Kevin's Bay Area Sushi Page

Kevin's Bay Area Sushi Page
Here's the latest list of favorite sushi places, kinda in order: (new entries in RED)

Kioku - Newark Blvd (right off 84/Dumbarton and make a right), Newark. 510-796-7088
Kioku on the web! Alas, but Benson has sold Kioku, but the quality is still just great! They still have the HUGE pieces of fish and great quality. It's almost as good as when Benson had it, but now I'd put it in the "Minor Deity" category, with possible hope to reattain Major Goodhood with some good deeds (like fine-tuning of some of the specialties (Lion King has some special tobiko sauce, for example)) and the return of oranges after the meal (trying to get people to buy green ice cream for a couple bucks isn't as profit generating as giving people a free piece of orange and making them feel that they're getting more for free- one extra trip to the place pays for lots of oranges). Anyway, off my soapbox, it's still the best place I've found (but they have a super boring website).
A NEW WINNER! (older review) Kioku has just attained GODHOOD!! My special friend and I visited on Valentine's Day, were greeted by other loyal Bay Area SushiHolics (BASHers?) and had a shared experience of True Sushi Enlightenment. *Everything* was FANTASTIC! Even the Uni, which was the only item previously keeping Kioku locked in the mortal cycle of reincarnation, was FANTASTIC and the crowds cheered as this fine, little sushi establishment attained the ultimate in True Sushi Enlightenment. (damn, it was good!)
So, I again urge -NAY!- IMPLORE you to make a pilgrimage to this Humble Haven of the Gods in Fremont (?!). Have a seat at the bar and say hi to His Holiness, the Master of Sushi, Benson. (And tell him Dr Kevin sent ya...)

(hi to Bob Bloom and the other Kioku regulars!)
(older review) Wow! What a BIG surprise! After almost a year of not finding ANY place to give Sushi A a run for the money (sushi?), I had a wonderful surprise in a little place in a minimall (!) Fremont (!!). I had been in there before, but there was a big difference between sitting at a table or the bar. A special friend and I went there on a Saturday night and they must have just received their fish earlier that day. It was wonderful. The skies opened, angels sang, and, as a light shone down from heaven, I tasted true nirvana. Yeah, you could say I liked it. Our sushi chef, Benson, took good care of us- great hamachi toro, yummy unagi, and the dill salmon was a big fav, too (Sushi A has better uni, though). Yum, yum. So, have a seat at the bar, say hi to Benson, and enjoy.

Sushi A - in the little plaza in Japan town, San Francisco. This place has the freshest fish I have had anywhere. Anywhere. Wonderful Uni, oyster, hamachi and maguro that melts in your mouth. Really yummy. But what do you expect from a place that's been around since 1848?

Umi Sushi Boat - Ardenwood Shopping Center, 84 (Dumbarton) and Ardenwood, Fremont. A new place openned up right around the corner from Kioku and it's not bad. They're still working out the system for making the restaurant work (growing pains), but it's still not a bad place. The fish was big, but not as big as Kioku, and not as tasty. The California Roll really needs work- they need to go to Sono in Mt View for some reengineering to find out how it should taste. But hey, it's not bad and it is a sushi boat place, which I like because of the instant gratification factor (walk in, sit down, eat sushi= heaven).
Toshi's Sushiya - 211 El Camino on border of Palo Alto and Menlo Park- next to Oasis Burger, 415-326-TUNA. This is a little, increasingly popular, friendly place with yummy fish. The hamachi and maguro were very, very good, as was just about everything else. The portions weren't as big as Kioku's, however. But, it was yummier than Miyake or Fuki or the other standard Palo Alto places.

Sono sushi - Castro Street in Mountain View. A sushi boats kinda place that has the best California roll of anywhere. Great tempura roll. Fun atmosphere, too. Just a nice, fun place to go. Since it's a boats kinda place, the food's ready to go as soon as you sit down (the down side is that it may have been going around for a little while- typically a high enough turnover that I haven't been disappointed yet). And BTW, yes, they're actually speaking Cantonese.

