Sushi in the LBC

The best advice I can give to the sushi lover banished to Long Beach for the evening is: try to think of something else you can eat. If it is sushi you must have, then just know what you're getting into. Here's a rundown of Long Beach fish.

Yen - on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore may be the best sushi in Long Beach. Their known for their creative rolls, ceviche and other unsushi like delicacies, but the fish is pretty fresh, so if you dare order raw fish on rice you won't be terribly disappointed. Their Creamy Shrimp Appetizer is pretty good, as is their Scallop Dynamite. (Where did the idea of Dynamite come from? I'll have to look into that.) Actually if you can stomach a roll or two, you can try their RocknRoll original. Stupid name but not bad. The atmosphere is pretty hip and you can check out Long Beach's "beautiful people" with a sidewalk table. Know that this is a chain restaurant, but compared to Applebee's it's not so bad.

Sushi Saurus - Also on 2nd street. Hmmm. I'm not sure what this place wants to be. Dive? Chic? chic dive? Well it doesn't matter. On the day Hitomi and I went the fish wasn't as fresh as the wait staff. Outstanding point: The saba probably would have tasted better cooked.

Sushi Of Naples - It's big, crowded on the weekends, the wait staff is running around like crazy, people are waiting to get it much of the time. Is this place owned by the Wizard of Oz. There is something going on behind the curtain - behind the smoke and mirrors, Sushi of Naples is the worst Sushi Bar in LA. The worst, the worst, the worst. (Koi in Seal Beach runs a close second). What do these people see in this place? I need a Tums just thinking about it.

Aki on Redondo - Not bad, just uninspired. this is a pretty new place, and they just haven't really found their stride yet. The sushi was pretty decent, fresh enough, it feels more "Japanese" than most LB sushi bars. (In fact it's one of the few places that we actually heard Japanese spoken). The main chef, AKi was pretty well known in LB circles before this place opened so many people were awaiting it's grand opening a year or two ago. We went right away, and it was fine... Maybe we expected too much. We went back once, but we just couldn't get into the place. It probably deserves a better review than this.

Aki on 7th. - This place is what Long Beach is famous for. Sushi and Thai food. Actually it's two restaurants - Aki on the East side and Baiplu on the West side. You can order from both menus, so feel free to enjoy Panang curry and Maguro Sashimi. Eat the Sashii first though. Thai food flavors obliterate Japanese food. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say "It's a bad idea to have a Sushi Bar and Thai Restaurant under the same roof.

Kinoya in the mini mall with Target, Big Lots and Trader Joes - on Bellflower. Well, if you're there picking up some stuff at Target and you want a sushi lunch, Kinoya won't disappoint. No Japanese work here, but one of the waitresses told Hitomi that many of their customers are Japanese. Maybe so. Anyway, the fish here was fresh, while there were plenty of rolls to choose from, it did appear that at least the concept of sushi was not foreign to these folks. Overall though, as Hitomi pointed out, there is a general "sweetness" to their sauces and dressings. Still for lunch the special is pretty good and the price is right.

Sakura Sushi - I can't even remember how to get there. It's near the Kmart - wherever the Kmart is. Anyway this place is a crack-up. What they lack in taste they make up for in effort. Let's just say the fish wasn't particularly fresh. Basically the only options were a variety of tired rolls, they really didn't have anything but the very basic fish, the ice was strange - the vinegar mixture was off and the style was really cheap american Calrose. Buuuut.... they just worked so hard. Thank you Thank you Very Muc Thank You. Can I help you, Can I get something for you, Tea is hot.... and on and on. I think their really trying to give this sushi thing a go, though why they chose sushi is anyone's guess. They appear to be recent Cambodian immigrants, so I might suggest they try something a little closer to home next time.. maybe Italian.

Hibachi Sushi and Grill - PCH. The sushi chef was actually Japanese. this alone was enough to bring us back. The Maguro was pretty tasty as was the saba. The rest of the usual suspects were fine. Overall not bad, but like Aki, this place just doesn't have itself together yet. It feels like you're in a mini mall food court. Maybe they just need some time. Still we'll go back.

Daimon - If you remember Tokyo Delves in North Hollywood, you'll feel right at home at Daimon. This ain't your Japanese ancestor's sushi. Despite the party music, dancing and layer of beer foam on the sushi bar the fish wasn't bad. Can't hear the sushi chef though. "What do you want?" What? Want? Oh fine thanks. How are you?. OK maybe I'm just too old for this stuff.