la.foodblogging

Someone asks about the best sushi in LA on a Chowhound post and the board erupts like a cage a poo-throwing monkeys!

Is this topic even worth discussing in such general terms? If Urasawa could somehow be proven as having the highest quality ingredients and prep, does its $500 price tag for a dinner for two bring it down a notch for all but those on unlimited expense accounts? I could do five dinners for the same price at Echigo and be very happy!

I like spicy tuna rolls and even wacky creative rolls. Is that not sushi? There are times when I want a dinner of pristine nigiri and other times when I’m in the mood for some avocado additions, and maybe even a little fake crab.

The issue seems to be that the term “sushi” covers a broad range of cuisine. While some people can not, or will not, fork over $100s for raw fish, others automatically discount any sushi joint that doesn’t require three references and a secret handshake to be “allowed” to sit at the bar.

There is no doubt in my mind that sushi is a true delicacy and that you mostly get what you pay for. But keep in mind that although there are customs and traditions associated with sushi, sushi serving, sushi serving and sushi chefs, it is not a centuries old institution:

The origins of sushi are in fact more Yo! than Nobu or Sawada. It was a street food, a working-class dish - as so often, haute cuisine borrowed and tarted up a staple of the poor. Modern sushi - in the sense of raw fish served on vinegared rice - began at a street-food stall in the city of Edo, now Tokyo, in 1824. The stall’s owner, Yohei Hanaya, was the first person to shape vinegared rice with his hands and then crown it with a slice of raw fish - prompted, it’s said, by impatient customers, who couldn’t be bothered to wait for the traditional pressing in a box.

Excerpted from How Sushi Ate the World.

So, dare I ask, what is the best sushi in Los Angeles? Do you judge purely on the merits of the fish, and if so, which fish is your “decider”? Do you prefer a sterile, silent service, or blaring reggae music and black lights? If you were having the last sushi meal of your life, where would you go, what would you order?

[update] Now a more civil thread has broken out about the “Best (Inexpensive) Sushi in LA”

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.