In the interest of inciting controversy, here is the Top 10 Sushi Restaurants in South OC. We're talking strictly on the quality of the sushi. And indeed, this list is based on purely objective, scientific criteria, and the relative rankings are inviolate. ;-)
However, if there is a restaurant missing, there is indeed the possibility that I haven't eaten there, although the likelier possibility is that it didn't make the cut. Sorry. [Update: And of course, thanks Zach for reminding me of a place that indeed was missing, but that I had eaten at. :-) ]
Update April 1, 2009: Dropped Bluefin due to declining quality, moved Ayame up for inventive omakase.
- Sushi Wasabi, Tustin. The king of them all down here. Yes, the restaurant is inexplicably closed for weeks at a time around major holidays in an unpredictable fashion. Yes, the restaurant is inexplicably closed at lunch well before the the posted closing time. But the quality of the fish is outstanding. The best we've had by a significant margin. The blue crab hand roll is sublime, with the crunch of the nori and creamy, but not too creamy filling next to the warm and lightly vinegary sushi rice. Right now is apparently ankimo (monkfish liver) season, which makes it especially tasty. You also don't want to miss the Kumamoto oysters, tiny oysters perched on columns of salt, served with ponzu sauce. These are the only oysters I'll eat. "Tuna from Japan ... Oysters from Seattle ... Uni from Santa Barbara" I can hear their voices in my dreams, sometimes. Then I know it's time to eat. My review, Elmo's.
- Ikko, Costa Mesa. Funky interior, with a signature of Hideki Matsui inset in the wall with its own lighting. The menu is as long as it is incomprehensible. Let the itamae serve you until you're full or broke, whichever comes first. Imaginative sushi, and in the times we've eaten there, never a wrong note, never a stray bit of gristle, never an off taste.
- Sushi Murasaki, Santa Ana. Dark horse contender. A neighborhood sushi joint, almost looks like the current ownership took it over from a failed sushi restaurant before, and barely remade anything of the interior. Where they do spend time and attention is on the quality of the fish. Kind of like a Matsuhisa-lite, with a focus on special sauces for each fish, and an affinity for the blowtorch. Don't even bother filling your soy sauce plate if you order the omakase. :-)
- Shibucho, Costa Mesa. Value king. Amazing prices for the quality in a tiny little postage stamp sized restaurant. Maybe it seats 20. Usually less, with little "Reserved" placards on the tables often taking up two of the (three?) tables. Family business, Shibutani-san, his son, and his wife serving large slabs of fresh fish. If you sit at a table and ask for omakase, it comes on a large plate all at once. Sit at the bar for that if you can. My review, Elmo's.
- [Dropped from 3 to 5 on April 1] Bluefin, Newport Coast. Takashi Abe demonstrating that you just can't make the dishes without him. Namesake "Abe" didn't survive his departure Bluefin is a smaller space, furnished in a modern style with a sushi bar that literally glows from within. If only they'd spent a little more on sound baffling. The raging egos of the customers cause name-dropping, n-figure dollar conversations to crash like waves on a pier, making this not the space for intimate conversation. However, the originality of his creations, and the beauty of the presentation are a sight to behold. Would be ranked higher if not for occasional inconsistency in quality of the fish, ranging from sublime to merely "good" on occasion. For the prices, fear of the occasional "good" drops Bluefin a notch. Unfortunately, inconsistency is starting to look like a pattern of diminishing returns. My review, Elmo's.
- [Added Feb 16] Maki-Zushi, Tustin. Indeed I forgot this restaurant, but had eaten there several times. Not recently though, and even now, I'm not ranking it as highly as the best of the fish served would otherwise indicate, and here's why: it's kind of Frankensteinian. I mean, there's the Live menu, which contains some of the best, and most far-flung sushi varieties you're likely to find anywhere, much less anywhere in OC. The razor clam and the fresh uni stand out especially in my mind. And then, there's what seems to be the menu for the rest of 'em, the plebes, including many of the bread and butter comfort food type sushi, like salmon, and tuna. These are occasionally dipping into kaiten-sushi quality, which is almost understandable, given the sushi chef's previous stint at Frying Fish, which is a long-lived restaurant in Little Tokyo. It's almost like Sakamoto-san was a bit fearful about losing any customers, and instead has a restaurant that caters to all of them, and yet not me, by extension. Because I usually want a sublime piece of salmon and yellowtail to go along with my exotic varieties. Elmo's review.
- [Moved from 8 to 7 on April 1] Ayame, Irvine. Our neighborhood place. It started off a bit rocky, being an outpost of Zipangu in the Lab at Costa Mesa, but has come into its own. Their $28 3-course omakase tends to come with a sashimi salad option, a full sized entree, and a dessert. Good value. Their $65 6-course omakase is a steal, usually costing much closer to $100 for the quality of the courses. They've expanded the kinds of fish they serve, and last time I ate there, I actually had a couple of fish I'd never heard of. Which rarely happens these days. Butterfly fish? Anyway, it tasted pretty good. Their amaebi (sweet shrimp) is often fresh, occasionally sitting in a little basket right by the sushi bar. Service at the tables is just as good as at the bar, and so it's convenient for eating with the kids. My review, Griffin's.
- Angotei, Costa Mesa. In the little strip mall that fronts Mitsuwa Marketplace. Another of the neighborhood type joints that just does sushi right. I visit fairly rarely, and on occasion get the feeling that this is another of the places where you're better off having "paid your dues", so to speak. When the sushi chefs know you, your service is a bit faster, and the fish is a bit better. This is generally true, but more so in some places than others.
- Koi-san, Orange. Classic sushi, a bit ponzu-happy, but on the whole quite good. At #9, we're talking more "good" than great, but it's a decent restaurant at a reasonable price. Not too crowded either, which is a plus for me.
- Hamamori, Costa Mesa. Okay, James Hamamori puts his best foot forward for his eponymous South Coast location. His best foot forward is basically a cut above his Wasa locations. I'd guess perhaps this is what his Wasa locations were like in the very beginning, perhaps. The ishiyaki beef is fragrant and tasty, and there are a few Sushi Treasures which are unique to this location, including copious amounts of caviar. The restaurant itself is beautiful, tall windows and bright lights, clean white decor. Costs are sky high, but occasionally good deals present themselves during restaurant weeks. My Restaurant Week review.
Wasa, Irvine. Maybe it's the sentimental favorite- I admit it's primarily nearby and convenient. The service is hit or miss, since they're perpetually understaffed, but during the week, the sushi can range from "good" to "pretty good". They also serve tempura ice cream, which gets them bonus points, and their shrimp tempura is also pretty good.
So there you have it. Let me know if I've missed anything- I'd love more than anything to push a few entries down the list. Hopefully I've listed a few that you haven't tried (Murasaki?), that you may enjoy.Labels: Costa Mesa, Irvine, Julian Hsu, Newport Coast, Santa Ana, Sushi, Tustin |
