Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Oh Yeah Ozumo!

Many Bay Area food bloggers were invited to the 2nd Annual Bay Area Bloggers Picnic ("BABP") this last Saturday, and it was a party to end all parties!

Unfortunately, due to a traumatic last minute change in plans, Passionate Eater was a "no show." To help me to ease the sorrows and the hunger pangs of missing the (food blogger) party-of-the-year (which I had planned for over two months in advance), my beau brought me out with a group of great friends to
Ozumo, a place I endearingly call "the Bay Area's Nobu" or at least "this Bay Area Blogger's Belief of What Nobu Tastes Like." (As a treat for me, my beau picked up our share of the bill which ended up being over $85 bucks for the both of us. What a sweetheart! I love you beau!)

The entire day on Saturday, I reassured myself that it was okay that I missed the BABP, but I was stunned with the pictures from the event that were uploaded early that evening. You can see the remarkable spread potluck dishes from BABP here.

Wow.

Well, given that feast, please bear with me as I quickly recite and show pictures of our meal at Ozumo:

We dined on rainbow roll made with chilled slices of tuna, hamachi, salmon, and butterflied shrimp wrapped snugly over a tubular California roll; dragon roll made with blankets of grilled unagi and of avocado over sushi rice and tempura shrimp;

California roll stuffed with creamy slices of ripe avocado and a mixture made of delicate flakes of snow crab moistened with a mayonnaise binding-agent;

Dohyo, or an ahi tuna tartare made with cubes of supple ahi tuna on top of a luscious avocado cream, and curds of cheese-like tofu. The tartare was served with deep-fried gyoza chips and boat-shaped endive leaves (to use as scoops);

Futago, or thin slices beef tenderloin gently hugging tiny mounds of sauteed spinach and Japanese eggplant, and drizzled with a miso sesame sauce;

Kaiso, or a chilled salad, made with three varieties of Northern Japanese seaweed and dressed in a sanbai-su sauce;

A platter of sashimi, including tuna (marguro), wild salmon (sake), yellow tail (hamachi), and sweet prawn (amaebi);

Gyu-kakuni, or tender slow-braised shortribs and thin slices daikon in a miso-veal reduction; and finally, a good ole'...

Tempura roll, filled with with crunchy-fried tempura shrimp, cucumber, taiware, and tobiko.

(That post was an easy one, because all I did was post pictures and plagarize the sushi descriptions from the menu! I gotta do that more often!)


In closing, for lavish celebrations (courtesy of the corporate company or for a great friend), I would highly recommend Ozumo. The fish is fresh and high quality, and the servers are attentive and kind. But for the lower-income crowd's daily sushi fare, my advice: stick to the authentic sushi hole-in-the-wall in Daly City where none of the chefs (or servers) speak English.

My thoughts on BABP? I also highly recommend going! (Look at that food!)

9 comments:

  1. I like your redesign. And I am devastated that you didn't come to the picnic.
    Tag! You're memed. Come see my blog for the invite.
    xx

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  2. Thanks for the tag Cookie Crumb! I saw your name on the Evite, and you were definitely my greatest impetus to go. Hopefully we'll have more food blogger get-togethers before the next annual meet-up. And hopefully I can go next time!

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  3. If you ever do get to go to Nobu, get the tuna tartare, miso black cod, and kobe beef. (Best. Meal. Ever.) I'm just lucky I didn't have to pay for it... bday dinner.

    P.S. One of my friends here, a local, claims that this place in Hayward called Ray's Sushi (off of A Street) is supposed to be one of the best in the area. Haven't been there yet to verify...

    It's definitely not on par with higher-class places, but it's supposed to be fresh and a good deal.

    P.P.S. On a special occasion: make your beau take you to Sushi Sam's in San Mateo, sit at the sushi bar, and order omakase (chef's choice). You may wind up shelling $100 apiece, but it's a worthwhile once-in-a-lifetime experience to order omakase ("Oh-mah-kah-say") at a good Sushi restaurant.

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  4. Those pics are making me hungry and it's not even officially lunch!

    Sushi Sam's-one of my favorite $35-$40 lunch treats (that's sushi by myself, don't tell my husband!). The Omakase sounds like an awesome date option.

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  5. that all looks delicious and so beautifully prepared! i love it when sushi comes on those long white dishes.

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  6. Grrr... You've made me hungry for sushi, and I had a huge Thai meal a few hours ago. You're a wicked, wicked temptress and I love your blog for it.

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  7. Nobu is a dream that I am still waiting for to come Jeff L! I'll put Ray's Sushi and Sushi Sam's on my list of places-to-try. Ray and Sam better feed me some excellent sushi.

    Your secret is safe with me Mary Ladd, I've also spent quite a few bucks at Kokkari for lunch too. Thanks for visiting too, I am a secret fan of your blog, and love the SFist!

    Those long white dishes make a difference Pink Nest

    Sorry about that Chubby Panda, and thanks at the same time!

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  8. I've only been to Ozumo for lunch and rather liked it a lot -- albeit a tad pricey. But you get what you pay for, no? I'm eager to check it out for dinner sometime, especially since I am between decent sushi places right now. Still searching for the perfect mom-and-pop joint ...

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  9. I'll find out the name of the hole-in-the-wall in Daly City Sean--it is truly "Mom-and-Pop" because the waitresses are the cook's daughters, and the cashier is the cook's wife. There is only seating for a maximum of ten people though, but the sushi is the most authentic sushi I have ever tasted in the City. Also, I've also tried the Ozumo lunch special, and yes, it was pricey for a lunch too!

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