Shiroi Sushi - Japanese, Los Gatos

14103 Winchester Blvd, Suite C, Los Gatos CA 95032
(408) 340-5965
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 4pm-9pm; Closed Sundays

Last Visited: January 12, 2019

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$

I was looking for a good Japanese restaurant in Los Gatos and happened upon this one.  The rolls looked quite appetizing in the photos, and I needed to be fairly close to downtown Los Gatos, so this fit the bill. 

I arrived at 5pm, just when they opened, and there was already another family there waiting.  While you might think this is an authentic Japanese restaurant from initial looks, a closer examination will reveal the influence of another source.  Aldo's, the Italian restaurant in the same shopping center, owns this place, and from the decor, you can see how the fishing boat print that hangs on two of the walls, the display of a rather large bottle of what would likely be wine (not sake) if it were full, and the tea towel napkins being used, shows that this restaurant isn't owned by a Japanese person.  A further look at the menu where something called a Tokyo to Milan roll contains pesto and Aldo's roll has prosciutto and mozzarella seem to confirm that you may have Italian influences here.  It's not a bad thing, but you should know what you're getting into.

- Hamachi Carpaccio - It seems that this is one of their most popular appetizers.  Ten slices of yellowtail are topped with a very thin slice of jalapeno and green onions and sit in a light soy sauce.  A very small bunch of  kaiware sprouts accompany the hamachi.  The fish is fresh and the jalapeno doesn't overpower the fish.  Probably the best of all the dishes of the evening, but a bit on the expensive side for what you're getting. The slices are really thin and makes me think I should just go to a Japanese market to get hamachi and try to mimic the same. $17

- Unagi Lover (shown in the front of the photo) - The roll is filled with deep fried unagi and topped with unagi and tobiko.   While it's tasty for a bite or two, the unagi sauce gets too sweet at the end.  Okay.  $17

- Spider Roll (shown in the rear of the photo) - Soft shell crab is deep fried.  Cucmber and avocado fill the inside of the roll and it's topped with unagi sauce and tobiko.  I liked the legs as they were not oily/greasy, but the body of the crab was a bit mushy, so that was less enjoyable.  $15

- Salmon Skin roll - Of all the dishes, I found this one to be the most disappointing.  A good Japanese restaurant can make the skin crispy and keep the meat moist.  In this case, while the cucumber gives this roll a good crunch, the salmon itself was too dry.  It's also pricy for what you're getting and you don't feel better when you see it used to be $7 three years ago.  Overpriced and dry.  $10

Service was pleasant, but with just two people serving the sushi bar and quite a few tables, as the room filled, we saw the servers less and less.  They tried their best, and did a good job handling a rather surly couple that didn't want to sit anywhere except at a four-person table. 

Overall, the rolls are okay, but avoid the salmon skin roll.  If you're going to go, try the hamachi, but maybe go for sushi instead.   

Kusakabe - Japanese, San Francisco

584 Washington St, San Francisco CA 94111
(415) 757-0155
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Sat 5pm-11pm (First seating 5pm, Second seating 8pm), Closed Sundays
http://kusakabe-sf.com/

Last Visited: December 9, 2017

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Atmosphere: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$$

Grand Omakase $165

Ron told me how much he loved his Kusakabe experience and highly recommended it to me.  I remember the articles about Kusakabe from when it first opened.  The fact that Chef Mitsunori Kusakabe (shown at the far end of the sushi bar) came from one of my favorite restaurants, Sushi-Ran in Sausalito, made this particular restaurant opening memorable and it has been on my list of places to go ever since.


I walked into the restaurant during the first seating and to my surprise, there was Chef Ngai whom also used to work at Sushi-Ran.  It was a mini-reunion of sorts as we sat at his station at the sushi bar and compared notes about places to eat.  I didn't expect to bump into him here, but learned about how he came over with Chef Nori and it was fun to see a familiar face.

