Dining Out:

In the middle of the gray, nondescript strip of San Fernando Road is the Clocktower Plaza, a bland little strip mall with a cool old clock, each face telling a different time. And sticking right out is a brightly colored oasis, Sushi Joint.

The high-ceilinged room has lots of personality. The very definition of shabby chic, the deeply hued walls of spinach green, mustard yellow and sunset orange are decorated with second-hand store paintings and objet d’art. Even the menu has photos of all sorts of paintings sprinkled throughout. Next to a Picasso is a photo of their dinner specials.

The owners are wonderfully friendly, and chatted and joked with us, making certain every question was answered and every need was met. We were offered seats at the marble sushi bar but chose a dark wood table and chairs at the window. We quickly decided what we’d try.

My daughter got the teriyaki chicken bowl ($7.90), grilled, moist chicken with a lightly sweet teriyaki sauce on a lettuce leaf over sticky rice. She enjoyed it so much, she made quick work of it, which is really saying something, except in the case of chicken fingers.

The rest of us got little house salads of baby herb greens, shredded carrots and cabbage and a fancy slice of cucumber topped with a thick orange dressing. The taste was cool, citrus-y with the slightest hint of garlic. We also got hot, earthy miso soup with a few cubes of tofu, and a thin slice of a small, wide mushroom.

Son Sam made his obvious choice: California Roll ($4.45). Containing cucumber, crab and avocado, it is considered to be made “inside out” since the rice is on the outside and rolled in sesame seeds. Angelenos did not take to the appearance and texture of the nori, the edible seaweed, when it was created. Sam said it was, “good. And sticky.” He recommends not using your chopsticks to eat them.

I learned that there is far more to sushi than just what I see in the Trader Joe’s refrigerated case. The word sushi refers to the vinegared rice. Sashimi is raw fish. What we normally see are cut rolls, various ingredients wrapped in rice and nori into a long roll that is then sliced into bite-size circles. My husband tried hand rolls, cones of nori filled and eaten like an ice cream cone.