Tsukasa Sushi (slightly long)

I went to this sushi restaurant in Downtown LA the other day in Little Tokyo section ( per a fellow chowhound's suggestion)the other day. This place took over the much praised Shibucho (which I had only been to once and furthermore for a set lunch deal, not exactly the true test of the sushibar). Anyways, I digress, the new sushi bar in its place is quite good actually and pretty reasonable for the quality. I start with this appetizer thing that they over to everyone as a kind of Japanese amuse-bouche, although I don't know exactly what it was maybe a vegetable or seaweed type food. Then I started with a tuna sashimi , which was fresh and nicely textured. The second course was a monkish liver sashimi which was also quite delicious and extremely rich, but might be an acquired taste to some people. Then on to sushi, toro (the fatty tuna), Spanish mackerel, and yellowtail. And finished off with a salmon skin roll. Overall, not a mind-blowing experience but very good.
Also, although the sushi bar is an authentic, serious place, they will accept orders for spicy tuna rolls or CA rolls, whatever you want. Also, I'm not sure who the head chef was, is that the sushi chef sporting a nametag "Ishimoto". I almost forgot to mention th atmospeher and decor which sports a beautiful wood interior with a pristine wood counter and sumptuous surroundings. Definitely not the awful McDonalds'esque formica covered decor of Sushi Nozawa. Anyways, I do definitely recommend this place. Tell me what you think.

Kevin described his experience at Tsukasa as “very good,” but short of “mind-blowing.” He had tuna sashimi, monkfish liver sashimi, toro sushi, Spanish mackerel sushi, yellowtail sushi, and a salmon skin roll. His assessment got me thinking: what does it take to have a “mind-blowing experience” at a sushi restaurant? One question is whether better quality fish would have produced a “mind-blowing experience,” or whether it would have taken more than this. Tsukasa, like its predecessor Shibucho, is an extremely traditional Japanese sushi restaurant. Yes, they will serve you a California roll. But non-traditional items are rare exceptions. Tsukasa’s approach to nigiri sushi is to let the rice and fish do the talking, with only the traditional swipe of wasabi. You won’t get a lot of non-traditional garnishes and sauces at Tsukasa, such as you will get at Matsuhisa. Likewise with sashimi, where the sauces and garnishes are limited and non-exotic (sliced scallions, tobiko, etc.). Perhaps, if the fish is good enough, the simple combination of rice and fish, with nothing more than a swipe of wasabi and a touch of soy sauce, will blow your mind. On the other hand, perhaps no piece of tuna or yellowtail sushi, no matter how good the fish, will fall into the “mind-blowing” category.

I also wonder if Kevin’s experience would have been more “mind-blowing” if he had eaten less “mainstream” kinds of sushi. This possibility occurred to me as I reflected on my dinner last Tuesday night at Tsukasa, and compared my experience to Kevin’s. My wife and I were regulars as Shibucho, but have not been as regular at Tsukasa. Nonetheless, shortly after we were seated and had finished our complementary starter, the chef/owner, Kawasaki, presented my wife with ankimo (monkfish liver) sashimi without request. This was a stunning display of memory by Kawasaki. My wife’s lust for ankimo had been something of a standing joke with Shibuya, the former sushi chef at Shibucho. When he would see us enter the restaurant, he would sometimes either wave his hands in mock despair or bow his head, saying “no ankimo, no ankimo,” or smile broadly and point to the ankimo in the display case. We had only been to Tsukasa around three times, but Kawasaki remembered my wife’s love of ankimo, served it to her without prompting, and won her heart and admiration in the process. As for the quality of the ankimo, it was not the best I’ve had recently. To qualify as “mind blowing,” ankimo should have a high fat content, a light texture, and a distinct though subtle flavor. The obvious analogy is to foie gras, although I think flavor plays a more predominant role in ankimo than in foie gras. Shibuya would usually prepare ankimo only during the winter months, when the oil content of the monkfish liver is highest. At other times of the year, although the liver is available commercially, he felt it was of inferior quality. The ankimo as Tsukasa last night, although good, was not fatty enough, too dense of texture, and too lacking in flavor to qualify as mind-blowing. I’ve had better ankimo recently at both Tsujiki in Gardena and Saito’s Sushi in Hollywood. Following the ankimo, we stayed on a high-fat regime with otoro sashimi that was absolutely first-rate. We were then given (again, without asking for it) a bowl of shirako (cod sperm sacs). I happen to crave shirako, which has an extremely delicate, soft texture, somewhat like brains. If Kevin’s visit was his first to Tsukasa, however, I doubt that either Kawasaki or Ishimoto (the other sushi chef, who was trained by Shibuya and worked for him at Shibucho) would have given Kevin shirako unless he specifically requested it. Which raises the issue of how an “outsider” to a culture gains access to those dishes that are considered not to appeal to the typical American palate. One tip for Kevin in this respect: Since you didn’t know what you were eating in your complementary starter (“I don’t know exactly what it was, maybe a vegetable or seaweed type food”), you should have asked. This indicates to the sushi chef that you are interested in learning about the food, just as does learning the Japanese names of the various fish. If you are interested in trying some of the more unusual items, say so to the chef. If you see something interesting being served to the Japanese customers, and don’t know what it is, ask about it. If the customer is sitting near you, you can ask him or her about it directly, and see if their English is up to answering. In my experience, most other customers are eager to share with you, and this will often be the start of a continuing conversation with them. Otherwise, ask the sushi chef. You will often see items being served that are not in the display case. There is a risk, here, however. If you ask for unusual things, and rather consistently indicate that you don’t like them (which may be your honest reaction), the chef will become reluctant to continue providing you with them. For example, natto (fermented soybean) has a slimy texture and an acquired taste. I’ve grown to like it, but it was not love as first taste. The message, I guess, is “know thyself.” If you don’t really enjoy “stretching” your palate with unfamiliar tastes and textures, then don’t go there. But if you do, then you need to be politely proactive to gain access to them.

