Sushiya Saves Sunset

Sushiya
8650 W. Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA
7.23.06 - Sunday, 12 AM
Myself + 7 guests (Out of town investor peeps)


It had been a long, long night. Bar hopping. Out of towners. Chasing them down as they maneuvered through the sceney Sunset Strip, in search of sushi for a large party without a reservation. We ducked into various places and were received with disgruntled flippancy. Sushiya - in the Sunset Plaza area - didn't sound promising; only because I know it's popular, and of course, I know the area is teaming with hipsters. Lo and behold, however, the folks had space, were still serving food, AND they smiled at us. A lot. The boys were all-a-buzz, and even I wanted to make out with our waitress - she made us HAPPY.

I didn't eat much, I'll say that out right, but the crew ordered tons. The menu at Sushiya is loaded with speciality rolls and standbys - clearly catering to the Sunset Strip masses who want spicy tuna in 17 different ways and don't give a damn about tradition. Which, by the way, is fine by me - I like my raw fish any number of ways, from traditional to cuckoo. Our waitress was so charming and adorable, I even tried to get her to join the party. We were super well taken care of, and the food - that which I sampled and spied - was above average for sushi.

Drinks, too, hit the spot. Sake - of course! The ambiance here is also adorable - it's a narrow cavern with a long bar, and great people-watching opportunities. The inside is mostly red - that's the color I recall. We dug it. Comfy seats, great view, all kinds-of-relaxed.

I won't do my normal run-through of samplings, only because I ate so little and don't want to misrepresent. Put it this way, however - I will be returning. What I had was definitely good enough for an encore. And since they stay open until 2:30 AM on weekends - those are hours I can work with.