Mmmmm, omakase!

There's no such thing as bad omakase ("chef's choice") at top-notch sushi restaurants.

I like my adventure manageable, and when possible, prettily arranged on a plate. That's why, for me, the height of fun in an upscale sushi restaurant is ordering omakase, or "chef's choice." I don't know what the chef will prepare for each course, and it's exciting to see what arrives at the table. Don't expect the standard Japanese tuna rolls with omakase; the chef assumes more sophistication with someone who puts his or her dining fate in the chef's hands (so to speak). I do like to request no sea urchin, however, and from my experience sushi chefs always respect specific requests such as these. Urchin: Too slimy!

Many of the excellent Japanese restaurants in the LA area have tiered pricing for their omakase, and in my experience the quality and freshness of the sushi has always been top-notch.

No sushi-themed week here at the Luxury section of Suite 101 could be complete without a mention of a great sushi restaurant on Little Santa Monica Boulevard, in Beverly Hills, called Yu-n-Mi Sushi. I was reluctant to go, at first, because I couldn't imagine a place with a name like that could live up to its reputation. While the name made me think I was going to be served by Hello Kitty, all my preconceived notions about cuteness were erased by the arrival of the toro sashimi that started off the night of Best Omakase Ever.

This restaurant is yet another contender in the ongoing, overwrought argument among gourmands regarding the best sushi in the country. The ardent supporters of Yu-n-Mi Sushi have a point: It's inexpensive for Beverly Hills, yet the creative entrees are just as mind-bendingly awesome as are those at Matsuhisa and Urasawa. Now, the crowd is hip and young, and the restaurant is nearly always crowded and noisy. Positive attributes for some; not for me. But the outside world seems to slip away when the baked lobster handroll arrives. It's so amazing, so astoundingly delicious that all that matters is the plate in front of me. A circumscribed world, perhaps, but the world of sushi doesn't get much better than this.