Dinner

Best Behavior at Sushi Nozawa

One of my dearest friends, DK, knows about my foodblogging. He has never had a problem with me taking photos of food when we go out. He has never once complained about how I blabber on endlessly about ingredients with servers. He is even sometimes amused by how I order food at restaurants. So imagine my surprise when he repeatedly refuses to take me to his favorite sushi joint. Finally, as a birthday present, he says he will take me there, to Sushi Nozawa. For the entire month leading up to the meal, he tells me how I’m not allowed to take my camera. I’m not allowed to order anything. He says the Sushi Nazi (think Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi) takes sushi very seriously, and I must be on my best behavior. Chef Nozawa apparently hates food critics and bloggers equally. DK continues to tell me that the guy had no problems throwing Charlize Theron out of the restaurant, so little insignificant me will be even easier to toss out if I misbehave.

When we finally go, I was surprised that we ended up in a dinky little strip mall with limited parking. Walking into Sushi Nozawa, I felt like I walked into an 80’s style joint. We took the two seats at the sushi bar and right after we ordered sake, we were handed a bowl of tuna with ponzu. I looked up, and there were all these signs saying “Trust Me” and “Don’t Think, Just Eat.” That basically sums up my experience there. We were handed one thing after another, after another.

DK mentioned to me that Chef Nozawa and his assistant must have been in a good mood because they were actually telling us what they were giving us. I have to say, everything was good. The yellowtail, albacore, and toro were very fresh. This is also one of the very rare times I’ve been to sushi where I used the wasabi sans a drop soy sauce. I really just wanted to savor the flavor and didn’t need soy sauce. I also enjoyed the crab hand roll and uni. I was definitely happy. I mentioned to DK that I would love to finish off with some unagi and asked if we could order it. It seemed we could not. DK would not let me. I guess only people who sit at tables can order sushi, but if you sit at the bar, you get what they give you. When the sushi assistant asked if we wanted oyster, I declined. DK immediately said in a loud voice, “She’s full. That’s all. She’s finished, but I’ll take it.” Then he whispers to me, “Don’t piss off the Sushi Nazi! You were supposed to take it!” After his oyster, DK was offered a lobster hand roll. He allowed me to sneak a bite of it when no one was looking. This was - to him - a risky move, as I’m supposed to be full and not eating anything. One must not offend the chef.

I have to say, this was one of the tensest dining experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve had to watch what I say and how I act at restaurants before, but never quite like this. Nevertheless, there were at times a home-style charm kind of feel to the place. Mrs. Nozawa was also present, and watching how much effort and dedication she and Chef Nozawa were putting into the food and restaurant really made me feel like I was being respected as an honored guest. Regardless of all the nagging by DK I endured, I think it was worth it to just try Nozawa. The sushi really was quite delicious, possibly the best I’ve had in years. It really is just fine to trust the chef here.

Miscellaneous:

1) Sorry about not including prices for this entry. This was my birthday meal, so I didn’t see the final tab. I’ve heard, however, that the bill can run up to $100.

2) Since parking is tight, you might be better off parking on the side street.

Sushi Nozawa
11288 Ventura Blvd Ste C
Studio City, CA 91604-3149
Phone: (818) 508-7017
Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-2pm, 5:30pm-10pm

By Pauline (see more of her posts).

© 2007 la.foodblogging.