Sushi and Sashimi – Page 7

Another one off the bucket list – Swordfish “Bone Marrow” at Wrench and Rodent and “Breast Beer” too!

September 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Beer, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi

It's actually more like spinal fluid/disc material…but who's keeping score, right? I had been curious about it for a while and I gotta say, I really love the texture and the mild briney.ocean flavor of Swordfish Bone Marrow….think of the mildest oyster in flavor, clean and crisp, combined with the texture of Liangfen 凉粉 – starch jelly noodles. Man, this stuff was really good!

I have to thank Tommy of Catalina Offshore for having Candice and I as his guests, along with Maria and Jonathan for being such great company!

Tommy had been trying to get Candice and I over to Wrench and Rodent for a while for a blow-out Omakase. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant since, like Candice warned Tommy, I'm a bit of a "traditionalist" when it comes to sushi and sashimi. But you can't forget that I'm from the home of Pacific Rim Cuisine, Hawaii….which is why I hate slapped together con "fusion" dishes….. After reading Faye's post, I thought at the least, this would be an interesting meal.

I gotta say, some of the stuff Davin Waite puts out was so very creative, risky, but still trying to capture the essense of the product. I really enjoyed this meal, even though it was enough to feed an army, or at the least, one hungry Tommy.

My preferred way of having the bone marrow was plain, in the shot glass; there was something so pure and refreshing about it.

I have to say, some of the dishes were just wonderful; the bluefin collar was just out of his world….moist, fatty, like eating "buttah"…..it was well seasoned without killing the product.

I thought this pseudo gunkan maki of toro was a wonderful combination of textures. The cucumber crisp and refreshing, the masago added crunch and the flavor of the ocean, the gari, which I usually have between bites to refresh and clear my palate actually did well here.

Of the nigiri; it was the anchovy with a dengaku style miso paste was my favorite.

The Hamachi Kama was just wonderful as well.

Don't let all this fusiony stuff fool you; Davin makes a decent nigiri……

I quickly found out that Davin's sauces tend to run on the fruity/sweet side; which goes well with a pristine scallop; though I could have just eaten this plain….

I did think there was a bit too much mirin action in his nikiri for the maguro.

His pesto type concoction works relatively well with salmon.

There's no denying there's a good amount of creativity going on here. Davin takes risks and has some chops as well.

When it works, like this wonderful Opah, or was it Monchong cheek, BLT dish, it's quite delicious.

When it doesn't, you can't blame him for trying……

You'll notice, not a single Gringo roll….and only one item I say that belonged on another table.

No mayo, surimi….. though I did see a good amount of tempura/mayo/cream cheese rolls going out.

Over the years I've had a bit of sushi; from the purely traditional, to the modern-traditional, and even the sushi-kaiseki stylings of Urasawa. I gotta say, this one was an original. As is the location; inside of Bull Taco in Oceanside. I actually plan on returning in the near future….who knows what Davin will have up his sleeve.

I really need to thank Tommy for arranging this; and for being a fantastic host…..and keeping us entertained as well. You can tell that Davin loves food and creating, it was a blast talking about different ingredients, products, and techniques.

And I got to cross an item off my bucket list as well.

Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub
1815 S Coast Hwy (inside of Bull Taco)
Oceanside, CA 92054

W&R isn't the only little treasure hidden in Bull Taco. Brewmaster Havin Harris has opened a little microbrewery named Beer Brewing Company in the back of W&R.

I had a taster of the beers available and my favorite….well, I'm not so comfortable writing this; was the, ahem…"breast beer". Apparently, Havin did a ton of research and developed a beer that is supposed to aid in lactogenesis. As strange as it may seem, this was the breast, um, best beer I tasted and Candice agreed. As to it's effects on lactation…well, you're asking the wrong person!

Overall, it was an amazing night of new experiences; from swordfish bone marrow to breast beer!

I couldn't have asked for more!

Lunch Revisits to Kokoro

September 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

As much as I (and Ed from Yuma) enjoy dinner at Kokoro, I believe there are places that do better. What I really enjoy about Kokoro is the Nigiri lunch, which is a nice splurge for me at $15.

