Sushi Ran of Sausalito

Sushi enthusiasts of the Bay area need look no further than Sushi Ran, a posh gem in Sausalito that serves top-tier traditional Japanese sushi and Pacific cuisine. To feast here is to indulge all your senses—the pampering ambience relaxes you while the visual banquet entices. There’s lively chatter at the sushi bar, as well as on the wine bar and patio side of this joint.

Restaurateur Yoshi Tome, who has owned Sushi Ran since 1986, flies in freights of seldom-seen victuals from various parts of the globe, and is careful to serve only sustainable tuna. While a number of items hail from the world famous Tsukiji Market in Japan, this sushi bar also features selections from Canada, Hawaii, and even Tasmania, from which their Umi Masu (Ocean Trout) arrives.

Most of the chefs—and restaurant patrons—may likely suggest the Omakase Tasting, which for $39 per person includes seven varieties of nigiri culled by the chef, paired with umami soy. If you wish to choose your own sushi after the chef’s selections, you can order from the replete menu—or, ask the chef to continue to surprise you.

Newcomers take heed: the sushi here is priced per piece. The McFarland Trout may start at $5, but a single bite of the Miyazaki Wagyu beef chomps you out of $12.75. Both regular and fresh wasabi are offered: the fresh wasabi is automatically served with an omakase order, but if you want some extra, it’s $2.50 more.

My chef’s caprices on this busy weeknight led me to tastings of zuke chu toro, a “red wine cured medium fatty blue fin tuna,” brushed with sweet sake and soy sauce and then torched and splashed with lemon. The result? Heaven in a bite, a burst of flavors that reeled me in as it sent me over the edge. And that was followed by kasugodai, baby red snapper that according to the menu was “cured with bamboo leaf.”

The consistently soft melody played only slightly off-note with the introduction of the chewy, sinewy hobou, a sea robin served with kinome, or, according to the chef, “a type of prickly ash, a woody aromatic herb.” Albeit a little hard to masticate, the flavors abound in this one.

Then there was the tobiuo, or flying fish with umami tobiko, which drew me back into familiar waters, and then the tasty inada, or wild young yellowtail. The exotic kamasu (seared barracuda) kicked it up a notch, especially because it was coupled with a certain ginger called Myoga. And to wrap up the seven-part wonder, there was the ocean trout, from down under.

Oh, but I couldn’t help but request the Soft Shell Crawfish Roll, a soy-paper-wrapped delight I have never seen elsewhere. Served with a wedge of lime, along with umami tobiko, spicy crab, asparagus and shiso, this unique roll ensconces the red critters with their miniature claws pointed heavenward, as if a supplicating gesture…at least until you stuff an entire piece of the roll, softish claws notwithstanding, into your mouth.

Also from chef Taka Toshi’s menu, there is the top-selling Crunch Roll, which combines eel, avocado, tempura flakes, spicy crab, aonori powder and shrimp for $18.

On the other side of the menu, from the kitchen of executive chef Scott Whitman, there's the popular Vietnamese Shaking Beef, which melds sweet onions with tiger lily buds and a lime-pepper dipping sauce. And let’s not forget the oft-ordered Smoked Hamachi Tataki, which offers the refreshing ingredient of Ruby grapefruit, which is then contrasted with a yuzu black pepper sauce.

To guarantee seats at this sushi hotspot, it is advisable that you book about a week in advance.

Sushi Ran

107 Caledonia Street, Sausalito 
415-332-3620

It's Time for Some Shooters

Quail Egg Shooter at Kabuki

Viagra Shooter at Miyako Sushi

Oyster Shooter at EMC Seafood & Raw Bar

Oyster Shooter: Complete with Quail Egg,
Sea Urchin, Salmon Eggs, Chives, Shochu

Rainy Day? Shoot it!

What does one do on a rainy Sunday? There’s the usual for the hoi polloi: television, grocery shopping, chores. I decided to vanquish the commonplace and go on a tour of shooters.

Ask for a shooter in most sushi bars and they might not know what you mean. Ask for a shooter in certain—not necessarily high-end—restaurants, and the chef may ask you, “What kind, the Quail Egg Shooter or the Oyster Shooter?”

Although I am not an avid fan of the generic chain restaurant known as Kabuki, there are a few things the place does right, and one of them is offering relatively inexpensive dishes. Kabuki’s version of the Oyster Shooter, like most of their items, is passable and to the point: oyster served in a shot of spicy ponzu sauce, $4.50. Or, just “Shooter” for $1.75—quail egg in a shot of spicy ponzu sauce. Kabuki throws in masago, green onions, and red chili sauce, which is what makes their shooters spicy. And for some added flair: a light sprinkle of the airy, silky strands known as shaved bonito. The fact that the shooters here are alcohol-free may contribute to the low-cost factor (although, I am sure, you can ask the chef to customize it by adding alcohol or various other items).

Of course, there are some sushi restaurants that mix both the oyster and the quail egg in one shot, perhaps adding cold sake and sea urchin to it, then renaming it something quirky like Viagra Shooter, as does Miyako Sushi in Glendora.

Incidentally, Miyako Sushi is the only sushi bar I have seen that has such a specific shooter menu. If you want quail egg (uzura in Japanese) in it, it’s $2.95. For a shooter with oyster (kaki) inside, it’s $3.95. Upgrade to uni, also known as sea urchin, and it’s a $5.95 shot. The Viagra Shooter, which combines all three, costs $7.95. (Perhaps this one was appropriately named because oysters have long been thought to be an aphrodisiac food?)

I decided on the Viagra Shooter, and watched as the chef filled a stylish martini glass with sake, which was soon diluted by ponzu and a driblet of Sriracha sauce. He then tossed in the most popularly used garnishes for quail egg and oyster shooters: masago and green onions. After dropping in the seafood, he added a final touch: a slice of lemon, perched on the rim.

Shooters are fun. In my opinion they are sold as a novelty—in social gatherings, they often start as a dare among friends and end with peals of laughter. Does one shoot it and swallow the contents all at once, just like a shot? Or does one sip—because whoa, it might either be too spicy or strong in liquor flavor—while scooping the edible parts into one's mouth, so as to be able to chew the contents and actually enjoy the seafood essence?

I chose to sip, and then with my chopsticks, I plunged into the murky depths of the brown liquid to dredge up an oyster here, a piece of sea urchin there, feeling like a kid playing with her food while she eats. Finally there was nothing left but little green and orange floaty bits that swirled in the micro sea of spicy sake and sauce.

Although not a sushi restaurant, EMC Seafood & Raw Bar of Los Angeles introduces a bit of Asian fusion to some of their courses, and presents a pretty version of the Oyster Shooter. For $8, this one is plated rather nicely, and it’s up to you to add the ingredients, making it even more fun. Ponzu and Tabasco sauce arrive in a shot glass with shochu, a distilled Japanese beverage; and upon a bed of ice: a cracked-open speckled quail egg (so you get to see what it looks like before you plop in the mini yolk), an oyster on its half-shell laden with uni, salmon eggs, chives; a wedge of lemon. This is one shooter that is both tasty and fun to look at: seemingly lighter on the brown ponzu sauce, the see-through shot glass offers a clear glimpse at the heap of gooey ingredients like no shooter I’ve ever experienced. This is also the only place in which I've ever had an oyster and uni shooter followed by a plate of uni pasta, as if a chaser to my shot. 

In my research, I've seen variations in the components for the proverbial "Oyster Shooter," from Japanese ingredients like yamaimo and furikake, to more American flavorings such as horseradish, Worcestershire and cocktail sauce. Some recipes even call for vodka in place of sake or shochu—that is, if you desire to include any alcohol at all. The only limit, it seems, is one's imagination.

Kabuki
3539 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena
626-351-8963

Miyako Sushi

1836 E. Route 66, Glendora

626-914-2890

EMC Seafood & Raw Bar

3500 W. 6^th Street, Los Angeles

213-351-9988

Go's Mart is Sushi Divinity

Kimme Tai, Triggerfish, Kelp Halibut, John Dory

Regular Toro, Kawagishi Toro, Bluefin    

Shirako (Fish Sperm) 

Seared Shrimp, Japanese Shrimp (Gunkan-Style)
with Truffle, Santa Barbara Uni, Live Scallop

Seared Octopus, Baby Abalone, Giant Clam

Lobster Sushi with Truffle

Don't Pass Up "Go's Mart"

You’d never guess it from its exterior or its name, but Go’s Mart of Canoga Park is actually where one dies and goes to Sushi Heaven. Although it’s quite literally a hole in the wall—tucked in a strip mall on Sherman Way between a pizza joint and a massage parlor—it’s where Chef Go executes sushi wizardry with finesse; you start to feel as though you’re on another planet as Go serves the freshest and most unusual fish (flown in weekly from the renowned Tsukiji fish market), topping them off with premium seasonings—from sea salt to truffle oil and caviar, even decorative flakes of gold.

“No soy sauce,” he commands contemptuously as he serves his artistically, beautifully rendered Omakase (Chef’s choice) creations. “Already very salty.” For those who dare to defy him, a small jug of soy sauce does sit in front of you on the sushi bar.

The journey via Chef’s Choice may begin with a platter of various whitefish (he instructs that the order in which to enjoy the nigiri is from right to left; you’ll notice that there is an ascending order from lightest to boldest flavors). My plate of whitefish featured Kimme Tai, Triggerfish topped with Triggerfish liver, Kelp Halibut and John Dory.

Reminiscent of the style in which Chef Mori of Mori Sushi serves various tuna, Chef Go may then present a plate of Bluefin, Kawagishi Toro, and Regular Toro, although Go's style is to add many a flavorful flourish on top.

The most unusual item I encountered was Shirako, or as Go explains it, "Fish Organs." (I later learned that Shirako is also known as fish sperm!) What appeared as curly pasta in whipped cream formation was actually a seared, yuzu-seasoned concoction that tasted nutty and fishy at the same time. It was delightfully...different, and decidedly pertinent for a pricey sushi odyssey. 

