Finding Nemo ... er ... Charlie Tuna

Made plans with a friend to go for a late Saturday lunch, sushi or seafood. It fell to me to find a place, and I had the awful realization that I don't have a good sushi place for West Los Angeles. My favorite sushi place, Sushi Nozawa, is up in Studio City, and isn't even open on the weekend. My favorite general seafood place, Malibu Seafood, is (you guessed it) all the way up in Malibu. And other than those two places, I haven't really frequented sushi or seafood restaurants for the last, say … nine years. Sounds bizarre, given that I actually like fish, and like to order it when I dine out (although I don't really like to cook it at home). However, given Precious' fish ban (that's since been lifted to allow for white fish), it's no wonder that we generally find some Italian or Indian (or even Pho) place to eat.

So, I was on a mission. Find a good sushi/seafood place in West Los Angeles for a late lunch on a Saturday.. Not too expensive, but not cheap either. Some place where it's possible to have a conversation. And some place where the fish is good (and not covered with goopey sauces or other strange accoutrements). Doesn't sound like it should be too difficult? Especially with recommendations from friends …

Au contraire, mon ami. First of all, most reputable sushi places close after lunch at 1430, if they are even open for lunch on the weekend. Most places like like K-ZO, Nagao and The Hump don’t even open for business until 1730 on the weekend. A lot of the other places that are open on the weekend are little hole-in-the-wall types places that are crowded, noisy and not conducible to a nice get-to-know-you conversation. Not that I dislike HITW-type places. Nozawa definitely qualifies as a HITW place. But the chisai maguro there is so delectable that one feels transported to a different plane of existence, so that it is entirely possible to disregard the surroundings.

So, after a couple of days scrounging through various internet sites to find a good place, I went out to do some fieldwork. Scouted out a couple places, but most were not going to be open when I needed them to be, and so I moved on. Finally found a place on Sawtelle that was going to be open, and looked rather passable … if one were to disregard the sakura painted on to the overhead fluorescent light covers. Yes, it’s a bit crowded, but not overly so. And the sushi bar looked well-stocked. Tried the fatty tuna and the jellyfish rolls. Fatty tuna sounds really … well, gross, but it was quite delicious. Plus, the sushi chef chops it up prior to rolling it up, so there is none of that irritating tugging that often happens with unchopped fish. And the jellyfish, which sounded quite interesting, was less that exciting. Also tried the regular tuna, which was good. When it comes down to it, I really like tuna.

As I drove home, I also had another thought. Houston’s. Yes, I know it sounds bizarre that Houston’s would be serving sushi, but I know that they do. And the last time I ate there I actually had some, and it was tasty and inventive without being too over-the-top on trying to be creative. And Houston’s is generally quiet and calm. And there’s plenty of parking. And it’s nearby. And it’s hopefully open.

So, two options for my specific requirements. And now I’m dreaming of Nozawa again …