Monday, December 27, 2010

Omakase at Sushi Shibucho - Costa Mesa - A Re-Review In Haiku

It has been five years
Since my first haiku review.
This is the second.

It is still the same:
A temple of quality.
Consistency reigns.

We visit often,
Devotees of the master.
No one else compares.

His wife pours green tea,
As Shibutani slices.
Next to him, his son.

Say "Omakase",
To eat the best on offer,
The freshest he has.

Thick cuts draped on rice,
Sculpted by masterful hands,
Each one beautiful.

It starts with stewed fish.
An unctuous specimen,
As rich as sardine.

On the first platter,
Come bright hues, textures, and tastes,
Arranged to impress.

Some feel like Jell-O.
Others crunch, bursts, melts into
Pleasure-filled mouthfuls.

Salmon is pristine,
As brisk as a cold river.
A good silken piece.

Second platter comes
With even more loveliness,
Even more colors.

Toro is marbled,
As fatty as kobe beef:
Luscious and tangy.

Ocean-y crab meat,
Stripped from its shell and salty,
Reclines on the rice.

The ginger cleanses.
The miso soup is soothing.
But later comes more.

Cucumber salad
Has fish bits and sesame.
It tickles our tongues.

For dessert: pickles.
Cucumbers, seaweed, daikon.
Who needs something sweet.

Like I said before:
Shibucho makes sushi art.
Next door: In-N-Out.


Sushi Shibucho
(949) 642-2677
590 W 19th St
Costa Mesa, CA 92627


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10 Comments:

At 10:28 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

how much does Omakase run at Shibucho?

 
At 2:09 PM, Anonymous sheens said...

Still loving it after all these years. If you can't afford or have time for omakase or just want to takeout, you can't beat a chirashi! It looks like a work of art! Get my fill at least once a week.

 
At 6:30 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Oniisan, you just continue to amaze me with your long list of talents.

My goodness, Elmo,
You make me drool over and over.
Life is just not fair.

Filipino food,
Mexican, Indonesian,
Now Omakase.

You truly know how
To make me wish I too have
A bigger wallet.

Alas, 99 Market
It will have to be for now
Unless I win big!

Happy New Year!

 
At 7:53 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Anon,

Best to call to get current pricing, but you can usually get it for about two Andrew Jacksons!

sheens,

I've seen their chirashi! It is something to behold. Indeed that would be my dish of choice for takeout if I lived closer.

CF,


Ah, haiku response!
Friend, you're not so bad yourself!
Thank you for reading!


Happy New Year to you and the PBF!

 
At 10:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi! i'm looking for a vendor that sells indonesian desserts so i can serve for my wedding in fall 2011. I see that you're indonesian and familiar with some vendors, can you help shoot me an email at ipoel_7@hotmail.com if you do.

thanks

 
At 4:16 PM, Anonymous Marian the Foodie said...

I'm a fan of omakase and I recently found the best spot in OC for it. Maki Zushi. I think it beats Sushi Wasabi in my book.

If you ever check it out, let me know how you like it :)
http://www.marianthefoodie.com/2011/01/02/outstanding-omakase-dinner-maki-zushi/

 
At 7:25 PM, Blogger Bill said...

Awesome...

 
At 10:02 PM, Anonymous Jimmy said...

Elmo, is that the best way to do Sushi Omakase? To have it come out on two plates like that as opposed to one or two pieces at a time? Just wondering

 
At 2:15 PM, Blogger elmomonster said...

anon,

I'd say Merry's House of Chicken should be able to do Indo desserts for you. Check out their Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Merrys-House-of-Chicken

Marian,

I love Maki Zushi's omakase. I did it about 5 years ago, and it's good to see how it's only improved since then. I remember it vividly. First time for live uni, and it was wonderful! Def better than Wasabi. It's much more expensive than Shibucho though.

Bill,

It was! And still is!

Jimmy,

Good question. Normally I'd say a piece at a time in front of your itamae is the best way to do omakase, especially if you want to build a relationship with the guy. I've done it both ways at Shibucho. As a personal preference, I like to do omakase at the table here, simply because Shibutani already knows what we like already and more importantly, his wife is such a perfect host. We also like doing it this way because it's more our style. Our conversation amongst each other flows better when we don't have to crane our necks to talk.

Also we like to eat our pieces in the order of preference!

 
At 9:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A better deal for the Bang of your Bucks would be at Tokyo Table, Irvine, in Diamond Jamboree. Order their Nigiri platter for $28 with seven fresh items in pairs. Plus you can make reservation using Open Table and earn points to redeem later.

 

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