Sushi School - Where should I begin?

Hoity toity it is, then…

Now you show up. Check out this quote from Thrillist. It’s so on point with my particular need. Well, except for the Pasadena part.
“but if you’re not into omakase, Sushi Ichi offers a much more casual experience – there’s no pre-set menu, just whatever is fresh and written on the specials board.”

-Lovely

Really? Oh gosh. What to do?

Shunji is good and a great value at lunch; note 2 potential drawbacks for some (I don’t mind but some might): the outdoor bathroom which requires a key, and often times there’s quite a lot of whitefish, which while good, can be pretty subtle and possibly underwhelming if someone is served 4 types of snapper in a 12-pc meal. Madai and medai taste different, but for they’re probably not distinct enough from each other, and IMO, one of my favorite things of beginning to explore sushi was to have all different tastes. Nonetheless it is still a good choice.

Shiki in Beverly Hills (not related to the bento-esque chain) can also a good choice, in my opinion. Sit with Hiro-san at the sushi bar (be careful if you order the omakase bar which is $250+pp with a different chef). He was from Sushi Gen and is a chill, affable guy who will serve you some good stuff. It’s fairly relaxed there, too, so you can take your time and explore, ask questions, etc. In that regard, it can be a welcoming place for someone looking to get his or her feet wet.

Nozawa Bar (down the street from Shiki) was mentioned. I’m actually going to disagree! Yes, the layout and format is rather traditional, but the rice is very untraditional. Not that the sushi’s not quality, it is, but here’s where the rice complicates things: it’s so hot, without the normal slight stickiness, that it often falls apart in the hand, making it fairly stressful for some to eat. When I was there, I saw others getting stressed out over the sushi imploding in their hand or chopsticks. It’s quality, but their brand is a rather untraditional rice temperature (the idea is that sushi should “melt in your mouth” like a sugar cube), and that matters here because it can make it fairly difficult to eat cleanly.

What about Mori? I figured one of you would have thrown that in. I’m not ready for that yet?

If you truly want to educate yourself, you won’t enjoy Mori fully if you haven’t tried some other entry level players first for comparison.

Plus, Mori is the most hoitiest of the toitiest sushi-ya in L.A., IMHO (which is why it wasn’t brought up).

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Mori’s very good. Maybe a touch subtle and expensive. Very legit place, though!

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Hi @J_L,

Perhaps we’ve taken it for granted, but what makes Shunji “hoity toity”? In all my visits, I’ve never felt like we were dining in some austere, white table cloth (don’t talk loud or else you’ll offend the chef! / speak in hushed tones) sort of place.

Shunji-san is affable, really nice, and gladly answered all our questions and chatted with us the whole evening. His English is excellent. There were 2 company parties the last 2 times we went (they sat at the tables instead of the bar, and they were “Kanpai!-ing” downing Sake / Beer.

Shunji seems like a pretty relaxed place and serves fantastic sushi, cooked dishes (thanks for your previous write-ups!) :), and more.

It never seemed “hoity toity”.

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Cost, and a comparatively “advanced” selection of neta (for a more self-admittedly beginner sushi-phile) = “hoity toity”, in this thread.

It was never about ambiance, or attitude. (And in these respects, I agree with you about Shunji being a comfortable experience.)

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yeah, i’m not sure what “hoity toity” means in this context.

for example, i wouldnt consider mori “hoity toity.” i found it very relaxed, non intimidating and comfortable.
we were treated well.
i kinda don’t understand the whole “intimidating” thing about sushi bar in general. what are they going to do, slice your throat? yell at you? hell, be polite, and you’ll be treated politely back.

i’m also going to respectfully disagree with the notion you wouldn’t enjoy or appreciate mori – just an example – or some of the other higher end sushi spots if you sat at the bar. i know sweet f.a. compared to the sushi mavens on this board, and that never stopped me from thinking the food was delicious.
it sounds like you’ve HAD raw fish before, so it’s not like you’re some bumpkin who’d ask for a fork and some ketchup.

one other thing: in my opinion, enjoying shunji does not require sitting in front of shunji. i totes dug my meals there, and did not sit in front of shunji.

this post is not to diminish or denigrate the advice from people much more learned than i. it’s just another opinion.

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No doubt - Mori and Shunji definitely provide very enjoyable experiences for sushi fans of all levels, even if it’s their first time trying sushi.

It’s just that the OP, in this specific thread, is requesting some “starter” places for learning about sushi.

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Because you’ve got the chef right in front of you watching you eat his food. And Japanese people are so damn polite, you can’t not eat it if you don’t like it.

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Hi @BradFord -

Good stuff to consider. Thanks.

I am definitely with that.

I think @CiaoBob had suggested Shiki in Beverly Hills to someone with a request similar to mine. Will definitely put them on the list. $250+pp is definitely a hoity toity price for getting the feet wet. My normally frugal husband can get really spendy in restaurants. But I’d like to stay around $125+pp.

Nozawa and their interesting rice will have to wait until I’ve tried a few other places.

Things to consider. :thinking:. Thanks!

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I figured it was something like that. I’ve seen @Chowseeker1999 give this reason for them not being on a lot “best of” lists. People don’t appreciate their subtly?

When I wrote hoity toity I meant baller expensive or super stuffy.

Thanks!

How do people feel about Hide Sushi? From what I can gather on the boards, peeps seems to give it a “good for the price point but not great.”

I’m in a similar sushi boat at @TheCookie, so this thread has been great. Thanks, all.

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Yes Shige at Shiki (shay that sheven timesh shin a row) is a wonderful sushi man who was at Asenebo for years.

I think you’ve gotten many ideas from this thread but most are not exactly what you are looking for, IMHO. Actually what you are looking for is not as hard to find - even at the most hardcore “Japanese” of places - as it is to communicate your desire to the staff/chef when you get there (which I think is what @aaqjr is saying) .

That said my picks for the best Sushi 201 (you’ve already done 101, but are not looking for the high price and complexity of 301, at least at this time) would be:
Iroha (Studio City)
Sushi Sushi (Beverly Hills)
Echigo (WLA)
Takao (Brentwood)
Sushi Park (WeHo)

I think Mori, Tsujita, Gari, Shunji, Zo, Q etc will be either too expensive, or too rarefied.

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Only went once. Certainly not a sushi connoisseur. But I didn’t even think it was that great at the price (not that I can necessarily name a better place for the price). Skipping Hide and saving up to have lunch at Sushi Tsujita would be the easy choice for me. During the one trip, it was also so crowded and hectic that I can’t imagine feeling like you’d have time to enjoy the food and ask questions of the chef.

BTW, has anyone ever been to Sushi King in SaMo? The person who cuts my hair is from Japan and says that several of her Japanese customers like the place (she hasn’t been herself).

I think this is what confuses me about sushi (hope you don’t mind me hopping onto the thread, @TheCookie) . Am I supposed to revel in the possibly very subtle differences btw the sub-types within a species? Is there supposed to be some type of platonic ideal that the fish is supposed to meet? (genuine questions, of course)

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I know. I’ve seen you mention something to that effect on other threads. Love it.

Thanks! :blush:. Yep, definitely have eaten a lot of it, and lurk on the sushi threads a lot. @Sgee turned me onto a good book too, simply called SUSHI.

Thanks for the Shunji tips. I like your hilariously frank perspective on things. Most of the time anyway :wink:.

Add Gen (DTLA)

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Sssh, don’t give away the local spots. :wink:

What @CiaoBob said.

@TheCookie Just like a regular bar at a sushi bar it’s good to be a regular and know the bartender (Itamae) Just pick a decent place. Then that knowledge will carry you where ever you go. Even at ‘good’ places there are really good Itamae if you let them know you are serious.

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