 9,000-square-foot Niku X, from the hospitality group behind Rowland Heights’ Wagyu by the X Pot and Las Vegas’ the X Pot, Chubby Cattle and Xtra Sweet, is now soft-open, debuting with a $230 yakiniku — grilled meat — tasting menu that features beef sourced from the company’s own farm. Courses include grilled items such as 45-day dry-aged strip loin; Wagyu beef tongue with black vinegar; A5 Wagyu donabe with fresh wasabi; and dry-aged salmon, with appetizers like lobster sashimi with ponzu, and caviar with Wagyu tartare and uni. In early 2023, the restaurant is expected to unveil its la carte menu as well as its cocktail, beer and wine programs. Niku X is open Sunday and Tuesday to Thursday from 5 to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight.