From Jamie’s Desk:

25 days and a wake up, as my good friend Governor Wes Moore says. This year's midterms have taken over social media feeds, radio stations, news channels – and rightly so. It’s a consequential election that is only going to get more intense during this final sprint. 

With the drop in morale after the 2024 election, it wouldn’t have crossed people’s minds that the Democrats would be poised to take back not only the House, but also the Senate. Obviously, there’s historical precedent for the party in the White House to lose some power during the midterms, especially with factors like economic strife and war at play. 

But that shift in power has never been so critical. It’s the difference between a Donald Trump with free rein, and democracy working how it’s supposed to – with checks and balances. A functioning Congress can hold a President accountable, and that’s all we can ask for.

And Donald Trump knows that. Just watch his rally speeches – he’s panicking. It would be naive to ignore the possibility that he will try to interfere in our democratic process, and many people believe that Pete Hegseth has been kept around because he’ll use the military to do so. As the eternal optimist, I am praying that is not in the cards. If the election is free and fair, without voter suppression or poll intimidation by ICE – there’s a real chance for deep red seats to turn blue for the first time in years. Josh Turek in Iowa, Annie Andrews in South Carolina, and James Talarico in Texas are just a few examples.

I realize that not every subscriber shares my opinion – and I applaud you for consuming media outside of your ideological bubble. We should all seek out differing points of view, and contrary to popular belief, I am somebody who’s open to conversation. I like getting both sides of the argument, and I’m genuinely open to opposing political ideas or values (within reason). That was the initial goal of Lunch With Jamie, back when it was just a Zoom series. I wanted to provide a forum for free dialogue. Sadly, then and now, it’s a challenge to find opposing voices willing to come on my podcast, but I will continue to try. 

This tense time we’re living through has made that much harder – but it’s not impossible. I recently sat with a friend who voted for Trump, and we went over issues that were important to us. Most of the things related to borders, public safety, and the economy, we saw eye-to-eye on. We just had different ideas about the best way to go about it.

I’m looking forward to the end of this era and getting back to a time where good, old fashioned debates were about policy, and not so contentious. One can dream (yes, I dream about political debates. Get over it). Ironically, a few years ago the biggest debates Democrats had were with Trump voters, but today it’s become more common within our own party. Personally, as someone who considers myself a moderate (yes, really), I have just as many arguments against those on the far left as I do with those who fall within the Trump camp. The DSA has changed the fabric of the party, and the loud voices with extreme views are threatening to derail what the party stands for as a whole.

While harmony sounds nice, the rhetoric coming from the White House is continuing to try and divide – most recently demonstrated when Trump said Iran could blow up San Diego and Los Angeles. So right now, it’s time to band together and put a stop – or at least, add some sort of guardrail – to this madness. In these last few weeks before November 3rd, if you haven’t donated to a candidate, phone banked, canvassed, or called a friend in a swing state – do something. We are still living in a country where our voice matters, and we the people have the chance to show Donald Trump that he does not speak for us. 

I asked my buddy Brian Derrick of Oath what the top five races worth focusing time and money toward are, and he gave me this helpful link. But as always, do your own research.

PS: Next week, on Tuesday October 13th, I'll be having a Zoom to go over the California ballot and help people make sense of it. Details are below, under the announcements banner. Additionally, keep checking here for updates on upcoming Jamie’s List phone banks. Together – we can educate ourselves and make a difference. 

Have a restaurant rec, cultural gem, can’t-miss event, or a hot sauce that changed your life? Send it my way: [email protected]

🗳️ CA voters, you should have gotten your ballot by now – and if you’re like me, you’re staring at it with wide eyes and a lot of confusion. 

Well, we’re here to help. On Tuesday, October 13th at 1 pm PT, we’re co-hosting a pre-election Zoom with LA Material and CalMatters to go over the nitty-gritty of the California ballot – from statewide measures to city council and everything in between. 

This will be released as a podcast as well, but if you have specific questions you want to ask, be sure to join live.

