The Sushi Thread
 

Sushi has been brought up a few times in the Ask El Diablo thread and other places, and of course there were suggestions that it be a thread of its own. Clearly that's the case.

Here are some initial points to discuss:

All you can eat/buffet-style vs. a la carte

The all-you-can-eat option is fairly popular among mid-tier sushi restaurants both in L.A. and Vegas, but usually not in the highest class ones for obvious reasons. AYCE is attractive if the price is right -- namely for example Todai at the Aladdin, which is a Japanese buffet for $16.95 lunch & $25 dinner.

The downside is I end up eating too much and feel fairly ill afterwards, when the rice is expanding in my stomach. I tend to eat more nigiri and fewer cut rolls in these situations.

A la carte can be less expensive and less filling, but I don't think sushi is a cuisine you eat in order to stuff yourself. This is why it's the best option, especially because it's all you have at the nicer places like Sushi Roku and Katana, etc.

Nigiri vs. cut rolls

A balanced sushi meal for me means a nice combination of nigiri sushi and cut rolls. For some reason, specific fish taste better as sashimi while others taste better in roll form. I don't know why this is. A typical order for me will be:

yellowtail sushi
albacore sushi
spicy tuna roll
california roll
salmon roll

I like my spicy tuna & california rolls to have the seaweed on the inside and rice as the outer layer, whereas I prefer the salmon rolls to be the opposite. I think this is standard, but I've seen exceptions.

Imitation crab rules

N/T

Wasabi & soy sauce

My routine here is to take a small portion of wasabi and put it in a clean dish, then pour low-sodium soy sauce over it, mixing it together with the chopsticks. I see a lot of people use too much wasabi, which usually overpowers the taste of the seafood and is generally a poor idea -- much like drowning your steak in tabasco sauce or ketchup. I also think the low-sodium presents a smoother soy sauce than the overpowering saltiness of the regular red-top version, which kills a lot of flavor, especially from milder sushi like imitation crab.

Drinks

For dinner I like alcohol, usually hot sake or Sapporo. Beer tends to go better with sushi IMO, though a very well-chosen sake, like the sampler at Katana in L.A., is quite appealing. Cold soda works well at lunch for me, even though Diet Coke + sushi isn't a very sophisticated match. For that, I choose to be unsophisticated.

I'd love to see this thread expand with far more issues than the ones I brought up.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

i can't add to this discussion as i've never once eaten sushi, but i do plan on rectifying this straight away and will read this with great interest.



to add to this... my primary reason for not eating sushi at all earlier in life was that i hated sea food. as i've gotten older i've recently discovered that my palette has matured a bit as well, and have since tried several different fish i hadnt previously, as well as shrimp, lobster, etc. i did not hate any of these things, but was kinda meh about all of them. is there any reason that i SHOULD try sushi if this is still the case?

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

For someone who's only experience with sushi has been some low-quality supermarket sushi that he didn't like at all, what kinds of things would people recommend as a gateway dish to the world of sushi?

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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For someone who's only experience with sushi has been some low-quality supermarket sushi that he didn't like at all, what kinds of things would people recommend as a gateway dish to the world of sushi?

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I was once like you.

The gateway for most people is the california roll. Its only fish content is imitation crab, which is just alaskan pollock. It tastes good and is buffered in the roll by the cucumber, avocado, and rice. At any reasonably well-reviewed sushi restaurant, it will be a fine dish.

The next dish people graduate to after the california roll is the spicy tuna roll. Just give it a shot, if the restaurant is any good you won't be disappointed.

Novices also like edamame as an appetizer (soybeans) and you usually can't go wrong there either.

If you're then feeling adventurous but still want something that isn't gross, try unagi (eel). It comes with a sweet syrupy eel sauce that is quite delicious. And the eel is warm, so it doesn't taste as raw as other sushi cuts.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Your wasabi and soy sauce technique is popular, but looked down up by sushi snobs. Or that's what I've read, anyway. I prefer to keep them separate, putting a small dab of wasabi on one face of the roll, and dip the other face in the soy sauce. Depending on the size of the roll I often use my hands to eat, not chopsticks.

