| Review: | "Frenzy Sushi is a relatively new Japanese restaurant in Costa Mesa. It opened in early February of 2005, with the best and freshest seafood around. No other sushi restaurant in the area, with the exception of Sushi Shibucho on 19th St., can compare with Frenzy in terms of the quality of their raw ingredients. In terms of taste and creativity of dishes, Frenzy stands a head and shoulders above the rest. As IT professionals and sushi-lovers working in the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa area, my co-workers and I have done extensive research into the Japanese restaurants in the area around Triangle Square.
Cuisine: Frenzy features a range of classical dishes from various parts of Japan, including specialty dishes from Okinawa, and special creations by head chef and owner John Arteaga. Office favorites include the Oyako don, a rice bowl topped with a mixture of grilled chicken, onion, and egg, the Okinawa Soki Buni, a dish of handmade egg noodles in a flavorful broth made and served with slow braised pork short-ribs, and the Beef Katsu dinner, a breaded, seasoned, and deep-fried beef cutlet served with soup, salad, rice, and two types of special sauces.
Sushi: The sushi at Frenzy is spectacular. The portions are large, the prices are reasonable, the quality is superb, and the flavor can not be described. For nigiri-sushi, I highly recommend the hamachi (yellowtail), the sake (salmon), and the tai (sea bream). For sashimi, I recommend the shiromaguro (albacore tataki), which is served on a bed of shredded daikon with a wonderful ponzu and ginger sauce. The toro (fatty tuna) can be enjoyed as either sashimi or nigiri, and is a must-try for any sushi aficionado. Unlike the toro at other sushi restaurants, which is usually chutoro (mid-grade fatty tuna), Frenzy only serves otoro (high-grade fatty tuna) from yellowtail fish. The taste and texture of this fish is simply divine. Frenzy also offers a wide selection of designer maki (rolls), including the popular California, Spicy Tuna, Crunch, and Volcano rolls, as well as special creations such as the Sombrero and 17th Street rolls. For the vegetarian sushi lover, Chef Joh!
n has created a special menu of over fifteen rolls and cooked items, including the popular Edamame Crunch roll. In addition to the sushi mentioned above, you can also order a variety of chirashi (rice bowls topped with a carefully chosen and seasoned selection of the day's freshest sashimi) and motoyaki (seafood casserole braised at high heat in special sauces). The sushi at Frenzy is truly top notch, and is comparable to, or better than, the sushi served at Maizuru in Irvine, Wasa in LA, and 930 Sushi in Newport Beach.
Ambience: With its tasteful blend of traditional Japanese aethetics and modern art, Frenzy is perfect as a trendy date spot, a relaxing lunch stop, or happening party place. The bar is stocked with an incredible selection of beers and sake, and mixed drinks featuring Okinawa shochu will be following shortly. Sake connoisseurs will be pleased to find high quality and rare-to-find sake on the menu, including the popular Wakatake. At $110 a bottle or $10 a glass, it's well worth the price.
Price: The food and drinks at Frenzy are reasonably priced. Lunch can be had for $8 - $15. Dinner can be had for $10 - $25. The average maki (roll) price is $8, and the average nigiri (two fingers of sushi rice with a slice of fish on top of each)
is $3.
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