Kusakabe's decor is modern with a long sushi bar and tables near the front of the restaurant.  A prix fixe menu,  either the regular omakase for $98 or the grand omakase for $165, is provided first followed by an a la carte menu if you wish to add to your meal.  The primary difference is that the grand omakase offers more pieces of special nigiri and a few additional dishes that are not available in the regular omakase menu.  If you want to try these additional dishes, you can still order them through the a la carte menu, but as a whole, the grand omakase is a better value than ordering all of the same items from the a la carte menu.

Ichiban Dashi
Upon being seated, you are presented with a tea cup which actually doesn't contain tea, but has a broth made from dried kombu and katsuo bushi.  It was a good way to warm up and prepare the palate for the delightful meal ahead.

Sushi Prelude
-Zuke chutoro - Seared on one side, this bluefin tuna is cured in soy sauce. This piece was so tender and was an excellent first bite.

- Live halibut - If you want to watch a cool video, the Kusakabe Facebook page has a video of live halibut that is still moving after it has been cut.  This piece of live halibut was still, but was alive earlier in the morning.  The shiso leaf and lemon zest make this piece very refreshing. The quantity of rice is just right and if you want less rice, they're happy to oblige.


Takumi Zushi
- Katsuo bonito - Cherrywood cold smoked tuna that has been aged two weeks is topped with garlic, chives, and radish.  Another melt in your mouth experience.  Each piece is so put together so that the garnishes don't just look pretty, but they balance the flavor of the fish and bring out its best qualities.

- Shima aji - Striped jack is topped with daikon radish.  This fish is what you might expect of a blend of yellowtail and mackerel. Good.

Oshinogi
- Santa Barbara sea urchin and shirako (cod eggs) - The menu refers to this one as the harmonic sushi. This combination topped with Italian black truffle shavings was one of the most memorable pieces because the earthy tones of the truffle balance out the creaminess of the fish so it's not too heavy.  Sometimes uni can be off putting, but when it's fresh, it's wonderful.  While this was a great start with the uni, it's good that it's spaced out in the meal from the Hokkaido uni which was amazing.  Great combination.

- Japanese snow crab - Served on a spoon, the snow crab is seasoned with crab miso and tops a slow cooked quail egg.  Topped with chives, this is another delicious bite.  My dining companion loved this one.  What I found interesting was how the mouth feel and flavor evolves - the initial bite is light at first and as the egg yolk surrounds the crab when you take the whole spoonful, the creamy richness makes it a more savory bite.

Sashimi
- Chef's selection of Sashimi with Umami soy sauce and yuzu onion sauce - Beautifully plated on a stand over shaved ice were two pieces of hon maguro, aged five days and two pieces of Thai snapper.  Accompanying the fish were pieces of radicchio, Japanese mountain potato inside the snapper, mizuna, a slice of radish, a slice of apple, and a dollop of fresh wasabi.  Depending on which server you receive this from, you get a different explanation of what is one the plate.  I heard my neighbor informed that you get two pieces of fish so that you can try one in each dipping sauce.  My server mentioned nothing about this.  Here's an opportunity for consistency, especially since we all sit side by side at the bar.  The fish itself was delicious and the accompanying vegetables were a nice touch. While the Umami soy sauce was good, I could eat the yuzu onion sauce by itself - slightly salty with a hint of citrus from the yuzu, I wish I could get vats of yuzu onion sauce to bring home with me.

