My sushi eating started at Cho Cho San in Tarzana with my girlfriend at the time, Debbie. My initial foray into sushi included California rolls, Shrimp and cooked items like the Dynamite and Rock & Roll. Visited Todai (Japanese buffet) in Studio City and when the Todai in Woodland Hills opened I was there. Sushi Factory (Northridge plaza) opened, and a year later closed. I would talk all my friends/family/enemies (Frank, Mark, Rick/Jana, Evan) into partaking with me in these buffets. Almost overnight in 2004 I started eating the raw fish, and there was no looking back. Still attended the same buffets, now eating the raw fish. Started going to Sushi Bars that had an all you can eat policy, Light & Healthy in Woodland Hills, Midori in Encino, Sherman Oaks & Studio City. January of 2007 I signed up at Sushi Chef Institute for a 2 month long, 5 days a week course in Sushi. The sensei/owner was Andy Matsuda. Sivaman Udomdej was the assistant instructor, Nick Kang the assistant assistant instructor, Yosuke the school Administrator. The first four weeks was about traditional Japanese cooking. Started out with learning about Rice, and how to cook it. Please, be kind to your rice. Dashi, Miso soups and sauces were next. Learned about the traditional Kaiseki meal. Noodles (Udon, Soba & Somen) and their sauces, both hot and cold. The 5 Japanese cooking techniques, (1) Grill (2) Fry (3) Simmer (4) Steam (5) Raw. The second class was all Sushi. We learned how to dehead and degut a whole litany of fish. The 8 steps to form the boat shape rice for nigiri, the 6 steps to place the rice on the nori for a well formed roll. We weren't just expected to learn how, but to acquire enough skill to do it quick enough to work in a sushi bar. We were expected to make 2 California rolls in two minutes, including cutting into equal sized pieces. I learned what boot camp can be like. After 2 months of learning and weight gain I graduated. Since attending the Sushi Chef Institute, I have a completely different understanding of sushi. One of my fellow students at Sushi Chef Institute, Twist, has opened his own sushi bar, Blue Buddha Sushi Bar, in Page Arizona. Stop in and say hi. While attending Sushi school, Ann & I had a get together at her dad's beach house in Ventura. In addition to inviting some of my friends, I extended the invitation to my classmates. It turned out to be a sushi party. Sivaman and Nick drove up and put on a show. It was this party that gave me the idea to start a sushi catering company, Phat Sushi. Unlike other sushi caterers, we would do smaller parties, which would allow our clients to watch as we make sushi impossible to make for 100 people. I have enlisted the help of Sivaman Udomdej. Together we have already catered a few parties and have a few upcoming on the books. If you see me driving on the street, honk and wave hi. Where have I gone for sushi and Japanese food? I'll start listing places & a few words, sooner or later I'll start taking my camera and taking some pics. I will also include other fav restaurants I have eaten at. Cho Cho San Revolving Sushi, Tarzana & Thousand Oaks - This is where I started my sushi eating with Debbie. Never ate the "real" stuff there, only the cooked. I am hoping to go back there soon. I remember the creamy mayo-ish sauce on the Rock & Roll roll, yum. There was a conveyor that went around the sushi bar that you grabbed what you want, or you could order from the chefs. At the end of the meal they would count up the number of plates and the plate design for your bill. I seem to remember eating at the Thousand Oaks location with Jana/Rick once. Todai Woodland Hills, Studio City, Glendale, Arcadia - AYCE. I can't even guess how many times I've eaten here. The first time Deb and I went to the Studio City location, when the Woodland Hills location opened I was there on the first day. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. I often went to the Woodland Hills restaurant during lunch and got it to go, two big styrofoam containers filled with food. At that time, I was still only eating the cooked fish stuff. Since sushi school, I have been only a few times. My last couple experiences at the Glendale & Arcadia have put a damper on my Todai eating. Todai is a buffet style AYCE where the sushi is made and left to sit on a tray until someone eats it. Sushi Factory, Northridge Mall - AYCE. A Todai clone. Wasn't in business very long. A common occurrence with AYCE restaurants I frequent. Also a bufft style. Light & Healthy, Woodland Hills - AYCE. The second place sushi place I went to, also with Debbie. Not buffet style, they make the susho to order. It moved a few doors east, into the location of a Swedish Smorgasbord with dinner theater which my mom liked. Still go occasionally and still enjoy it. Good fish, good menu. Midori, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City - AYCE. Been going here for a while. Frank and I are almost regulars. Started out eating at the Sherman Oaks location, was one of the first customers when they opened the Encino location. The Encino location is my old stomping grounds, drive down the alley and you can see my old elementary school. Also been to the Studio City location many times. Same menu, same quality of fish. One of the better AYCE. Tori Yen Sushi, Tujunga - great t-shirts. It was around the corner from where we lived in Tujunga. Not sure what else to say about this place. Oh yeah, great t-shirts, I own 3. SushiYa, Duarte - AYCE. The closest AYCE sushi place to my castle. Charlie is the head sushi chef, rumor has it he is leaving the end of August. Ricky is one of the other chefs. The place was used in the filming of The Foo Fighters video Resolve. On my birthday, Ann took me here for dinner. The chef did me right!! After he learned it was my birthday he made all custom plates. A tempura fried banana roll, the nori was also nori fried. It was filled with avocado and cucumber. Another speciality was a Spicy Tuna topped california roll with thin apple slices on top. Kudos for the great night of sushi! Under New Ownership August '10, gotta check it out. Sushi Zo, West LA- One of the best in town. Made a visit here on my way to the Jazz Bakery to hear the San Gabriel Seven with guest artist Eric Marienthal. How could one make a visit to such a high quality Sushi restaurant without going Omakase? Everything was fantastic. The Yuzu drink that ends the meal was everything I had read about. Expensive, not the place to go when on a budget. Sushi Gen, Little Tokyo- Expensive but worth every penny. Omakase of course. Went solo after I dropped Ann off at a teacher meeting a few miles away. Sushi Go 55, Little Tokyo- One of the oldest sushi bars on the west coast. The fish was definitely not old, it was almost dripping salt water. On an upper floor corner of a mall this place could almost be overlooked. After doing a little shopping at Mitsuwa I stopped by for lunch. Rumor has it the mall has been sold and all new businesses will be coming in. Better go before it's too late. Kiku Sushi, Monrovia - AYCE. Korean owned Sushi bar in a big shopping center. Fish has been fresh, a few specialty rolls. A little better than SushiYa which is a couple short miles down the street. My first couple visits were the best. Shogun Restaurant, Pasadena- TeppanYaki. Usually get a rainbow roll to start the meal off. The rainbow rolls have been average, nothing to brag about or complain about. Love that teppanyaki stuff. I'm such a creature of habit. The steak & chicken combo, with fried rice. It comes with the usual vegetables. Tokyo Wako, Pasadena, Arcadia- TeppanYaki. The first order is a Rainbow roll and iced tea. The 2 or 3 item combination, depending on the fish of the day. Soup and fried rice. Side order of salad. Arigato Japanese Restaurant, Azusa - The only Japanese Restaurant in Azusa. Seems like a Mom & Pop place, every time I've been there the chef and the waitress have been the same people. Rainbow roll, mackerel, tuna & tempura. Good. Noda, Pasadena - Forms to fill out selecting the sushi I wanted. Rainbow Roll, Dynamite Roll, Salmon Skin hand roll, Tuna, Albacore, Mackerel. 3 Japanese chefs, each one prepared a different plate. One only the nigiri, one the hand roll and the last one the two rolls. Two different colors of Tobikko, green onions on top of the Rainbow roll, lacked the individual taste of each fish I enjoy. Masago on the California roll underneath the fish. Kasaka Sushi & Grill, AYCE - Santa Clarita. A rather surprising meal for an AYCE type place. I'll have to try again but maybe the best AYCE I've eaten at. Kyoto Sushi, AYCE - West Hills & Northridge. Visited both locations two days in a row. The first thing I noticed about both were the chefs were young. The crowds were young. Both locations, unlike other sushi bars that place the fish on top of the CA roll for the Rainbow roll, wrap it from front to back over the top. Not much taste to the rice. Big selection of rolls. Chefs at both places were friendly and attentive. Fish was the standard delivery level fish. Had the Baked Mussels and Dynamite at the Northridge location. Average, the Dynamite came without rice. Noodle World, Valley Blvd, Alhambra - Ann had a Doctor appointment around the corner. The Boiling Crab was closed so we walked next door to Noodle World. Nice, clean and spacious. The menu is divided by noodle style- Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Soupless and Pan Fried. We ordered the Thai Spicy Beef Salad, Pad Thai noodles and the Spicy Yakisoba. More food than I could eat, for those that don't know me that means something. Sushi of Naples, Pasadena - Stopped for a quick lunch. The "True Worlds" fish delivery van was sitting in their parking lot. There was only 3 of us at the sushi bar for the 2 chefs. Average. Sushi Don, Valley Village - Meeting Deb for a movie date with her daughter and a couple of her daughter's friends. Since I made the trip to the Valley quicker than I thought I had a little time to stop in. Unlike any sushi restaurant I've ever been to before. No sushi bar, very plain interior. You order at a counter and it's delivered to your table. Limited menu to choose from, no Rainbow roll. Ordered [B], 5 pieces of sushi, a roll (Blue Crab was my choice) and miso soup. Presentation was not a top priority. The Sushi was real good I routinely go back for some great inexpensive sushi every time I drive by. NEVER been disappointed. I'm now working with SG7, the band rehearse Tuesday nights in Van Niys, pathologically-like I stop by on the way to rehearsal. Bluefish, Spokane Washington - One of a few sushi spots in Spokane. On my recent visit to my sisters up in Washington, we stopped by for a quick bite before driving up to her place. A trendy place, no doubt it fills up at night. The sushi, well, I've had better. The sushi was made by a couple of college students. I'm also guessing the health laws in Washington compared to California are quite lax. Hakata Sushi & Cocktail Bar, Santa Monica - Picking up Ann's computer across the street, decided to drop in for lunch. Ann got the 3 Item Combo, I got the Hakata Select and a Riki's Crabmeat and Avocado roll. Lunch came with a little cucumber/salmon salad and Miso soup. The Hakata select came with nigiri: tuna, yellowtail, salmon, albacore, forgot shrimp. Sashimi: tuna salmon, albacore. 3 piece spicy tuna roll and 3 piece Ca roll. Finishing up with tempura. All for $19.75. Typical delivery level fish. To their credit, they didn't pre-cut the fish. They cut it for each order. It was all pretty much exactly what I expected complete with the daikon and shiso leaf in the corner of the plate. Except the CA roll used real crab. Tempura was hot and crisp, not too much batter. Riki's Crabmeat and Avocado was a big plate of food. They start with 2 nori out thin rolls filled with mostly real crab along with some avocado. These rolls were tempured and then cut into thirds at an angle. They were placed on a plate with a cream sauce, then topped with spicy sauce and eel sauce. It was a good combination, the rolls were fried just a little too long. Ann said the place was okay. Nothing bad, nothing stood out. Sakuraichi Japanese Cuisine, Pomona - Answering an online ad for kitchen help/sushi man I had a bite to eat before filling out the application. I ordered ala carte, a Rainbow roll, Spanish Mackerel and their Transformer roll. A roll with tempura shrimp, spicy crabmeat & avocado, topped with mango slices, yellowtail, miso sauce and ponzu. It was all good, and not just good for Pomona either. They actually deheaded and degutted the Spanish Mackerel as I sat there, you can't get much fresher than that. Even if I don't get a job there, I will be going back. They have an AYCE special too. Max's Mexican Cuisine, On Azusa Blvd in Azusa 1 block south of Foothill - Yeah, I know, this isn't sushi, or even Japanese food. Let me tell you, a man can not live solely on raw fish. Max's just moved from a couple blocks west of their present location. We, Ann & I, love this place. The food is great, the owners make you feel welcome. They always say, "it's about time" when you walk in, "see you tomorrow" when you leave. When you're in Azusa you have to check them out. They are known for their Margaritas and they make their guacamole at the table. Chickenbox on Glendora in West Covina - Since I included Max's how could I not include the Chickenbox. Broasted chicken & potato logs. Monday night special, 10 pieces of chicken and broasted potatoes. Back when I lived in Tarzana I would go to Ambers broasted chicken in Encino at