540093 Fri Jul 18 12:12:31 -0700 2008 92 2 Los Angeles Area 0 3881176 I have a huge dinner next week, and my friend would like to experience omakase at one of our best sushi spots. And, seriously, I'm not willing add any more zeroes to my Amex bill this month, so Urasawa is definitely out. OUT! I would love to hear (read) suggestions and prices as well, please. Thank you! How is The Hump's Omakase? And, how much is Mori's and Zo's? Thanks again!!!! Fri Jul 18 12:12:32 -0700 2008 26854 Frank_Santa_Monica 1 3881295 My pick: Asanebo (the B course, which is around 100-120 per person) Fri Jul 18 12:47:35 -0700 2008 3881176 23129 melodyn 1 3881308 Kazu: approx. 90/pp. Fri Jul 18 12:51:04 -0700 2008 3881176 31844 jenngen 1 3881450 Sasabune - Wilshire Blvd Fri Jul 18 13:27:48 -0700 2008 3881176 207912 valleychowhound 2 3882201 Love love love Sasabune. Best Omakase in the city. A bit pricey (I think it was $100 per person) but worth it. Fri Jul 18 18:38:19 -0700 2008 3881450 155500 ExtraCheesePlease 3 3890105 isn't sasabune the place that serves presliced fish? Mon Jul 21 22:39:18 -0700 2008 3882201 11935 westsidegal 4 3892053 If so, that's news to me. Not at those prices. I'll inquire next time I'm there. Tue Jul 22 14:10:23 -0700 2008 3890105 155500 ExtraCheesePlease 4 3951351 Sasabune DOES precut their fish. It's not great sushi, although most people don't know that because it's the trendy choice. Zo is the best omakase I've had in the city, although I've never been to Urasawa. Omakase at Zo will always costs me slightly more than $100, but I'm a hungry guy. The downside with Zo is that Keso (sp?) is often unwilling to cater the omakase to your own personal tastes. It's usually whatever he feels like making. Tue Aug 12 15:29:10 -0700 2008 3890105 101164 PlatypusJ 5 3951642 i still like sushi zo but lately, i feel that keizo is leaning more to the assembly line method ala sasabune. nothing really changes in the omakase. doh. Tue Aug 12 17:32:16 -0700 2008 3951351 10704 wilafur 5 3970672 Yeah I tried Sasabune for the first time a couple weeks ago. Nothing to shout about, bit disappointing really, fish quality was very average.... http://www.vslperformance.com/catalog/index.php Tue Aug 19 18:36:40 -0700 2008 3951351 46580 Sgee 1 3881940 Not counting Urasawa ($$$$$+), here are my top 5: By the way, try to have sushi on a Tue.-Fri. 5. Sushi Masu - Westwood... probably the least expensive of the 5 ($$$) 4. Mori Sushi - on Pico... killer uni ($$$$) 3. The Hump - at the Santa Monica Airport... fresh fresh stuff, a lot of it from Tsukiji; hairy crabs can get expensive ($$$$-$$$$$) 2. Sushi Zo - on National... much lauded on the Chowboard. Beware, it's in one of those famous SoCal mini-malls; make sure you get the yuzu drink concoction ($$$$) 1. Kiriko - on Sawtelle... My dark horse favorite omakase. Ken-san will treat you right ($$$$-$$$$$) Yes, I did notice they're all on the Westside. So be it. Fri Jul 18 16:13:18 -0700 2008 3881176 11933 J.L. 2 3882037 second sushi masu, great guy good food ridiculously cheap Fri Jul 18 16:52:10 -0700 2008 3881940 91179 ns1 3 3893372 ...and third sushi masu: great option, particularly if you're looking to save some $... Wed Jul 23 00:00:51 -0700 2008 3882037 211627 t0mk7d 3 3903472 heh, just came back to Masu yesterday after a few month hiatus. Good as usual. Stuffed ourselves with some ridiculous oysters (last ones that he had), anago, kanpachi, red snapper, salmon, spanish mackeral, sweet shrimp, + a few others that I don't remember, as well as 3 large asahi's Total for me and the wifey? 