Laguna Beach is becoming a land of culinary excellence in the realm of sushi fusion with just the last few months adding two stellar entries.
In August, our well-loved local Wine Gallery Restaurateurs Chris Olsen and Greg Washer re-opened Miki Sushi & Sake (just north of Starbucks across from Main Beach) from in honor of Chef Miki’s initial, tiny restaurant, 242 Cafe Fusion Sushi. For those of us who have tried it (and returned repeatedly), it is, indeed, a fabulous and welcome return of Miki’s creative greatness.
And now, after a weekend of “Friends and Family” testing, new OTO Sushi Owner Ash Cintas is opening to the public on a most auspicious day, 11/11. That’s TONIGHT!
OTO is in the old Harley location at 370 Glenneyre Street (across Mermaid Street from Broadway by Amar Santana). Doors open at 5 p.m. tonight on a limited walk-in scenario so don’t expect a lot of available seating. They want to be fully in play before opening the large restaurant to full capacity. The restaurant opens now, seven days a week, 5:00 pm - 9:00 p.m.
Last night, my dear “plus-two” besties joined me (Ruben Flores and Nelson Coates) for a great evening on new tastes.
While this is not a full review (I save those for a few weeks after a new restaurant has stabilized), here’s a quick preamble on flavors that were very fresh and even a little surprising.
Super inventive cocktails
For starters, while the team waits for a full-liquor license, all of the cocktails are Sake and Soju based (Soju is a distilled spirit typically made from rice - it’s called the Korean vodka). Believe me, you won’t be missing the “hard alcohol” - these are real treasures.
Ash’s new General Manager, Gavin, chatted enthusiastically with us about how he’s crafted the mixology here. Clearly, he has a real love for the imaginative and it shows in the results. We tried The Dragonfly with sake base, kiwi and yuzu … The Snapdragon with soju base and pea shoot flower syrup (we were all terribly impressed with the dried flowers they had glued to the side of the glass with sugar water( … and the Paloma Soju, a fun spicy “taste-alike” made with “tequila soju” and grapefruit.
There’s also a hefty sake list sold by the glass and bottle, and a decent amount of wines and on-tap Japanese beers, too.
Not just sustainable sushi here
First, yes, OTO Sushi is all about eco-friendly practices here. The team also offers a solid variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free products on the menu. The sushi list, itself, offers 20 options served as either Nigiri (with rice) or Sashimi style, your choice. We ended up ordering just one order from the sushi options - the King Salmon, which was citrus-y and bright in flavor. There were so many options on this menu, we really were all over the board.
Chef Connor Mathison, a business partner in the project with Ash, is offering a surprising array of starters, salads, Wagyu burgers (cannot wait to try these for my annual Burger List) and daily-made Miso soup. We also ordered a couple options from their Robatayaki Sticks section, which was quite fun.
Robotayaki - this might be its first return to Laguna Beach
Robotayaki is typically grilled over very hot charcoal (Chef explained it as charcoal that, tapped together, sounds like two pieces of glass). It differs, then, from hibachis that use electric or traditional charcoal. (The last I saw of genuine Robotayaki was at Okura, which closed in February 2021.)
We ordered the Shishitos and Jidori Chicken, both a lovely balance of seasoning and super-tender, flavorful chicken. It’s the best Jidori I’ve yet tried I think anywhere. The Mackerel also arrived at our table, still smoking away with a tiny bit of hot charcoal tucked beneath its bamboo dome. It was topped with pickled mustard seed - perfect complement!
Rolls are groovy, too
OTO currently offers eight creative rolls, emphasis on “creative.” We enjoyed all three of these quite immensely:
The Nikko Groove (vegetarian) with tempura green bean and avocado topped in sweet chili aioli.
The Tidal Viper, a fun mix of spicy tuna and tempura shishito.
OTO Sushi’s Tidal Viper roll And Eternal Stream with beautiful cuts of Steelhead, avocado and kumquat yuzu.
Chef Connor chatted with us a few minutes …
Connor hails from Portland, Oregon, have worked his way up the ranks in the popular chain, Bamboo, there. This guy is one interesting cat. He began dishwashing at the age of 15, moved up to prep cook shortly thereafter, and has never looked back. He didn’t attend culinary school; he chose, instead, to sit at the feet of the masters. The approach clearly worked as he’s really created a delightful and varied menu here.
And, although he goes back and forth between here and his family/Bamboo responsibilities in Portland, I’ll be getting him on my radio show in the near future so you can all get to know what makes Connor tick.
Let’s be sure to welcome Ash Cintas, Chef Connor and OTO Sushi to our hood!
OTO Sushi
370 Glenneyre Street, Laguna Beach
Open 7 days a week, 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Breaking News: OTO Sushi Opens Tonight (Monday)