Oh okay. I haven’t experienced gristle with fish. I once had a bad experience with connective tissue in a piece of toro. It was [quote=“paranoidgarliclover, post:222, topic:5042”]
this thin, tough, annoying-as-hell thing that won’t go away.
[/quote]It made me angry. Because, as paranoidgarliclover wrote, it was expensive indeed.
Do you ask for another piece when this happens, or what?
I didn’t want another piece and asked them to take it off the bill. This is a rarity for me. I was polite. But paying $20. for a tiny, inedible piece of toro would have made me feel like a sucker, even before this thread.
Interesting.
So that was not omakase I presume?
Not even close. I probably didn’t even know what omakase was. This was years ago. But I certainly knew they knew they were giving me an inferior cut.
Oh, crazy…
Did you spit the gristle onto the plate as proof?
Where was the place? haha
Not exactly. But I certainly didn’t swallow it.
This is getting crazy. I logged on to do an actual report, and I’m going down the rabbit hole again!
P.S. I’m not telling you where it was. I need to maintain some (if meager) credibility.
Probably SugarFish…
Can’t get that sweet cred unless you write the reports, though, get to it! 
one other thought occurs to me - it might have been big eye, which is a better grade of tuna comparable to some types of bluefin, except big eye has less ‘pure’ meat, that is to say, there is a portion of the big eye that’s not optimal for serving as nigiri because it has what feels like gristle throughout that portion of the fish. i imagine most shops use that portion for rolls (such as spicy tuna) or cooked for staff meal.
perhaps this article will explain it a bit more eloquently
http://www.breakthroughsushi.com/single-post/2015/01/22/Why-Sashimi-is-Difficult
Okay, okay. I got tired 
.
Nooo it wasn’t Sugarfish. Arrest me for being a complete sushi snob the day I’m ashamed to admit to Sugarfish.
Good stuff. Be prepared, I’ll be asking you some more questions relating to that post 
.
Would I have been to determine this by how it looked? I’ve only had toro a few times b/f, and it always seems distinctly but lightly pink to me. This most recent piece seemed to have a distinctly pink/purple shade. It also had more flavor (previous pieces were nearly melt-in-your-mouth but not necessarily super flavorful).
I was playin’ with ya’. You were eloquent enough. Just beyond my experience level. I was hoping for discussions on what to look for with certain pieces. I’m still trying to learn all the different fish; so not quite ready to judge the itamae’s blades, angles and such. But thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ll get there. I’ll read the link you posted.
Maybe you guys can critique the cuts on my next post… which will never happen if I don’t stop gabbing… TBC. Thanks!
P.S. That was a good explanation about the gristle.
Depends on amount of fat. See pic, marbling increases from top right to bottom left.
Whereas akami (lean cut), the deeper red the better. Higher iron/mineral content = flavor.
1 Like
IIRC toro can come from something like six-seven different places from a fish, four of them fairly exotic
- top of head
- cheek
- back of cheek
- top of tail (whereas closer to the tail is usually considered lesser in quality)
along with the more common toro-otoro-chutoro belly cuts, and of course, the location has a direct impact on marbling, taste, texture & color, etc. (i don’t believe in oxford commas, BTW)
the grade of fish will have an impact on the color - the bottom grades (yellowfin or even white tuna) are lighter in color (sometimes injected with… i can’t remember right now - that turns them an unnaturally deep red) so akami from these grades can resemble chutoro from bluefin. the point is that color isn’t always indicative. i’ve purchased otoro sold at mitsuwa that was closer to brown in color and was striped in fat (dandara?) that melted on my tongue.
it occurs to me that westerners prefer a homogeneous texture/color whereas in reality it’s not a realistic expectation since cuts come from so many different locations and it’s kinda a given that one appreciates the nuances that come with that.
knife work with certain pieces, or just certain pieces in general? the basic principles mentioned by me and a few others holds: straight, flat surfaces after the cut, uniform thickness of the pieces.
there’s so many different types of sushi, and the diversity facilitates the balance in one’s meal. FWIW, there’s also a sequence favored by purists, generally starting with white fish (hirame/tai/what have you) and you probably get bonus points for observing it with some chefs.
and some things just take time. over the years there have been a few chefs with whom i developed a pseudo-omakase arrangement in that other than a few regular orders i might request first, most of it was pretty much as his discretion. one chef in particular kept serving me geoduck (mirugai) and i eventually learned to appreciate the nuances in taste and texture so that when there were times when the quality wasn’t up to par, he would take it off the tab if i mentioned it. but it starts with finding a skilled chef who takes pride in his craft.