Motomachi - Castro Street (west side of El Camino), Mt View. An otherwise nondescript Mom and Pop place (you can tell it's Mom&Pop because their daughter is usually playing in the restaurant), with the freshest fish we've found in the south bay. (Alas, but wonderful fish wasn't enough- Motomachi closed in November `95 and has been replaced by Hiro's))

Yakko - Dana and Bryant Mountain View. A good lunch place- their sushi box lunch for ~$6.50 is a good deal and they have the best Miso soup around. For the box lunch you get to pick one of the A list items and one from the B list. I'm a big fan of the teriyaki chicken and california roll combo.

Miyake - University Avenue, Palo Alto. A loud, fun place where the waiters may be having the most fun of anyone there. And they _really_ like it when you shout back at them. Really. Quite fun, but definitely not a quiet little fish place. They recently (early 96) moved to larger digs and an informed source described it as "Hollywood Sushi". I visited and agree, right down to the smoke machine and disco lights (Disco sushi?). I suppose from that point of view, I could give it the distinction of Most Likely Place To See Erik Estrada.

Isobune - Japan Center (SF) and Burlingame Ave (Burlingame). Another sushi boat-kinda place. Pretty good and good sized pieces of fish. Uni's only $2.50, but you have to know to ask for it.

Yuri - 3810 Mowry Avenue, Fremont- 510-795-6701. Just happened to slide into this place on New Years. Pretty good- maguro was very fresh and the scallops (hotategai) melt in your mouth. The "sensual pleasure" nigiri was pretty good, but we decided against having a "climax" makimono afterward (it's deep fried). The prices are pretty standard, the place very nice, and the staff friendly. In general, a good little place.

Thai Garden Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Santa Cruz. Yes, it's a Thai place that does sushi. Go figure. A great place for creativity- they make all kinds of different new ideas and some of them are actually quite good. Or what the heck- suggest something and they'll give it a try.

Hiro's - Castro Street (west side of El Camino), Mt View. This place used to be Motomachi. It definitely looks prettier now (redecorated inside), but I miss the old place. Still, the sushi was pretty good.

Hamasushi - 20030 Steven's Creek Blvd (between Wolfe and Sunnyvale-Saratoga), Cupertino- 408-446-4262. Very nice, formal, expensive kinda place. Be oriental and dress well (preferably in black) if you go here.

Fuki Sushi - El Camino, Palo Alto- 415-494-9383. Yes, that really is the name. It's a bit expensive, but the place looks nice and the sushi isn't bad. I'd just call it uninspired- nothing especially special and different. But the waitresses are rather nice. Besides, they contributed the background image (even if they didn't know it ;).

Komei - Castro Street, Mountain View. A relatively new (early `96) place catering to the lunch throngs on Castro. A pretty good deal and pretty good food.

Subaru - Castro Street, Mountain View. An alright place, but the karaoke weirds me out a bit. There's a pseudo native-only bar upstairs I vaguely remember staggering into one night when I was talking to a guy that used to live in Japan (One of those hazy nights).

Minokichi - 150 University Avenue, Palo Alto. One of those all-you-can- stand sushi places. Not too bad despite that. Don't expect to find Uni and tempura roll, though.

Ikinohana - DeAnza Boulevard, Cupertino. A really nice little place off Sunnyvale-Saratoga/DeAnza/Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. A pretty garden inside, good food with nice portions, yummy sashimi, and a good deal. Say the name "Jean Louis-Gassee" and watch the Apple people throw things at you...

Hana Sushi - Loehmann Plaza, Hollenbeck + Homestead, Sunnyvale. A little, sushi-box (mainly) place. Fresh california roll, good tempura and teriaki. Very good prices, too (boxes are under $6). Just a nice little place.

Sushi Comrade Reviews

Samurai Sushi- 12251 Folsom Blvd, Rancho Cordova Samurai Sushi in Rancho Cordova is Bensons second venture into the sushi business. For those of you who have been to his first restaurant, Kioku in Newark (review below), all I can say is what all of his past customers who have made it out there say "I forgot how GREAT Bensons place is" For those who have not had the pleasure of "experiencing" Bensons.....words can not describe being there, but I will try. What m akes Bensons restaurants so great? That is hard to answer. I think there are many factors 1 fresh sushi 2 generous portions 3 sushi that you rarely see elsewhere (both in terms of types of fish, like Aji-Spanish Mackerel- combinations like Titanic rolls, and his "one of a kind" hot tuna) 4 the "Cheers" type atmosphere he creates at his restaurants Karen and Benson as well as some "old friends" Jimmy and Peter as well as new chefs like James are always extremely attentive and friendly. The restaurant is huge (it was a Buttercup Pantry) and in the short time they have been open, they are already busy! The restaurant was rated as one of the Top Ten restaurants in the Sacramento area of any kind. Be sure to try the "unfiltered" sake and take home your souvenier T shirt! Samurai is located at 12251 Folsom Blvd. Rancho Cordova CA 95742 phone 916/353-1112. (Bob Blom, Kioku Regular and Sushiholic)