90 bucks!!!!!! I ate a bit less than that and did not drink @Sushi Gen 2 days prior and THAT total came out to a hundred bucks. I think Masu does a better fried head than Gen; the only dish that I thought was noticeably lower quality than Gen was the spanish mackeral. Still good, but not like Gen's. I also did not get any attitude @Masu; he's actually a real nice talkative guy. I feel like I always get attitude @Gen and that they're always trying to hustle you. Sat Jul 26 09:30:30 -0700 2008 3882037 91179 ns1 2 3892503 What's the yuzu drink concoction??? Tue Jul 22 16:28:32 -0700 2008 3881940 121102 fatassasian 3 3902465 it's a shot of yuzu juice that is presented at the end of an omakase meal at sushi zo. Fri Jul 25 17:47:03 -0700 2008 3892503 10704 wilafur 2 3952431 i totally agree about the killer uni at mori. this is the uni that turned me on to uni. Wed Aug 13 00:48:09 -0700 2008 3881940 11027 Alice 1 3882101 Wa in West Hollywood is pretty fab. omakase is (i think) $75 a person. sit at the sushi bar and ask for tito. enjoy the fois gras! Fri Jul 18 17:26:39 -0700 2008 3881176 80227 hughman 2 3951367 Is Wa the place next to the Palm Car Wash? If so, then I agree it's fab, but not amazing. The only sushi places worth trying in Weho are 1) the place across from the Palm Car Wash, 2) the place on Sunset and La Cienega in the strip mall that includes Sunset Tan, and 3) the place next to Aahs on the corner of Sunset and San Vicente. Zo is better than all of these, however. Tue Aug 12 15:35:57 -0700 2008 3882101 101164 PlatypusJ 3 3951658 no. wa is on the second floor of a structure on la cienega, east side of the street, between holloway and fountain. it's ex-chefs from matsuhisa. Tue Aug 12 17:37:40 -0700 2008 3951367 10366 Jerome 1 3882301 Let's see I've done Zo's omakase twice. The first time came out to about $70 ? That includes toro and uni, and oh, they always serve the yuzu drink at the end. The second time was $50 only, for some reason he didn't serve toro or uni etc. We also stopped him kinda early I guess? After 11 pieces or so :) --burumun http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com Fri Jul 18 19:27:21 -0700 2008 3881176 137622 burumun 2 3943066 Ate at Sushi Zo recently and, for me, it was the best sushi i have had in the US...and perhaps outside the US as well. I almost got down on my knees and cried after seeing and eating the toro and uni. He had a behind the counter helper that needs a little work on presentation but on the other hand, it helped remind me I was in LA, not outside Tsukiji...well that and the strip mall setting. Price was also around 75.00ish a person. Sat Aug 09 08:21:19 -0700 2008 3882301 11309 tomritza 3 3943078 There are a few Zo naysayers on the board, but I am in total agreement with you, Zo rules Los Angeles for a straight up, unadorned sushi experience. Yes, Urasawa is a better restaurant, but it also costs 3 or 4 times as much as Zo. Sat Aug 09 08:32:01 -0700 2008 3943066 108169 Servorg 3 3943630 i am in complete agreement with you and with servorg. every so often i try another place, and invariably the new places just are not quite as good as zo. Sat Aug 09 14:21:01 -0700 2008 3943066 11935 westsidegal 3 5201462 Ditto. Except that I end up paying about 150 per person by the time I leave (plus sake). I went recently with a friend from NYC who lived in Japan. We've had great omakase meals in NYC at the best places but he said nothing touches Zo. Sun Nov 22 22:40:56 -0800 2009 3943066 15114 epop 1 3883966 Hi Frank, I won't mention the "U" word (^_~), but besides that, to answer your questions and my vote: 1. Sushi Zo - We average about ~$140 - $150 per person (this includes some excellent Sake, so if you don't drink, it'll be much less). :) 2. Mori Sushi - Mori-san is a great Itamae, and I think his knife skills are probably better than Keizo-san (at Zo), but it's pretty expensive. It cost us about ~$260 per person (including some excellent Kokuryu Sake), so again, if you don't drink, it'll be less. Sat Jul 19 15:46:36 -0700 2008 3881176 113442 exilekiss 2 3889219 Thank you very much. I live in Santa Monica, so these places are perfect. Trying to decide between Zo, Mori or The Hump. By the way, The Hump's omakase starts at $150! Mon Jul 21 16:25:00 -0700 2008 3883966 26854 Frank_Santa_Monica 2 3889308 agree with Exilekiss, except I like Zo's cuts more. Both are wonderful. Whatever you do avoid Sasabune. BTW, hump is a very different kind of omakase. I've spent 1000 dollars for 2 on food there so Urasawa could be a bargain. Mon Jul 21 16:59:13 -0700 2008 3883966 15114 epop 3 3889347 1000 for 2!??!?! what are they serving you, gold