SUSHI

I have never really been a fish eater (I may have eaten a frozen fish stick or two growing up), but as an adult it just never really appealed to me. I cringle at the thought of a fishy smell (To me it all smells like canned tuna fish. GROSS!)

I’m not sure where my dislike of fish came from. My family is all big fish eaters, but not me (Geneva, our family’s house keeper growing up would always fix me a steak or a hamburger or chicken on fish nights). Maybe it stems from the fact that back in the day I was BIG into Scuba diving (I am a PADI dive master, which means I am certified rescue diver and can lead groups on dives). I spent almost every summer of my adolescence talking to the fish (no, sadly they did NOT speak back ;) and befriending them at great depths of the ocean. But whatever the reason was… it has all begun to change recently.

It seems that whenever a guy asks me out on a date, they either want to go for drinks or have SUSHI. What is it about SUSHI that makes for a good first date? I have no idea because truly I think it’s a bit stinky and gives you bad breath. Anyways, while dating my last boyfriend Brian, we would go out for SUSHI all the time, but I would never touch the stuff. I would order what ever cooked meats they served or a cucumber roll and call it a night.

Then last year on Brian’s birthday, I took him to Katana (A shnazzy joint on Sunset). After major coercing and kisses (a little love can be very persuasive), I gave in and tried a spicy tuna roll. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed it!! What I leaned that night after many, many years of refusing to eat fish of any kind (I apologize to all my fishy friends) is that SUSHI is in fact is FABULOUS!!

Since that night, I have spent many nights (date nights, ladies nights and even family dinners) sampling SUSHI at different locations. I’ve begun to love (and crave) the spicy, very flavorful rolls and Sashimi. I still can’t stomach a plain, old cut of raw sashimi with no flavoring, but the jalapeño yellow tail (at Nobu / Matsuhisa) is to die for!!

My favorite SUSHI spots (and SUSHI rolls):

NOBU (MATSUHISA) in Malibu, in Beverly Hills, in Aspen, CO or in South Beach, FL all have the same menu and the same divine food. I already mentioned the jalapeno yellow tail (but it deserves a second mention because it is so damn good)! I also love the spicy tuna roll, the shishito peppers and the hearts of palm salad.

KOI on La Cienega in LA is not only great for people watching and celebrity spotting, but the food is fantastic! The best by far is the spicy tuna sashimi with crunchy onions (I crave this all the time!) Also good is the spicy tuna on crispy rice (much more fun than rolled up in sea weed like most places do). Also, the miso eggplant and shoshito peppers here are pretty damn good.

I love the outdoor patio looking over Sunset Blvd at KATANA. I had one of my birthday parties there (and my first SUSHI roll). So far I have only sampled the spicy tuna rolls (which I give a double thumbs up) and the Robata grill is fantastic too (and you can’t beat the martinis).

My sister Tracee is always raving about KATSUYA and my friends all love SUSHI SAMBA in New York and Miami, but I have yet to try either. Now that I am a fish eater there are so many new SUSHI spots to try and boy am I excited (and hungry)!!

SUSHI is good, healthy, delicious option for dining (Its great for me to get away from hamburgers and steaks. I love myself some meat!) I look forward to exploring whole new world of fish dining in the future!