Hassan
- Six kinds of chef's assorted les petit plats - Here's where you are likely to have a differing opinion from anyone else's because there are so many items on this plate with varying textures and flavors.  In the cup is a soy cream chowder with a single short neck clam in its shell, mushrooms, and chives.  While this was creamy and tasted like the sea, I'm not a fan of cold creamy savory things.  I prefer chowder to be hot.  In the lower right corner of the picture is rock shrimp with eggplant and bell pepper.  The rock shrimp is first fried and then marinated in dashi.  Topped with microgreens and a fried lotus chip, this was my least favorite bite because the rock shrimp had been battered and I didn't like the soft texture of the batter.  It soaks up the marinade well, but is still soggy.  The yellow cylinder is umaki - an egg omelette with unagi in the center and topped with unagi sauce.  I found the unagi to be too fatty here and sweeter than what I prefer.  In the square dish is ice fish (typically available in winter or spring) over cucumber and seaweed salad.  Grated ginger garnishes the dish.  This was refreshing and I found the cucumber and seaweed mix to be slightly bitter, but perhaps my palate was sensitive since my dining companion didn't notice any bitterness. In the upper left is a napoleon of red crab, braised sea kelp, and ikura.  While my neighbors enjoyed this the most, I found it unexpectedly sweet, but I liked the strong seaweed flavor.  The center bite was, by far, my favorite of the dish - a Shikoku oyster from Washington state topped with white sturgeon caviar.  The combination of the fat, juicy oyster with some yuzu juice was so refreshing - I loved this oyster.  I could have eaten a dozen of them.  Just bring me a plate of these.

Soup

- Ankou-jiru, monkfish tail, and Ankimo soup with shredded burdock and Kome Koji soy - A surprising mid-meal course is this monkfish in three ways.  Monkfish bones are used in the dashi based broth.  Monkfish liver floats to the top and a cube of monkfish sits on the bottom of the cup.  The presence of ginger juice is noticeable and there is fermented soy in the base.  When served, it comes covered and the lifting of the lid makes the contents a surprise.  Flavorful and not fishy, this was a good warm up.

Shizakana
- A5 Wagyu Kasu-Zuke, Daiginjo sake kasu marinated ribcap with buckweat risotto and Matsutake mushroom - When this plate arrives, the server pours the hot broth onto the plate.  The two slices of beef were very tender and the buckwheat risotto was a nice base.  While it's easy to want more and wonder why it's only two pieces, I found this to be very rich.  Good, but it wasn't significantly different from other experiences I've had.

Seasonal Sushi
- Seared arctic char - With a shiso leaf, sea salt, and lemon juice, this was another great bite.

- Young snapper - Cured with a bamboo leaf and topped with egg yolk powder that has been dehydrated with vinegar, I found this garnish to be too sour.  My dining companion was fine, so again, perhaps my palate was too sensitive.  Chef Ngai even tried the egg yolk powder and said it was no more sour than usual.  For me, less powder would have been better.

- Handroll - Chopped bluefin tuna is topped with bonito flakes and onion microgreens.  The seaweed flavor was strong, but such a great complement to the ingredients.  The onion microgreens were so flavorful and just a tad sweet.  I could eat a few more of these with ease. 

- Hokkaido uni - If you haven't tried uni from Hokkaido, it seems creamier and sweeter than any sea urchin from other regions that I've tried before.  As mentioned above, this one is definitely a few levels above the Santa Barbara sea urchin. 

Sushi Finale
- Fresh eel - From the Tsujiki fish market in Japan, they treat this one like royalty.  Braised with peppercorns, the fish is cooked on a leaf and the skin is heated until crispy.  This process lets you enjoy the two textures in a single bite.

- Toro - Closing out the grand omakase is a tender piece of toro that has been aged two weeks.  I found some silver skin in mine, so it wasn't quite the perfect bite, but still delicious. 

After the omakase, guests are given the a la carte menu.  By the time we got to this point, we were stuffed, but after hearing about their desserts which included tiramisu and sorbet, and after seeing a number of these being plated, I chose the sorbet.

- Yuzu shiso leaf sorbet - This dessert was indeed refreshing - the balanced flavor of citrus with the presence of shiso was a great complement and it was just the right level of sweetness.  It's also a great palate cleanser.   A lot of my sushi bar neighbors were celebrating special events this evening, so candles kept appearing in the desserts throughout the night.