ingots?! n/m answered the question myself http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-hump-santa-monica Mon Jul 21 17:12:06 -0700 2008 3889308 91179 ns1 4 3890091 it was actually $1200 just for the food but i didn't want to throw people off. it is called life lived fully. we then went to nobu for dessert and had several courses there. (But I prefer Zo for omakase, hands down) Mon Jul 21 22:33:26 -0700 2008 3889347 15114 epop 5 3890123 1200 for only food = urasawa TWICE. Mon Jul 21 22:49:49 -0700 2008 3890091 91179 ns1 5 3892519 GOOD LORD! Can't say that I was impressed with the hump. Found the fish to be pretty good, but I didn't lose my mind. And the service was pretty terrible. I even got into it with the waitress as she tried to unload 5 orders of toro on me - when I originally asked for a cheaper tuna. She didn't like that I wasn't going to eat her $100 mistake. Tue Jul 22 16:35:16 -0700 2008 3890091 121102 fatassasian 6 3892686 That meal was impressive in every way (although the service can be spotty, yes). But I wouldn't go there for omakase. The live lobster was probably the best I've had. Tue Jul 22 17:45:55 -0700 2008 3892519 15114 epop 5 3897636 wait a second. the bill for each person food alone at the hump was 600 per. that is expensive considering it's not even urasawa, i would think that the hump would top out at most at 200 maybe 225 per without any alchohol, etc. Thu Jul 24 10:14:47 -0700 2008 3890091 10866 kevin 6 3897822 There are some sea critters at The Hump which I haven't even seen before on my visits to Urasawa. One does pay a premium to try them... Thank goodness for corporate expense accounts. Thu Jul 24 11:09:23 -0700 2008 3897636 11933 J.L. 6 3899526 yes, each person for 600. I think the lobster alone was 150-200, plus several live fish cut razor thin at 100 a piece. then there are the critters. i wish we'd had the corporate expense accounts. Thu Jul 24 20:09:16 -0700 2008 3897636 15114 epop 7 3899752 i'll have to warn people about that. had no clue always though it would top out at no more than 150 200 per, if you're really pushing it. for instance, there's no way Nozawa, Sasabune, Mori, Zo, or Kiriko, or even Matsuhisa would be 600 per. I presume the lobster itself was a 4 or 5 pounder. was there any osetra or beluga caviar in the meal or white truffles, etc. Thanks for the heads up. As a side note, if you ever go to Kazu Sushi in Studio city the toro tartare itself is about 75 bucks. Thu Jul 24 21:47:05 -0700 2008 3899526 10866 kevin 8 3902422 no caviar or truffles to jack up the bill, kevin -- just 2 rather driven people Fri Jul 25 17:23:35 -0700 2008 3899752 15114 epop 3 3890104 i've heard of those kind of numbers coming out of the hump before. i used to think that they 'couldn't be THAT high.' i guess i was wrong Mon Jul 21 22:38:42 -0700 2008 3889308 11935 westsidegal 4 3890156 Oh, you can REALLY rack up costs at The Hump... Last meal we had there, we had omakase at the bar, which came out to $450 per person, after all said and done. Total for our group of 6 = $2700.00. Mon Jul 21 23:21:33 -0700 2008 3890104 11933 J.L. 4 3891915 we had several live fish cut razor thin and the live lobster. true that would be urasawa twice over. to be honest we didn't know what the bill would be and kept ordering for 4 hours. as i said we were hungry when we left and went to Nobu for oyster shots and dessert. Tue Jul 22 13:37:24 -0700 2008 3890104 15114 epop 5 3967941 Can you please invite me the next time you go live life fully like this? :) Mon Aug 18 20:33:25 -0700 2008 3891915 12268 mollyomormon 2 3952467 $260 per? I was there last week - took a friend for their birthday, and it was closer to $300 total with sake. Not a lot of sake though. Mori's great. I've tried Kiriko and though it was good, it wasn't stellar. That said - I've been taken there by two seperate serious foodie friends - and both said the nights were were there it wasn't on. Jutie's still out for me. And love that handle EXILEKISS. Wed Aug 13 02:53:01 -0700 2008 3883966 137061 foodiemahoodie 3 3952520 Unless, or until, you have had omakase at Sushi