Sushi and Sashimi – Page 9

Carlsbad: Yoshino Japanese Deli

September 29, 2012 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Yoshino has closed as of the end of July 2024. I understand that the owner retired.

I went up and spent a couple hours hanging out with my buddy "JohnL" today. We had a great time "talking story" and catching up on things. I often kid John about his (lack of) taste, as his recommendations often leave me a bit puzzled, wondering if he was playing some odd joke on me. So far, John has been oh-for-two….two strikes on him, so he's ben a bit more hesitant making recommendations. But today, John decided to take me to his favorite little hole-in-the-wall sushi to go joint in Oceanside named Yoshino. No it's not that Yoshino's, but this one.

Located near the corner of State and Grand avenue in downtown Carlsbad this little shop is run by an older Japanese couple. There's not much in the shop, just a cold case an ice cream freezer and the couple making rolls and poke bowls.

Nothing fancy and no frills, the couple is very friendly. Apparently they make whatever they can based on what's available that day….then it's pau hana, no more……

John's favorite here is the Poke Bowl($6.75), which is what I got.

While this is nowhere close to being as good as the stuff back home in Hawaii, it's a nice decent light meal. It's more of a poke "salad" of sorts since there are only about 4-5 cubes of fish in the bowl along with seaweed salad, cucumbers, and a good amount of avocado. The tuna is decent quality, better than the typical "saku" Sushi Deli stuff and is lightly seasoned. All of this rests on a bed of sushi-meshi, seasoned sushi rice, which was mild, though the rice quality is not the best. A piece of nori separates the rice creates a barrier for the rice.

All in all, not bad….I'd have this for lunch on occasion if I lived close by. There were a variety of rolls available, though as you know, it's not my thing.

We also got the "tako salad" – $2.75.

The octopus had a nice texture, this was solidly flavored with komezu(rice vinegar), sesame oil, and some sneakily placed thin slices of chili pepper.

There a couple of tables inside and right outside the little shop and it's cash only. So JohnL, looks like you didn't strike out! One for three still ain't that great though! Just kidding my friend, this is a nice little neighborhood shop.

Yoshino Japanese Deli
2913 State St
Carlsbad, CA 92008

Sushi Tadokoro

August 20, 2012 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

After being married all of these years, the Missus knows when I'm feeling a bit run down…..I'm not sure if it's work, the weather, old age, or maybe a combination of everything, but I think I've been moving at a bit of a slower pace recently. The Missus knows just how to pull me out of it; "why don't you go and get some sushi tonight….have a nice dinner!" I couldn't help but perk up…..plus there was a place I had in mind. A new place called Sushi Tadokoro. Now the first two recommendations I had for the place mentioned rolls and jalapeno rolls…stuff I really don't eat. But when Rodzilla asked if I'd been here yet and mentioned Edomae sushi….well I just had to check it out.

Plus, it's not that faraway from home, just South of El Agave and Old Town.

There are only three or so parking stalls in the strip mall, but this being an early in the week…..a weeknight, I had no problems parking. The restaurant is quite minimalist, but very nice looking. The bar is long, with quite a bit of space. I sat to the very left on the bar and did recognize Take from Surfside Sushi….I'm guessing all the guys form there are starting open their own places.

For me, Edomae sushi revolves around nigiri, so after Take asked me what I would not eat….basically a non-factor, unless he was planning on doing something with hoya, I asked him to make me whatever he felt. There was an "Omakase Special" on the greaseboard for a very low $25…..but hey……I wanted some good stuff.

Things started off with Hirame (halibut) cured in kelp with some of his own nikiri….his personal soy sauce mixture intended for sushi.

This was a nice start for me….I love shiromi(white fish) and the nikiri, while mild added a nice component to the dish allowing the mild smokey flavor imparted from the kombu (kelp) to come through.

Next up was some Ahi from Hawaii also dabbed with nikiri.

It was a beautiful piece of fish. Ahi (yellowfin), of course has a stronger, more oily flavor than maguro (bluefin). Take-san had given it perhaps a bit more wasabi than I would have appreciated. I did start to notice how nicely shaped his shari was….not humongous carb-blasting pieces of rice, nor huge slabs of protein, but nicely proportioned overall. I did expect a stronger sushi-su(vinegar), but this was mild and nice.

Loved the shari with the hamachi belly….not too tightly packed, not falling apart, it basically exploded in your mouth.

The fish was decent, not as silky smooth as what I would expect, but still good.

The chu-toro was also decent.

It did indeed almost melt in your mouth. Not magnificent, but nice.

The saba topped with a paper thin slice of kombu was just awesome.

Saba is not my favorite thing in the world, but this was just fantastic. The milkiness of the saba was tempered by the kombu, which imparted a smokey, flavor of the sea. This just made my entire day better…..I hope to have it again, soon!

One of the things I enjoy the most about neighborhood sushi places, is that the Itamae gets to know you, understand your tastes…..you can put yourselves in their hands knowing you'll get a good meal. At this point, Take-san started understanding what I enjoyed……and came up with an engawa duet. Engawa is the dorsal fin muscle of the halibut, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. Crunchy and mildly sweet, it's one of my favorites.

The first piece was typical engawa, a slice of lemon was lightly rubbed against the fish, then a few drops of ponzu, giving it just enough of an acidic touch.