I generally prefer sashimi to sushi.

kit,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conveyor_belt_sushi

This is a fun and interesting way to try out a bunch of different sushi. There's a pretty good one in Japantown in San Francisco. I'm not sure about other major cities.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conveyor_belt_sushi

This is a fun and interesting way to try out a bunch of different sushi. There's a pretty good one in Japantown in San Francisco. I'm not sure about other major cities.

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That looks like it could be fun, though I don't know whether they have one here (York, UK). Maybe instead some type of sushi buffet would work, though I always worry that the quality of the food isn't very good in a lot in buffet type places.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

I had a great roll recently. Mackerel (I love mackerel sashimi), ginger, scallions and apple. Really good. I would not have thought of the apple, but it really added something.

EDIT: In terms of general form, private joker and I are as one.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

I like spicy tuna but a lot of lower end places it can come out like cat food. I think your suggestions are good for novices, but I would question someone who called themself a sushi lover who went out and ordered a California roll, a spicy tuna roll, and a salmon roll.

100% agree on the low sodium soy sauce

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

There are two good conveyer belt sushi places in L.A., too. One is on Olympic and Sawtelle (I think it's called Daichan), the other is in Pasadena -- Afloat Sushi. Both are extremely cheap and tasty.

I should mention that sushi snobs (also the type who look down at people who use chopsticks, since many like to just use fingers) are often insufferable and I hope they don't permeate this thread too much. I'm just a guy who likes to go eat some sushi.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Generally I avoid the all-you-can-eat places because the worst thing ever is low-to-medium quality raw fish. Not that I think Todai or places like it are trying to poison me, but when you are running an all-you-can-eat place you have to make some compromises on quality in order to put out such a large quantity of food.

I try to find hole-in-the-wall, quiet, sit-down joints, and just order whatever sashimi combination is on the menu. My basic philosophy is that I am going to the joint to eat great raw fish, so there's no reason to mess up a good thing by adding rice.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Hi PJ,

I prefer not to do the all you can eat sushi, as you tend to end up eating way too much rice. I prefer Chirashi Sushi, which is basically nice size pieces of fish on top of rice, served in a bowl. It usually is offered for the same price as most of the all you can eat, but with more fish.

As for rolls, I prefer hand rolls to cut, as again, you tend to get more meat than rice.

I agree with lite soy sauce, and Hot Sake for winter months, sapporo for summer.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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There's a pretty good one in Japantown in San Francisco. I'm not sure about other major cities.

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I used to live two blocks away and wander down there for a quick bite. The noodle shop in Japantown is pretty good too.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

i think the key to mixing wasabi/soy sauce is to make sure you end up with a paste consistency, rather than soy sauce with clumps of wasabi, this will ensure that all of your dips are consistent and delicious...

place yoru desired amount of wasabi in clean dish, add a small amount of soy sauce, mix until you have a very thick paste, add a small amount of soy sauce, mix again...continue adding small amounts of soy sauce until you get the desired consistency/strength...enjoy...

this takes longer than normal, but is definitely worth it...

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

everything sushi is my neighborhood of eating.

one difference from joker is a like spicy mayo on the side and in large quantities on my rolls and ponsue sauce on my nigiri. great thread! if you're in boston Jaes is the best for sushi i think and now i can't help it... going to get sushi.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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I should mention that sushi snobs (also the type who look down at people who use chopsticks, since many like to just use fingers) are often insufferable and I hope they don't permeate this thread too much. I'm just a guy who likes to go eat some sushi.

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Dont take my comment about your choice of rolls as snobbery, I just think that there's soooo much variety out there and good sushi chefs are doing so much with crazy different flavors that it seems silly to stick to the blander choices of rolls.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Unagi is very palatable, as it tastes something like teriyaki fish on rice. I don't know if that's the best way to ease into raw fish though, since, well... it's not raw fish. I think regular tuna is a good starter since it's pretty neutral tasting. Go to a half-decent sushi place and the tuna won't smell fishy. Yellow tail would be okay too.

Sushi is awesome -- just don't get weirded out by the texture of the raw fish and you'll be all right.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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Its only fish content is imitation crab, which is just alaskan pollock.

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Some brands (usually the ones from Japan) use bream or croaker.

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And the eel is warm, so it doesn't taste as raw as other sushi cuts.

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It also doesn't taste raw because it is always cooked [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Other cooked items that might seem safer to people who don't want to venture too far afield include shrimp, which is also almost always cooked. Most places will also have rolls that feature tempura cooked items.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

thirddan,

That seems like WAY too much wasabi. Really thick? It seems like the wasabi would completely dominate.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

listen, the rule for soy sauce is NOT really the ratio, make that to your own test. but please, everybody start using 1/3 the amount of each you are currently using. your soy sauce mixture should NOT be covering the entire bottom of the sauce tray.

also, never leave your chopsticks sticking in any food (this is only done for diseased) NOR hand food chopstick to chopstick between people. it is the same as dumping food from your spoon onto someone elses food.

lastly, get some money, go to a NICE sushi bar and literally just let the chef make you things for a night. the biggest deal for sushi is to get to know your chef well, you will begin to see real dividends. when you are being given special cuts (tuna gills, $100/piece) just for your friendship you will be happy.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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Dont take my comment about your choice of rolls as snobbery, I just think that there's soooo much variety out there and good sushi chefs are doing so much with crazy different flavors that it seems silly to stick to the blander choices of rolls.

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This is true, and if a place offers a good spider roll (soft shell crab) or something then I'm all about it. It just depends on the place -- each one has their own specialty, etc. I just go with those bland ones as a default, especially since I eat so much sushi at mid-tier places (I love the stuff and I can't afford to eat at really nice places often enough to satiate my appetite) and need to have go-to, trustworthy rolls. It's hard to mess up a spicy tuna roll.

As for cooked fish, like the above poster mentioned, some places will do a cooked albacore on top of a california roll, and that's fairly great. I don't like tempura.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

bbq freshwater eel rolls are delish as well, really got me into sushi.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

The best sushi tip I ever got was from the older hostess at Maneki, Seattle's oldest and (IMO) best sushi restaurant. She pointed out that most people dip their sushi in soy rice side down and put it in their mouth fish side up. That means the first taste experience is that of soy and rice, by no means the superstars of sushi eating.

One addition re: AYCE. In my experience, the reason to go is only convenience. I can go to a more quality place sushi restaurant and order, say $20 worth of food, and be full. So, for me, almost all sushi is AYCE, because I don't like to eat much more than the cost of an AYCE place, even when I go to a menu-oriented sushi place. I would venture a guess that this is true for a lot of people. But if I am in more of a hurry I will try them.

KJS

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

I'm a sushi snob, so keep that in mind when reading this...

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All you can eat/buffet-style vs. a la carte


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I don't think there exists on earth an AYCE sushi place that's worth going to. I've tried a few, but end up just eating California Rolls because it's pretty hard to screw up fake crab meat and avacado. Definitely stay away from the spicy tuna rolls at a place like this, as it tends to be low grade/not fresh fish, made spicy so you can't tell the difference.

A la carte is the only way to go.

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Nigiri vs. cut rolls


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I'm not a big fan of cut rolls...if you're at a place that serves a lot of fancy cut rolls, it's almost a guarantee that the nigiri won't be any good. They're trying to appeal to the people who mostly eat sushi because it's popular, not because they actually like the taste of raw fish. If I'm at one of those places, then I will eat cut rolls, because usually they'll taste decent with all the fancy sauces and stuff...not really sushi, though, IMO.

Nigiri is the way to go, though hand rolls can also be very good...I love a good blue crab hand roll, for example.

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Wasabi & soy sauce


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I agree that the low sodium soy sauce is better. As for Wasabi, you're really not supposed to add it to the soy sauce...I think it really takes away from the flavor of whatever you're eating. Of course, at many sushi places, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

A couple other things I should mention:

At a good place, Omakase (chef's choice) is the way to go...you'll be sure to get all the best stuff that way. Also, if you want to get the best treatment you generally have to become a regular somewhere...most sushi chefs tend to give preferential treatment to their regulars.

