KOBE beef at Sushi Ota: San Diego, CA

{Real kobe beef from Japan ~ Sushi Ota ~ May 2010}

I think its is only appropriate that my first post be about a meal at Sushi Ota. Sushi Ota has 600 plus reviews on Yelp and has been heralded as “The” sushi place in San Diego. Some will say you can find better sushi at Kaga in Chula Vista, Kaito in Encinitas etc. but for me Sushi Ota is the place to go if you want quality food. Yes food, not just SUSHI!

Most people that eat at Ota consider it a sushi place and order the standard assortment of specialty rolls and nigiri and rarely explore beyond those experiences (for the first year of eating at Ota I also only ordered these items). Rarely do people order omakase (which is what I normally get). Additionally, I always sit with Robert aka Atsushi (unless he is in Japan) He has such a great memory of what I like and dislike and caters my omakase meal not only with what is seasonal but what would suite my pallet. I really encourage anyone that wants a dining experience rather than just a good meal to invest in the time (and money) to sit with a Robert a few times and order the omakase meal and develop a report with him. You will not be disappointed. With all that being said I wanted I only have pictures of one dish from my latest Omakase meal that I though was particularly noteworthy.

The last time Liz and I were in, Ota-san was being visited by a chef friend who travels the world with his client on his multi-million dollar yacht. He had just returned from Japan and brough Ota-san a few filets of Kobe beef. REAL Kobe. Not the wagyu beef equivalent that you often see from diners to high end steak houses (I think even Ota advertises there premium beef as Kobe even though its really wagyu!). Robert was kind enough to grab liz and I some pieces so we could enjoy this delectable treat. The meat was served on a Shisho leaf with a little of the Ota red dipping sauce. The meat is so incredibly marbled that eating more than a few pieces would either land me in the hospital or the restroom!