Sushi Katsu

all sushi, all the time, but pretty good nonetheless. Usually I judge a sushi joint by its non-sushi options, because that's the best way to tell if they're serious about Japanese food. But here, you quickly realize that they're serious about sushi, and their efforts paid off. In a nutshell, it's fine if all you care about is the sushi, but in other areas they come up somewhat short. I heard the chef used to work in L.A., but it seems that they are cutting corners in a way that wouldn't fly in L.A. or other places where there is stiff competition.

The first time I was there I ordered the small chirashi sushi, and it was enough food to fill me up. The fish melted in my mouth, the vegetables were crisp, and the rice expertly cooked and seasoned. I even ate the takuan (pickled daikon radish) and the gari (pickled ginger), which I usually skip. I also tried the caterpillar roll, an original take on a California roll that you won't find in any Tokyo sushi place, but it was still delicious. The second time I was there I was a little disappointed. I ordered the Arnold roll, which was pretty good except the rice was somewhat hard. I also found that the miso soup leaves something to be desired. The first time I had it it was a little salty, and the second time the wakame (seaweed) was tough--perhaps it was too early in the evening for it to fully reconstitute in the soup. I was disappointed that they didn't have real plum wine, just the plum-flavored white wine. That is also true of most Japanese restaurants in this area, though. I was also taken aback with their manner of serving green tea--they give you a big cup with a tea bag floating on top, and then they keep refilling with hot water. Normal for an American diner, not normal for a Japanese restaurant.

In sum: it's out of the way, but if you love sushi it's worth the trek.…