Crunchy, sour, mildly sweet, this was classic engawa.

For the second piece, Take-san brought out the torch and took it to the fish…..I'd never had this before. After squeezing 2-3 drops of lemon on it he placed it on my plate.

Man, this was great. The torching had brought out sweetness that I never knew existed in engawa. While cutting down on the crunchiness, it had developed the fat and collagen, making this a real treat.

Take-san really nailed it for my final item….I usually will have negi-hama to finish things off. I watched him scrape the hamachi belly and combine it with hamachi. It seemed that he read my mind……negihama. As you notice, I ate a piece before I remembered to take a photo…..

This basically melted in my mouth, it was the perfect ending to my meal.

The folks here are very nice. I did wonder how they'd do….Take-san said they don't get many Nihon customers, so having a fairly diverse selection is a challenge, but they did quite well. Plus, from what I could see on this visit, they treat you nicely whether you want a spicy tuna roll or omakase. Something that some places don't do.

Needless to say, I'll be back.

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Open
Mon – Sat 5pm – 10pm

Oahu: Mitch’s Fish Market

August 7, 2012 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Oahu, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel

My MIL actually gave me a "day off" during my stay….just joking, I was meeting friends for "dinner" and since libations were going to be involved driving back to Ewa Beach was out of the question. Though we weren't meeting until about 7, I started my day very early with a nice breakfast (a later post), then did some shopping for the Missus. The Missus had encouraged me to have a "really good" lunch and since the temps were hitting the high 80's, I thought sushi would be great…..not mayo-filled, mega rice bomb fast-foodish stuff, but a light meal of decent quality fish. My list of three was pretty easy….Sushi Sasabune…but they didn't open until 12, Sushi Izakaya Gaku is a strictly dinner only place, and Mitch's Fish Market. Mitch's opens at 1130 and is located in a warehouse in the industrial zoned area near the airport. It does indeed look a bit like a machine shop or similar business….

I managed to squeeze my rental into a tiny little slot down the street from the tiny (5 seat sushi bar and two four tops) shop. The place was half full, a group of three to my left on the bar was hitting the Otokoyama pretty early in the day. don't blame them though….Mitch's is purely BYOB, so why not…hopefully you're not driving after all that sake, though. I looked over the menu in chalk on the wall, with various specials and the head Itamae, maybe because he didn't know me handed me over to his right hand man, Masa Murakami…perhaps he didn't deem me worthy? No complaints, though as I had an excellent light meal…which started and ended with o-toro.

At twenty bucks a pop, this ain't cheap, but I gotta tell you; it was very nice….melt in your mouth nice……touch it and it seems to start melting nice. The other piece had a slight brown streak on it, but also just melted in my mouth….such richness is worth the price once in a while. Cheap and sushi/sashimi are not inclusive of each other….. The rice was well prepared, you could count every grain, and it was not too tightly packed.

The only item I thought was not up to par was the Kohada(gizzard shad).

Which lacked the slightly cured milkiness that I enjoy.

The Kanpachi(Amberjack) on the other hand was quite good.

It looked dry and almost firm like shiromi, but man, when I put it into my mouth with just a drop of shoyu it almost melted away, rich and clean, with a slight sweetness.

I decided to try some other specials. First up, Isaki, known as Chicken Grunt(how's that for a paradoxial name) or Striped Pigfish, was something that I'd never had before.

Topped with a light drizzle of ponzu, green onions, and momji oroshi, this had a fairly delicate texture when compared to, say snapper or halibut.

I also got some Shima Aji (jack) which I know best by it's local name papio.

This had a nice mild sweetness to it, it was also a lot more tender and light than versions I've had before. I definitely want this again. I finished my meal with another duo of o-toro and left feeling refreshed……

I really enjoyed my meal at Mitch's. And while it's not the best I've ever had, it was without a doubt very good and to me well worth the 80 bucks or so I paid. No fancy arrangements, no pretense, just straight ahead good fish.

Mitch's Fish Market
524 Ohohia St
Honolulu, HI 96819

Open Daily – 1130am – 830pm

Ninja Sushi in Yuma

May 30, 2012 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

While Kirk visits some exotic place that has been in the news in recent years (no, not North Korea), Cathy posts interesting eating experiences, and today, ed (from Yuma) is looking for edible sushi in Yuma. Good luck with that!

In early 2010, a new large sushi bar opened in Yuma at the cursed location at the corner of 16th St. and the freeway, a place that had previously been Tyler's Taste of Texas and then Arnie's Café. This prominent location is easily visible, but difficult to reach because of limited access from 16th St. After giving the restaurant a few weeks to figure out what they were doing, our lunch bunch showed up to sample the cuisine. The grand opening banner was still in place:

The food was consistently underwhelming. The menu contains pages of special rolls, but even our connoisseur of such things was not impressed by this goopy crunchy roll (around $12.95):

Look at the sad tuna on the sashimi salad ($12.95) that even two different dressings couldn't salvage:

I have no idea what the spicy tuna roll ($5.95) tasted like, but I certainly wasn't going to put any of this into my mouth:

This sushi combination ($16.95), my choice, was pretty pitiful as well:

I can remember some excellent California rolls over the years; I think avocado and krab go together just fine, but the sliver of avocado was overwhelmed by the rice and the fake crab and mayo mix. I remember the salmon being okay, but the tuna was tired and grayish and the shrimp was tasteless, lacking even the thinnest smear of wasabi:

The most promising of the dishes – or perhaps least disappointing is a better choice of words – was the tempura ($10.95):

The batter tasted right and the vegetables and shrimp were adequate. If only the deep-frying had been more skillful and the end result less greasy, the tempura would have received a good grade instead of just barely passing.

None of us went back to Ninja for the next two years, even though some people told me they had had good meals there. Then, toward the end of this April, when Yuma was suffering from 100° temperatures and Tina and I were looking for something cool and refreshing to eat, I suggested trying Ninja; desperate men will do desperate things.

The grand opening sign had been replaced by an "All Special Rolls 50% Off" sign. Not much else of the exterior had changed:

Did I mention it was hot? Anyway, faced with the multipage menu full of special rolls and various pictures, I quickly ordered two sunomonos as appetizers, one “kani" (imitation crab) and the other "taco." I guess that's how octopus is spelled in Yuma. They were $4.25 and $5.95.

The octopus and cucumber salad looked and tasted good:

The octopus was tender and flavorful, the knife work excellent. The thin sliced cucumber and cephalopod were enhanced by a sprinkling of sesame seeds and lightly seasoned rice wine vinegar. Cool and refreshing. The pickled carrot was a nice touch as well.

Even the fake crab salad was tasty and pleasant to look at:

For main courses, we shared two dishes. The first was a chirashi ($19.95):

While nothing like the magnificent chirashi at Sakura, this was certainly passable. The sushi rice was well flavored and topped with black and white sesame seeds. The tilapia (hidden in this photo) and the somewhat tired looking albacore actually tasted okay. The hamachi and maguro were decent and seemed fresh. The salmon was a bit chewy and somewhat disappointing in flavor until I squeezed one of the adjacent lemon slices on it before lightly dipping it in the shoyu/wasabi mixture. Then not bad at all.

Even better was Ninja’s sashimi plate ($18.95):

All the fish tasted very good – though the salmon still needed a squeeze of lemon. We also appreciated three shiso leaves, tilapia needing all the help it can get to become flavorful. The shredded daikon was abundant, and the presentation very attractive. Note the gari tucked inside of a hollowed out cucumber chunk

Here's a close-up of the tilapia and salmon:

And one of the hamachi and maguro:

To be honest, that was the best sushi fish I had ever eaten in Yuma. Nothing else really has come close.

So a few days later, I stopped in for a quick lunch and asked if they had a bento box because I could find no such thing on the rather complicated menu. "Yeah, we do," the waitress responded, "it just isn't listed on the menu." With some trepidation, I ordered the luncheon bento box anyway ($10.95).

It started off with truly excellent miso soup:

The broth was deeply flavored and you could taste the dashi in the background. Although it contained only four or five tiny cubes of tofu, it is still (imho) the best miso soup in town.

Then the bento box showed up:

Some things here were pretty standard. The teriyaki chicken had grill marks and seemed to be all white meat chicken breast, but it was certainly nothing special. The rice was okay and the bento box salad was – as most bento box salads are – pretty forgettable. On the other hand, the gyozas had a thin crispy wrapper and a mild flavorful filling. I've certainly had worse in San Diego. The tempura was truly excellent. The batter tasted spot on, the two shrimp were crispy on the outside and moist and succulent within, and the selection of vegetables was first rate; I certainly never expected two asparagus spears in an inexpensive bento box.

My two positive experiences meant that I was able to talk the lunch bunch into making another visit (Chip grumbling the entire time). In general, we were pleased. Betsy had a good-looking sashimi salad (dressing on the side):

The folks who ordered sushi items and the tempura were pleased as well. I decided to really test the kitchen by ordering a seafood udon ($12.95), which was served in a traditional bowl with a wooden lid:

As a test, I even asked for togarashi. Once the hostess understood my mangled Japanese pronunciation, her face lit up and she returned soon with a little bowl of the traditional condiment:

The udon itself was meh, not bad really, but not exceptional in any way. The broth was fairly standard and light. The noodles were juicy (I always think of udon noodles as juicy for some reason) but slightly overcooked. The seafood was two slices of kamaboko, some surimi, one shrimp, and several tiny scallops. Perfectly adequate.

And as a whole, the lunch bunch was generally pleased; even curmudgeonly Chip conceded that the fish was better than he had expected.

At this point, I realized that I had enough material for a post, and it would be nice to highlight a surprisingly good Japanese restaurant in Yuma. Then, on my way into the office a few days ago, I stopped for lunch and ordered the combination sushi. The miso soup was still excellent, but this was the sushi combination that day:

The California rolls were as boring as I remembered them from my visit in 2010. Even worse, some of the fish was truly horrifying. The whitefish and albacore had been drizzled with chile oil (chile oil?!?!). Certainly the oil effectively covered up whatever was wrong with the taste of the fish and, in fact, effectively covered up any taste at all – well except for the taste of chile oil. The albacore must have been especially nasty because it was also topped with two deep-fried slices of garlic . In addition, the chili oil had leaked over into the rice under the tuna masking whatever flavor the maguro might have had. Neither the avocado nor the lemon slice could truly save the salmon, the hamachi lacked its characteristic flavor and richness, and the ebi was tasteless as well. On a positive note, I didn’t get sick.

So clearly, it is possible to get good tempura, sushi, and sashimi from Ninja. It is also possible to get some really bad sushi there. May you and your friends be blessed with the good stuff, and may your enemies be served that sushi combination I got on my last visit.

Ninja Sushi, 1400 E. 16th St., Yuma, AZ 85364, (928) 782-4000. Open daily from 11 am-3 pm for lunch and 4:30 pm-10 or 11 pm for dinner.

Battle of the Bars: Kaito vs Shirahama Mano a Mano

May 20, 2012 ed fromyuma Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Usually, Kirk is at the helm of mmm-yoso; some days, Cathy steers the ship; today, ed (from Yuma) takes his turn at the tiller.

I don't make it to a city with excellent sushi as often as I would like. Last month I celebrated being in San Diego by having back-to-back sushi experiences at two of my favorite sushiyas.

Kaito

Since my first day in town was a Tuesday, and everyone knows that Tuesday is the best day to visit Kaito (fish delivery day with fewer customers), I rolled into the appropriate stripmall complex and drove around for a while before I finally located Kaito:

I sat at the far end of the bar, and Morito-san seemed to have some vague memory of my previous visits. My meal started off with a fancy sunomono, featuring thinly sliced cucumber, krab threads, and some cooked whitefish – all very tasty and refreshing:

After I let Morito-san know of my desire for things new, interesting, unusual, and good, he apologized because he said that he didn't have many items that were unusual. I got over my disappointment as soon as gari and wasabi showed up on a tray:

The pickled ginger is pretty good, but the wasabi is truly outstanding. This is not your standard horseradish paste with food coloring. If you look closely, you can see the little bits of actual real wasabi root. That alone is almost worth the trip to Encinitas.

The meal began with warm, freshly cooked East Coast razor clams, very simply prepared:

I'm of two minds about these clams. I had never had them before in a sushi bar, so I was pleased by something unusual. On the other hand, though they were redolent of wonderful clammy flavor, there was not a whole lot else going on. Simple and focused.

Needle fish followed. This was something else new, and I admired the presentation, the long thin fillets wrapped back upon themselves with a sprinkle of caviar in the concavity thus created:

My favorite item of the night then descended upon my plate, the hirame:

This item showed off the chef’s skill wonderfully. Both the sushi rice and the flatfish were impeccable. The green strip-wrappers were slices of shiso leaf. The lime colored pulpwas some sort of spicy green chile relish yuzu kosho (see comments) – spicy and sour. A light dusting of finely grated salt finished the pieces. Layers and layers of flavor here. A lot of taste notes playing some kind of complex culinary jazz.

The next item was also an unusual presentation. Two pieces of maguro (one of which mysteriously disappeared before I could take a picture of it) were marinated in soy sauce, topped with a crunchy thin slice of mountain yam and a few sprouts, all held in place by a strip of nori:

The marinated tuna is a regular item at Kaito, but I had never had it combined with a slice of mountain yam – in fact, I don't know that I'd ever had a slice of mountain yam before. Usually when I think of tuna and mountain yam, I picture the dark red chunks of fish covered with a thick white gooey slime, so this was a refreshing change.

Uni followed:

Those of us who eat sushi in Southern California are truly spoiled by the quality of the local sea urchin. This version was exceptionally moist, fresh, and custardy.

The chutoro was next:

Words alone cannot express how doggone good this was. More than just rich – it was wonderfully flavorful as well. I also appreciated the firmness of its texture.

In contrast, I can remember very little of the kampachi:

The meal closed with anago:

This was an excellent conclusion. Unlike the previous versions of anago that I have eaten at Kaito, this was served at a cool room temperature. Morito-san explained that it had been cooked that day, so he did not want to reheat it. I thought it was perfect – very moist and flavorful. The light brushing of sauce stayed in the background, letting the eel present the dominant flavor.

All of this generally wonderful sushi and a glass of moderately priced cold sake came to $77.22.

Shirahama

The next night I arrived at Shirahama thinking I’d be the only person in the small sushi bar not speaking Japanese. However, unlike what I had expected, English was the dominant language in the house that night. I sat down next to a very pleasant couple from Sinaloa, Mexico, who said that they visited Shirahama several times a year, as it was their favorite sushi bar anywhere. In addition to being friendly, they were working on a bottle of cold sake and soon offered me a glass of the wonderful stuff, which they kept refilling:

After I explained my desires to koji-san, he told me that he had such a wide selection this evening that he would be serving me individual items as opposed to the usual two pieces of each fish. Sounded great to me.

The meal began with (as the chef called them) fluke and bluefin:

The tuna was very good, the sushi rice excellent, but that hirame was outstanding – flavorful fish with a blast of wasabi.

Then came the kind of like scallop but not really scallop shell fish and a piece of sea bream:

The shellfish did resemble scallop in its tenderness and mild flavor. It complemented the mildly fishy sea bream perfectly. Sea bream? What sea bream, you may ask. Well, the sea bream that I ate before I remembered to take a picture. Oops! So later in the meal I requested another piece of sea bream which was paired with kohada:

It was a reminder to me that the organization of an omakase meal is not a random list. A good sushi chef will know which items to present early in the meal – and which to feature later. When I originally had the bream, it was excellent and the subtlety of its flavor matched the scallopy thing perfectly. Later in the meal, these two items were good, but out of place.

Following the sea bream/non-scallop, I was served yellowtail and real crab:

The kani was a solid piece of real crab. Not quite as spectacular as on my last visit, but still very very good. The yellowtail was rich, smooth, and full of flavor.

Then ama ebi and some kind of clam:

The shrimp was extremely good, shrimpy and tender, and the clam was well flavored, though it lacked the amazing texture of mirugai.

Amberjack and Spanish mackerel:

People who are used to farmed hamachi (which itself is a really good thing, in my opinion), are usually amazed tasting wild amberjack for the first time – I certainly was. Here the richness is balanced with fish flavor.

Similarly, the piece of aji was equally outstanding. Its flavor seemed especially concentrated and deep, and it made me wonder if perhaps the fish had been aged for a couple of days to intensify the flavors – which contrasted with the thin slices of green scallion inserted into it.

Next came toro and yellow jack:

Both were rich and creamy. The toro was not quite as good as the chutoro from Kaito, but the yellow jack may have been the best of the yellowtail/jacks of the evening.

The meal concluded with uni:

In contrast with the uni at Kaito, this uni was firmer and deeper in flavor intensity. Notice that it is presented on the rice ball with no surrounding border of seaweed. I asked if the uni came from Japan – since it was different than standard San Diego uni – but Koji-san said that local uni was better than anything from Japan. So clearly it is his treatment of the uni that makes it subtly more flavorful than what I am used to.

Two wonderful sushi meals in two days. Was one better than the other? Which cuisine reigns supreme (sorry about that)? I'm not sure that better/worse is applicable here. They both had wonderful ingredients that are well outside what I am used to. Both prepared the sushi extremely well. Morita-san may be more creative with a broader palette of flavor colors, much like modern art. Koji-san is the master of the traditional and old school and understated. Like a rock garden. Yes they were different, but they were very much the same in quality. And, oddly enough, almost the same in price. The dinner at Shirahama (where I drank OP’s sake for free) was $77.58. Overall difference 36 cents. Seems right to me.

Kaito, 130-A N. El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 634-2746;

Shirahama, 4212 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 650-3578.

Sushidokoro Shirahama

June 28, 2011 ed fromyuma Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Usually Kirk or Cathy post at this foodblog. They are busy today, so ed (from Yuma) is posting on a sushi bar (in San Diego).

It was about 6:30 on a Tuesday night and I had no firm plans. I wanted sushi (as usual) but I also was looking for something different — because I had eaten with Sammy at Yaro on my previous visit to America's Finest Urbation, and I have been going to Sakura for nearly 10 years now. With the Fair jamming traffic heading north out of town, Kaito was out of the question. So I was driving through strip malls on Convoy just looking for something, anything interesting and different.

And then I saw it — Shirahama — with an open parking place right by the entrance. Nervously, I pulled into the parking spot, made sure I had my camera, and walked up to the door (the photo comes from later in the evening):

When I entered the tiny restaurant (10 seats at the bar and 4 small tables), it was empty except for the wizened itamae and his younger assistant. I had heard stories that the chef could be very rude and intolerant, particularly to people who did not speak Japanese. However, he gave me a friendly smile when I told him that I had heard that he served the best and most authentic sushi in San Diego and asked if I could be seated. I was allowed to take a seat at the sushi bar — but not one of the seven prime places, which were reserved. Having been to Sakura, this seemed routine.

I let the older gentleman know that I was putting myself in his hands, that I liked everything and was particularly interested in what was different and special. I then remembered to say "Omakase," in very poor Japanese I am sure.

Soon after the young man had brought me my glass of ice water, the chef set two pieces of nigiri in front of me. "Bluefin and fluke," he said. I was happy right away. Instead of serving only pairs of items, most of the time I was given one piece of two different nigiri. It was also nice that he was speaking English to me. Made me feel more welcome:
All of the sushi was served to me on this tray with gari (natural color, of course) on the side. There was like a mini teapot with shoyu that poured a thin stream into a small bowl. No wasabi:

As soon as I began chewing the hirame, I understood why there was no wasabi available. It was spiced perfectly – the strong wasabi flavor burst in my mouth and complemented the mildly flavored flatfish perfectly. The maguro had a deep and full tuna flavor with just a light hint of wasabi in the background. It was a good start.

Next came "amberjack and sea bream":

I was happy already. I don't recall ever encountering these before (at least not by those names). As I put each piece into my mouth, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the taste. The bream was both meaty and fishy – if that makes any sense. In a pleasant contrast, the amberjack was rich and creamy, suggesting hamachi, but with a more sophisticated and subtle flavor. Like many items that evening, the taste lingered in my mouth for a long time. I was smiling. "Very rich; better than hamachi," Kotani-san said to me, and I nodded in agreement.

Next up were salmon and Spanish mackerel:

Because of where I was sitting, I did not get to watch the chef's preparation, but he seems to have cut into the aji and stuffed it with sliced green onion. I don't normally think of scallion as a major flavor ingredient, but it was a perfect match with the fish and contributed much to the overall result.

The sake didn't look like anything special, certainly not as fatty as what I have been served at Sakura and Sushi Yaro. Nonetheless, it was still very rich and the flavor intensity pleased my palate. The finish was long and lingering. I have no idea how Kotani-san can make ordinary looking salmon taste so good.

By this point in the meal, the little restaurant was filling up. The seven reserved prime seats were filled with what seemed to be Japanese salarymen. Two of the small tables were full and the two chairs to my left were occupied by a younger couple who seemed more American and artsy – though he grew up in Tokyo, she in Hokkaido. You can see my empty seat next to her at the bar:

Around this time, I decided some sake – no beer being available – would be a nice complement to the meal, so I ordered the second least expensive bottle on the menu, Kikuizumi ($26.50 for 350 ml):

The back label of the bottle gives the English name for the chilled rice wine, "Fountains of Joy," and describes the flavor, "Silky and elegant at first sip, then a touch of peach and muscat at mid range, concluding with a soft and lingering finish." My thoughts exactly :-). It was a fountain of joy full of complex flavors. I even preferred it to the small glass of more expensive sake offered me by the couple on my left.

At about this time, the next two pieces of sushi arrived,"Crab and something like scallop but not really scallop from Japan":

I have no memory of ever being served what was virtually an entire crab leg as sushi. To be honest, I'm impressed when a sushiya serves shreds of real crab in a California roll. The flavor of the crab leg was somewhat like Dungeness, being firm and sweet, but not as stringy in texture.

The who-knows-what-it-is from Japan was unique. While the texture was somewhat reminiscent of a toothsome scallop, the flavor was like neither scallop nor clam. Instead, the seafood had deep underlying tones that suggested earthy loam. Like nothing I have ever put in my mouth before.

Now came the tuna belly and the yellowjack:

Again the chef was playing with contrasts and similarities. The yellow Jack was firm and rich and complex with a touch of fishy tang in the background. The toro was all about rich, smooth, buttery flavors. And like many other items that evening, the taste stretched out over my tongue and lingered there.

Fresh sweet shrimp was next. After Kotani-san selected one for my sushi, its compatriot decided it was time for a jailbreak, but got no further than the tamago:

Being so gigantic, the ama ebi became two pieces:

Unlike much ama ebi, this was fully packed with shrimp flavors. The firm texture made it chewy as well, a texture almost like lobster. Very good.

Shortly, the shrimp's head arrived, light, salty, and crunchy:

By this point I was getting full and my palate was almost exhausted from focusing on such complex, unusual, and interesting flavors. But the nice couple on my left said that my visit would not be complete without having some of Shirahama's famous raw octopus sushi.

It was served beside a piece of kohada (gizzard shad):

The shad was excellent with a depth of fishy flavor that filled my mouth until I washed my palate with some sake. The nama tako was amazing. The texture was both firm and soft and the flavors were clean, moist, clear, and octopussy. Words escape me and my notes at this point are hard to read.

The last item I was served was sea urchin:

Ooops, no picture, I'll blame that on the sake. Or on my memory. Or both.

I am so used to San Diego uni that I was surprised and pleased by what I was served this evening. It was darker and less granulated in appearance than what I am used to. It was also less moist, like a thick custard, but the flavor of the uni was deeply concentrated and long-lasting, the texture dense and smooth. A wonderful conclusion to the meal.

As you can probably tell, I had a truly fine experience at Shirahama. Even though I was the only customer that evening who could not speak Japanese, I was treated well by the itamae and his assistant. Some people at yelp complain about the decor and ambience at the restaurant, but the understated interior and the Japanese music in the background seemed appropriate and met all of my requirements. There were no distractions. I go to art galleries to look, to sushi bars to eat.

Honestly, I think it would be a waste to come here with a group to discuss business or politics. This was food that begged for my full attention and rewarded my concentration.

So, if you have some extra money sitting around and want to have real Japanese sushi in a Japanese environment, this place is for you. Sometimes that is just what I want, and I hope to return — next time I'm in San Diego and have some extra money sitting around.

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

Real Sushi Porn: Getting Some at Sushi Yaro

May 28, 2011 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

It's summer, so ed (from Yuma) has time to share a meal with you. In San Diego. Back on March 31. Kirk and Cathy will blog again for you soon.

There are several reasons for the title of this post. I have done picture centered posts with similar titles on sushi at Sakura and at Sammy Sushi (RIP). Kirk tells me those posts still get a lot of hits (along with Lolita's Tacos), particularly from people who do not seem especially interested in the San Diego food scene. Second, I find sushi sexy and beautiful to look at. Third, I forgot to take notes on the wonderful meal that I ate, so this post depends upon some pictures and my incomplete memories of the food. The final reason is the last picture in the post is XXX or at least RRR rated. Proceed at your own risque.

I began my meal by ordering a large bottle of Orion, a pleasant beer from Okinawa that I had never encountered before:
Now that we have a beer, let me provide some background to my visit. Stuck in the desert, I had not had good sushi for months and months. You can't always get what you want, like Mick says, but can always get what you need – and I needed lots of excellent raw seafood real bad. Imagine my delight when this large clamshell packed with chunks of fresh aoyagi arrived in front of me:

I can't recall the last time I was served so much clammy goodness all at once. The texture was not chewy, crunchy, or soft — like goldilocks' perfect porridge, it was just right.

