BARGAIN SUSHI GOOD AS IT GETS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

The craziest thing happened in the course of visiting Crazy Tokyo Sushi, the Tarzana replacement for Buffet of Tokyo, that promises half-price sushi and claims to sell the ``best sushi in town with (the) lowest price.''

Well, maybe not crazy, just ironic.

After an hour of enjoying an afternoon sushi binge and only spending $26 for two people, my wife found a $30 parking ticket on her car's windshield, a scant few minutes past the exact time allotted by the meter in a space right in front of the restaurant.

So whatever was saved by eating half-price sushi was quickly eaten up, plus some, by the parking.

But this, of course, has nothing to do with the quality of the food here, crazy happenings or not.

And, on that afternoon particularly, it was excellent, probably as good as sushi gets.

And at a bargain.

Prices per order here run around $1.88 for many of the most popular items.

Of course you can splurge and order something fancy like the BSCR ($2.98) which translates into baked scallops (perched on a) California roll, a generous appetizer plate of tantalizing tastes and textures.

And if your taste is anything like mine, you'll try the edible soybean ``paper'' as a more chewable alternative to the usual nori seaweed wrap and might enjoy the sushi rolls here even more than usual.

As far as mainstream sushi favorites, spicy yellowtail, tuna and scallop rolls show no signs of stinginess at Crazy's, and cost a mere $2.48 each. Popular nigiri sushi orders of tuna, albacore, salmon or whitefish are $2.10 each and yellowtail runs 20 cents more.

And all are sculpted skillfully, presented with desirable thickness and fresh, clean tastes.

For those who dabble in more adventurous areas of sushi-land, there are nifty baked, spicy tuna or scallop creations in the half-price category, both dubbed ``volcano'' ($1.98 each) - certainly fashionable right now with the release of the movie of the same name.

And there are non-half-price sushi bar allures such as the snow cone roll ($6), a delectable albacore arrangement, and those with intriguing names like caterpiller, Ventura, crazy rock & roll, and baked Hawaiian volcano, the latter matching the rainbow roll and baked mussel creation at $8 each.

Crazy Sushi's sashimi is also very reasonable in cost, as low as $7 for a five-piece appetizer.

And there are several salads ($4 to $7) and Japanese four-course dinner offerings of teriyaki, tempura, barbecued beef ribs and noodle soup bowls ($8 to $12) and seafood dinners ($12 to $17).

As newcomers, this restaurant and its staff tries hard to please. And, even beyond the lower prices, it does.

Sounds more sensible than crazy to me.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Crazy Tokyo Sushi.

Where: 18406 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana.

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, from 4 to midnight Sunday.

Recommended items: Variety of half-price sushi items including a spicy scallop roll with soy bean paper, baked scallops on a California roll and various tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shrimp and albacore rice snacks. Also the snow cone with albacore and volcano sushi items.

How much: Sushi from $1.48 to $2.30 for regular items and $1.75 to $2.98 for regular rolls. Premium sushi and chef's specials from $3.25 to $8. AE, MC, DC. V.

Wine list: Extremely limited wines. Sake $3.50 and $6 bottles, Japanese beers $3 and $5.50.

Reservations: Taken for tables (not sushi bar). Call [phone].

Our rating: Three Stars for food; Three Stars for service; Three and One Half Stars for value.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Eddie Edo with a tray of sushi at the Crazy Tokyo Sushi restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana.

David R. Crane/Daily News