Tag: Japanese

Meals for a Winter’s Day: 7 Restaurant Standouts of the Month

These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from dim sum to traditional Irish or Russian food. Alongside the latest full restaurant reviews — why SF is the U.S.’ best food city, The Halfway Club, Nick’s Cove, Movida/Bar Gemini/Stoa, Canela, Chotto Matte, 2023’s top new restaurants and bars — these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each one): Read more →

Yokai: Japanese food and vinyl records come to life in SoMa

Yokai is an ode to jazz with quality 1970s JBL Pro Series studio speakers and sound-proofing, making music the soul of the lofty space that was home to Salt House for years. The steel, brick and wood-lined bar and restaurant on Mission Street opened just last month, adding a feather in the caps of Marc Zimmerman, Ben Jorgensen and team behind Gozu, one of the great modern Japanese restaurants in the nation since 2019: Read more →

December Eats Checklist: 7 Standouts of the Month

These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from Sebastopol (Sonoma County) treasures in Thai and pizza to SF gems in Creole/Cajun, Japanese and elevated bar food. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews of these exceptional spots, these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →

One Year In: Creative NorCal Japanese Shines at Nisei

On a recent September return to Nisei just past its one year mark, I found a restaurant assuredly gaining its voice, as the team is also working seamlessly with humble ease and assuredness. They also now offer a wine or sake pairing, the wine pairing containing a couple sakes in the mix. Chef David Yoshimura calls their style “California Washoku” (essentially meaning ‘harmony of food,’ it’s Japanese home cooking style balancing color and flavor… Read more →

Gozu in SF Is an Ode to Japanese Wagyu—Sans the Actual Steak

Starting trio of bites at Gozu (Photo: Courtesy of Virginia Miller) COME SEE OUR NEW HOME — The Bold Italic has a new home online, and this story has moved! Read it here: https://www.thebolditalic.com/gozu-in-sf-is-an-ode-to-japanese-wagyu-sans-the-actual-steak Imagine: soba noodles teeming in wagyu foam. Brown butter chawanmushi (savory Japanese custard) layered in fat-washed wagyu dashi. Or wagyu fat-laced salted chocolate chip cookies hot out… Read more →

This Japanese Restaurant Educates Patrons on Both Sake and Sushi

Pabu’s okonomiyaki with Perigord truffles in season. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Virginia Miller) It’s no small thing when I can trace a huge source of learning over the past eight years to one place and person. Stuart Morris at Pabu is one such touchstone. And it’s also one of San Francisco’s best sushi destinations, thanks to partner Ken Tominaga, also of… Read more →