RESTAURANT REVIEW:

My beloved Red Sox were on the television, and I wanted to grab some dinner and watch the second game of the World Series on a bigger television than my apartment’s 19-inch, which I refuse to replace.

I had a hankering for sushi. What is more American than raw fish from Japan and this nation’s pastime?

Because it was a weekday, I figured I had a chance to find a seat at Tsunami. If you go to this popular Japanese restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night, get there before 6. It is a victim of its own popularity, and locals such as myself grumble about never being able to get a seat.

We are very territorial at the beach and don’t like anyone north of Pacific Coast Highway venturing this far south. As we see it, we don’t use your bowling alleys and 99-cent stores, so don’t use our beach.

Sadly, the inlanders don’t want to adhere to this philosophy and they come down in droves. They discovered Tsunami years ago and the locals have been paying for it ever since.

I, of course, totally blame Peter Blake, Tsunami’s manager. Blake has been there 12 years and has made Tsunami into the quality restaurant it is. The one objective he stresses with his staff is personality. He doesn’t want robots, he wants people. It is a very smart move. Sunset Beach has always been about community and relationships and Blake makes sure his employees treat customers like newfound friends.

That is certainly true at the teppanyaki tables, where the rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere is extremely apparent, especially on the weekends.

Groups of people come and take over a table and watch as the chefs put on a show for them. Again, chefs are encouraged to be dramatic and they seem to relish the opportunity.

“We always get people coming back with their friends,” Blake said. “We let everyone here be themselves. People appreciate that.”

My bartender was personable and friendly. She engaged in conversation and, though she didn’t know much about the menu, she always got the answer for me. It is kind of unfair to pepper a bartender with questions about the food, but she was really a good sport about it.

She even recommended a dish for me to try, and it was perfect. The Godzilla is one of the restaurant’s more popular items, featuring crab, avocado, cucumber and shrimp rolled together and deep-fried in a tempura batter. The deep frying is so slight, there is only a hint of it. What you bite into is a crunchy outside, but soft, flavorful inside of seafood.

I am a big fan of other specialty items there. The beagle roll is incredible. It is a California roll with shrimp tempura, crab and avocado on the outside. Also the firecracker is a must try. It is a shrimp crunch roll topped with spicy tuna.

One of the specials I had that was very good was the dynamite. It is a selection of fish in a bowl with a ponzu sauce. For $6.95 it is one of the best deals in the restaurant.

The sushi is pricey, but you are paying for the food and ambience and rarely does either disappoint.

TSUNAMI SUSHI

Address: 17236 Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Beach

Phone: (562) 592-5806

Cuisine: Asian

Specialty dish: none

Alcohol served: full bar

Dress: Casual

Family friendly: No, unless they like sushi or teppanyaki

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

Rating: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.