While I don't like to encourage more people to make this gem even more crowded I have to admit the secret's been out for a while. This is my family's (wife and teen daughter) favorite restaurant and has been for several years.

I have been a sushi and Japanese food lover for 3 decades or more. I am not a snob about it and I don't obsess like some of the reviewers over at Tojo's. (One reviewer suggested that if you didn't know the history or couldn't tell which coast the food came from you were the equivalent of an AYCE heretic.) But I digress.

Toshi was a successful restaurateur in Whistler but found the pace too daunting in a big bustling restaurant. So he opened his little hobby--sized spot at 16th and Main. Before long he was coping with line--ups every night. And with good reason. The food.

We have never had a bad meal there or even a bad choice within. The fish is always fresh, tasty and the perfect texture. His specials are awesome---our current favorites being the soft--shelled crab in a light crispy batter and the best spicy agedashi tofu we've ever had. A few other recs: the house roll, just try it, the black cod in miso sauce, velvety heaven, the mango/salmon roll, their own creation (I believe); I could go on but am getting hungry and they're not open now.

A brief word about the service. The staff may seem less than warm--hearted at times but they are in fact. They're just very busy in a tight space. We've become quite friendly with most of them over the years.

Final word. Do I like to line up? Nope. But I don't mind that much. We know how to work it so that we never wait too long although once we waited an hour. But we've never, ever said "that wasn't worth it."