I really enjoy the miso soup and also how Akio-san seasons his rice, which is just about right for my tastes. Though the fish are the usual suspects; maguro, salmon, etc….. I always enjoy the anago, which I was told is steamed, making it a melt-in-your mouth experience. The tamago isn't too tough and nor overly sweet as well.

Recently, I read a post on the lunch Chirashi by Dennis. It looked lovely (the power of suggestion), so I just had to order it on my next visit. It's quite a generous sized affair, in my mind worth the $18 price tag.

Akio-san dips a bit deeper into his stock of fish for this; on this day, the katsuo was outstanding and the uni creamy, oceany, and refreshing. The rice was as usual perfect for me; though there was too much of it. I think I'll see if he'll do a sashimi lunch for me one of these days since I just can't put away the carbs like I used to.

It's really nice to have a little splurge lunch spot, for those weeks that I feel in need of a little R&R – reward an respite from the grind.

Kokoro Restaurant
3298 Greyling Dr
San Diego, CA 92123

In case I'm in need of some variety; what are your favorite splurge lunch spots?

Kokoro: Another Night of Sushi in San Diego

September 3, 2014 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Not Kirk, not Cathy, today it's Ed (from Yuma) enjoying an omakase dinner with you.

Knowing I needed another location for a good sushi dinner, Kirk suggested Kokoro where he had good omakase recently. That made my decision easy.

Finding the sushi bar was harder because its address was on Greyling Drive, which connects to Sandrock, which runs south from Aero Road near Montgomery Field. Traffic on Aero was down to two lanes because of construction, so I distractedly missed the Sandrock intersection and had to come back and try again. Also confusing is Greyling Drive, which is called Gramercy Drive east of Sandrock . Then when I finally found what had to be the right stripmall, there was no evidence of a sushi bar anywhere. I remembered reading that Kokoro was next to a Subway, so I began looking carefully and spotted an anonymous storefront on the back side of the Subway building. I detected an A in the window, and just then, someone raised the window screen and I saw what I was looking for:

Almost as anonymous as Sakura.

Inside there were a few tables, one holding a party of six or eight individuals, and six seats around the sushi bar:

The arrangement of the sushi bar’s workspace itself struck me as unusual. There was no glassed-in display of fish. In addition, a large preparation area adjoined the bar so that the itamae, Akio-san, worked behind the large wooden cutting board and rice tub and handed trays or plates to the server who would then place them in front of me at the bar or people at a table:

Omakase dinners were available at three different price points, the most expensive being $85; however, that required ordering a few days in advance, but Akio-san told me that he could do something for me almost as good. My meal would cost $75.

It began with (stealing Kirk's words) " ohitashi….spinach with mushroom served in the typical kobachi – small bowl.”:

This version had different mushrooms than Kirk's and they were very narrowly sliced. Great knife work. The main flavor was green fresh spinach merely accented by the light dashi sauce.

Next to arrive were three items on a long rectangular tray:

On the left, two slices of skipjack sashimi, accompanied by a lemon slice, propped up by green seaweed, and touched with a thick and complex plum sauce:

Very good and well presented, I thought, the fresh fishy flavors of the tender jack balanced by the sweet umami of the sauce.

The braised duck was the centerpiece of the presentation, laying up against a large fresh shiso leaf and topped by thinly sliced scallion:

As Kirk commented, this rich presentation calls to mind braised pork belly – rich, meaty, and slightly salty. The shiso offered a fresh herbal contrast.

On the right was a sliced Japanese scallop atop sliced cucumber and highlighted with attractive red onion:

The scallop had a great solid soft texture, its mild flavor was enhanced by the sweet touch of light miso.

The next course, the sashimi plate, was the highlight of the meal, and Akio-san explained each of the items on the beautiful plate. In the back, two soft pink pieces of rich toro stood in front of a shiso leaf propped up with shredded daikon. Perhaps not as good as the toro at Shirahama, but really excellent anyway. Like the tuna belly, the other slices of fish were arranged to face me by laying up against little mounds of red and green seaweed. On the left were two slices of wild hamachi, firm and very flavorful but not as unctuous as the toro. In the middle of that central row, two pieces of solid and meaty "snapper, but not real snapper" (Akio-san) provided contrast to the hamachi and toro. On the right of that row, were two slices of rather ordinary tako, not bad by any means but rather mundane. On the right front of the tray, a deep golden piece of nutty and creamy uni tasted just about perfect, its consistency like a somewhat firm custard on its upper surface that melted into a soft rich sea urchin butter underneath:

OMG!! Somebody must have eaten all of that wonderful sashimi before I could remember to take a picture.