Overall, I was very pleased with my Kusakabe experience - the fish is high quality and very fresh; the attention to detail of for each piece of nigiri and the other dishes is delicate and full of care.  The service from Chef Ngai was very personal and customized to each individual (he had six people per seating), and while there are still improvements that can be made with the overall service (such as wiping spilled tea after refills more thoroughly), I would highly recommend trying this experience.

As a side note, if you feel the need for a large personal space bubble, then you might not want to sit at the bar - besides being close to your neighbor, some of the staff members are close talkers as they explain the dishes.  Be sure to visit the restroom if you like technology - the Japanese style Toto toilet lid greets you (the lid lifts automatically) as you enter the room and of course, the typical full featured toilet offers bidet and other functions.   

If you know what you like, the regular omakase coupled with the a la carte menu many be just right for you, but if you want to try the chef's special, the grand omakase is certain to leave you feeling full.  Kusakabe makes it to the top of my sushi/kaiseki restaurant recommendations.  You get what you pay for here, but the bill is not for the faint of heart.  Make reservations early because it can be difficult to find a spot with only two seatings.

Sushi Hon - Japanese, San Francisco

2598 Harrison St, San Francisco CA 93123
(415) 525-4527
Parking: street parking
Hours: Daily 5pm-11pm
http://www.sushihonsf.com/

Last Visited: July 29, 2016

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$$

I learned about Sushi Hon through an Eater SF article last week.  The article touted a premium omakase menu with 11 courses for only $65 which included nigiri made with fish that was line caught and flown in from the the Tsukiji Market in Japan.  How could I resist?  The article warned that Sushi Hon is going through a soft opening and won't officially be open yet for another couple of weeks, so with one week into the soft opening, and another week to go, I thought it would be a good time to visit.

Bottom line:  Based on the article, I thought I was getting more nigiri than what was offered, but it's clear from the menu that nigiri is just part of the omakase.  If you're a purist, go elsewhere.  If you want to have a dining experience with hot and cold dishes, this is a nice offering.  Overall, it's a modern take on Japanese food, and for the nigiri, the wasabi was a bit heavy handed.  My dining companion experienced the same, but for fewer pieces.  You'll find that the hot dishes will meet expectations for fusion between Japanese and California cuisine and be beautifully presented.  Since they're going through a soft opening, the long wait is forgivable, but the is staff friendly and the chef, Zhe Song, is very detail oriented.

Reservations can be made online through their website and over the phone.  I recommend the latter as you'll get a faster response if you call during business hours.  For now, my online request was met with a response to call anyway.

The space is modern with a regular bar; open kitchen/sushi bar; and long, wood, rectangular tables for communal style dining.  The decor contains a lot of wood, bamboo, metal, and gray.  The television was on behind the bar.  The sushi bar doesn't have the typical refrigerator that you find in traditional Japanese restaurants.  Instead, you'll be able to see the cutting boards and plates.

We arrived a little before 5:30pm this evening and they were still doing a lot of preparation.  We were able to watch several fish being filleted by the expert hands of the chef.  My understanding is that this work would normally be done before opening, but they were a little behind - if you don't like watching a stake go through the head of a fish, you might want to go a little later.  We were promptly given a drink menu with many options of sake and other typical items.

Two prix fixe options were available - the omakase for $65 (not 11 courses, but 7 courses - the chef says they never had 11 courses, so the article was wrong) - even if you count every piece of nigiri as a course, it still doesn't add to 11. Perhaps there were complimentary items during the writer's visit.   The other option is 12 pieces of chef's choice nigiri for $48.  All other items are offered a la carte as an add on.  Over the course of the evening, we were given three menus - each with a little more information - first the prix fixe, second the nigiri and prix fixe, and finally a full menu with all a la carte options like butter poached fish.  Clearly, another reason for a soft opening.  They do ask whether or not you have any allergies and can accommodate for that as needed.

