Trust in the Bart, Trust in the SushiSushi Echigo, los angeles

Smooth and sweet with a hint of tang from the sliver of kelp atop the fish, these little delights were definitely one of the highlights of our Friday night dinner out at Sushi Echigo. We ordered a second round of salmon sushi because it was just that good.

When we thought of what and where to eat on that night, we knew we wanted something light and healthy. So Tito's was OUT and so was Fatburger. Instead, we immediately thought of sushi and tried to think of places to go that were on the West side. With so many great sushi restaurants out in LA and Santa Monica, we opted to try something new. We checked la.foodblogging.com to get some ideas, (our trusted online source of good eats around the city), and read Jonah's review of Echigo. After a quick phone call to reserve a table for 2 at around 8 o'clock that night, we were set.

It was easy to see how this unassuming little corner restaurant on the second floor of a mini-strip mall on busy Santa Monica Boulevard could easily be looked over by passerbyers. I mean, I've been back home in LA for a year now and still - my radar somehow missed it.

Sushi Echigo almost reminded me of Sushi Sasabune in its early days of yesteryear on Sawtelle Boulevard. With its simple decor and plain tables, the main attraction was clearly the sushi bar and the two sushi chefs behind it - both working hard to get fine cuts of fish atop warm, sushi vinegar rice that all just melted in your mouth. The sushi chef in motion was nonstop, and I was oh-so-happy to be eating such deliciously fresh sushi with my epicurean partner in crime.

As with Sasabune, there's a sign on the wall that tells you to "Trust me." This time though, it's Bart Simpson whose drawn on the neon board of daily specials along with the infamous two words. A big Matt Groening fan of the Simpson series, I'm not entirely sure I'd trust Bart who asks, "If I do something bad, and there's no one there to catch me, does that make me good?"



In addition to the multiple orders of Salmon sushi, MS and I had the pictured Blue Crab Handroll, the Albacore Sushi with ponzu sauce, the fatty tuna Toro Sushi, and the Yellowtail Sushi. All of which were buttery and delicious, along with a simple yet fresh tuna maki cut roll and some butterfish that was smooth and slightly cooked to a nice soft firmness.

Normally, I would have ordered a round of amaebi sweet shrimp, but like its Sasabune influences, they serve the sushi without its head. And I love my shrimp heads fried like crispy sweet and salty fishy fries. Usually, the amaebi is one of the most expensive items on the menu as its a seasonal sushi, and I want to feel like I'm getting my money's worth by eating the shrimp meat, the rice and its head.

So after having our fill of fresh fish and sweet rice wine, MS and I went home happy without the full bloated feel in our stomachs. Good thing since I had to wake up early the next morning for the Revlon Run/Walk at the Coliseum.

Trust in the Bart. Trust in the Sushi. Trust Echigo's Toshi.

Sushi Echigo in west la
street: 12217 santa monica blvd
los angeles ca | 90025
t: 1.310.820.9787
parking lot or street parking
daily: 12p-2p | 5:30p-10p