Balbo/Burbank (now out of business after 15+ years). Broasted is a trademarked name, frying under pressure. Broasted chicken has that good fried taste and texture, without the grease. New ownership, Kathy, same great food! Sweet Basil Pizza, Duarte - My name is David and I'm a pizzaholic. New York style. Right next door to a 7-11. I eat here more than I want to admit. Spent much time in there talking with the owner, Jim. Helped out with some sushi for the '10 Super Bowl game party. Sushi Inn, Canoga Park - A small AYCE Sushi bar at DeSoto/Roscoe in Canoga Park, not the type of neighborhood I expected to find a Sushi Bar. A good sized menu to choose from. 2 Chefs for the 5 of us at the bar, no long waits for any food. The Tempura Shrimp was good. The fish was average. They used Asparagus on some of their rolls, you don't see that very often. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but if I had business in the area I would go back. Tokoro Japanese Restaurant, South Pasadena - AYCE. I've passed by this place maybe 100 times and finally decided to try it. Lunch only, no dinner AYCE. Average. Nothing stood out. Good service. Fuji Sushi, Pasadena - A couple long blocks west of Rosemead on Colorado in a little corner shopping center is Fuji Sushi and Korean BBQ. I was the only person at the sushi bar and had the complete attention of the chef. the very friendly chef, did the Omakase thing. I was pleased with his selections. Typical quality of fish, delivered by Pacific Fish. Like all AYCE sushi places, they had a few kitchen items. I opted for the Fried Oysters. I was imagining a tempura fried oyster, instead I got a heavily breaded oyster much like something you could buy at Smart & Final. Ginzaya Japanese Restaurant, Lakewood - AYCE. Spent the afternoon at my Aunt's house assembling an entertainment center and hooking up her new big flat screen TV. The plan was she was going to take us out to dinner after I finished, unfortunately she wasn't feeling all that great so Ann and I took off, deciding to pick up a couple things at the Vons down the street. Next to the Vons was a Sushi bar with the sign out fron, All You Can Eat. The lunch price is ridiculously low at $15.95, dinner higher at $21.95. The chef was friendly, we talked sushi. He used to work at a sushi restaurant in Northridge at Reseda/Devonshire. Average fish, fish was pre-cut. Ann got the tempura combo. Fishlips Sushi, on the road - Taco trucks are the current rage, so of course there would be a Sushi Truck. They made their first appearance in Altadena on Lake at a coffee shop. Took a couple of Ann's nieces, no such thing as too early for sushi. The sushi was quite good. Something you don't see often is Temari Sushi. Temari sushi is a ball-shaped sushi made by pressing rice and fish. If I see them I'll stop, I suggest you do the same. Where they will be parking is listed on their website. Tokyo Ice, Encino - AYCE. Finally, Frank and I tried a new place. Tucked away behind a tree on Ventura is Tokyo Ice. We were the first people in when they opened, you would be surprised how often that happens with me. Standard fish like all the other AYCE places. They did have a few rolls I had never seen before. Of course Rainbow roll first. On their AYCE menu were items for dinner only, thanks to the chalkboard it was no available for lunch. Got a Blue Crab hand roll, can't remember ever seeing it on an AYCE menu. Everything was great except for the speed of the Sushi Chefs. Something else I've never seen on a menu with pictures, "Sushi presentation may differ among different Sushi Chefs" Tokoro Japanese Restaurant, South Pasadena - AYCE. My second time here. Frank took me to Sushi for my B-day in '10 (I turned 28, thanks for asking). I'm not sure if ownership has changed, everything else seems to have changed for the better. New rols, rolls I have never seen at AYCE places. One that I will be ordering every time I'm there was wrapped in cucumber. The baked mussels had the typical japanes mayo/sriracha sauce, they added a sweet fruity taste. Soft shell Crab tempura. A huge selection of hot foods and salads (including seaweed salad) on the AYCE menu. My chefs was great. No complaints! Frank said he wants to come back, which means a drive from the valley for him. Midori has been my fav, if future visits were like my last Tokoro will be my new BFF. Been back quite a few more times, will be going back even more. I suggest the Sexy Roll, 007 Roll and DNA. Just writing this now I might have to go Monday. Check back for updates.