- Hot tea -  What was strange was that the cups were American style.  Everything else was Asian, but these white cups without saucers didn't seem to fit the decor.  At least the tea was good though.  $3

- Ume Salted Edamame - Warm edamame is seasoned with ume salt (slightly sour  as it comes from a plum and slightly spicy).  I liked this twist on the cold edamame that you find elsewhere.  The warm temperature was nice, but for those whom are very sensitive to any kind of spice, you may want to ask for it on the side.

- Katsuo Tataki - Katsuo is also known as skipjack tuna.  The tuna is seared and cut into two pieces.  It was served with a puree of cucumber with a little bit of ginger for a refreshing taste.

- Hamachi Namazuke - Three pieces of yellowtail are lightly breaded and fried.  Thinly sliced marinated red onion, green onion, ginger, and I think bonito flakes (not completely positive on the last item) top the fish.  All of that is placed on top of a light tempura sauce.  I liked this dish, but would have preferred the sauce on the bottom to be served separately as the fish's breading had already soaked it in and the bottom piece was no longer crunchy.  The topping is refreshing and adds a nice balance to the fried fish.

While we were waiting for our nigiri, two complimentary dishes came - one was the geso karage (fried squid) which came with an aioli and the other was a mix of green beans and asparagus tossed in sesame paste.  Both were done very nicely.  As you can see from the photos, presentation is nicely done with little edible flowers on top of the katsuo and the green beans.

- Nigiri (Chef's choice - 6 pieces) - Today's fish included Akami (bluefin tuna), Isaki (grunt), Aji (horse mackerel), Washi (sardine), Muki Hotate (Japanese shucked scallop), and Anago (sea eel). As we were sitting at the bar and had waited for a long time, the chef gave us a bonus nigiri of flounder fin muscle which you see in the middle of the photo.  This piece is rare in the sense that there's very little of it - essentially only a couple of pieces per fish, so it's not listed on the menu.  Four of my six pieces of nigiri had a bit too much wasabi, and though the fish was certainly fresh and had good flavor, my pieces were quickly overpowered by the wasabi.  My dining companion only had two pieces with too much wasabi, and had a much more pleasant experience.  Depending on the fish, it was garnished with lemon juice, ginger, or just simply brushed with soy sauce.  I enjoyed the fish, but found the sardine flavor to be very strong and the sea eel to be not as tender as I would have liked.  The scallop was very good and for all pieces, the portion of rice to fish was just right.   Some of the rice was a bit too loose and did not hold up fully.  Each piece is presented on a leaf that is placed on the bar.  While this presentation is beautiful to start and makes for great photos, by the end of the course, the leaf has started to curl and looks less appetizing.  It might be better for the leaf to be placed on top of a plate to prevent it from drying out so quickly.

- Shiro Miso with Japanese Mushrooms - The soup was listed last on the menu, but came out before the maki.  It was the right temperature, but you can see it was served with a spoon (not traditional) in a rather wide mouthed bowl.  The mushrooms were good.


- Hoso Maki (Chef's choice - 6 pieces) - Other tables were given tekka maki, but ours was ume cucumber maki.  This was a nice palate cleanser and unique with the ume plum having a strong salty/sour flavor.

- Soft Shell Crab  - The soft shell crab is lightly battered, deep fried, and served with fresh cherry tomatoes over a blended tomato cucumber and basil gazpacho.  The crab was very plump and juicy - nicely done.  I liked the fresh tomatoes and while the combination of flavors were fresh, but I would have it would have been nice to have a spoon to enjoy the gazpacho.  It didn't feel like I had the right tools.

If you order the dishes a la carte, you would find that the total adds up to about $85 or thereabouts.  A la carte nigiri is sold per piece at a minimum price of $5 each or more.   Other dishes vary in price up to $18 for the butter poached fish.

