Sushi Zo
On Saturday after a tough, arduous day pub crawling in Manhattan Beach, I decided in lieu of replacing the tires on my car, I should instead take the money and stop by Sushi Zo to eat Chef Zo’s vaunted omakase selections.
Sushi Zo is the best fish-on-rice place anywhere. Period. If you want inventive Japanese pub fare or ramen or traditional Japanese food, go elsewhere. If you want the best selections of tuna and fleshy fish on the most sublime morsels of sushi rice (perfect balance of moisture, rice vinegar and grain), come here. And bring a co-signor.
The soy sauce and wasabe are house-made. Not that you need to use much, if any soy sauce. In many cases, it would ruin the flavors. The meal starts with absolutely titillating primers: a Kumamoto oyster and squid noodles with uni. Then the fleshy creatures of the sea start arriving: skipjacks, spanish mackerel, yellowtail, scallop, butterfish, the works. Each buttery piece of flesh complements the next until you’re left with a feeling of zen and an empty wallet.
If you are a person who enjoys the tactile impression of the grime and the fishy smell of a waterside market imbued in his sushi, this place is not for you. The theme and name-of-the-game is “buttery and creamy.” An absolute delight for the guilded class. Even the clam and ankimo came across decidedly smooth and delightful.
It is debatable whether the chef needs the tire money more than I do. He’s always behind the bar so I don’t think he drives anywhere. But he certainly has my Goodyear funds, that bastard. I hope it doesn’t thunderstorm in LA anytime soon.
Sushi Zo, 9824 National Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, (310) 842-3977.