Oooooops. But it really did look good before it was eaten.

In contrast to the sashimi plate, the soup that followed was very simple and focused:

I lifted it up to my face and inhaled the light clean aromas arising from the bowl. Very lightly seasoned, excellent. Though the piece of whitefish at the bottom the bowl seemed to have given much of its flavor to the soup stock, the ethereal broth was warm and refreshing.

One thing that I had found wonderful about the meal so far was the variation of dishes served. In contrast to the long parade of sushi at Shirahama, each course at Kokoro was different. For example, this plate arrived in front of me after the soup:

On the left is braised daikon, which as Kirk pointed out is exceptionally good here. The firm bland root has become full of flavor and tender softness. The roasted eggplant wedges had more texture and were perfectly cooked, and the whole dish swam in rich gelatinous crab sauce. Intensely crabby (which is a good thing in a sauce). The thin slices of awabe (abalone) provided more textural contrast than taste.

Black cod misoyaki came next:

This sablefish was flavorful and perfectly cooked medium rare with just a touch of char. Unlike true cod, a dry fleshed fish that stores its body fat in its liver – hence cod liver oil, this black cod easily flaked into rich bite sized pieces. While the marinade certainly broke no new ground, it seemed adequate to me (of course, I have not eaten misoyaki all my life). I even liked the mild pickled carrot athwart the slice of fish.

Gobo root tempura, accompanied by coarse salt, followed:

I've never had this before, but wow! Crunchy and distinctively woody in flavor. Can't think of anything else that matches those flavors.

The nigiri sushi plate, which arrived next, added another dimension to the dinner:

The Spanish mackerel served with the touch with a touch of soy and decorated with thinly sliced scallions was very nice. The ebi next to it was just okay, a bit dry and ordinary:

Similarly, the tuna was fine, but far from exceptional. The sea eel, anago, was the highlight of the entire plate, moist, flavorful, and lightly salted. The yuzu kosho added a spicy tangy complexity. Very satisfying eel:

The tamago (omelet slices) were sweet, firm, and moist, and would have made a fitting conclusion the meal if I had not been offered a choice of Italian style ice creams. I selected rum raisin:

In a recent interview, Bishop Desmond Tutu said that his favorite indulgence is rum raisin ice cream; ice cream this good could become a favorite indulgence of mine as well.

I truly enjoyed my meal at Kokoro. While there were a couple clunkers, I appreciated its variety and the generally excellent quality of the ingredients and preparation. The simple decor and the tasteful jazz music in the background created a space that felt friendly to me. While not garrulous or charismatic, Akio-san was welcoming and helpful. Koji-san at Shirahama projects the humble persona of a craftsman continuing an ancient tradition; Akio-san, even while wearing traditional wooden shoes, displays a certain creative pride. He has reason to.

Kokoro, 3298 Greyling Dr, Ste B, San Diego CA 92123, (858) 565-4113, open 11:30-2:00 and 5:30-10:00.

Shirahama: One Night of Sushi in San Diego

August 26, 2014 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Usually at the mmm-yoso foodblog, Kirk is the head chef, presenting meals from around the world and in San Diego; many times Cathy serves up some interesting dishes here too; today, however, ed (from Yuma) has some sushi (from San Diego) for you to enjoy.

Like most people, I am a creature of habit. I also love sushi, so when I find myself overwhelmed with desire for a sushi dinner (or two), I head to San Diego. Which explains my two day visit earlier this month.

The first dinner was Shirahama. I had been twice before and posted about it here and here. Because the chef’s presentations on this evening were similar to previous visits, a lot of this post will be pictures with minimal comments.

One thing that has changed in the past two years is the signage at the restaurant:

Something else different were the marinated baby squid that led off the meal:

Koji-san explained that the squid are placed in the marinade as soon as they are harvested to preserve their soft and delicate texture. These little guys were full of umami:

Next came tuna and fluke, much as before:

A mantis shrimp and a solid piece of snow crab were next:

The crab was very good, but the shrimp was rather different from what I would have expected, meaty but a bit dry and lacking in standard shrimp flavors.

