Since its inception in the infamously frayed year of 2020, Sushi Ii has garnered acclaim under the direction of chef-founder Susumu Ii. Now, the Coast Highway eatery, noted for its kaiseki program, welcomes two new culinary leaders to its helm.
Chefs Koji Takahashi and Norio Izawa will now guide Sushi Ii. With nearly four decades of experience, chef Takahashi has been a key part of the restaurant since its opening. Chef Izawa, who relocated to the U.S. from Japan in 1999, honed his craft at Bluefin in Newport Beach and the ever-buzzy Nobu in New York City.
Takahashi will primarily oversee the traditional multi-course kaiseki program, continuing to make Sushi ii one of the region’s most lauded spots. Izawa will introduce more contemporary takes featuring modern ingredients. His additions include a sauteed belt fish dish with lily bulb cream sauce, a blanched tomato and asparagus composition with Dungeness crab and a green tea-filled cream puff paired with toasted brown tea, a subtle nod to Japanese tea culture.
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Orange County Register food critic Brad A. Johnson bestowed Sushi Ii a rave review in 2020, calling it “the swankiest sushi restaurant ever to open in Orange County.” Johnson gave high marks to the bluefin tuna, salmon belly, hamachi, black bass, scallop and sweet shrimp, remarking that while “nothing particularly unusual’ each offering was “absolutely pristine.”
Sushi Ii (pronounced “ee,” a hat tip to its eponymous founder) has been featured in the Michelin Guide every year since opening, earing Michelin-recognized status four years in a row. Michelin reviewers gushes, “The space is chic and well designed; and the kaiseki-style menu, complete with Japanese-imported fish and local ingredients, is a tribute to the seasons,” adding that “these plates are meticulously prepared and enjoyably nuanced.”
And Orange County-based influencer Dzung Lewis, better known as “Honeysuckle,” anointed Sushi Ii “America’s best sushi restaurant.“
Susumu Ii will step down as lead chef in order to hand over the reins to the next generation, but will remain on as a silent partner. Natsuko Travioli, who is also a partner, will stay on as director.