Zo then you have not yet tried the benchmark for sushi (excepting Urasawa) in LA. Wed Aug 13 04:27:17 -0700 2008 3952467 108169 Servorg 2 5200938 Mori's omakase seems to run around $90-140. Start buying sake and it could get expensive. I went there on a date about a month ago - we both got omakase, a bottle of wine, and then four glasses of wine. (should've just bought another bottle of wine). But with tip it came in around $450-$460. Sun Nov 22 17:20:43 -0800 2009 3883966 137061 foodiemahoodie 1 3889379 Mori! Realy wonderful. Menu price omakase is $120 pp. Some of the nigiri was made using yuzu kosho instead of the freshly grated wasabi. Love it. Chef Morihiro was nowhere in sight when I was there. Also love Sushi Zo, our omakase was about $75-80 pp. Please don't go to Sasabune. Mon Jul 21 17:22:58 -0700 2008 3881176 13957 slacker 2 3891085 okay..this is crazy! is there any decent omakase for around $50-75 per person. i went to one a while ago..cant rememeber the name for some reason..but its on melrose jsut a few blocks west of la brea. Tue Jul 22 09:35:31 -0700 2008 3889379 18267 samtron608 3 3893193 Nozawa is in that range if you skip the sake and don't order a lot of extras. On Melrose I wonder if you are thinking of Azami. Tue Jul 22 21:24:42 -0700 2008 3891085 56081 HPLsauce 3 3896582 lunch at kiriko or echigo would work in that range as well Thu Jul 24 00:58:45 -0700 2008 3891085 15114 epop 4 3969757 if you do the lunch at kiriko and money is an issue, be SURE to tell them to notify you when the set omakase meal is over. if you don't do this, they will keep serving you and adding extra to your bill without saying a thing... .. Tue Aug 19 12:55:02 -0700 2008 3896582 11935 westsidegal 5 5201465 In all fairness, every time I went they finished the lunch omakase then asked me if i wanted to go on. The blue crab hand roll is the sign most everywhere, in case not. Sun Nov 22 22:42:12 -0800 2009 3969757 15114 epop 3 3923509 samtron, are you remembering Azami Sushi? If so, I read here http://sevendeadlyseans.tumblr.com/post/42036481/sayonara-azami and elsewhere (somewhere) that Niki, owner and head chef of azami sushi sold her business and is serving an “$80 seasonal omakase for just 10 lucky patrons a night” (five nights a week) at “her sister’s gourmet seafood store in arcadia” http://sevendeadlyseans.tumblr.com/post/43295660/update-niki-from-azami-found Fri Aug 01 19:47:36 -0700 2008 3891085 43482 yinyangdi 4 3943176 Hello, yinyangdi! I am so glad that you posted this about Niki, and am very happy that she found a place to do what she is so good at! We think she is one of the best sushi chefs in LA; she is such a natural, and she really knows fish. I trust that she will continue to offer a wonderful omakase in her new "home." Sat Aug 09 09:37:34 -0700 2008 3923509 14014 liu 4 3948366 Thank you for this post!! Mon Aug 11 15:56:11 -0700 2008 3923509 13957 slacker 1 3891844 It's kinda pseudo-omakase, but check out SugarFISH in Marina del Rey, particularly if you're interesting in saving $ -- Nozawa-level yummy at a discount... Tue Jul 22 13:18:45 -0700 2008 3881176 211627 t0mk7d 2 3893194 i completely disagree with this recommendation. sugarfish is, at best, a mediocre dining experience imho. before eating at sugarfish, i had planned to try nozawa. knowing that his name is on this place that served me such a nothing meal, i have no plans to try the father restaurant. Tue Jul 22 21:24:51 -0700 2008 3891844 11935 westsidegal 3 3893223 Wow -- sorry to hear that: I LOVE Sushi Nozawa, and they're definitely different dining experiences. Please don't let your experience at one keep you from checking out the other... Then again, if you hated everything about SugarFISH -- sashimi, nigiri et al -- you might well hate Nozawa. What it is about his sushi that forces such strong reactions? Lines out the door every night, and yet so many people HATE his stuff... it's different -- looser rice, distinctive cuts -- but to me, it's consistently a grade above everything else: I've never found anything that comes close. Tue Jul 22 21:44:29 -0700 2008 3893194 211627 t0mk7d 4 3893272 i can tell you what it was about sugarfish that turned me off: 1) the white gristle in the tuna sashimi that made eating it a get-in-between-your- teeth experience. 