The next to arrive were amberjack (kanpachi) and sprat:

The sprat was quite appealing to the eye, shining and reflecting light, a silver strip at each side of the little filet. This relative of herring had a clean fresh fishy flavor. The taste of the amberjack was even more striking – balanced firm richness, worthy of the mmm-yoso dance according to my notes.

Next came Spanish mackerel and a clam:

The mackerel was flawless and nicely accented with fresh grated ginger. On this evening, I was especially impressed by the clam which had a nice variety of textures from crunchy on the edge to soft chewy in the center, all very fresh and flavorful. One of the other customers said to his friends, "mirugai overwhelms rice; this clam is more balanced and refined." It was a good point.

I had started the meal drinking chilled water, but I finally broke down and ordered a 300 ml bottle of Dewazakura sake ($26.50):

Its label says that it has a floral nose and a mellow fruity flavor, along with "a wholesome freshness, a green apple tartness, and a refreshing finish." It seemed fine to me.

Octopus and see bream showed up next:

To me, the bream tasted a lot like good hirame, fresh clean whitefish flavor. The octopus, on the other hand, was uniquely wonderful. Uncooked, it was creamy and moist with a firm soft chewy texture and mild molluscy flavor. Three stars in my notes. Certainly one of the highlights of the meal and even better than the clam I had fallen in love with just a few bites earlier.

Fresh sardine and squid followed:

The ika was fine, pristine and mild in flavor, making it a perfect foil for the sardine, which had a big mouth filling flavor, the taste of the sea but not overly fishy, rich but not unctuous. Another excellent fish.

Koji-san had already wondered if I was finished, but I simply couldn't stop the wonderful meal. I did worry, however, that he might be running out of interesting sushi. The toro and yellowjack that he delivered next convinced me that he had not run through his bag of tricks yet:

The jack was okay though I am hard-pressed to remember much about it because the toro sitting beside it was so absolutely wonderful. Tender and buttery. It melted in my mouth, dissolving into creamy bliss. Wow!

The last item was sea eel topped with a few of salt crystals:

I thought it good, but not exceptional.

One thing that did seem exceptional that evening was this:

I took that picture of the gari as a reminder to myself. Shirahama’s pickled ginger that night seemed especially floral, complex, and sweetly spicy, so good it almost made me doubt my taste buds.

Shirahama is still on its game. Rather than trying to say what I have already said in some new way, I’m just going to plagiarize myself: Koji-san is the master of the traditional and old school and understated. Like a rock garden. If you have some extra money sitting around (this meal was $111) and want to have real Japanese sushi in a Japanese environment, this place is for you.

Sushidokoro Shirahama, 4212 Convoy, San Diego, 92111, (858) 650-3578, open daily 12:00-2:00 and 5:30-10:00

Kokoro part 2: Omakase Dinner

June 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I enjoyed lunch enough at Kokoro that I decided, what the heck; let's roll the dice and go for the omakase dinner.

So I made reservations for an early dinner. I like to give places like this the best chance of creating a nice meal, so we usually eat early. The Missus wasn't quite sure and She had to work anyway, so this was a solo deal.

I was given the nice corner of the bar area, a place I really like to sit. It's quiet and I get to concentrate on my meal.

Things started off with a very well done ohitashi….spinach with mushroom served in the typical kobachi – small bowl.

Subtle and very balanced, the dashi wasn't too over-powering, you could taste the mushrooms, not too salty….clean and refreshing.

The shiromi (white fish) was nice and firm, the ponzu bracing, making this a nice follow-up.

Next up was the sashimi.

I really enjoy the saba here, maybe I'll go ahead and try the battera here next time. The San Diego Uni was excellent. We got into a nice short discussion on uni. Akio-san told me that the best uni comes from the waters off San Clemente and is almost impossible to get since most of it goes to Japan. He used to have connections when he owned Kappo Ishito, but no longer. The toro was ok, though the kanpachi was very firm which I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the Ushio-jiru.

