Culinary Adventure: Ono Sushi

Since moving to San Diego I have eaten at many a sushi restaurant, each seemingly better than the last. In fact, I would be hard pressed to say that I have ever had a bad sushi experience while living here. I'm not sure if it is the proximity to the ocean or higher sushi standards but for me west coast sushi reigns supreme over east coast. It is wonderful to have this level of confidence in your neighborhood sushi bar as it allows you the freedom to experiment without the fear of a trip to the E.R. due to severe food poisoning.

Acting on a recommendation from a native Californian friend of mine, I tried Ono Sushi, located in the San Diego neighborhood of Hillcrest.  Hillcrest is known for its vibrant bar and restaurant scene.  A highly walkable neighborhood, it is home to some of my new favorite eating and drinking spots, such as Liv, a fruit and vegetable juice bar as well as the Tractor Room, famous for its baking pan of cornbread (they call it a side - HA!).  I went to Ono Sushi on a Thursday night, early enough to beat the partying crowd.  It would soon become packed as Thursday night was $4 martini night and unlike some places I have been to, their martini list was pretty extensive and happy hour goes on all night long.  Personally, as soon as I spied Chocolate Martini on the menu my decision was made.  The interior of the restaurant features a separate bar area with flat screen TVs as well as a large L-shaped sushi bar.  For those looking for outdoor dining they have that too, offering a view of the bustling University Avenue.  The atmosphere is lively; I wouldn't come here for a serious heart to heart or if you are looking for a quiet place to wind down from the week.  But if you are looking for upbeat and friendly environment this place could be right up your alley.  We sat at the sushi bar, as we usually do, because it is interesting to see how the rolls are made and also see what others are ordering.  Also, being able to chat with the chef is helpful if you are a reluctant sushi eater as they can probably steer you toward something that you will like.  This Thursday we ordered a few of our favorites, me - avocado roll, my date - veggie roll and garden salad.  We also ordered the Baja Roll which was seared tuna and avocado on the outside with crab and cucumber on the inside.  Due to my hatred of the cucumber we ordered the roll without my green nemesis.  To start we ordered some edemame.

My chocolate milk, I mean martini, arrived shortly after we placed our sushi order

and it hit the spot. I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of the chocolate martini. It is my preferred beverage on most occasions but I have found over the years that there is no standard recipe and not everyone makes a good one. My favorite type is the clear chocolate martini which doesn't have any milk or cream in it, just vanilla vodka and clear creme de cacao. It has a nice pure taste without the overt sweetness that the godiva chocolate liquor can give you. The Ono Sushi chocolate martini was not clear but it was quite good. It tasted like a nice, cool glass of chocolate milk. It even had that light tan color, reminiscent of my Nestle's Quik chocolate milk after school snack. It was very tasty and went down very smoothly, which is why I had to sip it slowly otherwise I wouldn't know which end was up even before our food arrived.

The edemame arrived next and was a good distraction from my yummy martini. Edemame are traditionally served chilled or at room temperature, like these were. As is usually the case, the edemame were heavily salted, but once you knock a bit off, what is left is a great compliment to the otherwise mildly flavored food. This is why the temperature is so important, if served smoking hot, there is virtually no flavor left in them, but at room temperature we could experience their bean taste. As delicious as they were, the edemame did not last long and so to further distract myself from my ever decreasing martini I watched the sushi chef prepare our meal.

The sushi chefs at Ono Sushi are not your tradition Japanese chefs, these chefs have tattoos and ear stretchers but don't hold that against them because they know their sushi. Having faith in one's sushi chef is an important thing because trying a new sushi roll for the first time is a scary thing. First off, it is raw fish and with that comes those haunting thoughts in the back of your mind of smelly fishing piers. Secondly there are always intimidating sounding toppings that go on the raw fish like tabiko, which even when explained doesn't sound all that great - flying fish roe (fish eggs). So when when I am ordering a raw fish that I have never tried before and it is topped with fish eggs, I want to be certain that the guy behind the counter knows what he's doing with his tako hiki (sashimi slicer). From my sushi bar vantage point intensely watched the chef prepare our veggie roll and tuna roll, precisely cutting the fish so quickly that were it not for his obvious talent you might worry that you could possibly get a little something extra in your roll.

Crab was rolled up in the rice and seaweed wrap, then topped with the seared tuna and avocado slices. To keep it all together while slicing it up, a piece of plastic wrap was placed on top. The knife he used so sharp that there was no hesitation at all as it went through the clear plastic and the roll. Once cut into individual pieces both rolls were plated and presented to us. Pausing only slightly to admire the craftsmanship, I dove into the seared tuna roll. Moments like this make me happy I decided to try sushi so many years ago. The seared tuna was edged in a peppercorn coating, adding a rough and spicy texture that is usually absent from most tuna rolls I have tried. Then you add in the smoothness of the avocado and the slight sweetness of the crab and you have the perfect sushi roll. The tuna was deliciously fresh and tender, mild in flavor - just as it should be. The simplicity of my avocado roll played nicely against the complexity of the tuna roll. The veggie roll came wrapped in a rice paper wrap which is different from the usual seaweed wrap and a favorite of my fellow sushi explorer.

Ono Sushi provided me with an unexpectedly unique sushi adventure. While I have ordered tuna rolls before I have never had a roll as unique as the Baja Roll at Ono Sushi. Its peppercorn taste and texture is not something that I would have expected to experience in a sushi roll and I will now be on the look out for other seared fish rolls in the future. Hopefully they will be able to live up to the expectations set by Ono. The wonderful thing about sushi is that it is so easy to try something new without gambling your whole meal. Just go out to a sushi restaurant with friends and ask to sample one of their rolls. The only commitment involved is just to keep the fish in your mouth long enough to chew it and swallow (and keep it down). And that is the worst case scenario. Best case is you discover a brand new roll that you love and garner more respect from the sushi chef on your next visit when you order a yellow fin tuna roll. My sushi encounter that evening was a perfect example of how if you take a meal that you are comfortable with and tweak it just a bit you can discover a whole new culinary masterpiece. 上で食べ (Eat On).