Raw Fish and Squid
In San Francisco and staying by the Presidio until Friday for the Carson Workshops’ The Future of Web Apps Summit.
Landed yesterday evening and had nothing to do so I went for a walk down Chestnut Street. Remindes me of Yaletown, boutique shopping and every other place is either a bar or restaurant.
Two foods that I’m a sucker for and will almost always order at a new restaurant are Ahi tuna and calamari.
Things were no different last night as I took the bait first at Nakedfish, where I was drawn by their large sake collection behind the bar. Tried out their Aloha sampler, an assortment of sushi with Hawaiian fish. The nigiri was perfect, the fish was sweet, tender and at the perfect temperature, and not placed on a giant wad of rice.
Along with the sushi, I had a glass of Mu daiginjo sake. It was very nice, dry with a hint of pear. Not over poweringly sweet or fruity. Its subtleness was a perfect complement to the food.
Not quite as good was the Hitori Musume nigori sake that I had. I think it may have been an older bottle as it didn’t exhibit any of the sweetness I was expecting from my previous experiences with nigori sake.
Next stop was Mamacita, a mexican joint that had a good crowd there. The spicey calamari with a corn meal batter was beckoning me to try out. I loved the gritty texture to it and am going to have to try that at home sometime.
I noticed a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila on their bar for $18/shot. I have an unopened bottle of it at home and now I’m thinking it’s gotta be a really special occasion before I open it up. $18 bucks! Can you even do a tequila tasting without getting absolutely smashed?