This had a very clean finish, almost restorative. Light, delicate, the wonderful broth made from tai (snapper) bones just hit the right spots. If I bring the Missus, I'll need to make sure She can try this….it's something She would love. The seemingly simple dishes are deceptively difficult to make….it may not impress some, but for me, I really enjoyed the balance and subtle flavors.

The next dish was a kamo, duck breast, which seemed braised, along with daikon and okra.

The sweet, soy sauce flavor reminded me of buta kakuni. The duck was good, a bit more chewy than I prefer, but it was that piece of daikon, that I really enjoyed. It held shape until I placed in my mouth, which then proceeded to melt away.

Next up was the dish I enjoyed the least…..something that should perhaps be banished from these type of meals…..Saikyo miso Tara (True Cod).

Call me jaded because I've been eating this all my life, but this just didn't do it for me. The fish needed a bit more time under high heat….it just tasted mundane and mediocre compared to what had preceded.

Next up were the nigiri, starting with a large slab of maguro.

The kohada – gizzard shad wasn't as "milky" in flavor as I enjoy.

I do enjoy the preparation of anago here and also appreciate the yuzu kosho which added a nice, mild punch to the nigiri.

At this point, I was asked if I wanted more nigiri, or if I'd go the soba route. I asked Akio-san which direction to take in this fork in the road. He told me "I think you'd like our soba, you should try it……we do a good gobo tempura soba."

And he was right….the soba was perfectly prepared, with a nice texture. The tsuyu was balanced without being too salty. The gobo….well, I love gobo, was crisp and earthy, not oily in the least. I was full and ready for a nap after this.

But I was told, "you must have dessert!" So I did…..

The damage? Dinner and a beer…..$70 bucks without tip. Not bad at all. Here's the thing. I think the fork in the road was after those pieces of nigiri….go for more and you'll hit the $85 plus category, which I think is just dandy if that's what you want. The one really telling moment was when Akio-san recommended I have the soba……it was an honest recommendation. He could have easily led me down the road to more $$$, but whether it was experience or intuition, he looked past the possible additional revenue and gave me his recommendation. The preparations here are more straight forward and traditional than other places. The folks here are really great; I'm not sure what happens when they get slammed, but I try to put myself in the best situation for a good meal and I definitely got one. I'm not going to get into the "is this place better than that place" thing. What I will say is….I'll be back and that's what matters to me.

Kokoro Restaurant
3298 Greyling Dr
San Diego, CA 92123

Kokoro Part 1 – Lunch

June 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Timing is a funny thing. First off, I hadn't had rice for almost 5 weeks. Our trip, then supporting the Missus with Her latest "thing" meant rice was "no bueno". I was given the ok to consume said grain on "my own time", but I still didn't hae the motivation to do so. Until I received and email from "FOY" SomTommy who told me that the former owner of the well regarded Little Tokyo Sushi, cum Kaiseki restaurant Kappo Ishito had opened a small restaurant in Serra Mesa. A day later, I read about it in Eater San Diego. Apparently, Akio Ishito had been biding his time at Oton, before opening his own place. This kinda made me waver a bit…..I've never been the biggest fan of Oton having had a couple of rather uneven meals there. So I contacted SomTommy again who also mentioned that he dropped over $250 for the omakase for two at this new place called Kokoro. Now I'm not adverse to spending that kind of money for an outstanding meal……but I truly had my doubts. Then I read that they did lunch……I realize that lunch would not display the full range of what the Itamae could pull off, but it would give some indication of his style and preparation.

So, I believe this location used to be the combination Chinese Fast Food – Western Steakburger? It's not got a simple front; no large sign yet, looking somewhat incomplete from the outside. The interior is simple, clean, and rather generic. The woman working, who I assume is Akio-san's wife is so very nice, in a calm, relaxing way.

The lunch menu is set with a combination bento like offering, a bunch of rice bowls (only to-go I believe), chirashi, and a nigiri combination. There's also a page full of rolls, which I really didn't pay attention to.

I ordered the Nigiri Lunch Special – 8 pieces and miso soup ($15). First thing I noticed was that Akio-san works fast, I mean like a well oiled machine fast. He put my lunch together in less than 5 minutes. But don't get the idea that his work is sloppy, rather, things look quite uniform.

