Top 10 Sushi Restaurants in South OC [Updated]

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. Update March 26, 2010: Dropped Ayame due to change in head chef. Added Ohshima in Orange. 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. [Added March 26, 2010] Ohshima, Orange. In the grand tradition of bland strip-mall exteriors leading to another world on the other side of the noren, this small sushi bar with a few tables is not much larger than Shibucho. Sit at the bar, and peruse the specials board and read about an amazing variety of fresh fish you will not often find elsewhere. Some of them you will, and some of them have interesting translations into English that will seem unfamiliar. However, the fish is wonderful, and the chef's take is a unique blend of the traditional and the modern. 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. [Dropped March 28, 2010. Moved from 8 to 7 on April 1, 2009] 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. 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.

The Whole Pita -- Greek Island Grille

I originally tried Greek Island Grille -- also called The Whole Pita on its web site -- based on an online review by local food fan OC Mutt (thanks!), and everyone I've brought there since then has liked it. So I thought it was high time to include a review of it on the OC Food Blogs. The restaurant is run by a Greek family, and they serve basic, authentic Greek dishes. Which means this is not a good restaurant for someone allergic to cheese, or who doesn't like garlic, or who insists on fancy plating. If you're still with me, read on... The restaurant is hidden in Yet Another Uninspired Strip Mall, but once inside, the place is cozy and homey and casual. It reminds me of the restaurants I've been to in Greece that catered to the locals, and not the "fancied up" ones designed to bring in the tourists. They have seating outside, but the decor inside is so charming -- at least, considering that they're in a strip mall -- that I like sitting inside. They have a couple of TVs (which I normally hate), but they only show beautiful photos of Greece, which helps rather than distracts from the decor. The photos are so beautiful that some of our friends, who had only been to Athens (which is great in its own way, but not exactly teeming with natural beauty), were wonder-struck and began talking about another trip to see the more rural parts of the country. First, to demystify the process: Pick your own table. You can grab a menu to look over your choices while your other friends arrive, but eventually you have to go to the counter, order, and pay. (Don't forget to tip the nice servers while you're there.) You get your own fountain drinks, but they bring you everything else. Each dish comes out as soon as it's ready, which can be a little chaotic with a large group, but hey, you're at a Greek restaurant: relax and go with the flow. The service is quick and everyone there is very, very nice. For first-timers, or anyone with a larger group, I'd suggest the Greek Island Variety Platter. It comes with hummus, melitzanosalata, dolmades, pita bread, tzadziki, spanokopita, feta cheese, and some olives. The only odd thing is that it comes with three dolmades, three pieces of spanokopita, and three pieces of feta. Which is perfect if you have exactly three people. Which we never do. Ah, well. My favorite of these appetizers is the melitzanosalata, which is an eggplant "salad" but is a far cry from the babaganouj I've tried and mostly disliked: the chunks of eggplant are juicy rather than slimy, roasted to give a wonderful smoky flavor. It's also chunky, mixed in with garlic, parsley, onions, and bits of roasted red pepper. The hummus is good too, and also chunky; it has just the right amount of garlic and herbs, with tiny bits of what look like tomato but are actually roasted red pepper. I like the tzadziki too: it's sufficiently tart and garlicky. I'd normally put more cucumber in mine, but I eat theirs with zero complaints. I love the pita bread here -- it's thick and soft on the inside and just a bit crispy on the outside, usually still warm from the oven, and sprinkled with a bit of cheese and herbs. The problem with the platter is that it doesn't come with enough pita bread for the sheer volume of dips; no problem, get another basket of delicious pita bread for 92 cents. Heck get two or three more baskets and take some home (it tastes almost as good the next day warmed up in the toaster oven). The dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) are very simple, as they contain nothing but rice and herbs, but they have a pleasant vinegary flavor to them and a nice bite. I'm known to be especially picky about my dolmades, and these aren't my favorite style, but I happily eat them when offered. The spanakopita was not as good this time as usual -- somewhat over-fried -- but that meant it was still good. Nothing spectacular, but then, it is supposed to be a simple dish. At the same time, how can you turn down fried filo with spinach and hot feta cheese inside? Okay, maybe you can, but I can't. The platter comes with Greek olives. I only started eating olives at all a few years ago, and it turns out that I still don't like Kalamata olives. But my dining companions this evening (one of whom is Greek and therefore automatically an olive expert) assured me that these were authentic tasting Kalamata olives. Now, if you were going to eat a reasonable amount of food, you might share the platter between two people, add a salad or cup of soup, and call that a fine meal. I've never managed to restrain myself that well here, but I thought I'd put it out there, just in case. This time I ordered the bifteki "pita bundle", which is a sandwich so big that it's hard to