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.

JT Schmid's - Tustin

A lunch and dinner later, this is what I've summed it up as. (Cheesecake Factory + BJ's Brewhouse) - (cheesecakes galore + deep dish pizza) + (spacious parking + outdoor fire pit) = JT Schmid's at The District. A two location mini-chain, I've never been inclined to stop by the one near the Pond/Angel Stadium. Only one person has ever mentioned it to me. I had no opinion whatsoever. Then I found it so convenient to the homefront it was, as George McFly would say, density. Visit number one was last month, right before the lunchtime rush. We are ushered to the side dining room. Away from the bar, we are able to carry on a casual conversation over the din of the flat screens. We relaxed into our suede-like booths with croc textured leatheresque seats. I am pleased by the breadth of their menu. I ask our server to guide us through the most popular selections. He decides on a salad/sandwich combo, while I salivate over their mac and cheese (which is nowhere to be found online). Our platters arrive, and we break from our chat to satiate ourselves . His simple yet satisfying meal includes a Caesar plus half a chicken sandwich. My pasta incorporates radiatore, chicken, tomato, parmesan, bechamel, and bacon. Mmmmm....bacon. It was a hearty meal indeed. As we wrap up, I notice the tables around us filling up. My most recent visit was this afternoon. Having just driven 400 miles (ok, he drove), we weren't in the mood to stray far from home. From the rental place, I motor us over there in about five minutes. It's about 4:15 and again, few tables are occupied. However, it's rather early to be eating dinner. This time we are tucked into a massive booth with a landscape view of the main dining area. I have a great peoplewatching vantage point, and we are beneath an engaging ESPN competition of World's Strongest Man. Vicki is our server, and she mistakes Jack's two beverage requests as ordering for both of us. I can see how that can be interpreted, but I think it's the first time it's actually acted upon. She walks away while I take the opportunity to scan the drink list. Besides the beer and wine options, I spot the strawberry lemonade he ordered plus a regular and decaf iced tea (or was that regular?). Tea isn't normally listed like that, so I'm slightly thrown off. We tend to order differently than most. There's his choice, my choice, and our choice. We order 1.5 meals between the two of us. 'Our' choice is something we are both leaning towards, but can't quite commit an entire entree to. His choice is the honey almond chicken. My choice is the barbecue chopped salad, and our choice is the buffalo burger. We can't wait. The Muzak overhead bellows out U2, Kelly Clarkson, and other pop standards. My Arnold Palmer and his strawberry lemonade arrive but taste rather bland. Turns out the lemonade is running thin, and Vicki not only replaces but comps our drinks. In addition, she slides across some bread plates for rolls and butter. As our entrees arrive, we jump in with gusto. My salad features field greens, feta, and tortilla strips (the one at BJ's includes black beans, romaine, jicama, and mozzarella) and has a larger chop. This particular blend of ingredients goes well with the BBQ/ranch blend. His tempura battered and honey coated pieces are sprinkled with slivered nuts. I believe his exact words were "It's like the orange chicken at Cheesecake, only better". Our buffalo was cooked medium, as requested. But you know, in hindsight I don't recall tasting the jack cheese nor the roasted red pepper mayo. He concurred. The sweet potato fries that accompanied were nice, but I am still loyal to the ones newly discovered at The Counter in Irvine (with horseradish mayo, please). Vicki made a point of checking in with us periodically, but when we were ready to pay the cheque, she was nowhere to be found. We learned later that a crash of glass heard earlier was a beer mishap that ended up on her uniform. It was just one of those days, I suppose. I wouldn't hesitate to go back here again, for the menu is agreeable and the accessibility very driver-friendly. It's a nice change of pace when claim jumping, factory hopping, and deep dishing just aren't cutting it. JT Schmid's Restaurant and Brewery 2415 Park Avenue 714.258.0333 (you can also book on OpenTable.com) http://www.jtschmids.com/

Kobe Teppan &Sushi

Before I start, I should probably say that I'm one of those guys who thinks that teppanyaki is comfort food. I wouldn't say I exactly grew up on Benihana, but I'll say that I started young there, and enjoyed every dinner over the years. Yeah, the food isn't the absolute best I've had, it's not the best tenderloin, not the best shrimp, not even the best chicken fried rice, but it's consistently the same: pretty good, easy on the digestion, and it seems to hit a spot that other restaurants just don't. Yeah, I'm a closet teppanyaki fan. And I'm also a fan of consistency- every meal the way I expect it to be, whether the locations or the years change. But if I'm a closet teppan guy, I'm proud to advertise my love of Kobe beef. I ate, in Kobe, during the whole prion scare, because I figured my odds are good, and, how often does one find oneself in Kobe anyway? So I wanted to like Kobe Teppan & Sushi. I really did. I even dredged up my 'ol dad's tale about teppanyaki is not a 200-year old tradition of Japanese cooking, in fact it's not really Japanese at all. It was fusion before there was fusion- a combination of American diner'esque grillmastery, seafood and meat, and an Asian flair and flavor. The way my dad put it, he said, "the Japanese were impressed with the American style grills, and brought them back to Japan. After they developed teppanyaki, they brought it back here." Combining Kobe beef (even if it's really just the Snake River Wagyu stuff, rather than meat imported from the source), should've made for one fine meal. But maybe here's where the whole Benihana exposure runs to their detriment. Every detail appeared calculated to be Benihana-esque, without hitting exactly the right note. Like they were a drug company working to hit the same receptor, but having to change the formula just enough to avoid a patent dispute. Now, under most circumstances, I'd jump to combine these two. And then I'd look to see where I was gonna land. But the price for "Kobe" over tenderloin was pretty much a doubling of the price. Combine that with a bit of spidey-sense tingling, and I went tenderloin for the evening. Which turned out to be a good bet (just because it would have been unwise to double-down on my 10 with an Ace showing, on what turned out to ultimately be a losing hand anyway). The soup wasn't piping hot, and it wasn't particularly flavorful. The salad, mainly icebergs and a nondescript thousand island type dressing, was lackluster. The "chicken fried rice" was so fried-rice and non-chicken that the couple next to me actually asked for a refund of the chicken fried rice on their receipt, seeing as how they were totally unaware that they'd actually eaten any. For the record, there were indeed tiny portions of chicken that I detected because I was really, really looking for them, and so I paid that part of the bill, even though I was really tempted to just jump in and say, "yeah, us too!" As for the main course- As Randy might say, "that was only okay for me." The spectacle was reasonably done, with the knives, and the big wooden salt shakers and the catching of the shrimp tails. The kids probably couldn't tell the difference. But for me, and here's how I sum up the place: I went to Benihana not long thereafter, to remind myself what the "real thing" was like. 13741 Newport Ave Tustin, CA 92780 (714) 544-4055

