Ebisu

Cuisine	Japanese
Price	$$$ (31-50)
Rating	8/10
Last Visit	Nov. 26, 2022
Location	SFBA: San Francisco: West

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General Notes

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One of my favorite sushi restaurant in San Francisco, so far. It's on the pricier side but some of the best value sushi I've had, in terms of the ratio of price to taste. Each item on their menu (including their kitchen items) are executed with precision. I ordered the black cod special, and it is to this day one of my favorite dishes of all times. The overall vibe is fantastic and this was one of my favorite restaurant experiences in a long time.

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Positives

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> Delightful vibe. It's a bit on the louder side, but the sushi chefs are super fun and friendly. It was the person sitting next to me's birthday; he, his wife, and two sushi chefs did a shot together to celebrate. I'd recommend going as a party of 1 or 2 and sitting at the sushi bar.
> A lot of "regulars" frequent this restaurant. I met three such regulars on the day I went, and I had a delightful conversation with one of them. The number of regulars is likely a testament to how good the restaurant is.
> Service is relatively fast -- they have a lot of chefs working the sushi bar.
> Apparently, this restaurant has been open for a long, long time. Something on the order of 30 years and counting!

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Negatives

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> The only negative I can think of is the ginger -- it felt very "dry" and lacked the refreshing, cleansing taste that I was looking for. Perhaps it was sitting out for too long.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★★☆ Nasu Dengaku -- twice cooked eggplant with miso glaze. I've never had anything quite like this -- super soft, lovely flavor.
• ★★☆☆ Kakuni -- Nice flavors, but the pork belly could have been a bit more tender. (this was on their special menu)
• ★★★☆ Agedashi Tofu -- fried tofu, tempura broth, scallion, daikon, ginger. Could be a touch more crispy but overall delicious!
• ★★★★ Black Cod -- One of the best seafood dishes I've every had. In fact, it inspired me to make a similar dish with Chilean sea bass. The light char, brown butter sauce, and a hint of sweetness pear beautifully with the black cod.
• ★★★★ Sushi Deluxe Combo -- Excellent quality seafood. I also love the texture of the rice -- slightly warmer and looser than your typical nigiri
• ★★★☆ Aji -- A bit too much wasabi, but otherwise amazing flavor
• ★★☆☆ Miso Soup -- Your average miso soup, not particularly noteworthy