1 Like
Okay, yes. That is closer to what I was asking. Thanks!
Sushi Sushi
The name says it all. We went right at opening, and the sweet but firm hostess informed us that they do not serve bowls of rice or noodles and very little cooked food. My very hungry sweetheart was accompanying me; this could get expensive. We did a little back and forth and came up with some cooked dishes he would enjoy. This was all while still at the door 
. But they were sweet, we were sweet, all was good. I later saw why this interaction was necessary. She informed another couple of the same thing and they turned around and left. Okay then…
We sat at the bar, of course. But since it was dinner and not lunch we did not do omakase ($105 - $150 per person). Instead we asked our itamae, young Ken-san, to just give us whatever he wanted and we’d stop when full. He didn’t know us, so was apprehensive, but appreciated our trust. His boss - Mr. Mysterious - kept one ear pricked. The servers brought us our cooked food; Ken asked us a couple of questions then got to it.
Yellowtail (Hamachi) Cheek w/Braised Daikon
The preparation of the daikon reminded me of a boiled turnip. We liked it. The hamachi cheek was fresh, firm and had good flavor. Unfortunately, it was a little overcooked.
Wild Japanese Amberjack (Buri) on a bed of Sautéed White Onions & Green Seaweed, topped w/Ponzu Jelly & Green Onions w/Cucumber & Red Seaweed on the side
The fish was lightly torched giving it a hint of smoke. This was beautiful, but I thought it could have too much going on. I was wrong
. We loved it and ordered seconds. Though it was torched and on sautéed onions it was not a hot dish and managed to be refreshing and perfectly balanced; the wild amberjack had great texture.
Grilled Cod (Gindara) w/Radish
It was cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside, moist inside. I’ve had grilled black cod and really liked it. But this type was more like the cod I grew up with on… Cape Cod
. I did not like it. The texture was too grainy.
Zuke Toro
I have seen food talkers reference edomae sushi, but I didn’t look it up, figuring it was another thing I wouldn’t understand. So I was thrilled to look up zuke and find a description of edo (old-style?) sushi. As some probably know, this was soaked in soy to prevent spoiling before refrigeration was invented. If done right it has an intense surface flavor while maintaining an inner freshness. We loved it.
Snapper
I’m not sure what kind of snapper this was. But I’m surprised how much I don’t like cooked snapper, but really like snapper nigiri.
Torotaku - Toro & Pickled Radish
This was my least favorite. It had a slightly mushy texture and the flavors did not stand out.
Hand Cut Snow Crab Roll (Maybe?)
I just don’t remember eating this. I have a photo, but didn’t write anything down so…
They use very little rice with their nigiri. So, even though the rolls were slightly underwhelming they give you a visual of the type of rice they use.
I call the owner Mr. Mysterious, because he is only referred to as “the owner chef” on their website. He appears to be serious about his craft and probably wants to be known for his food only. Their bio states that he goes to the fish market early every morning to select his offerings. Very impressive. I’m sure you can find his name on the internet, but I choose to leave it at that.
Ken-san was so sweet and even Mystery Boss warmed up and gave us a friendly farewell.
Sushi Sushi is a place I definitely see myself frequenting to indulge and learn.
With beer $105.00 + generous tip.
Sushi Sushi
326 1/2 S Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA
5 Likes
I am confused, I thought omakase was just asking the chef to pick stuff for you? How could you not do omakase, and then also ask the chef to pick dishes for you?
When I google “omakase” it delivers this as the definition:
“(in a Japanese restaurant) a meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef.”
Is there another definition of it that is more formal and has a more specific meaning?
Yes… we had more of an informal omakase. Below is an internet photo of a dish we kept seeing and appears to be on their current formal omakase menu.
My device is dying. I’m going to bed. I don’t know how @Chowseeker1999 does it . Hugs!
2 Likes