DON'T LET NAME FOOL YOU - SUSHI IKI IS MIGHTY FINE.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic 'WHAT IS WATERMELON watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. fish?'' I ask. I see it listed as one of the blackboard specials at the new Sushi Iki (pronounced eeky, not icky) in Tarzana. The smiling sushi chef with twinkling eyes behind thick-lensed spectacles digs into an ice chest somewhere behind the sushi bar Noun 1. sushi bar - a bar where sushi is served bar - a counter where you can obtain food or drink; "he bought a hot dog and a coke at the bar" where he reigns, pulls out a whole, narrow, gray fish less than a foot in length, leans forward with the fish in his hands and says, ``Here, smell it.'' Sure enough, it smells just like watermelon. ``It swims only in clear, mountain streams in Japan,'' he says, noting that this fish can't survive in water other than the purest and most pristine. Chef-owner ``Crazy'' Eddie Okamoto, as he's called, grins from ear to ear and proceeds to prepare the fish after I agree to eat it, despite his warning of ``lots of bones.'' He tweaks the fins dramatically, coats the skin with a salt seasoning and bakes the watermelon fish in aluminum foil Noun 1. aluminum foil - foil made of aluminum aluminium foil, tin foil foil - a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal; "the photographic film was wrapped in foil" . Later, when it's served, he helps ease the separation of the flesh from the bone by making a couple of crucial cuts with his razor-sharp knife. It's melty and delicious, though truthfully, there's not too much of it. But realistically, this is a sushi bar snack priced at $8, not in any way a meal. And as such, it helps separate Sushi Iki from the rest of the crowd of sushi bars along Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. . Crazy Eddie's Sushi Iki probably features more unusual fish at one time than any of its competitors. But don't worry if you have conservative tastes. Chef Eddie will make any of the popular, mainstream sushi items (around $4 to $6). He cuts his slabs thick and long - long enough for them to hang well over the edges of the well-patted sushi rice. But it's stuff like hamasa ($6), a type of Japanese yellowtail that's smaller and naturally oilier, and different types of mackerel mackerel, common name for members of the family Scombridae, 60 species of open-sea fishes, including the albacore, bonito, and tuna. They are characterized by deeply forked tails that narrow greatly where they join the body; small finlets behind both the dorsal and ($6 to $9), one called pike mackerel, another called jack mackerel, very different in taste and texture, that makes a visit to his sushi bar an especially adventurous and educational experience. He fashions a mean tuna carpaccio car·pac·cio n. Very thinly sliced raw meat or fish, especially beef or tuna, garnished with a sauce. [Italian, after Vittore Carpaccio, who favored red pigments. dish ($9.50), makes a sweet, enjoyable baby lobster dynamite creation ($8.50) and cooks oysters in strong garlic butter Noun 1. garlic butter - butter seasoned with mashed garlic paste, spread - a tasty mixture to be spread on bread or crackers or used in preparing other dishes ``escargot-style'' ($6). A great refresher on a warm day is the house seaweed salad with a sesame dressing ($5). But you may be surprised if you order toro Toro may refer to:
v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. . Remember though, some of the best and freshest seafood available is purchased by sushi bar owners on Mondays. So get to Iki early in the week and you may find live scallop scallop or pecten, marine bivalve mollusk. Like its close relative the oyster, the scallop has no siphons, the mantle being completely open, but it differs from other mollusks in that both mantle edges have a row of steely blue "eyes" and en shell ($9) that results in the most succulent sashimi you've ever tasted. Chef Eddie, who developed his sushi talents in Japan in the mid-'60s, followed by stints in Guam, Vancouver, San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , Hawaii and L.A., likes to call his way ``free style,'' meaning that he doesn't necessarily stick to rules. Perhaps that maverick manner is responsible for his nickname ``Crazy.'' SUSHI IKI Food: Three and one half stars. Service: Three stars. Where: 18663 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. Hours: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, for dinner from 5 p.m. nightly, to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, to 9 p.m. Sunday. Recommended items: Assorted regular sushi and sashimi, special items when available (live scallop, hamasa, jack mackerel, watermelon fish, pike mackerel), seaweed salad, tuna carpaccio, oyster escargot Tokyo-style, baby lobster dynamite. How much: Sushi from $3.50 to $7, sashimi from $7.50 to $14, rolls from $3.50 to $14, appetizers from $5 to $12, dessert $2.50 and $6.50. Beer and wine. AE, MC, V, Discover. Wine list: Six wines by the glass ($4 to $6.75) and bottle ($15 to $25), seven sakes from $4 to $34 and beers ($4 and $6). Reservations: Suggested. Call (818) 343-3470. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sushi Iki chef-owner ``Crazy'' Eddie Okamoto offers fish selections at his Tarzana restaurant that you won't see at the average sushi bar. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion