5723 Geary Blvd (at 22nd), San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 386-2777
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: December 4, 2004
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Stuart recommended Kitaro’s to me, particularly noting that it is “hecka inexpensive.” I don’t know what Kitaro means in Japanese, but to me, it means value. For the price you pay, it’s excellent value.
The room is simply decorated. Light colored walls with wood benches where the seat back extends to almost half of the wall height. The tables are a light green with black edges. From the ceiling hang fluorescent bulbs that light up the paper masks on the wall and the other art. Also, there are colorful paper lanterns in various shapes hanging from the ceiling. As you enter the restaurant, the host or hostess table is the first thing you see with tables on both sides near the walls.
They have two bathrooms, both unisex. This is much appreciated as the wait is significantly shorter this way. The bathroom sink is quite small. One bathroom is wheel chair accessible while the other is not.
- Fried tofu – Three small bricks of soft tofu are deep fried and served with a sweet sauce. The tofu skin is golden and crispy. $2.99
- Tempura Udon – Hot broth with thick udon noodles are accompanied by a basket containing two pieces of shrimp tempura that were hot and crispy. Other tempura vegetables included broccoli, squash, and green beans. $5.79
- Unagi sushi - Tender pieces of unagi placed on sushi rice. This unagi is comparable to its competition. $2.99
- Spicy Tuna roll – This roll in comparison to other spicy tuna rolls I have tried is by far the biggest. A very large portion of tuna is stuffed into the roll – so much that it was causing tuna to creep out of its roll. The flavoring is not complex or delicate, but it is spicy. $2.99
- Salmon Skin Roll - Note that this is not grilled. This roll is just as it says – salmon skin in a roll. Again, not complex or delicate, but there is salmon and salmon skin in a roll. $1.99
- Uni (sea urchin) sushi – The uni didn’t taste fishy, which was a good sign it was fresh. Good quantity of uni on top of the sushi. $3.99
- Seaweed salad sushi – The seaweed salad is crispy and crunchy with a nice sesame oil flavoring. Good. $1.99
- Tea – I don’t think I’ve ever seen such bizarre pricing for tea. It wasn’t by the person but seemed to be the price for the entire table. The tea is warm, but flavorless, though the scent of roasted rice is distinct. $0.39
All of the sushi was served on one plate. Although neat, it wasn’t the most delicate presentation. The quantity of wasabi was sufficient, but the amount of ginger was far from enough. However, if you ask for additional ginger, the servers are more than happy to provide you with more.
There’s not much to say except that the value is incredible. It’s not the best sushi you’ll have, but certainly worth every bit the price you pay. Even at a dollar more per plate (which pretty much coincides with dinner menu prices), you would still rave about the excellent value. Next time, I would like to try the bento boxes. Presentation of the bento boxes were very nice and again, great value.
On my second visit in July 2004 (as opposed to the first visit in November 2003), I tried out the combination sushi dinner a combination dinner bento box. My second experience was much like the first – for a very reasonable price, I walked out of Kitaro stuffed and happy.
- Combination Sushi Dinner – Accompanied by small bowl of salad (lettuce, red cabbage, and half a cherry tomato) with a light mayonnaise-based dressing and miso soup, a lovely plate with a California roll in the center contained one piece of nigiri sushi each: unagi, ebi (shrimp), maguro (tuna), salmon, hamachi (yellow tail), and tai (snapper). Each piece of nigiri sushi was placed such that an asterisk/flower pattern was created. Wasabe and pickled ginger accompanied the sushi. The California roll contains imitation crab, but it still tasted good. Overall, very fresh and very good. $8.95
For the combination bento box, you select two items and add the price accordingly. It’s incredibly reasonable.
- Salmon Teriyaki and Shrimp & Veggie Tempura – Served with miso soup, you receive a bento box containing the salmon teriyaki (also available shioyaki style), tempura, dipping sauce, rice, and salad. A piece of boneless salmon filet is grilled until the skin is crispy and served with teriyaki sauce. The salmon is placed on top of a lettuce leaf. The salmon was tender and fresh. Good. If you like grilled salmon skin rolls, you’ll like how this salmon is made. Three pieces of lightly battered deep-fried shrimp and seasonal vegetables make up the tempura side of the combo. Today’s seasonal vegetables included two green beans, a slice of squash (it was either acorn or pumpkin), zucchini slice, potato, and broccoli. The tempura is light and crispy. Very good. $10.79
My second experience was probably even better than the first. Excellent prices, but how could it not be. Competition is stiff with a total of three Japanese restaurants on this side of the block alone. Recent visits have proven to be a little less wonderful perhaps because my taste buds for good sushi have gotten a little pickier than previously, but it's still lower pricing than many places in the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment