Sushi in America

[Mulboyne]

Luscious Fishy Food

Before the sushi, I love having miso soup eaten with those crazy soup spoons that look like giant spoon rests.

Leaving aside the idea of having the soup before the sushi, what spoon is she talking about?

[FG Lurker]

Luscious Fishy Food

Before the sushi, I love having miso soup eaten with those crazy soup spoons that look like giant spoon rests.

Leaving aside the idea of having the soup before the sushi, what spoon is she talking about?

I'd guess she is talking about the Chinese soup spoon, the one that Japanese seem to have decided is appropriate for eating yakimeshi:

[Charles]

Who drinks miso with a spoon?

I love clueless sushi fanatics who write things like this:
[quote="A Legume"]Edamame are green peas with coarse salt]
Aside from the fact that edamame are beans, not peas, I've never heard of anyone sucking the beans from the pod like that. Reminds me of the time I went into a sushi bar and some guy was chowing down edamame, husks and all.

[omae mona]

Who drinks miso with a spoon?

I love clueless sushi fanatics who write things like this:

Edamame are green peas with coarse salt]
Aside from the fact that edamame are beans, not peas, I've never heard of anyone sucking the beans from the pod like that. Reminds me of the time I went into a sushi bar and some guy was chowing down edamame, husks and all.

One of the newer trendy Japanese restaurants in New York is owned and run by a Swedish guy (why not? actually he's one of the city's celebrity chefs, so he can get away with anything). Last I heard they were charging $27 for edamame. I was thinking... if I were paying $27 for edamame, I think I might want to eat the husks, too.

[tetsujin gaijin]

I live in Los Angeles. We have so many sushi resturants you wouldn't believe it. If you drive along Ventura Blvd in the valley, there is a sushi joint every block for miles. I'm not kidding. There are more sushi places than McDonald's and Starbucks combined. So you can imagine we have tons of clueless sushi fanatics here. I watch them all the time trying to be cool by using the Japanese names for the various fish and mispronouncing them badly. They dip EVERYTHING in wasabi/shoyu, rice side down of course. Eat miso with a chinese spoon (shame on any returant that serves it that way). Don't have a clue what the differnce is between sushi and sashimi. And go on about how great the California rolls and the Spicy Tunu Rolls are.

[Charles]

I live in Los Angeles. We have so many sushi resturants you wouldn't believe it. If you drive along Ventura Blvd in the valley, there is a sushi joint every block for miles. I'm not kidding.

Yeah, I miss the good old days when I lived in LA during the 1980s, when sushi was still pretty much unknown, and all the sushi chefs were Japanese, not Korean or Chinese.

A couple years ago, a friend took me into one of those places in a mini-mall on Ventura Blvd somewhere around Encino, they served me sake with little flakes of gold leaf. I don't get the point of introducing indigestible cosmetic additions to the sake, it didn't impress me and it cost a lot (good thing I wasn't paying). I just asked for my favorite brand, Otokoyama, and they must have decided to give it special treatment. I was more impressed with being served sake from old Bizen-ware.

[Samurai_Jerk]

It ain't just Americans either. One of my Taiwanese students in Seattle said sushi was his favorite food but he hadn't had it since he'd come to the US. So we went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner one night. He filled his dipping plate to the rim with soy sauce then mixed in a load of wasabi. Of course he drown every piece of sushi and sashimi in it. All I could could think was this guys doesn't like sushi he likes soy sauce.

[ichigo partygirl]

So know what all you guys are on about. I live in a small city of about 120,000 people. There are 11 japanese (cough cough Korean cough) eating places here. and like 9 of them are within 5 minutes of each other. My lovely(but completly ignorant) friends go on and on about how much they love japanese(cough cough satay chicken sushi) food. Sigh its soo hard to get through to them that A) its not really japanese food, rather japanese inspired food B) japanese people eat more that sushi - actually they dont eat as much as we do C) your in for a shock if u go to japan.

Damn i cant wait to get me some good japanese food from some back street cafe that has like 4 things on the menu. yummy

[tetsujin gaijin]

The worst thing about sushi joints in LA is the uber-trendy sushi bars that cater to the Hollywood hipster set with prices to match. Two have opened recently and they are cringe inducing. One is called Blowfish and the other is Geisha House. They both feature Asian fusion type of sushi to appeal more to the American palate. This in itself isn't necessarily bad; in fact most of it is quite tasty. What's bad is that they try to pass it off as "authentic". But the worst thing is the atmosphere of these places.

