Minako

Lou and I finally made a trip to Minako, a Japanese Organic Sushi Restaurant on Mission Street, on Saturday night.

We were treated to a fantastic meal served by the co-owner, Judy. Judy and her mom run Minako, with Judy's mom heading up the kitchen and Judy running the front of the house. Judy said that by maintaining separate spheres they're able to keep the peace. From the customer's point of view, I would agree. They served up a marvelous meal.

It was a wonderful meal for many reasons. First of all, the food was outstanding. To start off, we ordered a bowl of lotus root dumpling soup. I had never tried lotus root before, and I was intrigued by the description of the dish on the menu. The root was soft, wrapped in dough, and it tasted mildly of flower-scented wood. It was floating in a light soy sauce broth, and the combination of flavors--mostly salt and woodiness--were soft and surprisingly well-balanced. I ordered a beer, and Lou ordered a small bottle of unfiltered sake.

We then tasted a spicy tuna special starter--kind of a tuna tartar--which was delicately placed atop a small rice cracker and mixed with a creamy sauce, scallions and plenty of tobiko. Delicious! For the main course, we ordered the Red Spider--a soft shell crab roll with avocado, wrapped with tuna---a Cole Roll--salmon and avocado--and another roll (I can't remember its name...Daikon perhaps..)--made of tuna, salmon, avocado and more tobiko. Though I love soft shell crab rolls, the last roll was particularly good. It was large--much larger than bite size--and a lively combination of flavors. The tobiko made the dish, however, as the pops of the roe brought the roll alive.

While the decor at Minako is simple, the atmosphere was lively and fun. Judy was playing upbeat 70s and 80s dance and disco music, and at various times we looked around to see several other diners table dancing to the music. Judy herself was a charming host, engaging us in conversation, checking in on us and talking to us about the food. I told her about this blog, and I promised to write up her restaurant when she said that they're small and they don't do any advertising (I was surprised Minako wasn't even listed in Zagats, since so many people have told me about it).

All in all, the sushi was fantastic and the dining experience was delightful, and given that Minako is close to our home, I suspect we'll become regular customers. The many people who have recommended Minako to me have warned me about the long wait, but if you have to wait (we sat down immediately) I can assure you that it's worth it. Go try for yourself.

Minako
2154 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415/864-1888