Sushi Restaurant

I have great respect for Max Jacobson and his restaurant reviews; however, I feel he missed out on his sushi restaurant choice (“Valley’s Top 10 Range From Ethnic to Elegant,” Jan. 18).

Shihoya in Sherman Oaks is owned by the chef, Koji Yoshida. Koji previously cooked for the emperor of Japan (two plaques with the seal of the chrysanthemum throne are on display.) He then came to the United States to cook for the Japanese consulate for two years before opening up his own restaurant about 25 years ago. While unimpressive from the outside, the interior is beautifully and simply decorated. The service is good, the food (sushi and cooked dishes) exceptional.

Koji is a man of very high standards, and he prepares only traditional-style food. Do not expect California or Philadelphia rolls.

Your first time at the sushi bar, you will be handed a list of rules on how you are expected to order and eat your sushi. First infraction will get you a lecture; the second, you will be banished to the tables or perhaps from the restaurant. All “rules” have a basis in logic--they are not arbitrary. Some people have trouble with this, but those of us regulars appreciate every nuance.

JAMES DITCHIK, M.D.

Encino