Omakase (San Francisco, CA)

Omakase
665 Townsend St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Dining date: 12/27/15

San Francisco has seen a lot of growth in its sushi scene in recent years, particularly in the high end segment. Michelin-starred sushi restaurants Maruya, Kusakabe, and Wako opened in 2013-2014; Omakase opened in 2015 joining that group with a Michelin star of its own. I’ve yet to go to one of those other restaurants, but was able to squeeze in Omakase as my last dinner in San Francisco over the Christmas holiday.

Two fixed menus are available each evening, one at the $150 level and one at $200. From what I could tell, the higher level offered a couple more pieces of sushi and a beef course towards the end of the meal (at least on this evening). We went for the $200 level.

Half a glass of champagne comes standard as part of the omakase (!). Some early reviews reported having a NV Krug; on this evening, it was a 2004 Dom Perignon. A really cool touch.

Grilled Japanese Eggplant shishito

The first food item was this “roll.” The eggplant was sweet and creamy, delicious, with the mild pepper.

White Tuna Temari Sushi white soy

This tuna sushi was very savory with a subtle sweetness.

Sashimi hon-maguro, hirame

The sashimi duo was very tender with a clean flavors.

Halibut Cheek cream sauce

The halibut cheek was a firmer piece of fish, doused in this cream sauce. I thought the sauce was overly rich for the fish, and the dish overall felt out of place given the delicate flavors of the rest of the courses.

Maine Lobster with Salmon Roe
Oyster with Osetra Caviar

The lobster was great, sweet and springy, with a housemade ikura topping. The oyster was delicious as well with an extra burst of salinity from the caviar topping.

Lobster Sunomono

We cleansed our palates on this sunomono; I thought the strong acidity overshadowed the lobster here.

Fresh wasabi was grated and it was time for sushi.

Bluefin Tuna soy cured, seared

Flounder shiso

Copper River King Salmon

Spanish Mackerel

Aoebi Shrimp

Sea Urchin and Salmon Roe

Golden Eye Snapper seared on cherry wood

Octopus sake braised

Buri Winter Yellowtail cold smoked

Monkfish Liver

Sea Eel

Fatty Tuna

Toro with Caviar

Tamago

Sushi, as a whole, was excellent here. Highlights included the toro (of course), the golden eye snapper seared over cherry wood, and the uni&ikura combo. Copper River king salmon was an unusual find here, though it was tasty as well.

Hokkaido Beef trio of sauces

Wagyu beef was deliciously rich and it was fun to taste it with the different sauces. My favorite was the simplest – truffle salt.

Red Miso Soup with Lobster

Mango Sorbet yuzu zest and sake

Miso soup and a simple but satisfying sorbet completed the meal.

I really enjoyed Omakase. It’s certainly not cheap, but it provided a lot of variety and high quality. The small plates were good and sushi service even stronger, and I enjoyed the addition of the beef “main course” too. Easily the best sushi I’ve had in this city, though I have yet to try San Francisco’s other Michelin-starred sushi restaurants.