Raw and Spicy at Yoshi's SF Restaurant!

March 16, 3:59 PMSF Restaurant ExaminerIlana Wherry

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Chef Sho's Special: Spicy Maguro Tartare

Everyone has heard about Yoshi's Jazz clubs in both Oakland and San Francisco, but until recently, Yoshi's reputation was all about the jazz and blues musicians who came to play there and food was secondary...
 
    Well, I am happy to say, all that has changed.  I went down to the San Francisco location recently to check out what has been rumored to be some of the best contemporary Japanese food in town... I also wanted to find out whether the chef was as good as he was cracked up to be...

     Executive Chef "Sho" Shotaro Kamio has a simple philosophy when it comes to preparing food: "simple, season, surprise."  He apprenticed the old fashioned way in Japan and spent his teens working and learning at top restaurants in Tokyo.  He has evolved a California-Japanese fusion cuisine for his dishes at Yoshi's, with handcrafted cocktails to match.

     Looks of a dish are equally important as the taste in Japan, so each plate was flawless in the excitement of its presentation and the taste lived up to the production... There is a vast saki menu available, with most of the sakis served chilled. In fact, its almost difficult to find a saki that a Japanese restaurant will serve hot these days in San Francisco... If you find one, feel free to post a comment on this review.

    So I started off my excursion with a glass of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut, (France NV -- $18). It's tight bubbles and yeasty finish helped to set the course for the meal. I decided to start the ball rolling by ordering a sampling of the rolls available. So I started with the ubiquitous California Roll and Sake Nigiri Sushi (smoked salmon). The wasabi was so fresh and hot, it just about took one's head off. Whew! Then I went on to try a Geisha Roll. This was comprised of spicy tempura, snow crab, maguro (tuna) and arare (little balls). It is good to try things you don't normally eat. Like raw, spicy tuna or tempura. Overall, the presentations were all unique and awesome. They were works of edible art, one was almost afraid to disturb their symmetry by digging into them with the chopsticks...

    The presentation of the Nigiri Sushi Sake (salmon) was very zen minimalist, with the nigiri sushi sitting in front of a single chive frond against larger slices coiled in the back of it. The tuna was flash fried and played off well against the seaweed for taste and texture. The octopus, however, was tough. The vegetable tempura was excellent, light and crispy.

    I then tried the edamame garlic with shallots served in their shells. I wish someone had told me not to eat them like that, but I did and abandoned the effort early on... They were tasty, but tough.

    I loved the lobster salad roll. It was good and light. Last, but not least was the Yakai Yasai roll, which sounded and looked promising, but didn't live up to its press...

    By this stage in the proceedings, my dining companion made an appearance and helped me to sample the main courses for the evening. The Black Cod was outstanding. It was hearty, cooked well and melted in the mouth. The Black Angus steak was beautifully done, as were the Lamb Chops and the Roasted Vegetables were done al dente to perfection.

    We rode home with a grand finish to the desserts. Mine was accompanied by a glass of Rose Cremant from Alsace $13 and then followed by a Moscato d'asti (M. Chiarlo "Nivole" (Italy, 2006 -- $9). My friend enjoyed a glass of Sauterne ($12) which she found to be heavy and sweet. We sampled the desserts together. First we tried the Meyer Lemon Creme Brulee which was accompanied by macha cake, honeycomb, hibiscus syrup and lemon gelee. What's not to like? It tasted somewhat like lemon curd and if you love that, you'll love this...

    Then we dived into the Malted Milk Chocolate Mousse Cake which was served with chocolate coated cereal bits, Asahi black beer caramel and strawberries. This was awesome and every bit as fabulous, dense and rich as it sounds. Decadence! We finished off the evening with a Lichee Strawberry sorbet to cleanse the palate. it was just the right note and so refreshing... Hats off to Executive Pastry Chef Suzanne Lafleur.

    Yoshi's Restaurant, San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Tel.: (415) 655-5600. For more info: Opentable.com. Reservations recommended. Ideal 'meal before the show' place.