Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Cool! Someone from Serious Eats came to my blog! I am very honored! I like the Sushi Pack. Wish they would show them in Norway too. Or online. Thanks for linking to me. :)

This summer I spent a month in Los Angeles, and one of my goals was trying out as many sushi places as I could. We ended up eating a lot of sushi... I did go for known favorites. I read up in advance on sushi websites like citysearch and chowhound.com to avoid having too much mediocre or just plain bad sushi. The funny thing was that I went to LA thinking I was mostly into fusion and modern sushi, while I actually turned out to be quite a traditionalist...

My favorite 5 (of the ones we went to!) were:
1) Asanebo - Studio City. Expensive, but fantastico!!!!
2) Sushi Gen - Little Tokyo. The real deal. Amazing food.
3) Sen Nari Sushi - Gardena. Also very proper Japanese.
4) Ike Sushi - Hollywood. Down to earth, "piss off if you want modern rolls" kind of place.
5) Sushi Go 55 - Little Tokyo. Very Japanese too.

Sushi in LA is expensive, you will have to expect to spend around $50 or more. But it is gooood.

The best place for sushi along the central coast of California is Akaoni in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is wonderful! This is a sushi bar in the classic Japanese style. The chef, Shinichi Yamada, was trained the traditional way in Japan and creates wonderful, delicious dishes with amazing skill. He buys his fish daily and never serves anything that isn't fresh. Beautifully prepared, I find the sushi and sashimi to be excellent. Shinichi’s sashimi presentations are something to see, especially the spanish mackerel.

He just recently got a some matsutake mushrooms from Big Sur and served them either in a delicious broth (served in a teapot) or as matsutake and uni tempura. Unfortunately, this mushroom is only available for one month out of the year. But this is an example of the love and dedication he puts into his food.

NW Mission and 6th
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Phone: (831) 620-1516

Kirara
33 Carmine St, New York 10014
Btwn Bleecker & Bedford St
Phone: 212-741-2123

If I was forced to choose one food I had to eat everyday, it would be sushi. Been going to Kirara on and off for many years. Like most places, the food quality is inconsistent. But recently, it got good again. I definitely recommend giving it a try.

Ed, you can get a great sushi dinner for under $50. Geido in Brooklyn (331 Flatbush Ave, near 7th Ave) is every bit as good as Blue Ribbon, albeit with a slightly narrower selection. But the quality (especially on the weekends, when Osamu is heading the bar) is as good as anywhere, and the atmosphere is right up your alley. Ok, it's no Masa or Jewel Bako, but a great restaurant that you can go to again and again. The standard for a regular is someone who has been coming every week for 10+ years.
I hate to make the line longer on the weekends, but it would be remiss of me not to stand up for the best sushi place in Brooklyn.... (let the battles begin)
Also, you seemed to have overlooked Tomoe, up the block from Blue Ribbon in the village. It's a little more bare bones than Blue Ribbon, but much cheaper and better fish. The service is more rushed, but I found more competent than at Blue Ribbon, where I have often had to wait forever for a server. Plus they have better specials. I still remember the tuna tartare with the quail egg.

Sorry forgot the phone numbers & comments.

Hiroshi Sushi (best) 926 NW 10th Avenue
Portland,OR
503 619-0580
Buri Belly - perfect marble & flavor (close yor eyes & smile) - everything tastes fresher than any sushi I've had yet. Wonderful presentation as well.

Murata
200 SW Market St #105
Portland, OR
503.227.0080
His salmon nigiri are the best out there (that i've had )

kim @ apizza scholls

-Don't forget that it's VERY easy to make your own Sushi. I buy some Nori [seaweed], Wasabi and pickled ginger from my Asian grocer and then roll my own Sushi with either Sushi-grade Ahi Tuna, cooked shrimp, steamed crab [or mix and match all of the above] and also include different veges [usually cucumber, avocado, carrot]. My favorite dipping sauce is Yoshida sauce...it's sooooooooooo good with some Wasabi mixed in and drizzled on a bite of Sushi. :)

There are some EXCELLENT Sushi lessons on Video Jug.