Kushiyu

Not liking sushi and living in Los Angeles are almost mutually exclusive, and it seems that nowadays, we all have "our sushi place". Mine is Kushiyu. We've been going to Kushiyu for about eight years, and so far, it stands as one of the best sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. Their fish is always fresh, and they have a great menu ranging from traditional sushi, to more contemporary rolls and japanese fusion.

As with any meal, the chef is key. Our chef, Katsu Hisanaga, studied the culinary arts in Japan. He's mastered French and Japanese cuisine, and learned the art of sushi making under the instruction of an Iron Chef. Doesn't get much more awesome than that. Eight years of trips to Kushiyu, and Katsu still impresses us with his intricacy and meticulous, passionate attention to detail. I was just there a few days ago, and I told him I was going to culinary school. He gave me this bit of advice: "Always remember, when you're cooking, the final spice is heart." With an attitude like that, it's no wonder everything he hands us tastes unbelievable.

On the top is the Lemon Roll. This is my favorite roll, probably ever. It has spicy tuna and avocado on the inside, tuna, avocado, and paper thin slices of lemon on the outside. The whole thing is topped with lemon ponzu and chili oil. It's a really light roll. The lemon, ponzu, spicy tuna, fresh tuna and avocado compliment each other wonderfully.
On the bottom left is the Hotate sushi, and on the bottom right is the Tai sushi (which Katsu has topped with lemon and truffle salt). 

This is also a Lemon Roll, but Katsu made this one special. I love these fried green onions!

 Hotate sushi

 Two kinds of Tai sushi

Albacore Sashimi Special. I love how light this is. It has cilantro, fried green onions, onions, ponzu and toasted garlic. It also comes in the form of a roll (spicy albacore inside and avocado inside, albacore, onions, ponzu outside).