To the OP, there are a lot of great places in LA you should try, though it would require a change from your normal routine (they typically don't serve California Rolls, Spicy Tuna rolls, etc.). Sushi Zo, Sasabune, Echigo, Nozawa, Sushi Gen...the pinnacle is Urasawa, though not everyone is willing to drop that kind of cash on dinner.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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thirddan,

That seems like WAY too much wasabi. Really thick? It seems like the wasabi would completely dominate.

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it will of course depend on personal taste...i said that the first pass should be thick to prevent people from overdoing the soy sauce which causes the clumping...you don't ahve to use a lot of wasabi as long as you end up with a nice consistency in the mix so that each dip gets wasabi and soy sauce...which is unlikely to happen if you don't mix them well...it will of course become less thick each time you add soy sauce...

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

pj,

Sushi Groove South is my favorite and most regular sushi joint in SF. It is a nice place, but not extravagant. Kind of a chill SF vibe, a little on the dark side, a little bit romantic, DJ spinning, etc. They have great fish and a lot of tasty rolls, but most of the rolls are not super complicated.

Blowfish Sushi is another place I go to a fair amount. This is more of a party atmosphere. Blaring music on weekends and crazy anime on the TVs. Hot bar scene too. They also have incredible fish. They have some more intricate rolls, really delicious.

Sakana is a no-frills cheaper place that is excellent. Nice and clean, but definitely not the high-end ambience of the two above. The real focus here is on the fish rather than rolls. Usually I'll just focus on some nigiri and some sashimi here, maybe we get one spider roll.

Ace Wasabi and Tokyo GoGo. These are Marina and Mission versions of the same place. Very good, both a little sceney. But excellent. Ace is often too crowded to deal with. Tokyo GoGo is pretty easy to get into. Tokyo GoGo does these special sashimi trio plates which sound good but are not really that great imo. I'd stick with all the great sashimi, nigiri, and rolls.

Ebisu is a more traditional place out near the park, 9th and Irving or something. Very good stuff, again more focus on the fish as opposed to tons of complicated rolls, but everything is very good here.

Kyo-Ya. This is a really expensive place South of Market in the Palace hotel. Great stuff, but super pricey. Lots of Japanese businessmen go here.

Ozumo. This is a sorta pricey place South of Market near the Ferry Building. It has a pretty cool bar and a great happy hour w/ sushi and drink specials. They also focus more on having lots of hot food as well. Highly recommended, but a little on the expensive side.

Mas Sake. This is a party atmosphere sushi place on Lombard. Way too loud and the service is so-so, but there are alwyas lots of cute chicks there. They do an all-you-can-eat sushi night here which actually features really good fish. I find the place a little annoying though.

Nama. This is my neighborhood sushi place. Unfortunately, I think it kinda sucks. The fish is not as good as the other places listed. They are great at frying sh*t up, though. Great tempura and great unhealthy rolls with fried up tempura and spicy sauces. They have multiple sections of various permutations of special spicy/crunchy/tempura rolls. That's all I eat when I go here, not really sushi.

OK, that's the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. I've probably been to at least 10 more sushi places in SF, likely more.

When going with one other person, we usually get 4 orders of nigiri and 3 rolls. Standard would be one order shiro maguro (albacore tuna, prob my favorite and often almost as good as the way pricier toro), one sake (salmon), one hamachi, and one unagi (eel) or maguro (tuna) or whatever else. For rolls, usually one fried roll like a spider roll. One spicy roll like a dynamite roll or spicy tuna. And one other roll, often something a little unique. Usually start w/ miso soup and seaweed salad, sometimes some edamame. Sometimes replace some of the rolls or nigiri w/ some sashimi. Sometimes we'll get a couple more nigiri and rolls. Tea, beer, and/or sake, depending on the mood. At Sushi Groove South, this runs $35-45 depending on what we have to drink and whether or not we have dessert. Sushi is really an incredible bargain compared to other nice meals out.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Diablo,

Kaygetsu in Menlo Park is the best sushi in the Bay Area. Trust me. Unfortunately, it's been discovered and now you need reservations 2 weeks+ in advance. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Sushi Groove South is fun and good, though.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Something I've always wondered about, in relation to what I mentioned earlier in the thread.