I thought it was a good dining experience, although the total time was quite long for this visit - I was there for two and a half hours.  While the staff is friendly, since we were the only ones there for the first half an hour, and the staff was checking on everything, they're a little too attentive.  I was feeling chatty this evening, but I had a ton of interaction with the staff - had it not been a soft opening, I would say it was too much.  The chef was very generous in offering a few complimentary dishes to offset the wait and he was very welcoming which made it a great visit - I felt like we had our own personal chef since we had him to ourselves at the sushi bar for more than an hour. The omakase would have been better if there was something sweet at the end - even if it's just something little.  I wouldn't have minded paying another few dollars to end on a sweet note or to at least have a dessert menu to choose from.

For those whom are picky about this, the staff is not Japanese.  The chef has experience from Gintei in San Bruno, and the other sushi chef also has experience working at a Japanese restaurant, but you could see that the remainder of the staff is still learning about the fish, albeit learning quickly.

Hopefully they work out all of the kinks soon, but I would recommend Sushi Hon to those whom want to try modern dishes, good sushi, and friendly service.  Grand opening is next week.

Amami - Sushi/Japanese, San Bruno

1789 El Camino Real, San Bruno CA 94066
(650) 872-2218
Parking: small private parking lot, street parking, public parking lot close by
Hours: Tues-Sun 5pm to Midnight

Last Visited: August 11, 2013

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

I first heard about Amami through Rayfil's social media post of Amami's oyster special and nigiri sushi which had an amazingly large portion of fish.  I had been asking people for sushi recommendations in the South San Francisco and San Bruno area, and this was the first time I had heard a peep out of anyone about a good place, so of course I had to check it out.

Enter the restaurant and the waiting area takes up about a quarter of the room.  Behind the sushi bar and above the hostess stand are large televisions playing everything from Food Network programs to America's Got Talent (at least that was what was on during this evening). Pop music plays on the sound system.  The sushi bar serves mostly parties of 3 or less and the tables seem to be reserved for parties of four or more.  I arrived about 5:45pm on a Sunday night and put my name on the waiting list for two.  We were quoted over an hour wait, and that was pretty accurate - the place had just filled up and there were about four parties of two before ours.  While I tried to circumvent the wait by trying to order take-out, I was quoted an hour wait for that too.  A tip for you if you decide to go - make reservations.  Even if you make a reservation, there is still a wait time of about 20 minutes. 

- Oyster Special - 2 servings come with each order.  A soup spoon holds a small oyster, salmon roe, tobiko, uni, quail egg, and green onion.  Enjoy it all in one bite and you'll get the flavors of the sea - the fresh oyster, the saltiness from the roe, and the silkiness of the uni.  The quail egg is creamy and smooth and the green onion gives it just a little crunch and kick.  This is definitely worth trying.  If the presentation had been a little neater and had the two servings looked more alike, it would have gotten a solid four stars.  $8

- Sushi Regular - 7 pieces of sushi are served with a California Roll and miso soup.  The miso soup is on the sweeter side than what I usually get at other sushi places and it contained sliced mushrooms, green onions, tofu, and seaweed.  The sushi included hamaichi, salmon, two types of tuna, and mackerel.  All the fish was very fresh and the portions were quite large, but the fish tended to be quite wet - the excess moisture seemed to make the flavor of the fish slightly less intense and sweet - almost diluted.  It's still good, but if you're accustomed to dry pieces or slightly denser texture, then you may find this isn't quite as authentic.

- Sushi Deluxe - 9 pieces of sushi are served with a rock n' roll and miso soup.  The same varieties of fish that are in the Sushi Regular are included here also.  The additional sushi was scallop and shrimp.  We also received one bonus piece of fish as well.

While a ten piece omakase is available, by the time we were seated, they had run out.  Other offerings include udon noodles, tonkatsu,ramen, teriyaki and many rolls.  Based upon the way the miso soup was served with additional ingredients (many Chinese people often comment on how miso soup doesn't have anything in it), and the way that they serve their dishes (larger portions versus high end presentation), it feels like Amami is catering to the Chinese audience.

