SUSHI'S THE STAR BUT THERE'S MORE TO APPLAUD AT ASAHI.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic THEY DON'T SKIMP skimp v. skimped, skimp·ing, skimps v.tr. 1. To deal with hastily, carelessly, or with poor material: concentrated on reelection, skimping other matters. 2. on portions at the new Asahi Sushi in Granada Hills. Basic sushi items carry a good-size slab atop the rice, and the quality seems respectable enough. Order sashimi ($15.95 and $22.95), and the slabs appear even thicker. Order a sashimi salad or spicy tuna salad ($8.96 each), and you receive a nicely formed, Mount Fuji-shaped arrangement sporting plenty of chunky pieces of succulent raw fish. Asahi took over a former McDonald's building and has made good use of the basic L-shaped customer area. 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" patrons don't receive the usual moist hand towels, so you immediately realize this is no traditional sushi establishment. Purists may not like all the cooked stuff that is part of the sushi fare here. But to Asahi's credit, items are carefully handled and rarely overcooked. The plates sent to your table or served at the sushi bar tend to match their glossy photo menu renderings more than most. Consequently, satisfaction seems higher here than at many of these new-type sushi restaurants that now dot our culinary landscape. There's no harm in trying to offer the broadest slate of items - Asahi lists a healthy 105 - if the kitchen and sushi bar chefs can do them reasonably well and move them along fast enough to avoid dish gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. . On familiar concoctions like the firecracker roll ($8.50) with spicy scallops, crab meat, avocado and cucumber inside and a spicy tuna exterior, and the rainbow roll ($8.50) with the colorful outside layers of tuna, whitefish whitefish: see salmon. whitefish Any of several silvery food fishes (family Salmonidae, or Coregonidae), inhabiting cold northern lakes of Europe, Asia, and North America. , salmon, avocado, shrimp and albacore albacore: see tuna. albacore Large oceanic tuna (Thunnus alalunga) that is noted for its fine flesh. The streamlined bodies of these voracious predators are adapted to fast and continuous swimming. and an interior of crab meat and cucumber, the probable use of surimi su·ri·mi n. Minced, processed fish used in the preparation of imitation seafood, especially imitation shellfish. [Japanese : suru, to process, mash + mi, meat.] (imitation crab) doesn't really seem to affect their good tastes. And that's what it's all about. Especially at a sushi spot like this, where the myriad of textures, from soft to crunchy and everything in between can begin with a simple order of edamame Edamame is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod commonly found in China and Japan. The pods are boiled in water together with condiments such as salt, and served whole. (boiled green soy beans in shell, $2.95), go on through various seafood items and peak with a meaty chicken, pork or beef dish. If you happen to like spicy foods, there's no dearth of them at Asahi. But there are also plenty of mild dishes. The portions range from adequate to large. Ironically though, the name Asahi is also the name of a famous Japanese beer. But Asahi (the restaurant) cannot serve Asahi (the beer) until its license is approved, possibly within a week or two. Meanwhile, the refillable mug of hot tea remains gratis GRATIS. Without reward or consideration. 2. When a bailee undertakes to perform some act or work gratis, he is answerable for his gross negligence, if any loss should be sustained in consequence of it; but a distinction exists between non-feasance and here. Which of course results in the most welcome happening: Asahi's bill doesn't climb out of sight. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com ASAHI SUSHI Food: Three stars - Service: Two and one half stars Where: 10375 Balboa Blvd., Granada Hills. Hours: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays, for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, for lunch, dinner and snacks from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Recommended items: Basic sushi and sashimi, gyoza gyo·za n. A pocket of dough that is stuffed, as with minced pork or shrimp, and fried. [Japanese.] , dynamite, spicy tuna salad, vegetable soba, bento A data structure used to store embedded documents in an OpenDoc compound document. Bento, which stands for lunch box in Japanese, provides a "container" to hold the data and a format for defining its contents. boxes. How much: Almost everything under $10. All major credit cards accepted. Wine list: No alcohol yet. Beer and wine license pending. Reservations: Taken when needed. Call (818) 360-8499. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Yummy Crunch is among the nontraditional items on the menu at Asahi Sushi. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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