2) the tremendous amount of ponzu sauce that drowned the tuna sashimi. the gristle was bad enough, but the swimming-pool of sauce made a bad situation worse. 3) the nothing-with-nothing cucumber roll served as a filler 4) the fact that in the whole meal only one piece of nigiri (the yellowtail) could be called excellent 5) the toro roll had such a small amount of toro in it that they might as well have just served a rice roll. (if you're working with good toro, it probably doesn't belong in a roll anyway. it think this is where the toro scraps from nozawa may end up) Tue Jul 22 22:20:13 -0700 2008 3893223 11935 westsidegal 5 3893373 Yikes -- how soon after they opened did you go there? I went very early on and was disappointed, but have been much happier with more recent visits -- they've ironed out a lot of kinks... Wed Jul 23 00:03:26 -0700 2008 3893272 211627 t0mk7d 6 3905716 i went there about the second week after they opened. the white gristle in the tuna sashimi is, imho, inexcusable in any sushi restaurant--ever. Sun Jul 27 12:01:11 -0700 2008 3893373 11935 westsidegal 5 3897659 westsidegal, i've been to nozawa many times over the past times years and i'm not saying your experience with SugarFish is wrong. But Nozawa is different in most ways. At sugarfish, yes, they serve a cucumber roll for some inexplicable reason. I have never seen a cucumber nor a cucumber roll anywhere at Sushi Nozawa. Also, the toro roll at SugarFish is tiny (you are correct), but at Nozawa it is not. and is served as a handroll at Nozawa. The excessive amount of ponzu sauce you see at SugarFish will also be there at Nozawa. But I do like ponzu sauce topped with chopped scallions on top of my fresh baby tuna sashimi. Just call me crazy. Is Nozawa better than Sugar Fish? Without question. But does Sugar Fish remind me of Nozawa in some ways? Yes. If I'm not mistaken, you're one of the Sushi Zo fans. In my opinion, Sushi Nozawa is better than Sushi Zo. And Zo does serve his fish in the same assembly line/sauced style as Nozawa. There are many many many chefs around Los Angeles that have adopted the style of Nozawa and Echigo, Sasabune, Wasabe, Hikko, are all some of them. Thu Jul 24 10:23:02 -0700 2008 3893272 10866 kevin 6 3903669 As Kevin alluded to, there are two camps of LA sushi. 1. The more traditional edomae sushi camp. Here you'll find carefully blended, measured, seasoned, and cooled rice because these places consider rice as important as the fish. The fish selection is seasonal, more varied, and higher quality. Fresh wasabi, fresh yuzu, and fresh sudachi are used. Skillfully prepared sayori, kohada, winter buri etc. are offered. In this camp, I like Mori and Zo (though Zo has a few touches of Nozawa) 2. The LA style sushi camp courtesy of Nozawa. The rice is hot, ponzu is used excessively, scallion and ginger is used to cover the inferior saba and the fish variety is standard with minimal variation or seasonal consideration. The blue crab handroll is a giveaway (though the good Keizo also uses this) As if there were any doubt, I am obviously in the first camp and the two camps rarely agree. It is best to figure out which style of sushi you are looking for before following certain recommendations. Mori has several omakase. One includes beautifully cooked items with a nigiri flight and another that is nigiri only. Request a seat in front of him if possible. His knifework and art is beautiful to watch. The quality is top notch and nearly rivals the great Yasuda. Sushi Zo has a larger selection than Mori but I feel the art is a bit less refined (in terms of knifework and rice). It is a touch cheaper though and the quality is also excellent. Kiriko is one of those places that is able to satisfy members of both camps. The sushi is a notch below Mori and Zo but the cooked items can be spectacular...especially their matsutake dobin mushi (available in the fall). Sat Jul 26 11:03:19 -0700 2008 3897659 13289 Porthos 7 3903706 fair summary of the sushi landscape. btw, my last visit to Zo was a bit less amazing than usual and I felt it was equal to Mori this time. I'm hoping something new opens, as I am going to these much too often... Sat Jul 26 11:24:49 -0700 2008 3903669 15114 epop 8 3903716 Haha. Epop. It's actually not that fair since I trash Nozawa and his spawn...but then again, our sushi preferences are similar. It's not season now but let me know if you see anyone doing scallop roe nigiri in LA (or fresh grilled eel for that matter). Sat Jul 26 11:31:11 -0700 2008 3903706 13289 Porthos 9 3904642 I can understand not liking Nozawa as much but trashing it seems unnecessary (I save that for sasabune and mozza), at least from my perspective. I sometimes need to branch out from the usual suspects, after all... That did me in on grilled eel. I had a whole grilled eel (all by myself) on the foggy Adriatic coast, served head on. At this point I'll keep my eye out for scallop roe. That is great stuff. Sat Jul 26 20:01:54 -0700 2008 3903716 15114 epop 9 3904993 I had an excellent cooked (not quite grilled) sea eel at Shibucho in Costa Mesa last week. Shibutani-san had a filet on a metal skewer and held it over a burner until cooked. Then he cut the fillet for nigiri, which was eaten without soy sauce. Sun Jul 27 04:16:21 -0700 2008 3903716 107648 mrhooks 7 3904021 I have revised my rankings - Mori has been demoted to #5 in my book. Just had very mediocre omakase at Mori this past week. The uni is still worth going for, but the rest of the offerings were sub-par when compared with past meals there. Sad. I so much want to like this place, but it keeps sliding. Agree with the huge dichotomy btwn the 2 schools of thought in the LA sushi scene. I too like Edo-style sushi, but Mori has disappointed on 2 visits in a row now. Sat Jul 26 14:06:06 -0700 2008 3903669 11933 J.L. 1 3893342 I went to Asanebo recently....disappointed by the nigiri sushi. Wasn't that fresh, you can tell by looking at the Uni. The creative/fusion stuff was good though. The place is like a Matsuhisa. If you want to spend the least amount of money, why not go to Katsu-ya (the original one, not the Starkified one)? They have omakase there, it may not be as good as some of those other mentioned places, but it is a lot cheaper. I recently brought my friends from Hokkaido (very famous for their fish) there, they thought it was amazing quality for the price. Tue Jul 22 23:25:48 -0700 2008 3881176 198871 martiniman 1 3898462 You've gotten a lot of great responses here but I just wanted to add one thing: omakase is very different in different places, so it depends on what you are looking for. If you want *only* nigiri sushi, beautiful cuts, top quality, and a large variety of fish, but no hot dishes and little sashimi (unless requested), go to Zo. It is simply presented, and in somewhat rote fashion, that's true, but truly amazing sushi and reasonable, I think, for the quality. At other places, such as Kiriko, you'll receive a much broader variety of dishes, with more elaborate presentations, and both hot and cold selections. I think the fish quality is slightly lower, but if you are looking for a more varied omakase experience than fish on rice, you'll get it at Kiriko. Thu Jul 24 14:02:22 -0700 2008 3881176 11896 NAspy 1 3904898 I'm going to kick it way old school and say that for quality and consistency - omakase or just straight sushi, Shibucho is theway to go, whether it be the slightly pricier Shibucho on Beverly Blvd near Commonwealth (Shige is the owner chef here) or Shibucho in Costa Mesa (Mr Shibutani's place). Classic and imho still among the best - I'd say the best but that's a bit much. Haven't tried every place else. Sun Jul 27 00:00:10 -0700 2008 3881176 10366 Jerome 2 3905552 Concur with Jerome on Shibucho. BTW, their wine list is amazing & daunting at the same time. Sun Jul 27 10:35:14 -0700 2008 3904898 11933 J.L. 1 3920932 Don't get out to the westside much, but around Hollywood/BH/Studio City I suggest: 1. Asanebo (ask for sushi bar and to sit in front