Today’s Gem
Friday, May 13, 2005 16:18Blink and you’ll miss Sushi Today. Yes, it’s another hole-in-the-wall restaurant I’m recommending, but this place is my favorite sushi restaurant. Located on Temple Street in downtown LA, right next the Prince Motel, this hidden gem serves up affordable sushi and sashimi that tastes like it would cost you a whole paycheck. I love this little restaurant, and it was a definite end of the week treat for me and my friend/co-worker.
Before I start rambling on endlessly about the sushi and sashimi, let me just get the lunch specials out of the way. For $6.95, you can choose from the sashimi special (6 pcs), udon noodles with California, spicy scallops, or spicy tuna roll, salmon teriyaki with tempura, and they all come with miso soup and salad. Like most sushi joints, Today also has a sushi menu on which you can write your order for hand or cut rolls.
Now to what really makes Today so special… ORDER FROM THE BOARD!!! There are two boards posted on the wall that list some of Today’s most special items. Although the prices are not written on the boards, I assure you that they are always reasonable. The owner/sushi chef, Kim, will also be more than happy to tell you the price.
One of the many traits that makes Kim such a great sushi chef is he remembers his customers, and if you tell him you really like something, he will remember that, too. For instance, today I asked him to make me something – anything. Earlier I watched Kim make this beautiful plate of sushi that I had never seen before, which he told me was the Crispy Salmon Plate. Sensing my curiosity and knowing that I didn’t want too much rice for lunch, for my mystery order, he created a Crispy Salmon Salad.
As I was a bit too distracted by how good this was, I’m not sure exactly what went into making it. I do know at the very least he wrapped salmon around shrimp, asparagus and avocado.
The Spicy Seared Albacore Sashimi is a favorite at Today. Kim slices marinated, seared albacore and places them artfully on top of a ball of daikon strings. He then covers the plate with jalapenos and a top secret sauce that is reminiscent of ponzu but more delicate. Just when you think Kim’s done, he adds crispy tempura onions on top of it all, creating this huge mountain of food for you to dig into.
For people who don’t like spicy foods, don’t let the name of this dish or the sight of the jalapenos ward you off. The jalapenos merely add a bit of flavor to the dish and are not hot at all.
I also ordered the Special Rainbow Roll today, which was absolutely divine as always. This size of this sushi is so big that it is difficult for me to put an entire piece in my mouth.
Today’s rainbow roll differs from other sushi restaurants’ in two respects: 1) Today’s is very spicy and 2) Kim adds both black and orange fish eggs this roll (black as garnish on top, orange rolled inside). Okay so Kim knows I love the black eggs and gives me those every time, but again, that goes to show how he is happy to accommodate his customers.
While many have argued restaurants like Water Grill and R-23 are the best sushi places in Downtown LA, I have to disagree. Yes, those two restaurants are beyond good, but they fail to provide customers with the personal attention you receive at Today. For example, on a visit to Today with a couple of friends, one person was coming down with a bug. Kim apparently overheard our conversation because he served us our seared albacore in three small individual plates in stead of the big one we usually all share off of. That type of consideration is something is rare in a restaurant. In addition prices at those other sushi restaurants are way too expensive. My lunch today with my friend cost a combined total of $40 (or $20 each) prior to tip. During a visit to R-23, ordering less food than we had today, our bill came to approximately $50 per person prior to tip. For me, Today is the hands-down winner.
If you’re in downtown and want sushi, I urge you to give Sushi Today a chance.
1257 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 481-7044
Open Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
By Pauline (see more of her posts).
today and tomorrow says:
May 14th, 2005 at 4:41 pm
Hi Pauline. Loved your Sushi Today report. My date had to drag me in because the place looks like a total dump from the outside. We really enjoyed our meal with two exceptions. First was a maguro special in a dijon mustard sauce. The dijon completely overwhelmed my tastebuds, nothing subtle about it, almost like a too strong salad dressing. The other annoyance was out of Today’s control. It is a very tight space and a pretentious young couple sat about one foot from us. Every dish we got they said, “Oh, THAT. The chef made that special for US the last time we were here.” I think you just have to be careful about your choices and as a preventitive measure seek out mellow fellow diners. Anyway, thanks for the report. Nice panko action too.
howsit says:
May 14th, 2005 at 5:19 pm
I love Today. It’s tasty ! It’s Stealth and Kim Rocks. The quality of the fish is very high, the presentation is really nice and the service is very good. Unobtrusive, yet totally attentive.
