Dining Out

Mary Furr

Tsunami Sushi is a friendly high energy place that sweeps over you

like the giant wave it’s named for. There’s a shared camaraderie among

those huddled around the sushi bar and a quick exchange of greetings by

those who have found a place at one of the four Tappan tables, which

according to Manager Peter Blake fill quickly.

Tsunami Sushi, in the L-shaped strip of Warner Avenue and Pacific

Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, opened seven years ago as a single

storefront but has since quadrupled in size where you may find Cameron

Diaz or Mark McGwire among the diners.

The best time to find a place at the Tappan grill is from 5 to 8 p.m.

after which time a line forms until closing at midnight.

The sushi bar near the door is crowded early, but we opted for the

U-shaped Tappan grill where chef Jose Rodriguez arrives with bowls of

rice and vegetables and a tray of chicken, shrimp and beef.

First, he oils the grill and with spatula in hand begins his mix of

egg, rice and vegetables. Steaming bowls of dark beef and miso and a

delicious iceberg and tomato salad strewn with roasted sunflower seeds

are brought to you at the Tappan table. With sliced onions and oil chef

Jose builds a volcano that spews forth fire -- a great show, which he

scoops into each diner’s plate.

He then begins to cut cubes of New York strip and chicken while

leaving the halibut ($21.95) and some complimentary shrimp to grill. This

Tuesday night the “happy hour” special from 5 to 8 p.m. is the New York

steak and chicken ($13.95, regularly $22.25). As the meat completes

grilling, Jose adds it to the diner’s plate, which is soon generously

covered with a pile of noodles, rice and the shrimp along with the cubed

steak and chicken.

The lean halibut is served with celery, carrots, bean sprouts, onion

and broccoli, which have also been grilled -- its flavor mild. The fish

is very tender but also firm and at least an inch thick. The cubed steak

and chicken pick up flavor from a liquid chef Jose sprinkles on the

grilling meat and is further enhanced by the two dips served with it --

one a soy ginger, and the other thicker and spicier.

The diners are soon chatting with each other and the chef while

manager Englishman Peter Blake, himself a trained chef, keeps an eye on

the scene. Before coming to Tsunami Sushi, Blake, a culinary school

graduate, was chef at the American Embassy in Berlin and more recently

chef at the Abbey in Seal Beach. He says Tsunami Sushi plans to add

chicken salad to its summer menu. In the meantime, here is a happy place

to meet and make friends and enjoy tappan-yaki cuisine at its best.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments

or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail o7 hbindy@latimes.com.f7

FYI

WHAT: Tsunami Sushi

WHERE: 17236 Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue

TELEPHONE: (562) 592-5806,

FAX: (562) 592-4437

HOURS: 5 p.m. to Midnight daily.

Draft and bottled beer, champagne and wine. Complimentary validated

parking. No reservations. Credit cards.