Chef owner Alan is friendly and works quickly preparing nigiri and sashimi behind the sushi bar.    Formerly with Sushi Raw in San Francisco, you can see how he has taken some of his roots with him in terms of how he generously serves fish portions.  His younger brother makes most of the rolls.  We noticed that Chef Alan frequently gives away extras - extra piece of fish here and there, especially as things run out - for example, there was no more ocean trout available for the party of three whom ordered it, so he asked them if they wanted to order something else and gave them a complimentary third piece of nigiri when they made their second choice.  Uni also ran out this evening, and it was barely 8pm. 

A few things would make this restaurant even better.  While it's high on value, Amami needs to work on cleanliness.  I feel comfortable about the fish preparation because you just can't serve bad fish and manage to survive without any bashing.  However, after waiting an hour in their waiting area and seeing the wrappers and toothpicks on the floor less than an hour into service, I can see that there is room for improvement.  It was pretty apparent that the toothpicks had spilled some time ago as you could see some peeking out from under the host stand.  When  I was at the bar,  I also noticed some chopstick wrappers that had been stuck between the refrigerator and edge of the bar.  Last, but certainly not least are the curtains covering the kitchen opening - they're desperately in need of being washed.  Just cleaning up these few items would really help people feel more comfortable with the cleanliness of the entire operations. 

Overall, Amami offers a good variety of dishes, large portions for a reasonable price, and the quality is ok.  However, if you're a traditional sushi enthusiast, it may not meet your standards.  

Sushi Sam's Edomata - Japanese, San Mateo

218 E. Third Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94401

(650) 344-0888

Parking: street parking, nearby parking lot

Hours: Tues-Sat 11:30 am - 2 pm, 5 pm - 10 pm

http://www.sushisams.com/

Last Visited: February 4, 2012

Food: 4 to 5 star omakase (sushi tasting menu), 3 stars everything else
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars (one specific guy), 2 stars everyone else
Price: $$ to $$$$

We received several recommendations about Sushi Sam's from friends, so perhaps my expectations were a little higher going in. This post covers two visits - one in February 2012 and one from July 2011.  The two food experiences were vastly different.  In summary, order the omakase if you go here.  I got hammered by a few friends after my 3 star food rating because they said I had ordered the wrong thing (why would a place ever not serve the right thing, I don't have the answer for, but the omakase is good).

There are three main areas for dining - the bar, the area next to the kitchen, and a raised area on the right side when you enter the restaurant.  It's frequently crowded, loud, and casual.   

Upon our arrival during my first visit, the service was very fast and friendly.  We were seated in the area next to the kitchen.  Multiple people were checking on us frequently and filling our tea throughout the meal.  However, the atmosphere is a little worn - a fresh coat of paint along the divider of the room would do wonders.  The laminate tables seem more like they belong in a cafe.  I also found it odd that they were selling canvas bags and other items with their logo by posting them on the wall.  It seemed to reduce the ambiance of the restaurant. 

- Geso Tempura - Deep Fried Calamari legs - While I expected for the size of the calamari to be like that served in an Italian restaurant, I never expected them to be like this.  They're more like octopus in size - huge!  Just when you're hoping for some delicate tempura batter to coat small calamari, you get these gigantic pieces that are still tender, but not quite so delicate, however, I've never ordered geso tempura before, so I didn't know what to expect.  The tempura batter quickly became soggy, so it wasn't the best that I've had either.  Just okay.  $5.95

- Shrimp Tempura with Vegetables  - This dish was fairly typcial of what you find at other Japanese restaurants when ordering tempura.  It wasn't spectacular, but it was alright.  I have mentioned this before in other reviews, but I really dislike being served tempura broccoli - it just doesn't seem fitting, and here, they had broccoli.  Two shrimp also seems skimpy to me - at $9 and the reasonable cost of shrimp, another piece would make this a great value.  $8.95 a la carte

