Ventura may not be a Boulevard of Dreams, but it is a Street of Sushi — lots of sushi.
The 18-mile stretch of Ventura along the southern rim of the San Fernando Valley arguably contains more sushi bars than anywhere this side of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. For at least four decades, dating back to the opening of Teru Sushi in Studio City, when sushi-oholics thought of their rice and fish as a culinary object of desire, it’s Ventura that has come to mind.
And yet, while we searched for parking along Ventura (which is not easy!), sushi has spread north, filling the landscape with exceptional destination sushi bars that have — yes! — far easier parking.
Lest you think of me as fresh off the turnip truck, the growth of sushi north of Ventura has been going on for a while. But viewed all together, they make the SF Valley not just the capital of Los Angeles sushi, but possibly of sushi across America. The orange trees are gone. It’s tuna that fuels the culinary ecosystem.
And, when it comes to sushi in the area, this is where you should start:
Oishi
8215 De Soto Ave., Canoga Park; 818-882-6958, www.restaurantji.com/ca/canoga-park/oishi-japanese-cuisine-/
Oishi is a new sushi bar that first opened back in 2003. What makes it new is that it was closed for nearly two years thanks to a fire. It reopened just recently, serving world-class seafood in a peaked building adjacent to a Mexican mariscos house — fish next to fish.
The menu follows the style of sushi bars from the days when not everyone dreamed of albacore and octopus. There are 12 salads; salmon, chicken and beef teriyaki; shrimp and vegetable tempura. There are boat dinners, which sail to your table piled high with baked mussels and grilled shrimp. But mostly, there’s sushi … and of course, sushi rolls.
There are 28 sushi and sashimi options on the menu, plus more than 40 rolls with the usual assortment of quirky names. The Power Puff Hand Roll contains baked scallops and avocado….
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