Ocean Sushi Deli, 2701 David Ave. (corner of David and Forest) Pacific Grove, CA (408) 649-1320 (408) 649-1370. The Salmon Skin roll was excellent, but I suffered major disappointment to find that they use FAKE CRAB in another one of their rolls! Even though I had some really good sushi there, I can't recommend it because of the FAKE CRAB!!!!! aaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkk Anyone who would use fake crab is capable of almost anything. (Mike Robinson)

Sushi Main (formerly Sushi Main Street)- On Mill Street in Half Moon Bay, just west of Main. Its new location (formerly on Main) is much more spacious, with about three times the seating, including one table with floor seating. I like this place and make the occasional pilgrimage there. Along with their quarters expanding, so has their menu. It now includes several Japanese full meal options, along with a variety of Sushi. The Sushi is made to order and is quite good. I especially like the smoked eel and smoked salmon. The decor is unique, consisting of the salvaged interior of a Balinese temple. It gets crowded early, especially on weekends, when there is a line out the door. (Mike Robinson)

We Be Sushi - 6th and Parnassus, San Francisco. (recommended by staff at UCSF) How can I say, 'it got the job done.' The price was VERY decent and the sushi was made to order on the spot. The atmosphere was very 'collegiate grunge.' Kathy didn't like the place and didn't think the sushi was very memorable. I thought it was sanitary enough and the sushi was very adequate. It was CHEAP. Both of us got out for $14 (including tip) for lunch. (Mark Beckwith)

Sushi Chardonnay on Union between Gough and Octavia, San Francisco. We had dinner there after learning the door to Sushi-A was not unlocked. Kathy was in the mood for All-You-Can-Eat (she is a thin wisp of a girl but she DOES like her sushi) - she found this in the Yellow Pages. It boasted something like 27 different kinds of sushi on a buffet. Sushi Chardonnay had a very quiet, pleasant atmosphere - it was BIG and the people were friendly (customers and staff). Sure enough, there was the buffet, but also a rather substantial sushi bar. Clearly not everyone went there for the buffet, it was just an option. We both tried the buffet, since we had not had the opportunity to be truly sushi-pigs for some years. Truth is, Kathy and I differ a lot on the experience. She, for some reason, LOVED it, and she's generally pickier than me. I, on the other hand, enjoyed We Be Sushi more and was surprised that the sushi at Chardonnay was as "fresh" as it was - on the whole OKAY but there were definately the 'selections to beware.' Lots (4) of very well-behaved very small kids like ours. It was fun. (Mark Beckwith)

Restaurant Ino, 25 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley (415) 383-7180. We were bumming around north of the Golden Gate having finished all the doctor appointments and having several hours to kill before our flight back to Oklahoma, we went bird watching and decided to just explore some sushi place up in that neck of the woods. We got a few recommendations from people around there and went looking and couldn't find what we were looking for, then finally spotted this heretofore un-referred place and decide to stop. As we walked in, the first good sign was that we were the only non-Japanese in the room. The room was small and VERY actual Japanese, and well-apppointed. The experience to follow was one of the finest sushi experiences we ever shared together. We spent $46 on lunch, but this was what we were looking for. The sushi was small but not stingy. 'Delicate' is a good word. Subtlety was the order for the day - easily the most 'polite' California Roll I EVER tasted. The salmon and yellowtail were of very high standards (so was everything else for that matter) but at the very top of the list for our day was a MAGNIFICENT scallop hand-roll with special sauce. The gates opened and the angels sang - and looking back, I'm really sorry we didn't close with our most intimate sushi shared pleasure - masago with quail egg. But hey, we'd go back (and we WILL) in a HEARTBEAT, so I'll just order it next time. (Mark Beckwith)

Yes, there are lots more to come... (Feel free to send reviews!)

-Kevin