📍Los Angeles: Morihiro (reviewed by Max Shapiro for Mad Food World)
Cuisine: Japanese
Crew: Alex Tse, Anthony Jacobson, Ben Hundreds, James Ponsoldt, The Infatuation
Good For: Solo Dining, Date Night, Business Dinner
Pro Tip: The cocktail program is led by the inimitable Han Suk Cho, who came over from Kato and has also worked at Providence and SingleThread. Don’t skip it.
What to Order: Omakase, or if à la carte: Gomadare Tofu, Shirako, Ankimo, Broth of Matsutake and Mitsuba, Fish Ribs, Uni Tempura, Taiyaki, and Melon Panna Cotta. For nigiri – Seikogani (female snow crab), Kasugodai (baby sea bream), Chutoro, Aji, Kinmedai (golden eye snapper), Katsuo, and Kama Toro.
Notes: I first started going to Mori Sushi on Pico and Gateway around 2006. I was 22 years old and still relatively new to this level of sushi. I had never had tofu that good in my life. I had never tried wasabi that fresh and vibrant. The soy sauce was so complex and tasted unlike any soy sauce I had experienced before. Mori has always been a guy who does it all himself. I didn’t really understand yet how insane the amount of effort, energy and obsession behind all of it was. Almost exactly a year ago, Morihiro moved to its new home on Sunset in Echo Park. I saw they had cocktails now. An à la carte menu. A more approachable way to experience Mori without committing to the full omakase.

Mori is an incredibly gracious and sweet man. He always greets you with a genuine smile and loves explaining where the fish is from or talking about the process behind his rice. I just really like the guy. Mori has rice specifically grown for him in his hometown in Iwate, Japan. It arrives unpolished and is milled fresh at the restaurant every day. Mori told me they are sitting on something like 6,000 pounds of rice and aging it for around two years. He uses a blend of aged vinegars for the shari.

Texturally, you feel every grain. There is chew, but then it gives. The grains separate in your mouth rather than becoming one compressed mass. For people who really pay attention to this stuff when eating nigiri, it is very impactful. It speaks to the level of detail Mori possesses and his neuroses when it comes to precision and excellence.

Mori is a legend for a reason. He does things the right way, and he has surrounded himself with people who seem to care just as much as he does. I am ashamed it took me almost a year to visit the new Morihiro, but I can promise it won’t be another year before I come back.

Mori, Han, Tim and everyone else at Morihiro, thank you for what you do and for providing such a lovely experience to your guests. We are lucky Mori has decided to continue doing what he does in this city. If the $450 omakase gives you sticker shock, go sit at the bar. Order à la carte. Try the $200 shorter omakase. You can experience Mori’s rice, his nigiri and his cooking without committing to the whole thing.

For Max’s full piece on Morihiro, and other in-depth reviews of restaurants in LA and beyond, subscribe to Mad Food World. 

📍Berkeley: Korean Superette
Cuisine: Korean
Crew: Eater, The Infatuation
Good For: Casual, Small Groups, Take Out
Pro Tip: It’s a market, too, so make sure to do a little grocery shopping – they have everything, from Korean snacks to banchan to meat for dinner. 
What to Order: Bulgogi Comfort Pot, Doshi-Roc (Bento Box), Banchan
Notes: There are few better things in life than just stumbling upon a great food find. This was recommended to me by my buddy Matt Ross, who worked on Captain Fantastic with me, and lives in Berkeley. What a special place. It has been around for almost 20 years and it is just lovely. It almost feels like you are in a home in the countryside of Korea. They have stews, fried chicken, and other delicious treats. I went for lunch, but I am sure it is great for dinner, too. This was truly one of my favorite meals in a while.

Aaron Michaelson, Aaron Stern, Adam Saper, Adam Smith, Alex Tse, Andy Wang, Anthony Jacobson, Ashley Sawyer, Ben Hundreds, Bobby Kim, Brian McGinn, Chad Colby, Chad Gutstein, Chris Camillo, Chris Rice, David Gelb, David Katzenberg, David Nathanson, Evan Funke, Eli Meyer, Kristina O’Neill, Iman Dakhil, Jason Spivak, Jerry Greenberg, Jeremy Smith, Jerrold Son, Jessica Alba, Joe Varet, Jon Buscemi, Jon Shook, Jordan Okun, James Ponsoldt, Kate Burr, Katie McNeill, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Kevin Shivers, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lloyd Sacks, Marc Rose, Marc Mezvinsky, Martha Patricof, Matt Haimes, Matt Karatz, Max Chow, Max Shapiro, Max Winkler, Michael Kives, Michael Albenberg, Nicole Richie, Neal Moritz, Nick Grad, Nick Tran, Paul Zucker, Peter Goldwyn, Phil Rosenthal, Phil Ettinger, Rachel Halilej, Riley Patricof, Sawyer Patricof, Shu Chowdhury, Todd Steinman, The Hungry Tourist, Vinny Dotolo.

Today’s email was brought to you by: Jamie Patricof and Michaela Sullivan