Hedonia

Sebo: C'est bon

The great thing about going to see a fellow food blogger in a theatrical performance is that you can totally make it look like you are out there supporting one of your own and patronizing the arts, knowing all the while that it's a thinly veiled excuse to go eat someplace new.*

I had recently been told of a newish sushi place in Hayes Valley that had garnered some esteem from reliable sources. My sushi jones has gone largely unsatisfied for quite a long time now, especially in the hunt for the elusive and transcendent mirugai. I want my giant clam, and I want it now, dammit.

Joining us for the show was our friend Hugh, who, like me, is a complete and total sushi whore. Hugh and I have very closely aligned tastes when it comes to the stuff. Uni? Definitely. Ankimo? Bring it. No fish (or fish part) is too exotic or bizarre to escape our curious palates.

Because we had a show to catch, we arrived on the early side at Sebo, claiming the first table of the night (though the bar was already occupied). My first question, natch, was whether they actually had mirugai, or whether it was just on the menu, like so many cruel teases I had been tormented with in the past. Oh yes, our charming and knowledgeable server assured us, they had mirugai. In fact, they cultivated a relationship with their fish monger specifically to bring in more exotic and interesting fish to serve at the restaurant. Their philosophy, she said, was that if you are interested in California roll, there are 400 other places you can go for that.

You don't say.

Yo's Sushi Club: Fish in the Mission

I've been suffering a serious sushi jones for a long time now. We've finally given up utterly on any of the places in the neighborhood. Hamano has descended to new depths of awfulness. I want to like Amberjack, but find everything they make completely bland, starting with the sushi rice. Bland sushi rice sucks the flavor out of anything that sits on it. Deep Sushi is too much form over function, though the actual sushi is acceptable. And Tamasei, taking over the old Matsuya space, wins points for quirkiness but doesn't do it for me in the fish department. It's time to fall back to the tried and true.

As I've mentioned before, we've been fans of Yoshi Fujita for a long time now. We first found him at the now-defunct Grandeho Kamekyo on Valencia Street. Immediately we loved Yo's upbeat personality and canny eye for rockin'-fresh fish. Plus, he would stock things that at that time were not so common in the average sushi joint around town, like uni (sea urchin) and ankimo (monkfish liver). We would go often with our friend Hugh, who like me is an adventurous sushi eater, and we would roll our eyes orgasmically over the delectable delicacies. Yo disappeared suddenly from Grandeho, reappearing as the chef at Daimaru on Sanchez/16th when it opened, which promptly became our new favorite restaurant.

(Photo: Jonas T. via Yelp)

Good night, sweet Yoshio

My list of sushi places is suddenly one shorter: Yoshio Izumi, proprietor of hole-in-the-wall Izumi Sushi, has passed on. I've been going to Izumi for about 16 years now; it's always been my favorite best-kept secret. Izumi was never the best sushi in town, nor the most innovative, but I always liked the atmosphere of the place. With nary eight tables, there was nevertheless always at least one free. Jazz music gently played over the crackling speakers, and the walls were adorned with a crazy mishmosh of Nipponiana and American holiday décor. The sushi selection was adequate, not expansive, but Yoshio served up a few hot dishes from the salamander in back that always pleased: Heavenly broiled oysters with a lemon creme; and age-nasu, a broiled stuffed eggplant appetizer.

I'm chagrinned to admit I hadn't been to Izumi in possibly a year, and now it's too late to go back. I'll just have to find another mom-and-pop (or, in Izumi's case, just pop) hole-in-the-wall sushi joint to fill that jones.

Fishing expedition: Deep Sushi

DPaul and I had been to Deep Sushi (1740 Church St) once before, but I wanted to withhold any commentary until a second visit, preferably with others. So we returned last night with our foodie friends Cameron and Anita. My overall feelings were reconfirmed.

The short answer: I like it. I don't love it, but I like it. The space is compact but efficiently laid out, and done up in a very hip décor. The dishes are creative, the fish impeccable and the presentation artful. Appetizers run the gamut -- we had some lovely curry croquettes, a nice sunomono and a lovely, dry wakame salad (with maybe an eentsy bit too much sesame oil). Our hirame sashimi was firm and delicate. The tai nigiri was excellent, with a fragrant salad of spring onion on top. And, most telling, both the uni and ankimo were light, fresh and satisfying, with nary a trace of iodine flavor or livery funk. They of course have the obligatory soju cocktails, which I confess I rather like, and a very nice list of high-end sakes that, when ordered by the glass, come with a generous overflow into the traditional square wooden cup.

So why don't I love it? The service can be a tad clueless, if always pleasant and cute. The music is always a little overloud. And the place is a bit of a scene. Do yourself a favor and go early -- we arrived at 6 pm and were the first ones there. By 7:30 things really started to hop and tables filled up with twenty-something hipsters and the like. It's just not how I like to enjoy my raw fish.

What I yearn for is a great neighborhood sushi joint that serves up hyper-fresh fish in a serene environment. There are many places we frequent, but none yet that really fulfills my wishes wholly. Our regular joints are:

Hamano (Castro btwn 24th and Jersey): Longtime favorite in the city, but the quality goes up and down. They gained fame with their live uni and live scallop, both of which are phenomenally delicious, but we haven't seen them on the menu in months. They also undergo periodic sweeping changes in the staff, which breaks the continuity of the place. Still, last time we went, we had a lovely appetizer of tempura-fried smelts, which were just delightful.

Izumi (16th at Sanchez): I've been going to Izumi for over 15 years. It's nothing special, just a small operation, but it's quiet, and you always get one-on-one service. They have some interesting dishes, like the agu-nase, a baked eggplant appetizer, but on the whole it's just straight-up sushi. The downside is that they rarely have anything exotic or unusual; the menu selddom changes.

Yo's Sushi Club (Mission near 30th): We've followed Yo from restaurant to restaurant for well over a decade, and just love him. But in his current location, where he's been for about two years now, he just can't turn enough volume to expand the selection. When he was at Grandeho and at Daimaru, he was the king of interesting and super-fresh fish. He's still got an eye for quality, but he's too smart a businessman to invest in stuff he cannot turn over.

No matter how popular the sushi restaurant, I have had the hardest time finding my all-time favorite, mirugai, or giant clam. It is extremely perishable, moreso even than most other raw fish, and so increasingly hard to come by. Anyone out there know of a place that has some serious mirugai action?