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| - I'm visiting from LA, where we may have a good sushi place or two. But I found this restaurant on Yelp, and off I went, thinking I'd look more toward meat items, as I'd eaten at another sushi restaurant the night before. When I pulled up to the restaurant, admittedly I was a bit worried, because the signage made me think cookie cutter strip mall Japanese restaurant. (Usually, when I think Japanese restaurant in a strip mall, I feel more comfortable if it looks like a dive.) But generic outside appearance aside, this restaurant holds its own with some of the top restaurants of its kind in LA, and brought to mind restaurants like Wa and the original Katsu-ya. I began with a house specialty, yellowtail sashimi with just enough tempura jalapeno in a garlic and yuzu-based sauce, before moving on to beef tataki, seared to a beautiful texture with a garlic chili oil. Both were delicious and perfectly tender. From there, the chef came out--it was wonderful to get such personal attention (and the restaurant was quite busy)--and we discussed what I might want next. He suggested I try a white sea bass he had just gotten in, and then a trio of taro tostadas, each a combination of a different fish, spice (as in heat) and avocado cream. They were fabulous small bites. I finished my meal with the signature miso marinated black cod, perfectly cooked and amazingly flavorful, accompanied with a yuzu-based vinaigrette that complemented it perfectly.
My primary server was quite attentive and personable (as were all the others), the setting is unpretentious and comfortable, and I didn't know until the end that Chef had graciously given me the white sea bass and tostada tastings. That was just the cherry on top of an exceptional meal. It won't be the cheapest Japanese meal you've ever had (though the prices are very fair for what you get, and there are good deals to be had at happy hour and lunch), and if you're a quantity over quality person, there are probably better choices, but if you appreciate top quality, extremely fresh ingredients handled deftly by a talented chef, this is your restaurant. Even if it were in LA, Soho would still be a standout. Next time I'm in Vegas, this will be at the top of my list.
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