Dining out: Why L.A. is America’s sushi capital
“Los Angeles is the best sushi town in America,” said Bill Addison in the Los Angeles Times. In fact, “we have cultivated one of the world’s most fervent sushi cultures,” with a history benchmarked by the 1970s arrival of the California roll, a late-1980s luxury push spearheaded by two Beverly Hills hot spots, and the current ongoing multiplication of world-class omakase practitioners. Each of the chefs below is engaged in a shared art: “a dance between honoring the cuisine’s origins, nudging Angelenos’ ever-evolving tastes forward, and trusting in one’s self-expression.” Morihiro Morihiro Onodera remains “a defining force” in L.A.’s sushi culture, and at his warmly boisterous sushi-ya, the counter is the place to be. “Nigiri is spectacular when it begins arriving from Onodera’s hands,” each piece a dazzling mix of superior seafood and “meticulously” vinegared rice. Meanwhile, sake sommelier Seiichi Daimo “pours the most compelling pairings of any sushi bar in L.A.” 3133 Glendale Blvd.
Sushi Kaneyoshi Onodera acolyte Yoshiyuki Inoue has been performing a star turn of his own since opening this elegant basement dining room in Little Tokyo three years ago. At $300 per person, “this is sushi for connoisseurs,” with the highlights including the savory custard chawanmushi laced with cherrywood-smoked skipjack tuna and hairy crab. 250 1st St., B1
Sushi I-Naba A drive to Torrance is warranted if you can score a reservation at Yasuhiro Hirano’s year-old six-seat counter. “Delicate dishes begin the meal: ankimo (monkfish liver) prepared two ways, perhaps, or a stunning cross-section of futo maki (a thick roll) layered with sardines and pickled ginger.” The soba noodles in a cool uni broth tease the generous globs of sea urchin soon to come. 20920 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance