A single text to Rosemary – “hey, are you free at the last minute?” – was all it took. Since I was already at Descanso Gardens, we agreed to meet nearby in Montrose, where she was craving sushi. Her pick: Blue Fish Japanese restaurant.
There was a brief moment of doubt when Apple Maps flagged the location as closing soon, but the app’s timing was simply off. We arrived to find the restaurant very much open, and were warmly greeted and seated without issue.
Once we had our menus, I handed the reins to Rosemary and let her guide our order.
We began with the Salmon belly (truffle oil). This was absolutely delicious, as I love quality truffle oil. The flavors were layered and absolutely devourable.
Next up was the Crispy rice with Tuna. This was filling and well rounded in substance.
When Rosemary first suggested the Princess Roll (Inside: Bluefin tuna, salmon, crab meat, avocado, gobo, sprout, wrapped in rice paper with special sauce), I was curious. I usually don’t order rolls wrapped in rice paper. Plus, I didn’t want to overload myself on rice, as I wanted to eat later in the evening.
The combination of proteins was – interesting. I didn’t necessarily not like it. But, the rice paper created a rather sticky situation. When I’d tried to grab the roll pieces with my chopsticks, the ingredients of the roll kept spilling out. It created a slight mess – but a delicious one.
The Waygu Roll (Inside: Assorted vegetables – Top: Seared wagyu slices, truffle salt, fresh wasabi) was delicious.
I mentioned to Rosemary that the last time I had such a roll was at San Setto at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. Blue Fish's roll reminded me of their WAGYU ROLL (Japanese A5 beef tartare, togarashi-seared A5 tataki, toasted nori oil, caviar, chive, 24k gold flake) – and was just as delicious.
Overall, even though Rosemary and I had been to Blue Fish a previous time, this time was truly different. I am forever grateful for dear and cherished friendships. Especially, priceless conversations of important topics over food.
Blue Fish Japanese Restaurant
2261 Honolulu AvenueMontrose, California 91020
