rufus wrote:
> I know some GREAT places for sushi and other Japanese cuisine, and I'd
> like to share them with others that can offer their favorites as well.
> I'd like this thread to become an ongoing guide to sushi bars and
> Japanese food, much as several people have attempted on their websites.
>

Thanks for sharing. Looks like you've been to quite a few places.

I can't say my experience is as varied as your's but I'll contribute my
humble offerings.


> LAS VEGAS
>
> NOBU
> An excellent representative of the chain. Consistently excellent,
> sometimes great.

About the best I've had in LV.

Had my first and so far last Kobe beef there. Also went wild one night
and spent nearly $300 just on myself. I let the chef do whatever and he
came through with a number of very tasty and tempting experiences. Too
much saki prevents me from remembering much more of the evening.

Used to live there (10 years--for Vegas, that's a lifetime!) and saw a
lot of places come and go. There used to be a really good little place
on West Sahara. Been there since the 50's or early 60's, but the
founding couple retired and the daughter and her husband ended up
selling the place in the divorce.

Another place that isn't too bad and quite inexpensive (if it's still
there) is in the northwestern part of the valley, Cheyenne and Tenaya.
Narita, I think it was. It was near where I worked and we'd treat
ourselves on payday.

Stay away from the numerous "all-you-can-eat" places around LV. They are
horrid in my opinion. But I've got "friends" that swear by them!


>
> TOKYO

Oh, I've never been to Japan. I've had several friends that have gone,
and several have said that places in So. California were better. Who am
I to judge?

> BOSTON
> The best restaurant I've found for sushi is Ginza in Brookline, but it
> isn't great. I've tried most of them. Maybe I missed one. Ginza in
> Chinatown is almost as good, Oishi Sushi has been a disappointment on
> almost every visit. You shouldn't serve a 4 ounce piece of fish on 4
> ounces of chewy rice.

I have fond memories of a place in Framingham, west of Boston. But I
think it was more the friendly staff (the mama-san was quite taken with
my friends' little girl and always offered us various treats) and the
good company I was with at the time than the food. Too many years have
passed since I was last there; I couldn't remember the name if a gun was
held to my head. West side of Framingham, closer to Westborough than
Natick, south side of highway 9.


SAN DIEGO, CA

There used to be a little place downtown, a couple of blocks south of
Horton Plaza. I don't remember the name, and when I was there about a
year ago for a convention, it was gone.

About 11 or 12 years ago, I lived in SD for a summer working on a
special project for the HMO I worked for in Colorado. I had a loft
downtown, and this little place was right around the corner. I ran into
an old friend from many years before; he was then a computer consultant
that did a bit of work in Japan. He claimed this place was better than
any place he'd been in Japan.

There were also some nice places at the time in the La Jolla and
Hillcrest neighborhoods. A few of them at the time were more trendy than
others, and I'm sure they're gone now.


PUEBLO, CO

Not exactly the best place in the world to find sushi. About as far from
the ocean as you can get in the continental US. After living in SD for
the summer, returning to this dreary old steel town was a let-down. But
right after returning, a genuine Japanese restaurant opened up. Not the
best in the world, but I remember my weekly ritual every Friday night.
The comforting music after a hectic week, an appreciative wait staff
that seemed pleased that they had a regular customer instead of a bunch
of midwestern hicks that only wanted the tempura or confused the place
for Chinese.

I must have been the only person in town that ever ordered salmon eggs
or tamago. They always explained what it was when I ordered it and made
doubly or triply sure I knew what I was ordering--and then expressed
surprise that I ate it.


PHOENIX, AZ

I've only been to a couple places here in the Phoenix area (moved here
about 2 1/2 years ago). Hiro Sushi in Scottsdale (North 92nd Street) was
pretty good. Best tuna I'd had in ages.


The absolute best sushi I've ever had was:

At my friend's house. As a birthday present to a dear friend, I fixed us
a 7-course Japanese dinner. I don't remember the whole menu, but I do
remember doing pork cutlets, buckwheat noodles, and a scattered sushi
bowl. My friend and his wife declared it as "better than any sushi
restaurant." A compliment I'm quite proud of, although I'm sure they
were talking about the effort and thought of the gift than the quality
of the food.

I still fix myself some at home occasionally, but it seems to be harder
and harder to get good tuna! The stuff I've found here in Phoenix is
stringy and tough and quite pale. Maybe good enough for the grill, but
not what I'd want raw. Haven't seen a block of buttery deep red tuna in
ages.

I usually do my homemade in the Chirashizushi style, or for just myself,
I'll omit the rice and just do tuna sashimi. With age, and some
digestive problems, I find the rice is more bother than it's worth.