Sushi is the subject of many an article this month, from Bon Appetit to Food and Wine, to a mention in GQ. The September issue of Los Angeles magazine has been on the newsstands for several weeks aready now, but it's still only the middle of the month so I don't feel bad about mentioning In the Raw, an article highlighting LA's 15 best sushi restaurants (according to Patrick Kuh).
It isn't the elite group of 15 that Mr. Kuh has chosen to single out from hundred upon hundreds of restaurants in LA that interests me. I don't even care to know what makes Asanebo, The Hump, Kantaro Sushi, Katsu-Ya, Matsuhisa (the only one on this list I have tried), Nishimura, Sakura, Shibucho, Sushi Gen, Sushi Ike, Sushi Tenn, Tama Sushi, Urasawa and Wa Sushi & Bistro better than any of the others. If the author were someone else, the list would be different. When the highest quality fish levels the playing field, it's all just a game of personal taste.
Nor is it the so much the full page photos of triple X sushi porn. Ginger sliced so Victoria's lingerie-thin that there's no way it's hiding any secret. An orgy of curved tentacles tightly tangled together in an tantric embrace. Pristine white arching backward, opening up a soft curve. Slippery smooth, voluptuous, deep pink piece of fishy flesh, almost undulating right off the page.
*whew* Can I get a shot of ice cold sake, please?!?!
No, what inspires me this month are the tiny boxes on each page of text called Sushi 101, four little sushi basics that I have heard before and tried (but failed) to impress upon *ahem* friends. Here it is, in black and white! Written proof, pages that I can whip out of my purse during our next dinner and wave under their watering eyes from wasabi burn.
Sushi 101
"Sushi is traditionally meant to be eaten in one bite; if it's too big, take a bite, but never put the remainder down. It's fine to eat sushi with chopsticks, though purists prefer using their fingers. Always eat sashimi with chopsticks."
"Wasabi is traditionally not mixed into the soy sauce - in Japan, at least. Better to apply it sparingly to the top of the fish. Ginger is intended to be a palate cleanser, nibbled between bites, rather than a sushi topping."
"Sushi is meant to be eaten as soon as possible after it has been made - one reason to sit at the counter. Keep your order small - maybe two fish at a time - and signal the chef when you are ready for more. Many people like to progress from white fish, like halibut, to more oily fish, such as mackerel.
It is considered rude to fill the shoyu sara - the dish used to hold soy sauce - so high that is splashes or overflows when the sushi is dipped in it. Sushi shouldn't be bathed in soy. Only dip a small corner of the fish; too much soy will overwhelm the other flavors. Try to avoid dipping the rice, which is eepecially absorbent and tends to fall apart when laden with sauce. Ideally, there shouldn't be any rice in your shoyu sara when you're done.
Of course, who's to say what's right and wrong? This is where I struggle with drawing the line between maintaining traditions and eating what you like, how you like. It pains me to see wayward pieces of rice floating in a deep murky greenish brown puddle in the soysauce dish, and I'm not even a sushi chef. But then again, I eat ginger like it's kimchee and order saba at the beginning, middle and end. :)
tags :: food : and drink : japanese : sushi : restaurants : reviews : los angeles
spotee50 says
Hi Sarah,
I enjoy your blog and have for a long time. Sushi 101 is a joke because "if it's good eat it anyway you want." The exact procedure to eat sushi is up to whomever is eating it. I always found it amusing how pretentious people in Los Angeles were when it comes to sushi. Personally, I loved Mori Sushi in West LA and people go on and on about other places. "Good for you it means I'll have an easier time scoring a seat at the bar." My wife took her best friend to Mori for her B-Day (both were raised in Japan) they returned and they were almost in tears when they returned home. I've been to all the places you listed and I can say "Mori Sushi rocks." I've lived in Japan for over a year now and I can still say "Mori Sushi rocks." To all you haters out there, "whatever floats your boat but don't rain on my parade."
Cheers,
rk
Ziz says
What an informative post! Sushi is one foodie that I've never had. When I was younger I had the fake stuff and really liked it. :S But hopefully sometime I will make it down to the local sushi bar.
I really enjoyed your post and I am looking forward to coming back to see what you've been up to!