Frequently, the items written on the dry erase board menu change, ranging from Live Tako to Holy Cow (he explains this is Wagyu Beef sushi). Or, when in season, Hair Crab may be listed. There is even Sucker, which is simply Octopus Tentacle.

The items scrawled on the dry erase board serves as the only menu in this joint, sans prices. (Expect to pay about $80 to $200 or more per person for Omakase, depending on when you call it quits; or opt for the a-la-carte option, where you pick only the items you want.) To be blown away by the freshest and the best selections, some of which are not even on the menu, I recommend the Omakase. Or live not so dangerously and choose the Blue Crab Roll or Salmon Skin Roll, which are also written on the board in a strange juxtaposition with the more exotic-sounding Kawagishi Toro and Shima Aji.

To admire more of the seafood before it goes under the chef’s ostensibly wieldy knife, perhaps you can ogle what’s in the giant refrigerated glass display box that faces you when you first enter this small orange-painted space (Go’s Mart used to be a Japanese grocery store about a decade ago, which perhaps also explains the name).

The sushi bar at Go’s Mart seats about 10 people only, and the restaurant does not take reservations. Tell your friends all about it, and advise them not to balk at its unconventional appearance, for this place is sushi divinity.

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-3pm, and 5:30pm-9pm; Sundays 12pm-7:30pm

Go’s Mart

22330 Sherman Way, Canoga Park

818-704-1459

An All-You-Can-Eat Feast at Naka Sushi of Summerlin

Uni & Ama Ebi

Wasabi Tobiko & Habanero Masago Sushi 

Brian Roll (Jalapenos, Imitation Crab,
Tempura-Fried Banana, Pink Soy Paper)

Fresh Oysters

Plum Sauce and Shiso Hand Roll

All You Can Eat at Naka Sushi

In the Summerlin community of Las Vegas, there exists a popular locals’ sushi haven known as Naka Sushi. Nestled in a shopping center, the banner above the entrance that announces the All-You-Can-Eat special—with the low prices of $18.95 for lunch and $21.95 for dinner—may likely be what grabs your attention. Once you step inside, it’s the non-touristy vibe, the informal comfort that makes you feel right at home; this is a hangout where the unassuming Chef Naka presides over a long sushi bar and is greeted by regular patrons who know him by name, and who drop in not only to eat but to chat and have fun.

As the regulars know, and as the employees are quick to inform you over the phone, it’s best to dine at Naka Sushi during dinnertime, when specials like uni and sweet shrimp are included in the All-You-Can-Eat deal. There is even a board on the wall that features a “Dinner Only” list of unique items which, although available in the All-You-Can-Eat package, are limited to one order per customer per item. These include Tobiko Wasabi sushi, Masago Habanero sushi, Ika Sansai (I ordered this and it turned out to be seasoned squid salad served Gunkan-style), and fresh oysters and scallops.

I ordered the ama ebi and uni right away, and they were served to me together, the uni being particularly fresh and flavorful, which was surprising for an All-You-Can-Eat place, in my opinion. This is also the only sushi bar I’ve been to that did not customarily serve the deep-fried shrimp head with my order of ama ebi, although it’s available upon request, or by itself, according to the menu on the wall.

For many years, and for reasons unknown, Las Vegas was home to a panoply of sushi bars that featured the “Yum Yum Roll,” usually consisting of a mixture of scallops, mayonnaise and imitation crab. Hamada of Japan on Flamingo Road, which I heard has recently closed down, offered the sweetest version of the Yum Yum, particularly because they used minced imitation crab sticks instead of the imitation snow crab mix, and because whenever I ordered it as a hand roll, it would be presented to me as a veritable ice cream cone, overflowing with lacy, mayonnaise-imbued strands of imitation crab and chunks of scallop. Naka Sushi’s version was reminiscent of the good ol’ days of the Yum Yum Roll, although the hand roll here is smaller, filled with notably more imitation crab than scallop, and uses the imitation snow crab mix (although you could probably request that it be made with the crab sticks instead, as it is visible through the glass case on the sushi bar).

Just for fun, and because it sounded so unusual, I ordered the Brian Roll, which is an imitation crab and jalapeno roll topped with tempura-fried banana, pink soy paper and eel sauce. (The a-la-carte price for this roll, as for most of their special rolls, is $9.95.) The sweetness of eel sauce normally makes it go very well with anything tempura-fried; on top of fried banana, which is already naturally sweet, it becomes confectionery, delightfully dessert-like. The spicy jalapeno adds a kick to the sweetness of it all.

Lastly, I requested a hand roll of plum sauce and asked that Chef Naka serve it with shiso instead of cucumber. The sour of plum sauce, which always seems to be enhanced by shiso leaf, topped off my meal perfectly, and I relished it with gusto.

At Naka Sushi, those who enjoy flavored sake can choose from apple, raspberry or lychee-white peach. For those with sushi eaters in training, kids 8 years old and under can enjoy the All-You-Can-Eat sushi special for only $9.95.

Naka Sushi

8540 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas

702-233-5900