The gold leaf flickering like a high-end beacon atop pristine squares of amberjack at Urasawa, which is thought to be L.A.’s most expensive restaurant, may be 24-karat, but what good is all that luster when the prep cook is coughing up a storm in the back room and has been told he isn’t allowed to use the men’s room because it’s “for customers only”? The New York Times delves into the alleged wage theft and abusive labor practices at Hiroyuki Urasawa’s Rodeo Drive sushi spot, which made headlines in March after longtime employee Heriberto Zamora accused the restaurant of firing him after he complained of flulike symptoms. Three other employees are now suing Urasawa, which may routinely score top honors on critics’ best-of lists, but all the caviar and Tsukiji-fresh fish in the world don’t mean a thing if the cooks are forced to pee in the janitorial sinks. [NYT, Earlier, Related]
