"The 19-course, $250 omakase at Sushi Sonagi could only exist in LA, or maybe only at this particular sushi spot in a Gardena strip mall. With help from his parents, wife, and sister, Sonagi’s chef splices together beautiful, meticulous nigiri with thoughtful nods to his Korean-American heritage, some of which are subtle and others that are big and showy, like chawanmushi seasoned with gamtae seaweed, or cut rolls filled with soy-cured crab. The two-hour meal flies past as you get chummy with sushi-eating strangers over sake and snow crab bibimbap. Fancy knife work and micro-seasonal seafood aside, dinner here is like being pulled into a fun family reunion. Fair warning: Sonagi seats 10 and is open three days a week, which means reservations are scarce. But if there’s one sushi experience worth refreshing your browser at midnight, it’s this one. 10-seat Sonagi is only open Friday-Sunday, which means just 30 slots per week. Bookings require a deposit and are released 30 days in advance at midnight. Sign up on their waitlist for any cancellations." - garrett snyder, brant cox, cathy park, sylvio martins