of Shige) $120 pp 2. Sushi Park ~$100 pp 3. Sushi Sushi $80 pp Fri Aug 01 00:34:35 -0700 2008 3881176 161590 HollywoodLocal 1 3923391 Nishimura on San Vicente & Melrose. They don't get a lot of love on this board, but I was pretty blown away by a nigiri-omakase dinner there a few weeks back. Every piece was transportive. Not cheap; this is an expense account place. Kiriko is my go-to reasonably priced omakase. $35 pp for lunch including the salmon they smoke in-house and top with a dollop of caviar, and hon-maguro. Very honorable mentions to Zo (baby squid!) & Mori & of course Asanebo (most artistic). Mori seemed most overpriced, but the uni was truly memorable. Fri Aug 01 18:34:35 -0700 2008 3881176 25166 alexfood 2 3923483 Wait, are you saying that Mori is overpriced compared to Nishimura? I found the quality and traditional nigiri at Mori to be much better than Nishimura at about $30-50/pp less. To be honest, the horrendous service on consecutive visits by the outrageously disdainful hostess was too much...$150/pp tab aside. Quality as you said, can be very good. J.Gold also reported similiar "minimal courtesy" in his sushi roundup. Fri Aug 01 19:25:31 -0700 2008 3923391 13289 Porthos 1 3949083 Hiko on National is my current favorite, with Zo and Mori a close 2nd and 3rd. Hiko is a more simple approach. $60-90 depending how hungry you are....but beware the rules. Mon Aug 11 20:38:39 -0700 2008 3881176 116272 COhound 2 3950613 I was going to try Hiko based on a friend's raves, but then found out they do the hot--not warm--rice, like at Echigo, and that's big sushi turnoff for me. Tue Aug 12 11:24:56 -0700 2008 3949083 13957 slacker 2 3950762 I've done omakases at Sushi Zo, Sasabune, Hiko and Echigo and I find the sushi at Sushi Zo to be vastly superior to the other three. I think Echigo comes in a distant second and the bill tends to be about 20% - 30% less than Zo. Didn't understand the rave about Hiko although only went there once, and Sasabune... well, I think we can pretty mich all agree that it's really gone downhill after moving to Wilshire. My biggest gripe about Sushi Zo is that the bill is a complete crapshoot... I've had omakases about seven times there that all seemed equally sublime and with the same amount of food (and one serving of alcohol), yet the bill has ranged from $45 to $120 for me only. Plus I've never been to such a completely child unfriendly place (not just in terms of food they serve, just the attitude about kids being there at all), but that's a gripe for a different thread. Tue Aug 12 12:07:05 -0700 2008 3949083 56773 chowmominLA 3 3951310 I, also, do not understand the pricing sometimes when we order omakase; I guess "market price" gives the sushi bar the license and space to wiggle their pricing. Ideally, I would like an electronic counter at every bar seat so that I could watch my bill and know where I am. Truly, it might not change my ordering, but it might request some accountability for the chef's pricing. As the system is now, the final tab is always such a surprise! Tue Aug 12 15:15:29 -0700 2008 3950762 14014 liu 4 3951648 i try to avoid ordering omakase towards the first of the month when mortage payments are due. =) lols. Tue Aug 12 17:34:03 -0700 2008 3951310 10704 wilafur 2 3951327 I love Hiko. I have one friend who thinks Hiko's the best place on the westside and makes Zo and Mori taste like dog food. I think he's nuts, but it is quite good. I'd rate it below Mori and Zo, but it's a slightly simpler experience. The baby tuna he starts off with is killer. One thing I was surprised about during my last visit, though, was that his uni SUCKS. Worst Uni I've ever tried (I usually only sample it at highly regarded sushi restaurants). He finally offered it to me after doing omakase there about a half dozen times and I was looking forward to trying it. Seriously funky. Avoid it if he asks if you'd like some. Since he asked, I'm assuming he won't be offended by declining (dangerous to assume with him, though). Tue Aug 12 15:18:55 -0700 2008 3949083 45387 GuidoTKP 1 3951622 If you really want to try an affordable