Friends who travel to Japan on business regale me with tales of meals that cost more than I paid for my airline ticket on my last trip. Iād like to visit those places, but would be more interested in humbler meals at pushcarts called yatai. These start out looking like a box on wheels but fold out to create little restaurant kitchens with seating for eight to 10 people. Theyāre a triumph of engineering, as well as the places where a worldwide delicacy was probably first served.
Sushi as we now know it started out as fast food in the early 1800s, a quick bite for workers who liked snacks of fish on vinegared rice. It remained a street food until the 1920s when traveling sushi sellers opened restaurants. Some of them gradually upscaled and offered elaborate presentations. The yatai carts that used to be the primary outlet for sushi are now a dying breed, and while they still exist I want to visit one.
The American equivalent to a pushcart or street stall has a look that usually involves a functional rather than pretty building where you order and pay at a counter. Ambiance is minimal and the food is often packed to go even if youāre dining in, but the low price and speed makes it worthwhile.
Hermosaās California Sushi & Teriyaki has the layout of a classic American burger joint but some surprising touches. Thereās a good faith attempt to add Japanese accents to the dĆ©cor, and even a four-seat sushi bar by the ordering counter. I have never seen anybody actually dining there, but itās nice to know that if someone prefers that experience it is available. The food is delivered to the table, and itās on dishes rather than in a plastic clamshell.
The menu covers Japanese foodās greatest hits, with sashimi plates and nigiri sushi, grilled meat and noodle combos, rice bowls, and tempura. There is also a long list of sushi rolls that amounts to just about every combination of seafood and vegetables in the kitchen, plus one chicken and one grilled beef sandwich for members of your party who are in a Japanese restaurant but donāt like Japanese food.
Over several visits, I have sampled items from just about every category, and most of them hit the mark. The appetizer of vegetable tempura arrived at the table too hot to eat and commendably greaseless, as good as Iāve had at some fancier places. Though the batter wasnāt quite as crunchy as the work of a master of the art I could console myself with the fact that a huge portion ran only seven bucks. The soft shell crab in the spider roll came out of that tempura fryer with more crunch, probably because crab has less mass than vegetables and can crisp up very quickly. Since all soft shell crab in sushi bars arrives to the restaurant frozen this items was pretty much what youād get anywhere.
That was not the case with the baked lobster roll, an item I was surprised to see on this menu given the cost of the main ingredient. There was indeed lobster in the roll, but it was the inexpensive leg meat and scraps from processing, so while the richness of lobster was there the texture was lacking. Whoever made it went a bit overboard with the dynamite sauce, a mix of garlic mayo and fish roe, so it was hard to tell what was underneath. It was the most ambitious and least successful item I had here.
Itās better to go for something simple but varied, like the sushi combos. The āSushi Lunch Boxā gives you four pieces of tuna and salmon nigiri, five slices of California Roll, plus rice and salad for nine bucks. The āHermosa Sushi & Maki Comboā is only three bucks more and gives you eight pieces of sushi and two rolls, and theyāre not stingy with the fish. The day I was there the selection was peppered albacore, salmon, and tuna, and there was enough for a healthy appetite. It was sushi quality fish but not premium quality, which is what any reasonable person would expect. If you have a lot of experience with sushi youāll notice the difference, but you might come here anyway for a casual meal.
Iām not usually a big fan of teriyaki because itās often overly sweet, but tried theirs because itās in the name of the restaurant. The beef was nicely smoky and the sauce was modestly applied, so it came out rather well. They also offer grilled chicken or fish and Korean-style short ribs, so those who arenāt fans of raw fish have options.
California Sushi & Teriyaki is doing a good job of exactly what theyāre trying to do ā making Americanized sushi at a modest price. They donāt have the rustic glamor of the Tokyo street stalls, but you can make it there and back on your lunch hour.
California Sushi & Teriyaki is at 429 South Pacific Coast Hwy., Hermosa. Open Mon. — Sat. 11 a.m. ā 10 p.m., Sun noon — 10 p.m. Parking lot, wheelchair access good. No alcohol. No website. (310) 372-3656.
