On 2007-12-14 12:29:58 -0800, War > said:

> HA! Funny you mention Azuma. For 10 years I was a regular there, and
> the itamae at the time, Sato-san is directly responsible or turning my
> love of sushi into an obsession (I would spent hours at the sushi bar
> talking with him about sushi and Japanese cuisine and he would always
> be excited to share with me the seasonal items and sundries that most
> gaijin would probably not want to try).

I think this is how many of us went from occasional diners to sushi-hounds.

Before him was a guy named "Mike" at Sushi-Kura in Costa Mesa. I almost
always try to find out a sushi chef's real name and call him by that
when he has an Americanized version. He had me trying everything. A
nice guy, but not really talkative.

My best early experience, which really lodged the hook in my cheek, was
with Yoshi-san at Uoko in Lake Forest, California when I lived in Aliso
Viejo. He wised me to all kinds of fish, trotted out oddities of all
kinds to see how far my palate would stretch. He hipped me to all kinds
of concepts, words, phrases and so forth. One time when I was spending
a weekend in LA he got a yellow-pages directory to find some good
restaurants for me to try. He was a genuinely nice guy.

And he moved to Tucson! I am not sure he is still there or not, but I
believe he is. And wherever he goes, he's gotta be impressing people.
Not only was he a capable and diverse chef, but he was really smart and
quick in a personal sense. When new people would come in, he'd turn to
me and predict what they would order, and he'd be right. When you asked
him a question about fish or season or whatever, he'd really answer you
completely, rather than giving you the one-liner. Of course I made a
point of coming just a little past the rush, so he'd have time to relax
a bit.

So do you guys know Yoshi-san? He oughta be about 45-ish now or so. I
supposed he could be a Mike or Tony by now...
--
///---

I think that most of the Japanese sushi chefs in AZ first worked in
CA. CA seems to be the usual first stop from Japan.

On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:00:55 -0800 (PST), wrote:

> I think that most of the Japanese sushi chefs in AZ first worked in
> CA. CA seems to be the usual first stop from Japan.


Although you may be right that most Japanese who emigrate to the US
stop in California first, I think that most of the sushi chefs in
Tucson (I don't know about the rest of Arizona) aren't even Japanese.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

> Although you may be right that most Japanese who emigrate to the US
> stop in California first, I think that most of the sushi chefs in
> Tucson (I don't know about the rest of Arizona) aren't even Japanese.
>
> --
> Ken Blake
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup





Yukari's has non-Japanese sushi chefs?

On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:52:08 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>
> > Although you may be right that most Japanese who emigrate to the US
> > stop in California first, I think that most of the sushi chefs in
> > Tucson (I don't know about the rest of Arizona) aren't even Japanese.
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
>
>
>
>
> Yukari's has non-Japanese sushi chefs?


No, I think they (he?) are Japanese, but since I've never sat at the
bar there, I'm not sure. But I wasn't talking about Yukari in
particular, or about any place in particular. There are a lot of
non-Japanese sushi chefs in Tucson.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

She,

"There are a lot of
non-Japanese sushi chefs in Tucson. "

I'm sure. S10 was all-Mexican last time I looked. But I don't go to
those places.

I finally tried Yukari's today. Not bad, not great.

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:19:37 -0800 (PST), wrote:

> I finally tried Yukari's today. Not bad, not great.



I agree. It's very good for Tucson, but can't begin to compare with
what's available in New York, San Francisco, or LA, let alone Japan.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On 2007-12-20 11:13:45 -0800, Ken Blake
> said:

> On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:19:37 -0800 (PST), wrote:
>
>> I finally tried Yukari's today. Not bad, not great.
>
> I agree. It's very good for Tucson, but can't begin to compare with
> what's available in New York, San Francisco, or LA, let alone Japan.

The sushi is good in Japan too? :-)
--
///---

Any suggestions for Japanese restaurants in AZ that are at a quality
level equal to or better than Nobu? I'm coming in for the Super Bowl
and need someplace to eat.....

Also, a good suggestion for a Taco shack would be appreciated.