Julian Lennon is one of the owners of Blowfish (I think there is one in SF too). It has plasma screens playing anime and anime cells on the wall in a very hip designer type space. The waitresses are cute and bubbly and try to speak Japanese and act like they're sushi experts. The only problem is they can't speak Japanese and clueless about sushi. It's all rather embarrassing.

One of Geisha House's investors is Ashton Kutcher. It has the anime plasma screens too, but also has girls walking around dressed as geishas. While you gawk at the geishas you can drink sake martinis. The atmosphere of the place is supposed to resemble/evoke the night life of Ginza. Wow, how exotic.

That being said, Los Angeles does have a great number of fantastic sushi bars that rival anything in Japan. In fact, I have some Japanese friends that claim they get better sushi here than they do back home. The only problem with LA is there are so many places and a lot of bad ones.

[bunchoffuckinggoofs]

According to a few Japanese people here in Vancouver, there are some good sashimi places. I went to one and I have to admit that it was pretty good, even compared to the better places I have been to in Japan, which shocked me. Much fresher than I thought it would be. Still, it's North America so I would rather go out for Greek or Italian food than worry about something like sushi. Besides, with all the mercury in tuna these days, I find it hard to watch people eating it regardless of the country I am in.

[ketchupkatsu]

I don't know if Honolulu is really that different from the rest of the US, but the Japanese restaurants here seem to be very true to those found in Japan.

It is true that you have some sushi places run by Chinese or Koreans. Those I try to avoid.

But there are many Japanese restaurants run by Japanese nationals. I know most of them say that they arrive in Hawaii to study English, but they somehow find a way to stay. In fact there was a case recently where a sushi restaurant was busted for bringing in undocumented workers from Japan.

[canman]

But aren't Edamame soy beans!!! That's what I was led to believe.

[ichigo partygirl]

But aren't Edamame soy beans!!! That's what I was led to believe.

http://www.edamame.com/

Edamame is a green vegetable soy bean, harvested at the peak of ripening just right before it reaches the hardened time. The word edamame means "Beans on Branches', grows in cluster on bush branched. To retains the freshness and natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick frozen. In the east asia soy bean has been used over two thousand yaers as a major protein food. Edamame is consumed as a snack, as a vegetable, an addition to soups or process into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water then the seeds are pushed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers.

[soulkraka]

The worst thing about sushi joints in LA is the uber-trendy sushi bars that cater to the Hollywood hipster set with prices to match. Two have opened recently and they are cringe inducing. One is called Blowfish and the other is Geisha House.

hahahaha...ya, I know that place! A friend of mine is a chef there. I agree, that place is more than a little obnoxious.

I also read your previous post about sushi bars in the valley(ventura blvd)...very true. most of those places suck. Have you tried Daichan though? Not a sushi bar, but good IMHO. By far the two best best sushi bars Ive been to in LA are both in west LA, Mori sushi and sushi tenn. do you know those places?

[tetsujin gaijin]

Have you tried Daichan though? Not a sushi bar, but good IMHO. By far the two best best sushi bars Ive been to in LA are both in west LA, Mori sushi and sushi tenn. do you know those places?

Daichan is great! Oishi desu ne! I haven't been to Mori, Sushi Tenn is pretty decent. I prefer Sushi Sasabune. It's my favorite.

[soulkraka]

sasabune ....ya I like that place as well. My friend yuko works there!!

Try mori...corner of pico and gateway....make sure to order "yu-dofu" if they have it.

Im thinking you might know me. do ever eat at sawtelle kitchen? Ive been working there for 5 years now and am the sole gaijin.

[AlbertSiegel]

mmmmmm...... BLT sushi... Best way to Americanize food is to add BLT to anything no matter what. Can't wait for BLT natto!

[tetsujin gaijin]

Im thinking you might know me. do ever eat at sawtelle kitchen? Ive been working there for 5 years now and am the sole gaijin.

I've never eaten at Sawtell Kitchen, buy now I'll have to try it and say hello. You should be easy to find.

Thanks for the tip on Mori

[omae mona]

[kamome]

Im thinking you might know me. do ever eat at sawtelle kitchen? Ive been working there for 5 years now and am the sole gaijin.

I've never eaten at Sawtell Kitchen, buy now I'll have to try it and say hello. You should be easy to find.

Thanks for the tip on Mori

I live in LA, too. I assume Sawtelle Kitchen is on Sawtelle? How close to Olympic?

The best sushi place in LA that I know is Hump, located at Santa Monica airport. I saw Phil Jackson eating there once when he was still coaching the Lakers.

[soulkraka]

I live in LA, too. I assume Sawtelle Kitchen is on Sawtelle? How close to Olympic?

3 blocks north...across the street from Giant Robot.

see ya there!