That clam should give you a hint as to why I was at SushiYaro and not some other purveyor. The seafood available is always carefully selected and often truly outstanding. After all, Sammy (of Sammy Sushi fame) is the itamae. I have enjoyed his sushi since I first encountered him back at Katzra, when I didn't even know his name. He has always served me good quality fish. Such as this maguro:

And this (hamachi???):
And this hirame:

I also must confess that I sometimes I am in the mood for the atmosphere at the sushi bars that Sammy has run. Nobody would confuse SushiYaro with a Japanese museum. Sometimes it gets loud, and people are encouraged to have fun. Sammy is happy to turn his television onto a World Cup game or, as on the evening of March 31, the opening game of the major league baseball season.

And what could be better than drinking beer, watching baseball, and eating such wonderful things as aji (Spanish mackerel) or fresh oysters?:

The Spanish mackerel was sweet, fresh, and rich. The oysters had a touch of ponzu sauce and a contrastive crunch of masago (or is that tobiko?).

Speaking of crunch, what possibly could be more crunchy and tasty than the head of a sweet shrimp (ama ebi)?:

To me, it seems paradoxical that sushi bars always serve the tail of a sweet shrimp before its head. So for this post, I've arranged the ami ebu pictures in anatomical, not chronological, order:
This particular sushi feast was particularly excellent because I had warned Sammy that I was going to be there and that I was interested in some of the real good stuff. So several things that evening were truly special. Look at this salmon belly:
Completely creamy. Butterly unctuous. Divinely delicious.

Toward the middle of the meal, I was served miso soup with clams. The clams were a nice addition (and I think Sammy knows I love clams), and the miso broth was intense with pronounced dark miso flavors:
One of my really favorite dishes of the evening was the kuzunoko (herring roe):

I had never had this presentation where the mass of crunchy herring roe is attached to a thin slice of saba (mackerel). The mackerel adds a fishy oceany flavor to the wonderful texture of the roe.

Similarly, the ankimo (monkfish liver) on this evening lived up to its reputation as Japanese foie gras. I don't know where or how Sammy procured this, but I've certainly never had better – and usually have had much worse. This was rich and smooth, mildly flavored and very lightly seasoned (with mirin?):

To be honest, I don't know how I could keep eating, but I did – everything tasted so good. The mirugai (giant clam) was fresh, crunchy, and clammy:

It reminded me the the meal had started with the large clam sashimi, and it also reminded me of those good old days when giant clam was so inexpensive that it was standard in most six or eight piece sushi combinations. Which reminds me that I am getting old.

At this point, to cleanse my palate, Sammy gave me some Japanese pickles (tsukemono). Though both were pickles, the two types had contrasting flavor and texture profiles. Together they were tart and refreshing:
And then my meal finished with the perfect dessert, uni:

Looking back over my pictures, I can't believe I ate so much sushi. And it was an exceptional meal. While I have had some outstanding sashimi and sushi at Sakura and Kaito, for my palate at least, this was as good a sushi feast as I have had in San Diego. The only negative thing I remember from the evening was that the Dodgers won. And that certainly wasn't Sammy's fault.

As I was finishing up – and enjoying a small glass of cold sake – I watched as Sammy made the most unusual sushi roll I have ever seen. It was true sushi porn (move the kids away from the computer screen NOW). So if you are in a basement in Bratislava scrolling through this post looking for pornography, here it is:
"What you call it?" I asked. "It's a WTF roll," Sammy said, and that seems appropriate.

Sushi Yaro, 7905 Engineer Rd # C (where Sammy Sushi used to be), San Diego, CA 92111-1930, (858) 560-1782, cell (858) 442-0212. www.sushiyaro.com

Sometimes it’s all in the timing……..

February 22, 2011 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Both Tarttoria Firenze and Sushi Yaro have closed

It's kinda late…..so just something quick for tonight. Sometimes, it's all about getting just what you wanted.

I was pretty bushed the other evening, the Missus was working, and I needed to stop by Henry's on Genesee to pick up some stuff. I decided to stop by Trattoria Firenze, first thinking of some pizza, but not wanting anything too heavy, ordered the Italian Sub. Being just $5.75, I really didn't expect much. I ordered, did my shopping, and picked up the sandwich on my way back to the car……

It was still warm when I made it home. The simple white paper……didn't look like anything much…..

It was nicely toasted…… I'm not so much into over-stuffed sandwiches, so the slices of salami, pepperoni, cappacola, and ham did nicely by me. The crust was nicely toasted and crusty…. Italian Dressing didn't over-power anything…..

But there was something a bit more to this…. I opened up the sandwich, and sniffed…. the sandwich had a mild buttery-garlic flavor….. they had used garlic bread spread! It was just what I wanted; nothing really heavy, but something with flavor……

I have a couple of funny observations about the place, but I'll save that for another day…..

Trattoria Firenze
4421 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Here's my tenth million photo of sashimi from Sushi Yaro…….

When the Missus is working evenings, I'll often just pop by, get some sashimi and gohan (rice), and that'll do it for me……

On this evening, just as I was finishing my sashimi, another plate came out.

Knowing your Itamae has its benefits. Sam thought he had something special on his hands, and wanted to make sure I had it. These were two huge amaebi….enough for a meal in itself.

