Sushi Craving!

My favorite food in the world is definitely an acquired taste for most people. It is sushi, or, to be more specific, sashimi, which is the raw fish that is not on a little block of white rice. (Rice fills you up and I'd rather have the fish.)

I know that a lot of people who look at that picture on the left are thinking, "Yuck," but when I look at it my mouth just waters! I have literally had Japanese food 3 times this past week and have slowly converted my mom into loving it too. Now we are constantly on the lookout for new places to try.

Yesterday we had my nephew and my brother at my mom's house for about 7 hours. My brother, Jonathan, came over to study (he's a nursing student) and my mom and I were in charge of Alexander, my precious nephew who just turned 6 months old on August 13. I feel like I want to spend as much time as possible with him now because I know I'll have to return to school (work) soon.

After Jonathan and the baby left, my mom and I asked the daily question, "What should we do about dinner?" She suggested going to Zono Sushi on Lake Ave. in Pasadena, which is our favorite Japanese restaurant. I wanted to run my car through one of those drive-through car washes first, which she agreed to, and we ended up trying another Japanese restaurant called Fuji Sushi/Korean BBQ on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena (yes, that's the street where the Rose Parade has its route.)

Usually when we go out for Japanese, we end up getting a Bento box, which is what you see above. When you get a Bento box, there are usually some standard things that come with it, like salad, Miso soup, glass noodles, cucumbers with vinegar, mini egg rolls, etc. Then there is a list of things that you can pick as your main entrees, like teriyaki chicken or beef or salmon, tempura (deep fried shimp and vegetables,) rolls (sushi rolls,) etc.

There are many reasons why I love Japanese food, but the main reasons that come to mind are this:

1. Sushi is filling, but you never feel "stuffed." Of course, if you are not a lover of sushi and sashimi and order the deep fried items, you may not experience the same feeling at the end of your meal.

2. The service at Japanese restaurants usually supersedes the service at other restaurants. If you need your drink refilled, dishes cleared, and food brought fast, you will usually get these things at a Japanese restaurant.

3. You will also rarely or never encounter a rude server. On the contrary, everyone greets you and many will thank you for coming as you leave.

4. The presentation of the food is always impeccable. A Bento box (above) is like a little work of art if done correctly.
Undoubtedly, Japanese food can be expensive. The above sashimi plate could run you around $30. The last time my mom and I went to Zono Sushi, she wanted to get a sashimi plate of salmon (bottom left) and it was $10 for only 5 pieces. This is the reason that I usually get the Bento box, which is around $15.

This is also the reason that the BEST place for decent sashimi--ALL you can eat--is the Todai buffet. This is the place where I really load up on sashimi. Salmon is my favorite, and a good one to start with if you're attempting to get accustomed to the taste. I also love their tilapia, which is marinated, and their poki, which is a combination of different fish and also marinated. Tuna (top left) and red snapper (bottom right) are other good fish to try if you're a beginner. The Todai buffet is $15 for lunch and, with drink and tip, comes to about $21. It sounds like a lot, but when you consider that it is all-you-can-eat, and how labor-intensive Japanese food is, you're really getting an incredible deal. We're lucky that there is a Todai at our local mall in Arcadia, CA.

It has gotten to the point where people wait outside the restaurant for it to open (since, like most Japanese restaurants, it is open for two 3-hour blocks per day.) I know that for myself, I don't even eat at the food court anymore. (The food court at Santa Anita is also SO noisy because some genius designed it with horrible acoustics.)

Sometimes I have such a sushi craving that I'll run to the mall just to go to Todai and then leave. It is also a great place to go if you're new to eating sushi, because you can try different things. If you don't like sushi, there are still tons of items--teriyaki chicken and beef, tempura, etc. that anyone would like.

Well, this has truly turned into a restaurant review. That's OK. I've been in the mood for sushi so much lately, that I'm happy to share my thoughts on some of the local places I've tried. Here's a breakdown:

FAVORITES:

Todai Seafood Buffet at 400 S. Baldwin, Arcadia, CA, at the Westfield (Santa Anita) Mall.

Zono Sushi at 230 S. Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA.

Sushi Heaven (when we vacation in Carmel, CA this is where we go), on Dolores between 7th and 8th, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA (like many of Carmel's places, this restaurant is dog-friendly, we take Bailey and eat in the courtyard and the servers usually bring him water and treats.)

Others:

Aoba/Japanese Thai Fusion at 239 N. Brand, Glendale, CA (we often go here before attending the Glendale Centre Theatre.) It is quite comparable to Zono in quality and service.

Fuji Sushi/Korean BBQ 2879 Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA (Definitely the best priced Japanese restaurant I've ever been to. A 3 item meal plus drink and green tea ice cream was only around $13. But the standard Bento box items were not as good as Zono and the atmosphere was a little dingy.)

We stay away from:

Z Sushi 1132 N. Garfield Ave., Alhambra, CA. (I've been here twice and will not go back. The food was decent, the prices leaning towards high, the service was the worst I've ever had at a Japanese restaurant, despite the fact that the place was practically empty.)

Komeyoshi 185 E. Glenarm, Pasadena, CA (This used to be our standard Japanese place where we would go, and then something happened. I don't know if they changed owners or what, but suddenly the service became worse and worse. At last memory we were waiting 20-25 minutes for our meal and then they would bring only one person's dinner and the other person still had to wait. No, no, no. After we found Zono, Komeyoshi became a distant memory and we have never returned.)

Well, this was fun! Let me end by sharing some pictures of our baby. Pay no attention to his goofy aunt!