Getting back to my meal at Tsukasa, my wife and I continued with a fresh scallop in the shell that was prepared by thinly slicing the raw muscle on one half of the shell and separately broiling the liver and rim meat on the other. We had some excellent bonito sashimi, followed by a small taste of marinated bonito. Spanish mackerel was diced and mixed with chopped shiso, then rolled into a riceless norimake. Kawasaki then gave us an unusual round-leaf seaweed from Japan that served admirably as a palate cleanser. I then started asking Kawasaki about some unfamiliar looking items in his display case. Among these were halibut egg sacs, which he broiled for us. During the evening, we engaged in lots of conversation with our Japanese neighbors about what they were eating, and got some new suggestions for unusual items from them. Since both we and our neighbors had indicated that we liked gobo (burdock root), our neighbors asked Kawasaki to prepare for us a simple roll with gobo and shiso, which was given to us as their gift. Kawasaki had warned us that the season for shirako would only last for about another two weeks, so my wife and I decided to finish off our meal with a final blast of the stuff.

Did the meal blow my mind? Well, pretty close. Most of the fish was outstanding, not just “good,” and the opportunity to have the shirako and the halibut egg sacs were special treats not available at many of the other sushi restaurants in town. It may take a few visits for newcomers to get access to some of the more exotic items not on display. But, speaking for myself, if future meals at Tsukasa provide me with similar opportunities to combine first-quality fish with unusual and seasonal items, with little extra “treats” and “tastes” thrown in during the meal, I can’t ask for much more than that out of any sushi experience.

Tom, I think you are correct in your assessment of the restaurant. and it was my 1st time there. i think next time i better make it known to them that I want to try the more exotic and seasonal seafood, which would probably give me that mind-blowing experience, hopefully. i'm a regular at sushi nozawa, which i think is excellent (although you may think otherwise), but too predictable nowadays and I wanted to try a new place hence tsukasa. but in my next visit, i will definitely try your approach, instead of sticking to the standard, usual sushi. i'll definitely give it another shot. also, tom or anyone else for that matter, does Tsukasa offer varying grades or types of toro?, i remember that there was a sushi bar in new york (yasuda?) that offered i think about three different kinds of toro. and also do you guys think, that tsukasa has achieved the strength of shibucho or is it still lagging behind shibucho in terms of quality.

If you're a regular at Nozawa, then all you get is the standard types of sushi that appeal to the American palate, although it's admittedly of very high quality. I've been critical of Nozawa in this respect, and rarely go there anymore. I have to admit that I miss his crab roll, though.

Tsukasa, like most good sushi restaurants, offers different types of toro. Otoro, from the lower belly, is the fattest. Chutoro, from the upper belly, is medium fat. Toro is often chopped and mixed with other ingredients. For example, negitoro is a mixture of chopped toro and chopped negi onion. The belly meat of other fish is likewise fatty. At Saito's Sushi, for example, Saito often offers me the belly meat from yellowtail.

I don't think that Tsukasa has yet acheived the lofty status of Shibucho, but Kawasaki-san seems to get better with every visit. I do miss the freshly cooked anago that Shibuya would bring in steaming on wicker trays and serve as sashimi with only a little seasoned salt. ("No soy sauce!", he would admonish his new customers.) I also miss the freshly cooked tomago served with shredded daikon that would always be gratuitously offered as an "extra" at Shibucho. But Kawasaki is doing his own thing, not just slavishly following in Shibuya's footsteps, and he's doing some very nice things indeed. Without question, Tsukasa is among the top sushi restaurants in Los Angeles at the moment.

