Some nights after a long work day, I know I’m hungry, I know I want to be in a restaurant with little fuss, without loud music and without having to make conversation. When that mood hits, sushi is more or less the answer. That was the case recently when I shut down my computer at 8:15 and headed out. My favorite sushi restaurant, Sushi Wasabi, closes at the tender hour of 8 p.m., by the time I thought of it I had already passed the exit for Osaka Kappo, and Blue Fin was too upscale for my mind set.
I remembered a sushi spot next to the Trader Joe’s I’ve been shopping at for more than a decade. I had dismissed the place with indifference thinking the place offers ordinary sushi. Inside, Kotobuki looks like almost any other sushi restaurant. A curving bar with little vestibules for slabs of fish separating you from a bandana-clad chef, blond wood chairs and tables.
When I arrived, only three other people were at the sushi bar and the tables were empty. Almost perfect, I thought. I sat as far away from the trio as I could and asked the chef for the best piece of fish he had. He gave me a delicate red snapper, which began to revive my tired brain cells. We moved on to a meaty cut of salmon. Things were going well. I wasn’t interested in California rolls or anything deep-fried and served with sweet syrup. I made a bold move. I asked for sea urchin. He was stunned. He took a swig of his Asahi, put the bottle back in its ice bath and asked if I was sure. With no uncertainty, I nodded. The pleasure he took in watching me finish those succulent bites that disappear like foam on the tongue bonded us. “It’s from Santa Barbara,” he said, leaning over. “Never eat sea urchin from Mexico.”
How Kotobuki Sushi has been in my general neighborhood for more than a decade without notice from me has me plagued with issues of lost time.
Kotobuki Sushi, 24351 Avenida de la Carlota, Laguna Hills. (949) 587-0290.
Sushi Wasabi, 14460 Newport Ave., Tustin. (714) 505-3496.
Osaka Kappo, 13681 Newport Ave., Tustin. (714) 730-7051.
Bluefin, 7952 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Newport Beach. (949) 715-7373.
Shhhh - don’t tell people about this place - its south county’s secret! We’ve been going there for years, and they never fail to serve up great fish and take good care of the whole family. This is our Friday night dinner with the kids spot - my five year old LOVES the tuna tataki.