mikado

1684 bryant street @ 16th.

so, this is mikado with a "k", not a "c", and though i'm usually all about the ~c, this place beats the other hands down.

motivation: pinky and i headed over for an early daylight savings dinner to kick us off into the impending dark of winter. we'd been to this neighborhood place before and had watched the perky cute server evolve from an actress playing the part of a waitress, to a real, remember-all-of-your-order-and-tend-to-you-regularly server. one of these days i'll ask her her name. she greeted us cheerfully, as did the other women, and seemed enthusiastic about our meal. i flirted. she smiled back. she was way too young for me (she had braces!!). she got a big tip. but i'm jumping ahead of myself.

mikado plays a blend of music that transitions through uptown jazz, electronica, and deep house. pinky recognized some soulstice and st. germaine in there. it worked for the mood. the aspect of the place that stands out though is the decor. imagine frank gehry doing gift wrapping. there's aluminum flashing all along the walls, twisted and folded like ribbon, with a background of various colors and subdued lighting. the flooring choice is a rather unfortunate carpet, and there are a few wooden booths for the japanese allusions, but otherwise it's a fun light space.

quality: the fish here is pretty good. we had a giants roll that had delicious, simple flavors, with fluffy unagi and fresh avocado. the suzuki special was smooth and light, the meat separating into sections like a citrus. the hamachi was firmer than usual and the flavor of the super white tuna bore a tasty resemblance to its pedestrian cousin in a can. in a good way. pinky ordered the uni and declared it nutty and creamy. i indulged and stuffed my belly to its cusp with a crunchy oshinko maki and the local 49ers roll. nothing disappointed. not even the squid salad that pinky deemed mysterious but intriguing.

there is also a decent-sized sake menu with patronizing descriptions, but we didn't partake on this crisp fall evening. however, i did discover that mikado has a daily (M-Sat) happy hour from 4:00-6:00 with 50% off all drinks and an exclusive $2 sushi menu. wow! and they even deliver. with very reasonable prices and a mellow neighborhood vibe, i'll be back.

who wants to meet me here?

itadakimasu!