Another Gem Joins the La Cienega-Third St. Crown of Sushi

It seems like just last week 8445 W. 3rd St. (at La Cienega) was playing the part of a funky South American ceviche bar called Antartica. As of last weekend, it has become the state-of-the-art Sushi Roku. I don’t see how this place can miss. Two nights out, it is already thronged with the fashion-conscious dressed (or undressed as the case may be) in black and accessorized with tiny eyeglasses, white-blond hair and toned-to-the-max physiques. The backdrop of gray river stones, black lacquer and pale bamboo give Sushi Roku a cool chic.

At the sleek sushi bar, chef Kenji Terashi, a veteran of Nobu Matsuhisa’s white-hot La Cienega restaurant, and sous chef Hiro Nishimura, who worked at R23 and Katsu, send out dishes clearly inspired by Matsuhisa’s eclectic menu: a mixed seafood ceviche, delicious sauteed squid and asparagus spears in garlic sauce, a salad that is a mosaic of seaweed, broiled sea bass smeared with spicy miso, plus, of course, a vast array of sushi, sushi rolls and tempura.

Owner Michael Hide Cardenas, whom you might recognize from Chaya and Matsuhisa, has put together a list of mostly California wines. Sake fans can drink their way through a dozen premium sakes, sold by the glass or bamboo carafe. And hey, you can indulge up until midnight every night of the week.

Sushi Roku joins Matsuhisa and Katsu on 3rd to make the La Cienega-Third Street area a mecca for sushi enthusiasts.

BE THERE

Sushi Roku, 8445 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles; (213) 655-6767. Open daily for dinner until midnight; lunch starts next week. Cold and hot appetizers $3 to $13; tempura $2 to $8; sushi $3 to $5 and more, depending on market price. Major credit cards accepted. Valet parking.