Pauline says:
May 16th, 2005 at 10:18 am
Hmm… Could I have been part of the “pretentious” couple? Nah… my friends and I only do that in private. Just kidding. Really, we don’t do that.
To avoid people like that though, we usually opt to sit at the sushi bar. (I’m assuming you and your date sat at a table, because when I’ve encountered such customers, that’s where I was sitting.) Maybe it’s just coincidence, but people who we usually meet at the sushi bar tend to be really cool. Newbies are curious and ask for recommendations on what to order; returning patrons just try not to salivate too much over watching Kim prepare the orders.
I have no advice about the maguro though. Hope your tastebuds recovered. Overwhelming mustard is as bad as taking in too much wasabi.
tina says:
February 4th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
I first read about Today Sushi in the LA DowntownNews and thought it sounded interesting but was slow getting there. Then I started taking a friend or a couple at a time for lunch or an early dinner. Everyone loved the food, the freshness of the fish, the artistry on each plate as well as the ambience. Finally, I took my husband there and he compared it to a two-decades-old experience of dining in Venice, Italy, as being the most memorable. He was so excited when we left, he had to return to begin interrogating Kim about the fact that there is no sign promoting or pointing to the restaurant and that so many people would miss it. Kim said it is the property owner’s mandate. ? ! We are joyous about this pearl in the deep abyss.
Pauline says:
February 5th, 2006 at 6:30 am
I’ve always been irritated with the property owner about the signage issue myself. You would think that one would want tenants to have customers. So many people pass by Today simply because they don’t see it. Fortunately, since the sushi at Today is oh-so-good, it’s a sin not to introduce this place to other sushi lovers.
Downtowner says:
February 28th, 2006 at 7:06 pm
We eat at Sushi Today for lunch weekly. Unfortunately for us, it’s becoming more and more crowded. DON’T GIVE OUR SECRET LUNCH SPOT AWAY!!!!
In all seriousness, this is a definite recommend. The sushi and sashimi is very fresh, and you can’t beat the price.
Johan says:
May 26th, 2006 at 9:51 am
I love Today Sushi. Please keep it open for ever. Best Sushi place ever……….
Pauline says:
May 31st, 2006 at 8:23 pm
It is with great sorrow and much regret that I must inform you that Today Sushi closed its doors last Friday (May 26th). Kim is in the process of moving out of the downtown spot. I’m not entirely clear on what happened, but the closure is unfortunately abrupt to loyal customers like myself. I didn’t even get a chance to have goodbye sushi there (though I tried). Kim mentioned he might open a new sushi restaurant somewhere in the Burbank/Glendale area, but there is nothing solid in place as of yet.
As soon as I hear more, I’ll let you know. Maybe we shouldn’t make great sushi restaurants such well-kept secrets in the future.
Stefanie says:
June 18th, 2006 at 2:52 pm
please do let us know if he opens another sushi place, I just moved to Echo Park in November, and only finally stumbled on Today a few months ago and was so sadened when I went to go eat there last week! Any suggestions of replacements for the time being?
Pauline says:
June 18th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Stefanie, from what I hear, Kim is still looking for a new place to set up shop. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be back delighting sushi aficionados before the end of the summer.
In the meantime, the best sushi restaurant (though considerably more expensive) in your area is probably R-23 in Downtown L.A. Also a bit on the pricy side, but less so than R-23, is A Thousand Cranes at the New Otani Hotel, also in Downtown L.A. I also hear good things about Sushi Gen (2nd Street in Little Tokyo).