Kabuto of San Francisco

Kabuto, a popular choice with legions of fans and high ratings among yelpers, seduced me in no time at all. The service was a bit stiff, and a few selections were “not available today,” but it was the only place I had ever seen dungeness crab served nigiri-style, and certainly the only place in the U.S. that I have seen offer Akamutsu fish. Another rare but welcome touch: nigiri is priced and served as a single piece, unlike the typical pairings of most sushi joints. The dungeness crab nigiri, at $2 each, is luscious; but looking back, I wish I had asked for some Japanese mayonnaise in which to dip it. Another sassy touch: cranberries are used with parsley as garnish on every single serving plate.

What impressed me the most was the taste of the yama-imo and ume (sliced mountain potato and plum paste), served as a hand roll or cut roll. Plum paste, normally sour and purplish in hue, was salty-sour and brown in this case—and had gritty bits in it. The chef revealed that shaved bonito is mixed in with the plum paste for extra flavor—hence the crunch and brownness. The Tasmanian Salmon, they confirmed, is indeed from Tasmania, and if only for the exoticism I had to order the single-piece just to try it. The fish from down-under tasted fresh but not unlike most other fresh salmon, or maybe it was just me….

Kabuto

5121 Geary Blvd., San Francisco
415-752-5652

The African Spider & Hawaiian Breeze Rolls

Sushi Bistro of San Francisco

Correcting a sushi chef is not one of my favorite tasks, but when I saw my “African Spider” Roll at Sushi Bistro bereft of tobiko, I objected right away. He tried to explain that only the regular Spider Roll—not the Africanized version—comes with flying fish eggs, but at this contention I handed over the menu from across the bar, pointing out the truth. And so he heaped on the orange stuff, which was one of the reasons I even ordered the thing.

Unlike a regular Spider Roll (which normally combines softshell crab with ingredients like avocado, sprouts, cucumber, and smelt fish eggs), this pumped-up version adds deep-fried cajun albacore and salmon, omits the cucumber, and substitutes smelt fish eggs with flying fish eggs—a splendid idea, as the latter are bigger and tastier in my opinion. Normally I would have asked for no eel sauce on top of my Spider, but the menu said it would be mixed with spicy sauce, which suggested a good mix of sweet and hot.

Although the “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” and “Stinky Salmon” both sounded good, I chose the “Hawaiian Breeze” Roll because of its unique medley of mango, avocado, fuji apple, tuna, macadamian nuts and cilantro pesto. I am not a particularly big fan of anything cilantro, but when diluted with something else, such as pesto sauce or something like it, and used on a sushi roll bearing nuts, fish and fruit, I have to believe the taste transforms wonderfully. (Plus I knew a rivulet of green atop a roll would make for a better picture.)

The cilantro pesto turned out to be zesty and refreshing, but very obviously cilantro-based. It didn’t go badly, however, with all the aforementioned ingredients, but rather enhanced the overall taste of everything.

Sushi Bistro

431 Balboa St., San Francisco
415-933-7100

The Ebi Fry and The Sweet Tooth Rolls

Sushi in Japan Town

My stop in Japan Town proved worthwhile, but one can easily become indecisive amid the vast array of choices. To be competitive, a couple of the restaurants showcase their best items on colorful photo-boards standing on easels at the front door.

At Osakaya, the “Ebi Fry Roll” exceeded my expectations considering the plain name of the roll (which simply translates to “Shrimp Fry Roll”) and the strange mixing of breaded fried jumbo prawns (not to be confused with the lighter, less crunchy batter of tempura) with oshinko (pickled radish) and tobiko. It costs $9.50 for the roll, but you receive a humongous nine-piecer that it is at once thick and long. I thought the brown river of sauce on which the roll sat was a miso paste, but the waitress explained it was their signature “steak sauce” mixed with Japanese mayonnaise, which certainly made it creamy. It is both quantity and quality here, and the flavor holds a certain authenticity that isn’t easily imitable.

Two storefronts away in the restaurant mall, Kushi Tsuru offers “The Sweet Tooth”: a roll of apple, avocado, and cream cheese topped with strawberry, mango, kiwi puree and tobiko. I had stumbled upon it earlier, but deliberately chose to save this one for last, to savor as a dessert (it certainly seemed sweet enough).

The problem is, unless you move to Frisco for the sushi, you’re constantly going to crave it.

Osakaya
Japan Center, San Francisco
415-922-2728

Kushi Tsuru
Japan Center, San Francisco
415-922-9902

The Best of Bellagio's YELLOWTAIL

A Sushi Roll that POPS

Who says restaurants recommended by locals always beat the touristy places for great sushi? In Sin City, you need not look further than your hotel/casino to satisfy your craving for a Japanese feast. On a recent trip to Vegas, I discovered one of Bellagio’s finest secrets: Yellowtail (formerly Shintaro), which offers a superb menu with unbelievably fresh ingredients and innovative dishes, along with a panoramic view of the hotel’s water fountain show.

As a general rule, I expect to pay more for my food at any non-buffet restaurant situated inside an upscale Vegas resort, without expecting great portions—but I do expect quality and ambience, both of which Yellowtail delivers. And so I happily accept the miniscule baked crab hand roll which cost $9 but which is only slightly thicker than a cigar, knowing the taste would just blow me away and that I am immersed in luxury and pampered just as a tourist ought to be.

Spicy aioli and crispy onions flavor the baked crab just right, and the soy paper meshes perfectly with the creaminess of the roll. According to the menu, you can choose to have either baked crab or rock shrimp in this one. It’s excellent, but the problem is that it’s over before you know it.

Perhaps I might have ordered another one, requesting the rock shrimp in it this time, but the choices abound and all sound great. The Popping Spicy Crab certainly sounded interesting, with its listed ingredients being asparagus, cucumber and Pop Rocks. I don’t think it registered in my mind that they actually really did mean Pop Rocks, like the candy, until I took a bite of this roll and my mouth fizzled and I tasted sugar. The waiter affirmed that it is indeed the crushed-bits candy famous for its bursting power, which is meant as a creative flourish as well as to offset the spiciness of the king crab mixed with spicy mayonnaise inside the roll. It is a brilliant idea in its juvenility and originality, although not an idea one expects to find in a pompous setting like the Bellagio—at Circus Circus, maybe. But good food is good food, and when ingredients are paired together smartly like this, you can’t go wrong.

The “Kobe Beef Flat Iron” entrée—with its baby root vegetables, potato puree and perfect teriyaki glaze—is nothing short of spectacular (but it had better be with its $42 price tag). The melt-in-your-mouth meat makes you wonder why more Japanese restaurants don’t carry this exclusive cut, and then you’re reminded that you’re in the Bellagio, where one would not only expect to find Kobe beef, but expect it to be done right.

Just when you think it can’t get better, the Tempura Alaskan King Crab steals the show. While you know that just about anything could taste fabulous with serrano chili and sweet ponzu sauce (again, the magic of mixing spicy with sweet!), along comes the freshness and tempura-fried perfection of this magical North American crustacean. To find Alaskan King Crab served tempura-style is rare; most places offer shrimp and vegetable tempura at best. Nobu is the only other place I know that serves it with the same amazu (sweet) ponzu sauce. For Yellowtail’s version, I would have been willing to pay more than its $23 price, especially considering the splendid service and superior view.

I give Yellowtail two fins up.

Yellowtail at Bellagio

3600 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas
702-693-7223