"It’s true what they say: couples that grill together stay together. At this cozy yakiniku spot in Torrance, each pair of countertop seats shares a smokeless tabletop grill where you’ll marvel at a professional butcher from Osaka carving hunks of meat. Choose between the $50 or $70 tasting menu that features several rounds of well-marbled beef, with each cut dissolving in your mouth faster than the last. Paired with a few shochu highballs, dinner here is a fun, hands-on Japanese barbecue experience for two. Just don’t get caught gazing into each other’s eyes too long—the delicate slices cook faster than you’d think." - sylvio martins, brant cox, cathy park