Not an especial fan of Nozawa. I detest the scallops in mayonnaise that the chef is so fond of. As well, I find that the rice is mealy and falls apart too easily, not to my taste.
Tsukasa's hours are great. Shige's Shibucho has unfortunately cut his late hours short and now closes at midnight (used to be open until 3am).

I hope you are able to return to ny soon and visit Sushi Yasuda again....it is the best sushi I have had and shows the greatest care and intricacy in preparation. In response to something you wrote, they have tuna in eight levels of fattiness

LOOK I'm not trying to be contrary but PLEASE? There have never been 8 levels of anything , including SKIN. Get it? Begining course is BIG EYE(only true tuna species), next farm raised Blue Fin, Wild Yellow fin, Albacore (baby tuna). Oops I forgot Skipjack. THREE KNOWN TYPES OF TORO, period!

[The Chowhound Team]

Russkar, if you have knowledge or opinions to impart, wonderful. That's what we're here for! But we're forced to remind you once again that browbeating others in a harsh and condescending manner is inappropriate in this community, which is dedicated to the friendly and generous exchange of information.

You are a respected chowhound, your knowledge is appreciated. Your statements carry considerable weight even if delivered without bludgeon force.

Sorry, I just hate to see Chowhounds misled or fooled by crafty techniques that make extra money for Sushi Bar owners. It wasn't meant to be personal, but factual. I'm at the 4 MAJOR Sushi supplier fish Co's every week in downtown LA so I see alot of the inside of the business good and bad. I had lunch at Sasebune last week and what a bummer! First course ALBACORE Sashimi ELEVEN DOLLARS for about 2 ozs. This fish sells for 2.90 a pound wholesale so you might say there was an excessive profit made. I loved it when the guy behind the counter tried to convince me it was some SPECIAL ALBACORE, yeah right!

[The Chowhound Team]

Gotcha, Russkar. But please bear in mind that when passionate feelings (which we all have re: food) seem personally directed (even if not intended), it discourages readers-along from posting - fearing they'd meet a harsh fate for naiveté.

By all means, don't hesitate to throw in your opinion or correct mistakes, but please remember the site works best if everyone feels free to pitch in chow questions and opinions without fear of being made to look/feel stupid. The friendlier and less personally we offer contradictory opinions, the more fruitful the discussion will be, for everyone's benefit.

Back to the chow!

YO COMPRENDO, Renu Nakorn was great for late lunch today except for the Angel traffic.

Tom, would you be so kind as to post the addresses for Tsukasa & Saito's? Thank you...

Tsukasa Sushi is located at 333 S. Alameda St., #317 (telephone [phone]). If you are driving southbound on Alameda, you will see an entrance to a parking garage in the middle of the block between 3rd & 4th Ave. on the right-hand side of the road. The sign will say Mitsuwa Marketplace (it was formerly named Yaohan). Park in the parking lot, and take the garage elevator to the top floor. You will walk across an overpass into the Mitsuwa Plaza building. Tsukasa is in the southeast corner.

Saito's sushi is in a mini-mall at 4339 W. Sunset Blvd. Saito was formerly the lead sushi chef at Katsu on Hillhurst. He now owns and operates his own place on Sunset, a few blocks east of Hillhurst. The selection of unusual and seasonal items is not as extensive as at Tsukasa, but the quality of the fish is first-rate. His ankimo, for example, is consisently among the best in town. He also has a limited menu of cooked items, including black cod. Although only a third to half of his customers are Japanese (vs. 80 to 90 percent at Tsukasa), other sushi chefs in town are among Saito's customers.

I think Tsukasa is wonderful. I've had an interesting creature there, called sea pineapple; slightly bitter but tasty. Also, now they have the bonito in (katsuo), they won't serve it in the off months. And the black cod cooked in sake and butter and the chawanmushi there are fantastic. Another suggestion - the nakaochi-toro when they have it (toro from in between the bones, scraped with spoon and served in hand roll).

I have to agree that the overall quality at Tsukasa, while high, is not as aggressively good as Shibucho. I generally don't eat at the bar, and just get menu selections, so I'm, at best, a second rate customer, but I notice a difference.That's not to say I don't eat there or would hesitate to recommend it. No. It's very good. The chefs know how to put the fish on the rice -- you can't say that about all the restaurants. More importantly, someone there knows how to buy ingredients, and that's really the key, especially in LA. It's probably the same reason why Shibucho was better. The ingredients were consistently better, and the prepared foods were a little more interesting.

The owner and head chef is Kawasaki.