Do the high end/trendy sushi restaurants in Japan do crazy things with their rolls the way we do in America (ie non-traditional ingredients) or do they keep things traditional over there?

I'm also curious about what people's favorite non-traditional rolls are. Most of mine involve jalapenos because I love spicy food but I can't think of anything great I've had recently.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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Unagi is very palatable, as it tastes something like teriyaki fish on rice. I don't know if that's the best way to ease into raw fish though, since, well... it's not raw fish. I think regular tuna is a good starter since it's pretty neutral tasting. Go to a half-decent sushi place and the tuna won't smell fishy. Yellow tail would be okay too.

Sushi is awesome -- just don't get weirded out by the texture of the raw fish and you'll be all right.

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Where should I go to eat Sushi near Irvine? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I went to that place at the block...or whatever it's called in Orange....that was good but I dno wtf I'm doin'....

Yugoslav

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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To the OP, there are a lot of great places in LA you should try, though it would require a change from your normal routine (they typically don't serve California Rolls, Spicy Tuna rolls, etc.). Sushi Zo, Sasabune, Echigo, Nozawa, Sushi Gen...the pinnacle is Urasawa, though not everyone is willing to drop that kind of cash on dinner.

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Nice list - I would add Asanebo (Studio City) and just went to and enjoyed Sushi Go 55 (Downtown).

I generally prefer sashimi to sushi. Because of this, the quality of the fish is pretty important for me.

Of sashimi cuts, O-Toro >>> Chu-Toro >> Yellowtail > Maguro is my line. O-Toro is very expensive but I am a huge fan (the blocks they sell at say Mitsuwa market can be good also, and much cheaper option to just buy and cut at home).

I do like rolls (say a tempura roll or something) every now and then, though I believe sushi purists shy away from this stuff? For good hand / cut / lots of moving parts / atraditional rolls, I like Katsu-ya (Studio City).

-Al

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Diablo,

I look forward to convincing my sister to go to Sakana with me with this Saturday. Thanks for the recommendations.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

My favorite places for sushi in Los Angeles:

1. Saito's Sushi - In a sketchy strip mall at the corner of Fountain and Sunset in Silverlake/Los Feliz. It's a tiny hole in the wall with two employees, but has the freshest, simplest sushi in a neighborhood atmosphere. This is not a place to go for your fancy rolls with all manner of stuff in them. Favorite dishes: albacore salad, spanish mackeral sushi, snapper sushi, spicy tuna hand roll, toro sushi.

2. Sushi Nozawa on Ventura in Studio City (I think). Also knows as the "Sushi Nazi". When you sit at the bar, don't ask for a menu or you'll be told to go sit at a table (where you also shouldn't ask for a menu, but you won't get booted). Instead, just take what he gives you and be glad. Also, Nozawa is a proponent of the commandment "SUSHI ONE BITE". This means you put the whole piece of sushi into your mouth at once. He's adamant about this. Also a pretty simple affair like Saito's. Strangely, not open on weekends. Favorite dishes: whatever he gives you.

3. Katsu-ya (3 locations). I list this only because I'm often forced to go with my wife, who is physically addicted to the baked crab roll. This is a distinct departure from my top #2, in that Katsu-ya is famous for it's more creative dishes like the baked crab roll, tuna with jalapeno on crispy rice, etc. You need to make reservations a couple of weeks in advance and will probably still wait for your table. I called last Tuesday to get a table for two Saturday night and they laughed at me. I'm bitching because it's such a scene, but the food is delicious.

On the sake discussion, hot sake tastes like medicine water to me. I go with cold unfiltered sake and I'm very happy with it.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Sucker,

Have you been to Sushi Ran in Sausalito? If so, how would you compare the two places? Sushi Ran is pretty damn good.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

All,

Hot sake? No. Gross.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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I also think the low-sodium presents a smoother soy sauce than the overpowering saltiness of the regular red-top version, which kills a lot of flavor, especially from milder sushi like imitation crab.

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One thing that I tend to when eating nigiri is to turn the fish sideways and try to dip just the fish in the soy sauce, not the rice. The rice side will absorb the sauce too quickly, so by dipping the fish side the piece won't taste too salty. There's something I find really off-putting about low sodium soy sauce.

