All Together Now

Real estate is expensive. In San Francisco, it is ridiculously expensive. During this recession, I have seen so many small businesses close because they can no longer afford to pay their rent. But in such an economy, where to go with your wonderful food idea, such as 7 different kinds of ramen, or bacon-wrapped hot dogs? Some resourceful vendors have gone the food cart route, either selling off of an actual cart or getting some kind of mobile vehicle that could double as a makeshift kitchen.

But the food cart business is not for everyone, and there are permits required with that as well. Enter a new idea: the multi-tenant indoor market. 331 Cortland in Bernal Heights is such a place.

Inside is an eclectic mix of 6 vendors. The first thing that you see is a knife-sharpening operation. It is sort of an odd choice, maybe something you would expect to see in medieval times (Ye Olde Ironsmith). Next is Della Terra Organics fruit stand, with the most impossibly beautiful fruits and vegetables and a good sense of humor.

The midddle of the space houses my two favorite vendors, El Poreno empanadas, and Ichi Lucky Cat Japanese Deli. I could easily spend an afternoon running back and forth between these two, sampling different things each time. Toro nigiri, wild mushroom empanada, Shiso Pesto Pasta, beef empanada...and on and on.

The last two vendors are Wholesale Bakery and Paulie's, which sells pickled goods and pre-made salads and sandwiches. More to discover next time! I am having a bad case of neighborhood envy - how easy would it be to make dinner every night with so much variety right at your disposal, and within walking distance? Here's to hoping that more communities follow suit.

Raw Goodness

Last week, I went with my friend Jude to a sushi restaurant that I have been wanting to try for a long time - Tataki. There are hundreds of Japanese restaurants in San Francisco, and a handful of good ones. What makes Tataki different is that it is only one of two restaurants in the world that only serves fish from sustainable sources.

I was kind of shocked to learn that this practice is not more widespread. Sustainability is not something new, but I guess it is new to a cuisine that has become commonplace to the average American diner - clearly, the demand for unagi, sake, and maguro is alive and well, and thiving in a city near you. I love all of these fish and eat them whenever I can, so I don't pretend to be as thoughtful as I could be about the origins of what I eat.

My desire to try Tataki was out of curiosity, sort of like when I try vegetarian restaurants. What would they do to offer the discerning diner a sushi experience that was familiar and satisfying, yet in keeping with their philosophy?

Easy. They serve beautiful, fresh, delicious fish. They have found substitutes for the familiar varieties that look like and taste as good as (if not better than) what you know. We kept it simple, which you have to do since the menu is pretty tight.


So what we had above was the Chef's Choice Sashimi. Looks like your typical Sake, Hamachi, and Maguro, right? It was Iwana (closed farm arctic char), Suzuki (closed farm California striped bass) and Maguro (handline yellowfin tuna, not the more common bluefin). Every pieces was flavorful, delicate, silky, delicious. I was especially impressed with the char, and as salmon is my favorite, the fact that I never missed it says a lot. We just had to have more, so we asked the chef for a recommendation for some nigiri.


Oh my goodness gracious. This was the Kona Kampachi (farmed Hawaiian almaco jack) - so lovely, so buttery, so tasty. The kampachi I had in Hawaii last year did not even come close. And the color - variegated shades of silver-flecked pink fading to white - simply beautiful.

All of this plus a seaweed salad, some light and tasty soba noodles, and green tea made a perfect, healthy lunch for two.


There is a website dedicated to sustainable sushi, where you can read more about it and see additional photos from Tataki. There is also a book called Sustainable Sushi by Casson Trenor (he was in the restaurant the day that we were there) - you can get it at Tataki or on Amazon. Were the recession not choking the hell out of us, I would have picked up a copy. As it is, I am saving my pennies for my next meal at Tataki - Poseidon willing, may it be sooner rather than later!

Doing it Raw

I was jonesing for some sushi last night, so I walked over to Sansei Sushi on Waikiki Beach, near the Duke Kahanamoku statue. It's a nice little sushi bar featuring some very fresh fish and special rolls. The sushi chefs were friendly and cool, and I had the best uni of my life - amazingly fresh and tasty, like someone scooped it directly from the sea and plopped it into my mouth (with two quails eggs convieniently finding their way on top). Not everyone likes uni, but those who do know that it has to be super, super fresh. I always ask the sushi chef before I order it if they have it, and you can tell by his expression if it's as fresh as you want it. When I asked last night, his eyes widened and he said, "Oh, yes. Very fresh. VERY fresh." He was dead serious, and of course, it was just as fresh as he said.


I also tried one of the specials, which was innovative and very tasty - Torched Kampachi with a yuzu aioli, shiso, and hot sauce. It had a bright, tangy flavor and the flesh of the fish was amazingly tender.


The problem with sushi is that I can eat so much of it - put sushi in front of me, and I become like that whale that glides through the ocean with its mouth open at all times, with rolls and nigiri going in one after the other. Sansei is great, but not inexpensive - it would be easy to walk out of there $100 later, especially if you add beer or sake to your bill. I managed to restrain myself, but 24 hours later I am tempted to go back and have more of that uni...