The shell around the head was a bit too thick to eat; but everything else was fair game…..

Especially this:

Both amaebi were full of eggs! Talk about delici-yoso!

Sam told me that every one of these he had on hand were full off eggs, and I was lucky to have come in that evening…. too bad the Missus wasn't here, She would have gone to town.

Sometimes it all works out….. you're in the right place at the right time! I'm sure you've had those moments, right?

Monday Meanderings

January 24, 2011 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

Yes, I've been hacked:

My email that is. Sorry to say that I think everyone on my contact list was sent high volume spam from my email address. I've hopefully corrected that. On the good side; it was really nice hearing from folks I hadn't heard from in a while. I just wish it was under better (and legit) circumstances. My apologies.

Meet my latest "toy":

For some reason I actually opened up and looked over the monthly adds for Marukai. I noticed that various Shichirin were on sale for the whole month. I decided that we needed a bit of an upgrade from our little Hida Konro. The one selling for forty bucks was a bit too large….

So I went with the one on sale for just under twenty bucks.

Marukai also has Binchotan on sale this month…. just be aware that the label says it's made in Myanmar. I know some folks are sensitive to that. I also thought that there were US trade sanctions against imports from Myanmar…. but maybe I'm wrong?

And just because I needed to include some food photos:

I'm including photos of our New Years Eve dinner(s). You know where, right?

Some Revisits: Noble Chef, Yum Cha Cafe, and Hong Kong BBQ

January 16, 2011 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Here are a couple of revisits.

Noble Chef:

It's pretty much inevitable when I get to know someone, that one of the first items for discussion would be, "have anything good to eat lately". And such is the case with my Dry-Cleaner Lady, with whom I've shared recommendations and opinions over the years. One recent discussion was over Noble Chef. We both are of the opinion that many of the dishes were executed better before the previous owners retired. Although we both thought that as time passed the food there is getting better. The Dry Cleaner Lady told me that although the broth was pretty weak, the Hu Tieu with Shrimp Balls were pretty good. So during the recent rain and cold I decided to drop by and grab a bowl of Hu Tieu with Beef and Shrimp Balls:

And yes, the broth was decidedly bland, in need of help from the sweet-soy and other condiments. I'm used to a mild pork flavor broth for my Hu tieu soups…. this had almost no flavor. The Beef Meatballs were fairly "squeaky", and were also pretty weak. Those shrimp balls did have a nice shrimp flavor and were quite tender.

The rice noodles were prepared well, slippery with a mild chew to them.

Overall an ok bowl, but I don't think I'll be having this again due to the really watery broth.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111
(858)278-8688

More posts on Noble Chef can be found here, here, and here.

Yum Cha Cafe's cheapo 3 item BBQ Combo:

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

On a recent jaunt to Thuan Phat Market to pick up some vegetables the Missus wanted for dinner, I decided to check out what was going on at Yum Cha Cafe. I think things have slowed down a bit, so now there's all manner of specials going on. One caught my attention right away.

Granted, as I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of Yum Cha's Roast Duck. But 3 meats and rice for under five bucks? You know I just had to try it out. As the various meat was pulled and chopped I was surprised that it seemed like a good amount of protein. And the box seemed to weight at least two pounds. Not along the lines of Tita's in terms of insurmountable food, but the styrofoam box seemed quite hefty.

Opening the box up, it looked like there was a head on collision of Chinese BBQ that fell on a mattress of rice. After playing a bit of Chinese BBQ CSI, I could make out what was what.

The best item was the roast chicken which was very moist and tender., even the white meat sections:

It had a nice mild lemon grass flavor.

The Roast Duck was also moist, fairly meaty, but lacking in flavor.

The skin was on the rubbery side. Overall, this was better than what I had before, but still not even close to top-notch.

The worst item overall was the BBQ Pork, tough and bland are not good when it comes to Char Siu.

The best item overall were the pickled vegetables, which were good, if on the sweet side. So could I recommend this? Well, if you were really hungry and had only five bucks………this could be two meals.

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Roast Duck from Hong Kong BBQ and Dim Sum:

If you've read my previous post on this place you'll know that I've been less than pleased with what I've had here. But after a recent less than satisfying meal from Song Huong, I wandered through Vinh Hung Market and walked pass the Chinese BBQ, and the Roast Duck looked pretty good, so I decided to buy me half a duck.

Which ended up being pretty good, much better than what I've had before.

So perhaps I'll return to try some other items in the future.

Hong Kong BBQ & Dim Sum
10550 Camino Ruiz(Inside of Vinh Hung Market)
San Diego, CA 92126

Postscript: With the left-over duck, I decided to make something. You see, I was still fuming from spending fifty bucks for a mediocre Peking Duck meal at Duck House in Monterey Park. I was especially disappointed in the stir-fried duck meat with bean sprouts which had no flavor at all. When I mentioned this to the Missus, She called me out and asked, "could you do better"…….

Which is why I made this with the leftovers.

I used my 55,000 BTU Big Kahuna to revive and crisp up the duck meat. Added the bean sprouts, which if you've just bought a high BTU wok stove, is a great way to learn to use it. Flavored at the end with duck drippings and premium soy sauce……

Compared to this: