Kusakabe is a well known and established sushi omakase restaurant in downtown San Francisco. The restaurant is owned by Chef Mitsunori Kusakabe, of which the restaurant is named after. He likes to go by Nori-san for short, and he made a name for himself when he previously worked at Sushi Ran in Sausalito. He has a strong culinary background which includes experiences in Kyoto, Nobu in New York and Miami before his time in Sushi Ran. He opened Kusakabe in May 2014, and had a couple of years with a Michelin Star, but not in recent years.
The restaurant is quite large with several chefs operating the various stations at the counter. There are 17counter seats and 12 seats for the back tables. Chef Nori mans one of the stations, so if you want his sushi-making skills, you’ll have to coordinate with the front desk. I have eaten at Kusakabe several times, and I did enjoy my meals here, except for one time where the shari was too hard. At the time I joined another party who made reservations and we were seated at one the four-seat tables. I highly recommend to opt for a counter seat and avoid the tables and to request for Nori-san if possible. However the second in command, Ken, is also pretty good at his profession.
There are two menus, an 8 course for $98 and an 11 course for $168. I always choose the larger course. There are many things I like about Kusakabe such as the use of high-quality seasonal ingredients. Some of these ingredients are hard to time even by Japan’s standards. The execution and attention to detail of the sushi are great. There are unique and creative combinations for the neta and toppings. The shari uses aka-su, which is traditional red vinegar which I love in sushi, although I would have liked it a touch more on the red vinegar.
What I do not like about Kusakabe is that it is too large, with over four sushi chefs manning their own station and many sous chefs prepping ingredients. It looks like a high-end sushi factory. As a result, depending on who you sit in front of, you can get an inconsistent experience if it is not Nori-san or Ken. Also, Kusakabe tries to be too much kaiseki-style, creating a progression I don’t like as much. I prefer Edomae style with the otsumami first then followed by the nigiri. As you see below, you start with sushi, have a big set of kaiseki dishes, then finish with sushi. Speaking of Edomae style, the sushi is more fusion here, with lots of torching of ingredients and sometimes exotic toppings. It is not exactly a negative, but I usually prefer the more traditional edomae style that involves the aging of the fish to enhance the flavor.
The meal starts with what looks like tea but is actually ichiban dashi with a preserved cherry blossom. This means the first dashi from the konbu and bonito. The dashi was a good way to open up the palate.
While the menu had special names for some of the nigiri courses, at the end of the day, it was 5 nigiri courses to start the meal:
- Seared marinaded chu-toro (zuke chu-toro)
- Hirame that was konbujime (kelp cured)
- Straw-smoked Katsuo bonito
- Shima-aji (striped jack)
- Ika topped with Santa Barbara uni
Next, are the noted kaiseki elements of the course. As mentioned, I’m not a fan of the flow, but the overall execution of each dish was great.
- Sashimi of akami and hamachi paired with house soy and yuzu onion sauce
- Hassun course of six various small bites
- Sake-Less soup with ocean trout and smoked trout caviar
- Unagi sansho-ni, which is braised white eel with ankimo, and buckwheat risotto.
The next courses, it is back to a series of nigiri courses with the following:
- Amadai – tile fish.
- Boiled hotaru ika
- Maguro maki
- Bafun Uni
The finale of sushi courses was the following:
- Yokohama A5 wagyu
- Blue fin o-toro
- Kohada
- Nore Sore with sous-vide quail egg
The first two times I went to Kusakabe, Nori-san served me at the counter, and he was great. The third time I sat at the table and had a terrible experience as you do not get the nigiri one at a time, losing the right temperature of the shari and neta. The last time, Ken served me and he was pretty good. Overall, I really do like Kusakabe and view them as one of my top experiences for omakase in the San Francisco.
Restaurant Info:
Address:
584 Washington St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: 415-757-0155
Hours: Mon-Sat (1st seating: 5pm – 5:30pm) (2nd seating: 8pm – 8:45pm)
Website: https://kusakabe-sf.com/