figure out how to fit it in my mouth. Soft warm pita bread, with a pile of lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, red onions, and herbs, and hiding somewhere on the bottom a hamburger's worth of beef, all topped with tzatziki sauce. Bifteki is described as "savory beef sausage" on the menu, which is a bit confusing, because it's ground beef patty, mixed with herbs. The beef was beefy and juicy: so juicy that halfway through eating the sandwich, the juices had soaked through the pita and compromised its integrity: I had to eat the rest of it with a fork and knife. This would have been easier if the sandwiches were served on plates, like the other dishes, instead of in paper-lined baskets. I can also vouch for the chicken souvlaki, which I think is my favorite so far. The marinade and grilling process locks in the juiciness of the chicken and adds extra spice -- and it doesn't soak through the pita when you order it as a sandwich. Although I ordered the pita bundle as a separate item ($4.95), you can also add $3 to add two side dishes, such as salad, or "Pappou's island fries". I've had the fries many times, although not on this particular trip. They're hard for me to resist: a medium cut, not very skinny and not very fat, so they're somewhat crispy on the outside and soft inside, with a generous dusting of herbs and Parmesan cheese. Another good option is a Taverna platter, which comes with two meats and a bunch of sides. Nobody ordered one the night I had my camera, unfortunately. It's a lot of food for $11. The Greek Village Salad is tasty: fresh-tasting, with big chunks of tomato and cucumber, and a decent balsamic vinegar dressing. Another side dish option is the "chicken rice lemoni" soup. However, the diners who tried it agreed that it wasn't "lemoni" enough. One diner didn't like it, the other really liked it. I didn't taste it, so I can't chime in. The lamb stew is a classic: lamb, tomatoes, onions, wine, herbs, all stewed until the lamb is perfectly tender -- and here's the clincher -- by someone else, who spent a lot longer on it than you felt like devoting to cooking that evening. I forgot to get a taste until after I was already satiated and the stew was no longer especially hot, and even so it tasted good. The rice was red, infused with tomato sauce. The rice comes separately and the idea is to combine it into the stew (or vice versa?). As someone who limits my carbs I always appreciate being able to mix in only as much rice as I like. This was Carter's dish, and he said it was "fine". Those of you who know Carter understand what high praise this is. In fact, perhaps I only need say this on behalf of the restaurant: Carter went back not only a second time, but multiple times. Wow! (I have a long list of restaurants in Orange County where we have only been once because Carter's was "not impressed" and thus, why bother going back?) I confess I never even noticed they had salmon on the menu, so I thank my friend Wayne for "finding" it. The dish as pictured does not appear on the menu, so he must have done some substitutions. Note that the menu only offers "penne pasta" but what he got was clearly spaghetti. (Since I find spaghetti to be Highly Annoying to eat, receiving it when I'd ordered penne would be a sore point for me.) Anyway, the pasta looks pretty boring: just doused in a bit of oil with parmesan cheese on top. The vegetables are great, though. I didn't try the salmon, but Wayne said it was fabulous (and it smelled delicious from the next seat over). They have a small selection of table wines, including a Chardonnay, retsina, sometimes a Sauvignon blanc, and one or two red wines that I can't remember now. These are table wines, so don't expect much, but they go down perfectly smoothly with the casual atmosphere, and they're a good deal at only $4.95 per (generous) glass. A caveat about the retsina, which is a Greek white wine that is flavored with, yes, pine resin: I will not promise you that that will go down smoothly, as it is definitely an acquired taste. On the other hand, if you haven't tried it before, this is a fine chance to give it a whirl. They also have some bottled beers. I've never paid for dessert here, although they have it on the menu. Every time I've gone there for dinner, they wait until you're done eating and bring you dessert for free. Maybe I'm just that cute, or maybe they're just that nice and want to encourage you to come back. I'm betting on the latter. Most times we've gotten little bowls of tart yogurt drizzled with wonderfully sweet honey, with chopped walnuts on top. Wow, so simple and yet so divine. It prompted the Serbian friend to ask the Greek friend, "Why don't we do this in my country?!" I thought much the same thing: we should do this in my country a lot more often. Yum, yum, YUM. I always think I'm too full to eat another bite by the time they bring dessert out, and next thing you know, my bowl is empty. The last time we came we were brought a few dishes of baklava for dessert instead, which was also very good -- not too sickly sweet, as it can sometimes be. In other words, this may not be the fanciest place in town (ha!), but it's good, heart-warming food from beginning to end. A practical note: it's somewhat hard to find this restaurant among the many signs in this area, especially now during the center's renovations. So don't bother looking for a sign. Just trust me, and park in the lot across Sunflower from South Coast Plaza, in the same general parking lot area as Cost Plus World Market and Red Robin, but closer to the corner of Bristol. Then go into the strip mall on the corner; the Greek Island Grille is down the stairs on your right. Enjoy! The Whole Pita -- Greek Island Grille 3940 S. Bristol St Santa Ana, CA 714.708.3000

