From The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Revised August 2009 Yujin Japanese. Sushi. Covington: 323 N New Hampshire. 985-809-3840. Map. Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday. Casual. AE DC DS MC V Website.   WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL   The restaurants in the vicinity of the St. Tammany Courthouse form a microcosm of the wider dining world: there's a little of everything. Here's the neighborhood's sushi bar. Although its main menu is limited, the sushi operation is beyond reproach. Service is snappy, as it must be at lunch. The street looks deserted at night, but there's always a good crowd in here.   WHY IT'S GOOD   The sushi selection provides nearly everything you might be looking for, using fish of fine quality and perfect cool temperatures. It's made up deftly, but refrains from the more fanciful presentations and serviceware. If all you care about is what it tastes like, this is the place for you. (And me.)   BACKSTORY   Yujin ("happy traveler") spun off in 2006 from the excellent Little Tokyo in Mandeville. Owner/chef Rigoberto Hernandez--a rare Hispanic sushi slinger--brought with them the same skills he displayed so admirably there.   DINING ROOM   It's a storefront near the old Covington courthouse that has been many restaurants over the years. They renovated (in the process getting rid of an old air conditioner so loud you couldn't talk over it), but the place remains utilitarian, with too much space in the dining room and not enough at the sushi bar. Rigoberto entertains there: he's as funny as he is deft at making sushi.   ESSENTIAL DISHES   Gyoza. Tuna tataki salad. Baked hamachi kama (yellowfin neck). Seaweed salad. Sushi. Sashimi. Chirashi sushi dinner.. Burning Man roll (various forms of spicy tuna and salmon with avocado). Barbecue salmon roll. Ceviche-style sushi. Specials (on the markerboard). Teriyaki chicken or beef.   FOR BEST RESULTS   Like all restaurants in old Covington, the place is mobbed when the courts let out for lunch around noon, and you might not be able to get a seat.   OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT   The soup is too salty. The chairs are uncomfortable. A bit more range among the cooked dishes would add a good deal of interest.   FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD   Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter. Dining Environment -1 Consistency +2 Service Value +1 Attitude +2 Wine and Bar Hipness Local Color   SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES   Open Monday lunch and dinner Vegetarian dishes Quick, good meal Easy, nearby parking Click here for an index to current reviews of the 200 Essential Restaurants, and others. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com.