Sherman Oaks (2018); chef Kiminobu Saito.
Sushi Note opened in July 2018 in Sherman Oaks, in the space previously occupied by the sushi bar Bizen, which had been run for decades by the late Toshio Shikami (who died April 17, 2018).
Sushi Note was founded by Dave Gibbs (co-owner of the adjacent Augustine Wine Bar) and Andy (Andrew) Paxson (owner of Simple Things in Toluca Lake), together with Augustine head bartender Silvia Gallo, who is credited with sliding the 'note' under the door and helping drive the wine program.
Head/executive chef is Kiminobu Saito, who previously ran the sushi bar at Four on Six (4 on 6) in Encino before joining Sushi Note, where he leads a seven-seat sushi bar.
The head sushi chef is Kiminobu Saito, an esteemed LA sushi master who previously built a following at the 4 on 6 (Four on Six) sushi bar in Encino.
The Sushi Note team (Andy Paxson and Dave Gibbs) expanded with a separate concept, Sushi Note Omakase, in Beverly Hills (Rodeo Collection, 421 N Rodeo Dr), a 14-seat, ~20-course (about $190) omakase counter with Chef Kiminobu Saito; the same group also opened the European-style Melanie Wine Bar.
The Sushi Note partners Andy Paxson and Dave Gibbs opened a spinoff, Sushi Note Omakase, on Rodeo Drive (within the Rodeo Collection) in Beverly Hills; chef Earl Aguilar — a longtime sushi-chef mentee who works alongside Saito — is the culinary director of that omakase counter.
Sushi Note is listed in the MICHELIN Guide as a selected restaurant ('Good cooking'); it does not hold a MICHELIN star or Bib Gourmand. It is also a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner for its wine list.
The restaurant pairs sushi with an unusually serious, sommelier-driven wine program, offering tiered omakase from 'quarter-note' up to a 'full-note' omakase; standout/signature items have included cured Scottish-salmon gravlax, pepper-crusted (binchou) albacore, house goma tofu, a three-day Yuan-marinated grilled salmon collar, and (per Michelin) scallop with truffle salt and citrus and aged king salmon.
Notable dishes include the spicy yellowtail (crispy-rice) biscotti, kinoko itame (sautéed mushrooms in balsamic-soy glaze), house-made goma (sesame) tofu with hatcho miso, and gravlax-style cured (Scottish) salmon; the format is half-note or full-note omakase (Full Note about $140 in early 2024) plus à la carte and a rotating market-fish list.
Sushi Note is located at 13447 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, on the Ventura Boulevard 'Sushi Row' corridor, across the street from the Augustine wine bar.
Sushi Note remained open and operating as of early 2024 (reviewed by The Infatuation on January 23, 2024 and carried in the current MICHELIN Guide selection).
Sushi Note offers half-note and full-note omakase plus a rotating Japanese Market Fish menu, pairing Chef Kiminobu Saito's sushi with a curated wine list.
A USPTO trademark application for the standard-character mark 'SUSHI NOTE' exists: serial number 90815175, filed July 7, 2021, International Class 043 (bar and restaurant services), with claimed first use in commerce of July 2018; correspondence attorney Sean Marshall Ulrich.
Sushi Note is built around treating great wine and great sushi as equally important, with a globally curated, fish-friendly wine list (reported at 90+ wines) intended to complement rather than overpower the fish.