Philly's Best - Santa Ana

Hi! I’m new here. The name is DanGarion and I run Eat in OC. I just joined up with Orange County Food Blogs and for me there was no better place to do my first review of than my favorite place to eat on Saturdays as I waste them away alone, while my wife is at work. That’s why I bring you my review of the Philly’s Best, located in Santa Ana on Tustin. Now I know the first thing you are going to do is groan and say, "This guy is going to review a run of the mill fast food chain!" But hear me out, this place has good food. I’d never eaten at Philly’s Best until I moved to Santa Ana, two years ago. I’d had cheesesteaks throughout the years and always enjoyed them, but I didn’t fall in love with them till I ordered my first one here almost 2 year ago. Today I ordered a cheesesteak along with an order of onion rings. The wait was about 10 minutes, which isn’t that bad since they do make your food to order. The cheesesteak was piping hot when it got to my table; I actually had to wait a minute to let it cool off. One thing I’ve been happy with is the consistency from visit to visit with the taste and freshness of my food. Another thing I like is that the meat isn’t too juicy so it doesn’t drain all out into the bread; I’ve had issues with the bread becoming soggy from other places I’d ordered cheesesteaks from. The onion rings are good, but only in small quantities. They have a very different flavor than most people are used to because of the beer batter. My only problem with them (which is why I usually only ingest small quantities) is that they tend to give me indigestion, but it’s usually worth it. Normally they only have ranch dressing for the rings, but they actually had BBQ sauce as well today. Overall my meal didn’t disappoint and let me more than satisfied. Other items on the menu include chicken cheesesteak, hamburgers, and various toppings for your cheesesteak. They also have some various Philadelphia famous drinks, chips, and pastries. Now on to a couple other observations I’ve made throughout the two years I’ve been patronizing this specific Philly’s Best. There is a note for their employees that any uniformed police and fire employees get half off their meal, I thought that’s pretty cool that a business has that type of policy. They also have specials during USC Football, Philadelphia Eagles Football, and Angels Baseball games. For the USC games they have $5.00 cheesesteaks and $1.00 Bud and Bud Light. During Angels games they have $1.00 Bud and Bud Light. I’m not a fan of Budweiser so it doesn’t bring me in, but I’m sure that it attracts some business. Lastly I’ve only gone to one other Philly’s Best, it was located in West Garden Grove, and it just didn’t seem the same while I ate my sandwich, there was just a different vibe compared to the Santa Ana location, so your miles may vary at other locations. Philly's Best 1804 N Tustin Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 543-3311