Things I noticed right away; it seemed like the nigiri were bigger than I was used too….perhaps I've been consuming a bit too much Edomae style nigiri. The amount of wasabi was consistent on each piece and was to my taste….heck even at Shunji, there was bit too much wasabi in the first two pieces of nigiri before things settled down. And while the offerings were pretty much routine, I thought it was an excellent $15 lunch, 8 pieces nigiri, miso soup (not bad – a bit too light), and two decent pieces of tamago (good), was more than enough for me.

The best items by far was the Tako, which was nice and tender, the saba was prepared, I'm not sure if he does the curing himself….I'll ask next time, but it had a nice meatiness to it, while still being very tender, with a faint cheesiness, and good oil. The anago was really good….it really didn't look too promising, but it basically melted in my mouth.

While not too talkative initially, Akio-san got a bit more chatty as the meal went on. In the end, this was a very nice lunch….I left satisfied.

So what about that omakase? Well, you notice that this is "part 1", right?

Stay tuned!

Kokoro Restaurant
3298 Greyling Dr
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1130am – 10pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 11pm

Roadtrip COMC: Lunch at Shunji in photos

April 30, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi

Man, it's so hot today…….I started doing this post and decided that the pictures speak for themselves. During my extended roadtrip to LA in February, I decided to get the $40 lunch from Shunji…..let me just say, it's worth every penny.

Last time I was in the area, this location was Mr Cecil's California Ribs….let me just say, this is beyond a major upgrade.

Enough chatter…….

Like I said….worth every penny…..

Update: So now that's it's getting cooler here's the listing:

1 – Madai

2 – Megina (Opal Eye)

3 – Wild Hamachi

4 – Miso Soup with Crab

5 - Blue Nose Snapper

6 – Marinated Salmon

7 – Maguro

8 – Inada

9 – Hirame

10 – Kanpachi

11 – Kinmedai (One of the best things I've eaten so far this year)

12 – Ikura

13 – Uni (Santa Barbara)

14 – Blue Crab Handroll

Shunji Japanese Cuisine
12244 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Hope you're keeping cool!

COMC: Guess the Curry and other silliness

December 13, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

It's been a while since I've done one of these C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) type posts. So, here's some silliness for the day:

Guess where the curry is from:

It seems that curry has been my default choice when I really am not sure what I'm craving in recent weeks. So can you guess where each of these three are from? If you look carefully, this really isn't hard at all.

Here's a preview of our next installment….guess the karaage!

Just joking…well…maybe not!

Let's just end with some sashimi and sushi shots…….because one can never get enough of those, right?

Hanging with Ed from Yuma at Sushi Tadokoro

October 3, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I finally got to hang out with Ed from Yuma and Tina on a recent visit to San Diego. It had been a while, so it was great to catch up on things. I thought Tadokoro would be the perfect place. Like I said before, I've posted enough on this place already so here we go with a pseudo COMC (Clearing Out the Memory Card) type of post.

Seems like Take-san is always trying a new wrinkle here and there….this time the ankimo had ponzu gelee…..

Take-san told us he had "lots of good things tonight….." he wasn't kidding.

Ed's "delici-yoso dance" even made an appearance! I hope you enjoyed dinner Ed; it was nice seeing the both of you!

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

A Sushi/Sashimi Intervention at Sushi Tadokoro

August 9, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Our luck in eating out hasn't been much good recently. In fact, I guess I'm starting to get a bit ornery about the whole thing. So the Missus decided it was time for an intervention. And She chose just the right place……Sushi Tadokoro.

What follows are mostly just photos….I've posted on the place enough already.

The sashimi was just perfect, the amaebi were just delivered as we sat. The heads were still moving the entire time we ate our sashimi. Some may find this somewhat disconcerting. We saw this as a mark of freshness. The engawa was a favorite of the Missus.

We always get something a bit different on every visit. This time it was the Kamasu – barracuda, which was seared to develop the wonderful oils.

The Iwashi (Sardine) was especially rich.

Like I've said before….getting this is not difficult. The Itamae has to be comfortable and familiar with your tastes and even budget. Your responsibility is to be an open-minded customer. After a couple of visits, he, and you have an unspoken understanding…..

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Open: Mon – Sat 5pm – 10pm