- Sushi Set B - Tuna, Hamachi, Unagi, Salmon,Kani, Ebi, Tako, California Roll and Tekka - Presentation on a plastic raised plate made this dish seem less elegant than it could have been.  Why not use ceramic plates?  With two pieces of each item and a full tekka and full California roll, the price was reasonable, but it just didn't seem special because of the way it was served.  The fish was fresh and the cuts tended to be larger than many places.  Just okay though. $37

I was a bit disappointed by my first visit because of all the people whom had raved about how awesome Sushi Sam's is.  The sushi is okay and the portions are fairly generous, but the soggy calamari and the plain presentation left fair impressions.  The service during the first visit was better than that of the second, but again, I can't emphasize it enough, don't bother with the other stuff.  Get the omakase and be happy.

During my second visit, after being almost berated by dear foodie friends, I took their advice and ordered the omakase.  I was seated at the sushi bar (which gets pretty noisy, so if you're looking for a quieter evening, avoid this area), and while our order was taken within five minutes of our arrival, service this evening was pretty bad.  The sushi chefs were swamped, so it took about 20 minutes to get our first dish (this is raw stuff mind you, so that's a long time), and our tea cups were frequently low with no waitstaff in sight, so you couldn't flag them down if you wanted to.

Omakase (8 pieces) - price varies from $31 to $36 per person.

All of the pieces of sushi melted in your mouth and each had very distinct flavoring.  Presentation of the omakase sushi was also elegant and beautiful, while the pieces from the previous visit were lacking distinction in comparison.

- Butterfish and Blue shrimp - I loved how the blue shrimp had an incredibly fresh taste where there was almost a crunch to the texture.  The fried shrimp heads were also an unexpected surprise.  Super crunchy, you just eat the whole thing.

- Yellowtail (wild) and Arctic char - The yellowtail had a brush of soy sauce on top.  I like how the fish is sufficiently larger than the amount of rice.

- Horse mackerel and Fatty tuna (lightly torced on top) - The tuna had a strong lemon juice accent on it.  It seemed slightly thicker than lemon juice, but it was intense. 

- Sea urchin and White salmon

The white salmon had a sesame oil drizzle on top along with a lot of very finely cut scallions - it has the flavoring of seaweed salad, but without the seaweed.  The sea urchin was rich and yummy.

 

Dessert accompanies the omakase.  The choices included the special of the day shown below - yuzu souffle pudding with blueberries, green tea tiramisu with raspberries shown below, green tea ice cream and a custard.  Both desserts I tried were good, but I think I liked the green tea tiramisu better than the special.

The yuzu souffle is a little reminiscent of a cheesecake pudding, but with citrus flavoring.  The texture is light and fluffy with little dollops of stiff whipped cream on top.  Candied orange rind added a nice pop of color to it too. 

The green tea tiramisu is also super light with green tea sponge cake layers along with green tea powder sprinkled on top of the dessert.  Cut raspberry pieces accent the presentation. 

One of the members of the waitstaff is pretty awesome. When he did get to us, he was extremely apologetic about our tea being low. He also was happy to check back on how our first dish was as well as whether we were satisfied with the dessert. If only all of the servers were that good. The other one gave us an excuse when we asked for ginger and wasabi since it never came upon our arrival.

What I haven't figured out yet is why the sushi chefs speak both Cantonese and Japanese.  I think there may be an interesting story there, but they're so busy that they don't have time to chat.

Overall, the second food experience was by far much better than the first.  The second service experience was quite a bit worse than the first.  Order the omakase and you'll be satisfied.   One other tip - go early to avoid the crowds.  Even our 5:30pm arrival was on the late side, but it allowed us to sit in one of the few remaining spots for the first round of service.  The line was out the door for the rest of our time there.