Ino Sushi in San Francisco

[lambretta76]

I was gearing up going to Ino Sushi in San Francisco on my next trip there. However, it appears that the only open night I'll have will be on a Sunday, and it looks like Ino is closed on Sundays.

So, can anyone recommend a sushi joint of similar quality and cost elsewhere in San Francisco that will be open on Sunday. (We'll be staying near Moscone, but anything within a 10-15 minute cab ride would be acceptable.) I've heard good things about KISS! Seafood, but I've also seen a couple of posts that the quality has gone downhill lately...

[chaud-froid]

I was gearing up going to Ino Sushi in San Francisco on my next trip there. However, it appears that the only open night I'll have will be on a Sunday, and it looks like Ino is closed on Sundays.

So, can anyone recommend a sushi joint of similar quality and cost elsewhere in San Francisco that will be open on Sunday. (We'll be staying near Moscone, but anything within a 10-15 minute cab ride would be acceptable.) I've heard good things about KISS! Seafood, but I've also seen a couple of posts that the quality has gone downhill lately...

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KISS is fine. I was there a month ago and was impressed with the quality. You should also consider Takara, right next door to Ino. It's big, but the quality is good and it is highly regarded by the Japanese community. Two additional choices (both more formal and commercial) are the sushi bar at Kyo-ya (in the Palace Hotel), and Ozumo. Both are expensive but very impressive.

[milla]

I was gearing up going to Ino Sushi in San Francisco on my next trip there. However, it appears that the only open night I'll have will be on a Sunday, and it looks like Ino is closed on Sundays.

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it is a shame about Ino sushi and Sundays. It is well worth it. One of things I love about Ino is that it is open on Mondays, a rarity for good sushi.

[lambretta76]

Thanks for the recs. Various searches have also turned up Jimisan and Koo. Are either of these at the level of Ino? I'm pretty much looking for the best sushi in San Fran in a nice setting... it can be expensive or inexpensive - I'm not trying to impress but it is still on the company dime.

[Malik]

I was gearing up going to Ino Sushi in San Francisco on my next trip there. However, it appears that the only open night I'll have will be on a Sunday, and it looks like Ino is closed on Sundays.

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it is a shame about Ino sushi and Sundays. It is well worth it. One of things I love about Ino is that it is open on Mondays, a rarity for good sushi.

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I agree, Ino is my favorite sushi place in San Francisco, the ankimo and aji there are really amazing. Another very good place, but with much less friendly ownership, is Hama Ko in Cole Valley. They are open on Sunday, but some people feel that they have too much attitude when dealing with non-regulars. I've had very good sushi there (including the best saba I've ever had), but I personally prefer Ino.

[lambretta76]

After checking out all of the options - we decided to settle on Ozumo. (Kyo-ya seems to be closed that evening as well...) Is there anything that they do particularly well, as in shouldn't miss? Thanks for all of your help!

[pim]

If you go to Ozumo expecting the same type/level of food as Ino, you will be disappointed. Ino is classic sushi while Ozumo is very "modern" and almost fusion.

I've enjoyed Ozumo in the past, but not when I am in the mood for serious sushi. I would sooner go to Kiss, or perhaps follow Chaud-froid's recommendation and go to Gyo-ya, or Malik's to Hamako.

[jschyun]

I would not go to Kiss Seafood for "serious sushi". The cooked dishes are pretty good, but the sushi is seriously lacking.

[umetaro]

I was gearing up going to Ino Sushi in San Francisco on my next trip there. However, it appears that the only open night I'll have will be on a Sunday, and it looks like Ino is closed on Sundays.

So, can anyone recommend a sushi joint of similar quality and cost elsewhere in San Francisco that will be open on Sunday. (We'll be staying near Moscone, but anything within a 10-15 minute cab ride would be acceptable.) I've heard good things about KISS! Seafood, but I've also seen a couple of posts that the quality has gone downhill lately...

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I should be going there tonight. The last time I was there was about a year ago...

As a warning, there will be pre-dinner drinking going on so any reports back may not be entirely coherent.

[...]

Okay, nevermind. They're on vacation until January 14th. I might go check out Koo instead.

Edited January 5, 2005 by umetaro (log)

[lambretta76]

So - we hit Ozumo last night (Sunday) - with some trepidations about the quality of fish that would be served on a Sunday night. We were, however, quite surprised at the quality of some of the fish - in a good way.

We started with the appetizer of spiny lobster sashimi and "kobe-style" beef tartar. It was served with the lobster on top of the beef, with black caviar (perhaps an American variety - it wasn't the good stuff, but wasn't bad) and green apple on top. It was served with crispy wontons and three endive leaves with anchovy oil inside. This was an amazing dish - with the lobster and beef playing well off of each other. The beef, as expected - but not usually found in today's Wagyu beef - was melt-in-your-mouth tender and really surprised me. The only downside was an unknown inclusion of a pesto dipping sauce on the side of the plate - it went unused after the intial taste.

We did about $140 in sushi/sashimi - and I was only disappointed with the ebi (it was just fine, but nothing special) and, unfortunately, the fatty tuna belly, which - at $10 a piece (we got 4) - was not very good. There was a lot of gristly pieces and the chef's amateurish knifework was quite apparent. Unliked by me, but favored by my cohorts, was the tako (octopus) - which was too chewy for my tastes but, then again, I'm not a big octopus fan.

However, the sweet shrimp (first time I've had it) had a beautiful, sweet flavor with a sort of custardy texture - it was incredible. The horse mackerel from Tsukiji was the best I've had of this fish, the yellowtail was quite nice, the rolls were above average (particularly liked by my table was the Tempura roll, with spicy tuna and tempura flakes with a spicy mayo sauce). The best, however, and most relevatory was the salmon sashimi. It had the texture of a good toro, and the most amazing, buttery flavor I've ever had in salmon. I had no idea salmon could be this good! And the knife skills (must've been a different sushi chef) were beautiful - these were splayed out almost like mandarin orange segments. We ordered one plate, then a second, then a third. I have no problem saying that this is the best salmon I've had in my life - and my dining companions would eagerly second (and third) that opinion.

Overall, I was much more impressed with this place than I figured I'd be. (Kind of mixed reviews out there.) The service was kind of eh, but I believe they were a bit understaffed that evening. It was very friendly, and helpful, just a bit nonexistant after the initial ordering phase. I wish I could compare to some of the more traditional sushi joints in SF but it would compare favorably, if not on par, to some of the mid- to upper-range sushi joints in NYC.