Oh, P.S., we have the same birthday!! :)
Kirk says
Sarah - Delightful post as always...I guess the deal is to never touch the fish with your hand, body heat is supposed to make the fish deteriorate alot faster. I usually will use my fingers for sushi(but not sashimi) - the stares be damned. I'd always been amused by the people(esp those self proclaimed sushi experts) who create a huge wasabi-shoyu slurry and dunked their sushi into the liquid and exclaim how great the quality of the fish was, blah, blah, blah - I'm not quite sure of what they are tasting. As for "rules" my Buddy who is a sushi chef always says - "Hey this is SoCal, anything goes here!" You paid for it, eat it any way you want.....
sarah says
spotee50: mori sushi is one that i have been meaning to try for a very long time, especially since it's so near me. have you also tried other ones in the west l.a. area like sasabune, kiriko (my personal fave), hamasaku? what are your/your wife's thoughts?
alicat: hello hello! thanks for stopping in! you'll definitely have to sit down at the sushi bar and give it a try. i am curious...what "fake" sushi you had? LOL! by the way, i just popped over to something so clever - very cute!
it's the prince of SD, kirk! hi! i too actually have always used my fingers for sushi - not because it's the "right" way to do it, but because that's what i did when i was little, LOL! that's probably why i can't stand all those supersized rolls covered with crap and dripping with disgusting sauces and creams. too messy.
KirkK says
lacheese - I know it doesn't make sense - but that's what I remember 2 sushi chef friends of mine saying - 1 trained in Japan. Also, that is why you don't see many (or any) female sushi chefs in Japan - according to them, it is believed that the body temperature of a female is higher than that of a male - thus increasing the speed of product deterioration. Mich of what is said and done in the old school is tradition, not science!
Kirk says
Ooops sorry to be so long-winded here! That was Much, not mich. BTW, have you tried the Wasabi from Pacific Farms - I've bought some and store it at my favorite sushi bar. I thought it was pretty darn good, not that I've really been able to develop a baseline on real wasabi.
http://www.freshwasabi.com/
sarah says
kirk: i am laughing about there not being any women sushi chefs. lol! i don't know why, but for some reason, that just seems so funny to me!
i wonder if we can just grow wasabi ourselves in a garden? where on earth would i get wasabi seeds?!?! hm...
sarah says
okay, i just visited the fresh wasabi website, and they sell wasabi seeds! i wonder if i could grow them!
Oakland Rezident says
A great tip for those of you who might come to visit the Bay Area is to try Kirala in Berkeley. Hands down this is one of the best sushi restaurants in Northern California. I would also avoid Anzu at the hotel Niko, sushi is just not thier forte. I also agree that sashimi or nigiri should ever be drenched in a soy/wasabi swamp. You're paying premium prices to taste the fish (hopefully fresh)prepared raw. Thanks for the reminder Sarah.
condiment says
Wasabi needs to be grown not just in water, but in flowing, regulated water of a specific temperature and mineral content. It is extremely hard to do - which is why even the domestic stuff is so expensive as its equal weight in gold, and why even the sushi chefs who know better substitute that awful green-dyed horseradish. If you could figure out a way to grown them in dirt, you would make a fortune.
BTW, the late Rika had a female sushi chef - Tracy Griffiths, who looked exactly like her big sister Melanie - but she was limited to weird non-Japanese rolls, while scowling Japanese dudes made the traditional stuff.
sarah says
hey oakland rezident! i can't believe you are mentioning kirala! i used to go there often when i was in school at cal (a very long time ago). i think kirala and yoshi's in oakland were the only sushi places i went to in the east bay.
condiment: now you have challenged me and i am determined to see if i can grow the stuff! of course, i'll have to ask my mom for help. for some reason, anything green that i try to grow myself ends up very very ill, and has to be taken home for her to revive. LOL!
Oakland Rezident says
Sarah-
Kirala is still going strong and in my opinion better than before. I've been in the Bay since 1992 and became a big time foodie ever since moving here. I've tried nearly all of the Sushi spots up here - SF, East Bay, Peninsula, San Jose. Kirala is it ! I also love that they do robata (japanese grill)- the baby lobster robata is to die for.
I wanted to mention that Sushi Roku was never mentioned as a LA restaurant. They have very fresh and delicious fish albeit overpriced.
sarah says
o, oakland rez, you said sushi roku! though i am right there with you when you go to kirala (and how funny, that was the first place i ever ate from a robatayaki - grilled shiitake mushrooms - incredible!), my face scrunches at sushi roku, lol! i feel about sushi roku about the same way i feel about geisha house ;)
Oakland Rezident says
I guess the place has changed. They actually did a pretty good seared ahi as well but it's been more than 5 years since I've lived in LA. I'll check out your Geisha House review.
Oakland Rezident says
I guess the place has changed. They actually did a pretty good seared ahi as well but it's been more than 5 years since I've lived in LA. I'll check out your Geisha House review.
hermz says
I never mix the wasabi in the soy sauce, but it wasn't because I knew better. Though it did seem kinda gauche to me, when I first saw it. No, I smear it on top because I like that sharpness. :D