Kaiseki in SF?

[cookingwithamy]

I've been to Kyo-ya at the Palace Hotel now I'm looking to try another place for a birthday meal. I've heard Kappa and Hama-Ko both do them on request. Has anyone been? Reviews? Are there any other options I should know about? Sanruku and Osome used to do them but no longer....

[chaud-froid]

I've been to Kappa twice. It is quite good, it isn't really Kaiseki (they call it koryori), but they have a tasting menu (about $70). There are some pretty good reviews available if you search for them.

[Lois]

It's not a fancy option, but check out Minako, which is a tiny little family-run place on Mission in S.F. (I think it's at about 17th). The mom cooks, the daughter waits tables, and it's a total bargain. I haven't had the kaiseki (which is about $30, if I remember rightly), but on my last visit (where I had a fabulous miso-marinated mackerel with housemade sesame-ish noodles on the side) I saw several tables getting it and it looked great. There's also a vegan kaiseki option, and most of the ingredients are organic. It's quirky, the service can be slow (but charming!), and you may have to wait for a table, but the food is good.

Here is a post about it on Chowhound.

Edited March 15, 2004 by Lois (log)

[Gary Soup]

Not a candidate for a sit-down or birthday meal, but have you tried Delica rf/1 in the Ferry Building? It's from a well-regarded chain found in upscale Dept. Store food courts in Japan. Not the kind of food that floats my boat, but it's pretty and they vary the offerings every week or two. Good for Kaiseki bento or you could do takeout for a DIY tasting menu.

[cookingwithamy]

Thanks everyone. We are going to go to Kappa for an "omakase" meal. They don't do kaiseki and Hama-ko no longer does it either. At $70 I hope it'll be plenty special for a birthay dinner!

[chaud-froid]

I think you'll be delighted with Kappa. Be sure to post about your experience.

[cookingwithamy]

Delighted indeed! Kappa was nothing short of amazing.

The menu was very limited so I have no doubt there are other things available you have to ask for. There were a few things not written in English but the listings included sashimi, fried pork, simmered sardines, grilled chicken wings, grilled fish, grilled unagi, and sashimi. The plates are very small so it would takes quite a few to make a meal. There were no fewer than 15 diferent sakes available.

We had the prix fixe meal which cost $75. Can't even remember all the small dishes they brought out but I'll try--monkfish liver with various garnishes and and a spicy ponzu type sauce, bamboo root with pepper miso, homemade egg tofu with crab and lime zest garnish, large slices of pickled radishes from Kyoto, to-die-for sashimi--the kind that melts in your mouth one slice hamachi, two slices tuna belly I think, super high fat content, a slice of clam, and the sweetest freshest uni I think I've ever had all served with fresh ground wasabi real not bright green reconstituted powder. One plate of assorted bites that included asparagus in a sesame paste, surimi in daikon and shiso, a homemade unagi with a fresh shiso leaf, a large poached shrimp with some kind of sauce and a mini piece of mochi stuffed with red bean paste. After this came a piece of glazed rock cod perhaps with sake lees? and three fried treats--a panko encrusted piece of halibut, a fish cake and a breaded shitake mushroom stuffed with shrimp paste. For dessert some agar, red bean paste and green tea ice cream and cups of green teas.

Other than the fact it wasn't particularly seasonal, it felt very similar to a kaiseki meal. The evening went by leisurely and the chef/owner and his wife seemed to take real pleasure in being there smiling and bustling about serving the rest of the folks at the bar. It really felt like being in Japan again. Very little English spoken, a self-contained Japanese environment hidden away at the top of the stairs above the Japantown Denny's of all places with not even a sign in English.

We polished off two large hakkaisan sake so the bill with tip and tax was $230, Well worth it for such artistry.

[CheNiPenso]

Different direction and a heck of a lot pricier, but Ron Siegel at Masa's launched a kaiseki menu this past January, and by all accounts it's excellent indeed. I haven't gone, as I don't have a home to mortgage for the bill.

[cookingwithamy]

While it sounds great:

Masa's

Kaiseki Menu

(offered January - May 2004)

-Sample Only, Changes Daily-

Scrambled Eggs

black truffles, santa barbara sea urchin

***

Matsutake Soup

shaved matsutakes, yuzu essence

***

Sashimi of Toro

osetra caviar, cucumber gelee

***

Grilled Big Fin Squid

soba noodles, spicy chicken broth

***

Poached Sea Bass

chanterelle mushroom ragout, geoduck clams, fresh wasabi

***

Steamed Maine Lobster

seasonal mixed greens

warm meyer lemon vinaigrette

***

Shabu Shabu of Beef Ribeye

melted foie gras, glass noodles, ponzu essence

***

Black Truffle Risotto

shaved black truffles, diver scallops

***

Pear Aspic

poached pear pearls, jasmine tea

***

Tangerine Charlotte

candied yam, tangerine sherbet

For $150 per person it's well beyond my price range for a birthday dinner.