Destination
Friends were in town, so you know what that meant. It was time to eat and eat well, especially when these friends are your food loving friends. No, I wouldn’t call foodies. They don’t go seek out the next novelty bite. They simply depend on the culinary history of the chefs or their protégé to...
During my early ventures into San Mateo and neighboring cities, I ran across Gintei, a modestly sized sushi restaurant. This was several years ago and at that time, I couldn’t get a seat. This was when I ran solo as well. Nope, no walkin seating at the sushi bar. Without of course, a long wait....
Within a week I’ve been to Maruyama twice. It’s not only because I am addicted to sushi (well maybe), it’s because my camera ran out of batteries on my first visit. And what’s the best thing that can happen when you try a place a second time? Well, when things get better. Though I have...
Around the corner from the busy heart of Hayes Valley is Nightbird. A quaint little restaurant picked out by our friend. It was her birthday after all and lucky for us, she has a knack for finding great eats around town. This time the restaurant was a little American bistro headed by Kim Alter. It was...
There are two things I love and one thing I wish they can do at Hinata Sushi. First, the quality of food at the price point for their omakase. You can’t find a new sushi restaurant focused on quality without charging you over $120, but this place does. And they do it without cutting corners. Just...
Once I got called back for my reservation request I was so damn gleeful. And yeah, that’s right, it was a reservation request. You call and leave a message for the days you think you can make it and they’ll call back to confirm. It’s not some automated response either. You get to talk to the host....
If you pay careful attention, you’ll notice Chef Akira Yoshizumi and his staff are carefully timing the courses. Each time you’re finished, within minutes you’re presented with the next along with a detailed explanation. That is how you should be treated during omakase. Include amazing food and an intimate atmosphere and you got yourself Sushi Yoshizumi, a modest and...
When Ino Sushi in Japantown closed down last year my heart sank. There went a great little shop that specialized in traditional nigiri, simply fish and rice with hardly any additives. It will be missed. However, moving into the space was the former owner of Koo, Kiyoshi Hayakawa. A place I loved for, you guessed it, traditional sushi. Not that the...