MIYABI
253 Church Street (at Market)
San Francisco CA
(415) 861-0447
Miyabi has a special place in my heart as it's associated with my first sushi experience. Like many people I'd thought sushi was going to smell and taste "fishy", like fried trout or tuna salad sandwiches. My companion at the time bet me $20.00 that I would actually enjoy eating it. (This being 1989, $20.00 seemed like quite a bit more money than it does now.) I jumped all over that action, figuring I'd gotten myself an easy twenty-spot, and was taken to this decorative little Upper Mission sushi bar and restaurant. Sure enough, no sooner had I tasted the maguro nigiri, I had to hand the bet to my smirking companion, who graciously spent the winnings on additional sushi for both of us, so I could sample the ebi, unagi, toro and saki. Since that time I've eaten sushi at a number of other places and realize Miyabi's gentle pink-blue neon-lit atmosphere, and the freshness of the fish used there, helped make this bet a sure thing for my companion. Compared with other sushi outlets, however, Miyabi's portions might be a little on the small side.
SUSHI ROCK
1608 Polk Street
San Francisco CA 94109
(415) 345-1690
This isn't just a "sushi bar" but a full-fledged restaurant - and a popular one. The visitor will quickly discover Sushi Rock is a hangout for the twenty-something set, who come at all hours for iced coffee or Japanese beer as well as the food. Happily, large portions are the catch here, with rolls that are almost twice the diameter of those found at other places of a tonier nature. Happily, this is a "more food for less money" establishment, though there is a trade-off: I found that the tuna was just a tiny bit coarser than what I had gotten used to, though I'd not call it unfresh, either. Note that if you do not like crowds, you may want to opt for Sushi Rock's home delivery service, especially on Fridays and weekends.
GOLDEN SKY THAI
878 O' Farrell Street (at Larkin)
San Francisco CA 94109
Stopped by for lunch one afternoon and sadly found it to be a mistake. The signboard had announced that the Combination Fried Rice was $6.95. The waitress took my order, offered to bring me tea while I waited, and then never brought it. She brought out the fried rice after ten minutes, charged me $8.99 plus tax and when countered with my insistence that the price was supposed to be two dollars less, she shrugged and apologized lamely. Attempting to get my money back seemed a futile venture, so I took it. It tasted fine, at least, and there was a healthy portion of it, but I can see why the place was totally empty when I walked in - this is no way to treat a customer.
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