Three Doors Down

3 years ago when I was flying to SF to visit John, an obscure Japanese restaurant called Yoshida-Ya was one of our top destinations. And it was literally across the street! We savored sukiyaki, fresh sushi rolls, and more than our share of sake. It was quiet, didn’t require a reservation, easy to walk to in the rain and comfy. Then it closed.

Less than 2 months later, a chi chi new Japanese restaurant called Umami opened in its place. While we harbored serious grudges against the owners who could close our Yoshida-Ya, we decided to give it a try within the first few weeks it was open. I can’t determine if it was the crazy-busy atmosphere (like everyone is racing to be loudest or get the most text messages about where to meet up next) or the annoyed waitress who seated us without reservations, but I didn’t have a favorable experience. Can’t remember the food, I think we split a few things given the exorbitant prices on the menu.

2 years later, we decided to give Umami another chance. Our friends raved about it, it is literally across the street from us and we were in desperate need of a good sushi spot. Late one Saturday night, we ducked in for a drink at the bar. After ordering an elderflower champagne for me, Old Fashioned for John, we sipped quietly and surveyed the space. A giant, gnarly hunk of wood defines the bar, polished to a shine. I can’t remember if it was there when Yoshida-Ya owned the space, but I like it anyway. After a comment to me about the sweetness of his whisky drink, John accidentally got the bartender’s attention. It turned out that as the bar was clearing out close to midnight, the bartender was interested in sharing some of his interesting infused concoctions. While I usually get excited about a good infused vodka, this guy was infusing whiskey with maple flavor and, still hard to believe…bacon. He gave us small glasses of each to sample the flavors and I still can’t get over the bacon-infused bourbon. Supposedly, a frequent customer was fond of bacon bourbon Manhattans! All in all, we had an excellent evening chatting up the bartender and learning to appreciate the new (well, newish) restaurant.

A few weeks later, my parents were coming into the city and wanted to meet for dinner. Since it was going to be a late night, I suggested we try Umami so I could get home quickly afterwards. We were led upstairs, a part of the restaurant I’d never been, and I immediately brightened upon seeing a true sushi bar counter! (the Yoshida-Ya sushi bar had been downstairs and visible from the street; when I couldn’t see one any longer I had assumed they didn’t have one.) Between the 3 of us, we ordered 3 rolls and 2 salads. The rolls were incredibly fresh and flavorful. I typically prefer simplicity in my sushi—the greater to appreciate the freshness and flavor of the fish—however I was tempted by the interesting flavor combinations in the house rolls. There were so many flavors mixing, but all were fabulous combinations, all in all delectable.

We’ve been back multiple times since then, including last night. Loving the mix of spicy scallop, wild salmon, lemon and black tobiko roll on a previous visit, I went for another random mix of butter fish, soft shell crab, cucumber and citrusy greens in a sizzling oil sauce. I loved the sunomono salad I had on my first visit but the menu’s been updated with a salad of three kinds of seaweed that isn’t nearly as good. I’m also looking forward to trying out the tempura fritters the table next to us ordered.