The District at Tustin Legacy - "the list"

For those of you wondering what ONE MILLION square feet of shoppertainment space gives you, I've got the tenant directory! But since this is about food, I'm cutting to the chase. * Ben & Jerry's * Bluewater Grill * Chaparosa Grill - www.chaparosagrill.com like in Laguna Niguel? * Chick-Fil-A - what is this, a revolution?! * Costco - chicken bake! * Daphne's Greek Cafe * Go Roma - related to www.goroma.com * In-N-Out * Johnny Rockets * JT Schmid's - www.jtschmids.com like in Anaheim? * Juice It Up * Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ - great, another place to make parking impossible! * Panera Bread * Peet's Coffee * Quiznos Sub * RA Sushi - www.rasushi.com (start dancing to track 1 off the site) * Red Brick Pizza * Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory * Sharky's Wood Fired Mexican Grill - like at Quail Hill * Tacone - www.tacone.com - closer than Fashion Island * The Winery - a steakhouse! * Thai Bamboo - like at Quail Hill? * The Cravery - visit the one off Sand Canyon/Irvine Center Drive if you love pot pies * Whole Foods Market - featuring a full chef's kitchen http://homepage.mac.com/bobsertich/NewTenants906.pdf Props to ULTA for finally bringing a location close to my home. It's my new Sephora alternative. I think we need to have a group outing as the more unique concepts decide to open. Anyone in?

What the heck is going on?

Two weeks ago Thai Nakorn burned to a pile of ashes. Then ChristianZ reports Cathay Newport closes, and Chubbypanda witnesses Red Onion's final night. Now the same week that Rasa Malaysia breaks the news that New Shanghai is going to fold, Professor Salt says that Crescent City has shuttered its doors. Today, I find out that Farmer Boys in Tustin is history as well. All the signs ripped from the exterior walls. There's a big crane poised to install a new one for a new place. Yes, it was part of an inland empire chain, but its Fish and Fries were the best around, offered at an affordable price point. Breakfast there was always a treat: crisp hash browns, crispier bacon, and eggs exactly as you ask. What's next?

Save Our Faves 2007 - Zon Baguettes

The recent spate of restaurants folding, reported on this blog and others, has got me worried about one of my favorite local banh mi joints. Nestled on a relatively busy stretch of Newport Blvd. in Tustin, Zon Baguettes isn't yet on the endangered list, but the fact that it just recently raised its prices is surely not a good sign. Their base level models now run at around $3 with tax. One wouldn't have blinked if this was a Quiznos or a Blimpies, but a Vietnamese sandwich? $3? Really? That could spring for two in Little Saigon But I'm here to say, give them a chance (in the spirit of Chubbypanda's Save Our Faves 2007 Meme), because even at $3 or even $4, their Xiu Mai banh mi is worth it. Good crusty bread, stuffed with a saucy, meatloafy concoction, some pickled veggies and a sliver of cucumber. It'll fill you up. It'll make you happy. And if you're an Irvinite like me, it'll save you the gas it takes to drive to Westminster after a hard-day at the office. Zon Baguettes 714)731-1366 14081 Newport Ave. Tustin, CA 92780 For the meme, I'll be tagging: - Nguyen from Oh-So Yummy - Deb from Dinner at Six - Henry from Henry Chan's Food Adventures - Sarah from The Delicious Life - Kirk from mmm-yoso

Maki-Zushi's Ceases Their 20% Dinner Discount

Maki-Zushi in Tustin, a joint that I've been frequenting over the last few months, has finally ceased offering their 20% off dinner offer. During the time of the discount, I saw their clientele grow, most of whom, like yours truly, couldn't believe their good fortune in finding an inexpensive sushi place. Now, at my last visit, at prime dinner hours on a Friday night, they were practically deserted. Their sushi is still good at the regular price, but I have to admit, it was better when I knew I was paying less. But it looks like I know where the extra money is going: They now use white linens on their tables. To read my previous post on it, CLICK HERE. Maki-Zushi (714)259-0783 1641 Edinger Ave #101 Tustin, CA 92780