Pop's Cafe - Santa Ana

I was off on a Friday. Impossible! Unheard of! That can only mean one thing. I'm going to BREAKFAST!! Yeah, that opportunity is rare. So I planned on seizing the morning and running full speed with it. I've read about this place briefly. I don't normally head North to satiate my hunger. This was something new and exciting. The only other place I've been to in this city was Ye Olde Ship, and that was excellent in a completely different way. Pop's wasn't close to the freeway. It took a cruising thru neighborhoods to reach this destination. Fortunately, there was accessible metered parking right out front. Score. I mosey on over to find them not hurting for business. Tables were stationed out front with clusters enjoying the weather, while chatter went on inside. I grabbed a seat at the counter (my favorite place ~ quicker service IMO). As I leaned forward to snatch a menu from its holder, I took the whole thing with me. The metal flew to the floor with a clang. So much for being cool. Friendly face number one walked over to me and said that "it happens all the time". I sheepishly smile and bury my face in the selections. I really wanted to be healthy today, but I've heard raves about the deep fried French toast. What is a gal to do? I confer with Friendly face number two. She understands my dilemma, but makes a point of asking if I'm sure I want the deep fried, "most people can't handle that". I assure her that I'm not most people. So it's settled. One gourmet omelet delite with a substitution of toast with a half order of deep fried French toast. I sip my apple juice and sit back. A portable radio is set to an oldies station. My eyes start to wander around the space. I spy a small but impressive Coca Cola memorabilia collection perched on a high shelf. There were glass bottles from other contries, plus some nifty novelties as well. It's a small space, but they make good use of it. My meal has arrived. Two plates are set before me. One has the best veggie omelet I've had in quite a while. Sauteed mushrooms, cheese, tomato, avocado, sprouts, and sour cream all fight for my attention. I can't help but make room for its neighbor of Irish Potatoes (hash browns with bell pepper and onion mixed in). Simply wonderful. And then there's the OTHER plate. Two slices of the richest, crispiest, artery-clogging toast a person could imagine. And syrup for dipping. I feel full just thinking about it. I dig in with gusto. The servers compliment me on my bold choice and eating capabilities. It's all a blur. I try to shift plates around when other lone diners seat themselves next to me, but it's a bit of a challenge. I check my watch to make sure the meter is still running. Ok, there's still another 15 minutes left. I start to slow down. In the end, I might've left some hash browns, but that toast was toast. Excellent service from beginning to end. About $15 after tax and a sizeable tip. Oh, and on my way out...I thought I spotted another dining room!? Kinda like a place in Belmont Shore I've dined at. Guess it's not so unusual after all. Pop's Cafe 112 East 9th Street Santa Ana 714.543.2772 (no website available)

Bangkok Taste

This is qiuckly becoming my favorite place to eat. These days if I don't eat at Bangkok Taste at least once a week, then something seems amiss. Located in a strip mall in Santa Ana, Bangkok Taste has consistenly churned out fabulous Thai dishes such as Larb and Pad Thai. Their curries are also excellent, their Yellow Curry with Chicken and Potatoes is still my favorite. If you manage to save a little room for dessert I'd recommend the Sticky Rice with Mango, which is one of my favorite desserts and I'm not even particularly fond of mangos. When you pop in be sure to checkout what their daily specials are, as they are usually not on the menu. Also make sure to not order your dishes extra spicy unless you're positive you can handle it, otherwise you'll be drinking water by the gallon. Bangkok Taste is located at: 2737 N Grand Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 532-2216