omakase I too recommend HIKO. It may not be up to par with all others mentioned on this board (many of which are exceptional) but it's damn good. The space itself is quite dull, the chef can be "not so nice" - but if you're going simply for an affordable omakase experience I highly recommed it... Funny to hear about the bad Uni experience though...he's never offered it to me and I've always wanted to try it...! Maybe that's a good thing. Tue Aug 12 17:26:28 -0700 2008 3881176 94429 Hoover13 2 5202374 wait a second it's not that affordable, it's still about 75 to 80 per not much difference than zo. Mon Nov 23 09:35:14 -0800 2009 3951622 10866 kevin 1 3952377 The conversation makes me laugh. Daring to give your opinion about your favorite sushi in LA is a no-win situation. Angelenos are PASSIONATE about their sushi bars and will fight to the death to be right. That being said: my favorite Omikase joint is on Santa Monica Boulevard in a crappy strip mall next door to the California Massage School. I have no idea what the name is, but I am the only Round Eye in there when I go. The fish is so fresh, it's not even thought about rigamortis yet. It's ugly inside with formica floors, but amazing. And, of course, like every Angeleno, I consider myself quite the sushi expert. So there. Tue Aug 12 23:27:05 -0700 2008 3881176 190672 FoodKitCat 2 3952414 Bravo/a! What is this place called? Wed Aug 13 00:12:06 -0700 2008 3952377 11933 J.L. 2 3952452 Sounds like Echigo, which is good. But Sushi Zo is better :0P Wed Aug 13 02:05:30 -0700 2008 3952377 56773 chowmominLA 3 3968270 Ugh. If it's Echigo, then I won't go. I am a fan of Zo, but not rabidly so (unlike many others on this chowboard). Tue Aug 19 00:55:56 -0700 2008 3952452 11933 J.L. 1 3969612 You HAVE to check out Takao in Brentwood. Not a lot of people here have mentioned it or even know about it because it's a small place for the well-to-do foodie locals. The omakase is amazing!!! And the prices can be fit to your wallet. Its almost as if they do a small, medium, and large offering depending on what you want to spend....$60, $80, $100 or $120. Worth every penny! Tue Aug 19 12:16:40 -0700 2008 3881176 218754 hdalsy 2 3971051 Concur with Takao, but it's not that amazing. Just had the $120 omakase there 2 wks ago. My 3rd visit there. Since I have Olympics on my mind, I'll give Takao a 7.5 out of 10 (but the Russian judge may disagree). Tue Aug 19 21:30:23 -0700 2008 3969612 11933 J.L. 3 3972444 That's a funny post, J.L.! I'll have to agree with you; Takao is good and very much has that "neighborhood feel" going on, but I don't think it is "amazing." For me, their salads are their strength, especially their salmon skin salad and their fried calamari salad! Their sushi is good, but I would not go here specifically for their omakase. Wed Aug 20 11:13:41 -0700 2008 3971051 14014 liu 4 5201467 I did Takao's tasting menu recently and was rather disappointed. Sun Nov 22 22:43:59 -0800 2009 3972444 15114 epop 1 3979678 So Frank, where did you wind up going? I see the debate continues long after your "next week" has probably come and gone. For the record: I would say yes to Shibucho on beverly, no to sasabune because it is now mediocre and trendy like Roku, No on Mori as while it was excellent, we have been PO'd ever since we ordered the amaebi and one shrimp which is usually 2 or 3 "lobes" was split into single "lobes" per order at $15 per pop. I have never seen anything like this before or since. I have not been to Zo or Hump, dying to try. Love Urasawa, and seriously folks, check out Kress, it is quite high-end, at least right now. I have some hole-in-the wall good value edomae places in torrance area we like also, not sure that is of interest Fri Aug 22 17:55:01 -0700 2008 3881176 68093 wasabica 2 3979731 i'm interested in "hole-in-the wall good value edomae places in torrance area" … start a new topic, please? Fri Aug 22 18:17:32 -0700 2008 3979678 43482 yinyangdi 3 5202376 lete me know about the edo-mae places too. what do you like about shibucho on beverly? Mon Nov 23 09:36:27 -0800 2009 3979731 10866 kevin