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For dinner I like alcohol, usually hot sake or Sapporo

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Not to be a snob (although this is 2p2, right?), but usually only low-quality sake is served hot - serving drinks hot or chilled usually masks some of the taste (think about why good scotch is never served chilled). You might want to try a more expensive sake that is served at room temp or a little cold. A good "starter" type of sake is nigori - it's unfiltered and looks milky, and it's always served cold. It's sweeter (and something of a girly drink for those in the know), but it's pretty tasty. My current favorite type is junmai, which has a dryer and more complex taste, but can sometimes be pretty expensive. (junmai and nigori are types, not brands - think porter or ipa).

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lastly, get some money, go to a NICE sushi bar and literally just let the chef make you things for a night.

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Yes, do this - it's awesome. It's called Omikase - you basically pay a fixed price and the chef makes you interesting things all night, usually based on what's fresh and good that day. The times I've done it it was a mix of different things - some of it was traditional nigiri and maki rolls, but also a bunch of other good stuff like seaweed salad or tako yaki (octopus balls).

For those in the seattle area, there's an awesome place in West Seattle called Mashiko. Their omikase is like ~$40 / person and was really, really awesome.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

Some reviews of Los Angeles area sushi places I already posted in OOT:

Katana, Sushi Sushi, Zip Fusion, Boss, and Matsuhisa
Koi

Obviously Koi isn't the most legitimate sushi restaurant, but the sushi was actually pretty good, the non-sushi offerings were very good, and it was filled with some of the most ridiculously attractive girls I'd ever seen. Holla!

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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Drinks

For dinner I like alcohol, usually hot sake or Sapporo.

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What? No tea?

Also; thoughts on appetizers? Sometimes I like some edamame, and sometimes my gentleman courter gets sunomono, but usually you have to save room for maximum sushi intake.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

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Sucker,

Have you been to Sushi Ran in Sausalito? If so, how would you compare the two places? Sushi Ran is pretty damn good

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Haven't been to Sushi Ran, but I'm willing to take Kaygetsu up against anywhere blind. It truly is divine. I'll tell you what - sometime soon you come down my way for sushi and then we get cigars and drink Zacapa 23 year rum at the Cuban joint. If you think the other place is better, then I'll come up there and we'll do it up.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

PJ, I pretty much agree with you on all the points you made. There's a Todai in NYC, and whenever I'm in the mood for all-you-can-eat sushi, I head there.

In terms of eating at local Japanese restaurants, I tend to have two or three rolls along with two or three pieces of nigiri. On the nigiri side, I generally get a piece of unagi and a piece of salmon. Can't get enough of either of those. At least for my palate, salmon + wasabi and soy sauce = heaven.

It seems to me that while rolls are generally the way to go when ordering sushi, sometimes there's just so much going on inside that you can't fully appreciate the flavors of the individual players. When reading the menu sometimes, I can't help but feeling that they just try to stuff as much fish and other things into rolls as possible so as to have the "super deluxe" roll that of course has the premium price tag associated with it; the "more is better" mentality.

As far as appetizers go, I'm a big gyoza and shumai fan. These are probably the popular choices along with edamame. Can anyone recommend particularly good sake to go with dinner? I'm much more of a beer person myself, but I'm always looking to try something new.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

joker

since i was a kid my favorite has been the conveyor belt sushi joints. in japanese they are called "kuru kuru (koo roo koo roo)" sushi. kuru kuru basically means around-around. i enjoy these places because it is great for competition in seeing who can stack their plates the highest.

stuffing myself silly with sushi is one of my favorite hobbies. i can also enjoy eating sushi in small portions as well but i prefer eating lots whether it is AYCE or just a la carte.

Re: The Sushi Thread
 

I'll add this, having lived in Japan for a little over a year, sushi is merely OK in the states for the most part. Even the sushi-go-rounds (Daichan, or on a conveyor belt) are great there.

I still have managed to find a couple of places in my area that serve very good sushi, but nothing beats getting it in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and many of the smaller villages even. So yeah, I guess in a way, I am a snob about sushi, but not really.

~Rich