Seduced by Sushi

First off, apologies to the few loyal readers (my parents, a co-worker, a couple really nice friends), life has been crazy so I haven't had time to write! I got promoted at work so now I actually have to work :) Thanks for bearing with me and constantly pretending that my blog is an important read.

Onto the sushi! My first review needs to go out to my favorite neighborhood joint, Sushi Toni. When I moved to Lower Nob Hill in December, I left behind an apartment a few blocks away from Japantown, where there were sushi joints on every corner. I tried a couple sushi places once I was settled at my new place, but they were too close to Union Square, which meant they were over-priced and aimed at tourists. I always walked by Sushi Toni on Bush Street, but it looked like such a random hole in the wall that I didn't trust them to fulfill my sushi needs. Eventually I looked them up on Yelp, saw they had four stars and a ton of rave reviews so I decided to give it a try. I am now hooked. To be honest, I get carry out at least once a week. The waitress has stopped asking me if I need one pair chopsticks or two (apparently I order way too much sushi for just me). Last week I officially added them to my favorite contacts list so I could call them quicker. Their maki rolls are creative, tasty and affordable. The 49er roll (tobiko, siso, avacado topped with salmon and a lemon wedge) tastes just as good as the salmon citrus roll at Michelin rated Sushi Ran. I'm a huge fan of seaweed salad, so the fact that I can get it over a spicy tuna roll and call is a Swamp roll is pretty perfect. Yelp reviewers rave about the Romeo and Juliet roll (salmon and avocado wrapped in soybean paper, topped with scallop) and I have to concur. I like the Family Affair roll (tuna, white tuna and cucumber) even though they get a little carried away with the white and green onion garnish on top. The Red Dragon and Crunch rolls are also worth trying out. They're also able to make spicy scallop handrolls, which are a favorite of mine ever since I moved to SF. Basic maki rolls range from $4.50-$6.50 and specialty rolls are on average $9-$10. Everything is rolled well and made with quality ingredients. If you're looking for an affordable sushi dinner, this is the place to go.

The next place warranting discussion is Zushi Puzzle. When I ask San Franciscans what the best secret sushi places in the city are, they usually say Zushi or Sushi Bistro (coming up next). This place also looks like a hole in the wall and an unattractive gray facade. It's on a rather barren part of Lombard, which is still technically Marina/Cow Hollow but definitely on the edge. I've tried to go here before but there's always a wait and it seems to be always at least an hour. Plus they have some random business hours, which means I have to go to Mas Sake (which is good but like eating sushi in a Vegas club after 10pm). A friend and I finally got in on a Friday night by going directly after getting off work. I can't wait until I'm old and it's acceptable to eat dinner at restaurants at 5:30p. Anyway, we ended up trying a couple of the specialty maki rolls. I'm going to spare you the details. No one roll specially popped as being more memorable than the others. My main takeaway from this place was that there was a lack of skill/finesse. The sushi wasn't rolled very well. Every time we went to grab a piece, it would fall apart by the time it hit the soy. I was pretty disappointed by my experience, this place definitely did not live up to the hype!

After checking out Zushi Puzzle I had to check out the other local favorite, Sushi Bistro. There's two locations, one in Inner Richmond and in the Mission. I went to the one in the Mission that's fairly small but didn't have its usual wait that night. I think my favorite roll was the Billie Jean. I fully support the new trend of using soy paper as a substitute for the seaweed wrapping. The Billie Jean was filled with baby lobster, avocado and cucumber, topped with salmon. I have a propensity to order anything with tuna, so I also got the albacore dream, which is spicy tuna and avocado topped with albacore and their signature spicy sauce. I have to say, if someone asked me if I would recommend Zushi Puzzle or Sushi Bistro, I would hands down always say Sushi Bistro.