Stuck On (or with) Sushi

Where Do You Want To Be?

This Complete Review will Help You Make a Decision

In a recent article in the Business section of The Los Angeles Times, the writers reported that it has been difficult for Asian food to seriously penetrate the chain or fast food market in the same manner as Hamburgers,  Pizza, Mexican and Chicken.

The explanation was that Wok cooking is not as simple as it seems ( It takes years to develop the skills) and it has been almost impossible to get a quantity of authentic Chinese chefs to cook for any budding chains. If you observe the chefs at places like the pseudo Asian P.F. Chang, the steam tabled and pitiful Panda Express, or the recently growing Pickup Stix, you will immediately note that there are no Chinese any where in sight. When you taste the food, you are even more certain. Most of it tastes just a touch above what you get in the frozen food section of the supermarket or in a Chungking or La Choy can. Why bother?

Bluntly, there is such an abundance of legitimate and authentic mom and pop  Chinese restaurants all over Southern California with real Chinese chefs that you do have that great choice…. they are the places that deserve your support. The price will be right and you will participate in a real ethnic event including real Chinese waiters along with true chefs in the kitchen. Of course, the food is usually very good.

It takes years of training and understanding and  buying of fresh fish at 3 AM in the local central fish market in an area like Los Angeles. Being able squeeze some wasabi into rice and slice a California roll just doesn’t cut it.

So, for your legitimate and authentic dining pleasure, here is a:

Serious Southland Sushi Situation Summary...........Stat

To begin:  No Sushi report would be complete without the two all time big names in Southland Sushi. Then you can forget about them. Until recently they both were in the Beverly Hills area. Matsuhisa still is. It was started by Nobu Matsuhisa of the now famous Nobu's all over the world. Its Nobu branch in Malibu is over priced, overrated and poorly staffed by people that know nothing about Sushi.  The original Matsuhisa is still very creative and very good but expect to spend well over $125 per person.

Ginza Sushiko,  however, recently closed and moved to New York. Who cares? It was the most outrageously expensive restaurant in the United States. It sat 10 prox, served only Omakase (chef’s choice) and charged at least $300 for lunch or dinner …. without  alcohol. We never attempted to review it. Marlon and Madonna were regulars.

After those two,  the other L.A. cult sushi bar is Sushi Nozawa. It is in a strip mall on Ventura in Studio City. If you eat at the bar, it is also Omakase( See above). 

The sushi is somewhat creative but absolutely the freshest in town. Nozawa buys it at 3 AM, serves  it that day, sells  off what he has left  and starts over the next morning. If  you question his choice, he pointed to a sign behind him which said “Trust Me”. If you ask him again he throws you out. I named him “The Sushi Nazi”. Zagat’s stole my line.

However in recent trips, the sushi seemed ordinary. Service seemed designed only to get you in and out in 30 minutes with a minimum bill of  $50 per. There was no pleasure to the experience. I think he is burned out and now only cares about turning the tables quickly. He appears to be living on his reputation with celebrities like Eisner, Katzenburg, Spielberg, Geffen and Ovitz, all of whom were forced to stand in line to get in like every one else.

Next in rank was Hirosuke on Ventura in Encino. It was close in quality to Nozawa but the owner aged and seemed ill. It seems that the rigors of delivering high quality fresh raw fish burns out most Sushi masters in about 15 years. Recent visits gave us the feeling of a downhill slide combined with some non-Japanese behind the bar. That is not a good sign.

In the Conejo, Takahashi in the Trader Joe center opened about 15 years ago to glowing comments and standing room only business. 45 minute to 1 hour waits after 7 any night and all weekend were the norm.... and he deserved it. He was great. But he too has aged, his ngiri cuts seem thinner, service is less than amiable and there are now better overall sushi experiences.

Akio’s, the first sushi bar in the Conejo, however is amazing. The owner Akio is still loaded with energy after about 20 years of serious slicing. It is jammed all the time and so he gets great turnover and the fish is very fresh. But the big thrust of the business is family priced basic Japanese dining so even if you sit at the bar which is somewhat hectic,  you don’t get the classic intimacy that you can expect on the  in Shinjuku area of Tokyo.

There are, however two local sushi bars that deliver a complete package. Kaminari in Westlake in the shopping center near  Bauducco’s where the airlines offices were located is one. The owner has been a sushiya for 35 years, but he has two long time sushimasters doing the heavy lifting. His experience and competence shows. The sushi is among the most creative in all of Southern California and is very, very fresh. When you enter, you think you have been transported to an offbeat area of Tokyo.

Sushi Yusho is located in Newbury Park off Borchard in the Times Square Center. It is staffed by the Kuge brothers who opened the first sushi bars in the County about 30 years ago. They both sold out, took some time off and refreshed themselves. The atmosphere is authentic, service is excellent and the sushi is very fresh. I am not a big roll eater. I  concentrate on the traditional, uni, toro, hamachi, hotategai and sa'ke,  but their special Yusho Roll and their Love Roll still wind up shared on my plate every time. Sushi Yusho is very popular with the long time Japanese farmers of the Oxnard Plain. That’s good enough for me.

Hiyama off T.O. Blvd in a freestanding building has been around for years. But the atmosphere is not pleasant at the bar and the place concentrates more  on traditional dining. The table served Shabu-Shabu hot-pot is worth a visit, however. 

Cho-Cho San is sort of Japanese and is for the California roll eaters. It not to be taken seriously.

However, one of the great values in Sushi is in Agoura in the Mann Theater complex. It is called Sushi Agoura. It is always crowded. There is always a wait but the prices are great, sushi is fresh although the cuts are less than generous and personal service is almost non- existent.  It is, however, worth trying.....at off hours. 

In Ventura, the one standout is Juro Cho near the beach. It has been there for years and it also has a great following of Japanese farmers so you know it must be the real thing. Legitimate atmosphere.

Finally, if you have wanderlust and are near the Los Angeles harbor, try to go to Tsukiji in Gardena at Redondo Beach Blvd and Western. It is named after the famed Tsukiji fish market in downtown Tokyo, the largest in the world where you have seen the photos of those Giant Tuna. They have both a bar and semi- private tatami rooms. Mostly Japanese dine there. It is current unchallenged real thing. 

Frankly Noted – Dining Gossip of the Conejo

Le Café has recently upgraded its entire operation with a new Chef and Manager. They will be celebrating by hosting The Westlake Inns  3^rd  Annual  Wine and Food Fair in the gardens and environs for the benefit of the Boys and Girls club on Sunday September 26^th. It is a great event for a worthwhile charity featuring fine wines, food selections from the better restaurants in town and even events like grape stomping. Where is Lucy? 

P6 has been getting a lot of play but most comments have been about the décor and little about the food. In one of  those  newly on  the scene local monthly slicks, a supposedly  knowledgeable reviewer  discussed the furniture and decor for two pages; but  gave the food one paragraph. We will  review it after it settles down and figures out what it is.

Café Provencal had its final Tour De France Banquet on12th of September. Call Serge Bonnet for events. He always has something wonderful going on. and finally  his shopping center has now just about completed its remodel and parking is now much easier and just  a short walk to the  Civic Plaza after dinner.

Tommaso Barletta, the dynamic super restaurateur-owner of Tuscany and Rustico is planning to open a restaurant in Calabasas. Just watching him in action can tire you out. Yet Tuscany continues to be the finest in the county.