THE GOSSIPING GOURMET: Bluefin the choice for freshest sushi

Tsujiki fish market in Tokyo is the largest fish market in the world and a sight to behold. Tourists get up before dawn and pile into buses so they can arrive in time to see the show. The exquisite choreography of the unloading, butchering and selling of fish is combined with the dazzling beauty of the displays and both the vendors’ and buyers’ intense reverence for quality and freshness. The Japanese really know their fish and their standards are rigorous; from the most elegant restaurant to the humblest street seller, nothing less than perfectly fresh is acceptable.

In America, criteria are not as exacting. Here in town, six Japanese restaurants vie for our attention, but the focus is often on inventiveness rather than impeccable fish. In our opinion, Bluefin sets the standard for freshness and quality.

In a clean, contemporary minimalist milieu, this small attractive room, half sushi bar, half banquette seating, is the setting for some of the most elegant fish we have tasted in recent memory. Chef Takashi Abe presides. His menu is divided into the de rigeur sushi/sashimi selections, plus hot and cold starters, entrées and a long list of nightly specials.

If you order everything at once and are sharing, we suggest asking your server to bring out the dishes one at a time to slow down the pace and allow you to savor each delicacy.

Kelp salad makes a light and delicious starter. If you haven’t eaten seaweed before, wakame is the most common form used in Japanese cooking (other than nori, the dried sheets for wrapping sushi). This sea vegetable is also very healthy, rich in minerals and low in calories. Bluefin’s version is as good as we have tried anywhere. A tangle of leafy, vibrant, deep green seaweed arrives dressed in a light, sweet rice vinegar, shoyu and sesame dressing, with a colorful adornment of orange carrots, red tomatoes and yellow lemons. Nestled beside it is a crunchy, delicately pickled salad of paper-thin cucumber slices. Besides the palate-refreshing flavors, the lovely texture of the wakame is a pleasure in itself: a little chewy, a little crispy, a little springy. This is a good introduction to a whole class of foods in Asian cuisine that are prized for texture, a layer of complexity American cooking doesn’t usually emphasize.

Speaking of texture, raw fish provides a range of subtle possibilities. When fish is exquisitely fresh, the texture is an important part of the experience. Normally, we would order yellowtail sushi, a fish that rarely disappoints. However, our helpful waitress recommended the special offering of kinme dai (golden eyed snapper), a new fish to both of us. Draped over a small mound of excellent sushi rice, it was sublimely silky with a simple garnish of mint leaf, wasabi and especially tasty pickled ginger. Just the right amount of wasabi was under the fish and the shoyu for dipping was superfluous. By the way, pickled ginger is traditionally meant as a palate cleanser to be eaten between different types of sushi.

An appetizer portion of shrimp and vegetable tempura is almost a meal in itself. Four of the longest, sweetest shrimp we have ever encountered were flanked by an assortment of vegetables including: sweet potatoes, eggplant, green beans and zucchini; all enrobed in a light crunchy batter, so delicate it resembled a honeycomb. The dipping sauce, however, was simply bland.

The great Nobu Matsuhisa, Chef Abe’s teacher, is credited with the invention of black cod marinated in sweet miso sauce, a dish that has become a sushi restaurant standard, but Chef Abe’s version is as good as it gets. As our waitress was bringing it to the table, the sight of it, even from three feet away, had our mouths watering. The quiveringly fresh cod was cooked to exactly the right moment, leaving it moist and succulent. Its glistening flesh had the texture of silky custard and the deep buttery flavor was balanced by hints of sweetness from the miso glaze. Every bite was bliss. It seemed that some of every vegetable in the garden had a place beside it on the plate, each cooked to toothsome tenderness.

Not everything here is perfection. As in all restaurants, there are dishes that are better than others and nights when the kitchen is not at its best. We have had less than perfect sushi here and not every entrée is equal to the glorious cod.

We were seduced by the mention of foie gras with duck breast or Chilean sea bass. Since our cod had been exquisite and we couldn’t imagine any fish being better, we opted for the duck, a dish we also adore. We do prefer it rare and should have requested it that way; however, it was still overcooked with barely a touch of pink. The meat was tender but had no depth of flavor and the skin, which is usually crispy providing another dimension of texture and taste, did neither. The foie gras, a treat we always look forward to with relish, lacked the velvety mouth-feel and fatty richness that we expect and sadly, it also had a livery aftertaste. We can’t say that the dish was bad but the high level of the rest of our dinner left us disappointed with this very ordinary offering.

Larger plates consist of six choices: mixed seafood tempura, filet mignon, grilled salmon, jidori chicken and a mixed sushi platter.

Desserts are limited to green tea gelato, chocolate cake and the very intriguing sounding wasabi panna cotta.

Bluefin is the most upscale Japanese restaurant in town with food and prices to match. For an elegant bargain, try the five-course omakase (chef’s choice) lunch for $35.

IF YOU GO

•WHAT: Bluefin (949) 715-7373

•WHERE: 7952 E. Pacific Coast Hwy. (Crystal Cove Promenade)

•WHEN: 7 days

Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dinner: 5:30 to 10 p.m.

•PRICES:

Appetizers: $6.50 to $20

Sushi and Sashimi: $3.75 to $37.50

Entrées: $25 to $35

Desserts: $7.50

•WINE:

Bottles: $28 to $280, Sake $48 to $170

By the glass: $7 to $13, Sake $7 to $30

Corkage: $20

ELLE HARROW AND TERRY MARKOWITZ owned a la Carte for 20 years and can be reached at themarkos755@yahoo.com.