Photos + Food: Sushi 69

Marin Foodie Doug Levy might be right about Sushi 69. The day after reading his blog post I had the perfect opportunity (Brett took me on a date) to go to the small San Anselmo sushi spot.

So glad we went.

My favorite - Hiro's Roll. Spicy tuna, avocado, fresh salmon over light ponzu sauce.

All my favorite ingredients and a small roll size my little mouth appreciates. ($13)

Takeshi roll. Shrimp tempura, spicy scallops, avocado and cucumber. On top is tuna and shiso leaf. Turns out I'm a big fan of shiso leaf. ($15)

Explosion roll. (Right, huh?) Yellow tail, scallop, the perfect amount of jalapeño and fish roe.

On top is fried onion. ($11)

We also had hot sake (trying to keep the feeling of our March trip to Japan alive), as well as fresh hamachi nigiri. I almost ordered green tea ice cream. Yum.

Food + News: Ways to help the seas

We definitely need our oceans

Here's a quick guide, based on the last week of my life, of how you can help. And yes, one thing you can do is go out to dinner.

That ever-growing Gulf of oil, plus some special recent encounters, has left me caring about oceans more than, perhaps, ever.

Last week I interviewed Jimmy Galle, a Sausalito-based seafood distributor who organized the national "Dine out for the Gulf Coast," where restaurants in Marin County, San Francisco and lots of other places will donate part of their proceeds today, tomorrow and Saturday to help those affected by the spill. He's also going to be donating part of his proceeds as long as he's in business. The article I wrote on him came out on Wednesday.

Also last week, Brett and I went to the Academy of Sciences and heard Jacque Cousteau's grandchildren talk about ocean advocacy. I wrote about it for Marinscope. My favorite local photographer, Hans Roenau, took the above photo of a diver in the Academy of Sciences aquarium. The occasion for the Cousteaus' visit? World's Ocean Day (which was June 8) and the would-be 100th birthday of Jacque Cousteau.

While we were there we found the handy Seafood Watch guidelines that help you chose ocean-friendly seafood.

Also, Oceana has a petition underway to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling off the US coast.

And on a happier marine life note, on Tuesday the Marine Mammal Center released several of its rehabilitated critters. With every year they see more malnourished pups. We'll be putting lots of those photos in the papers next week. Nothing beats a cute seal or sea lion. Hans took this photo too.

Food + Travel: Tapas and sushi

Sushi AND tapas??

UPDATE: Hours after first posting this I found out the restaurant has just closed a few days ago. One of the investors from Japan pulled out. Bummer. At least you can still enjoy the photos...

An invitation to Art’s Tapas and Sushi lounge in San Francisco was one I couldn’t resist. The new(ish) restaurant encompasses my two favorite types of food. The complimentary meal, authentic tapas aside, was pretty darn good. And it definitely was photogenic.

To summarize the place, I’m starting with dessert first. (There's a reason and it's not my inner fat kid. I think.)

I was thrilled to have Art's green tea ice cream—mainly because we were in Japan a few months ago. That was a wonderful way to take an authentic Japanese dish and make it more appealing to the American palate (less purple bean paste and add whip cream). Brilliant, although I’m not a whip cream fan.

Pictured at right is a green tea ice cream dessert we were served at the amazing Donguri restaurant in Kyoto, Japan, for comparison. See, lots of purple bean paste.

Seafood (and Japanese influences) definitely seems to be Art’s strength. Takaaki Yamaguchi, general manager and chef, told us about their lengthy process of getting concepts from a chef in Japan then deciding how to adapt them to the American palate.

The beef carpaccio ($9) was the best item we had. Two words: wasabi aioli.

The sizzling Chilean sea bass plate ($12) melted in our mouths. The veggies underneath it (bean sprouts, yellow zucchini, green peas, meyer lemon and a sweet garlic sauce) were surprisingly tasty.

The Dragon roll ($12) was sensational. BBQ unagi, avocado, hamachi, cucumber, masago. I wish I had tried more of their sushi rolls.

The Albacore Tartare ($8) was also one of my favorites. Fuji apples, cucumbers with blended miso and mizuna greens.

The Yellowtail Crudo ($9) was really good, but so spicy! Definitely an item for a group of four to share. Hamachi, sliced jalapeño, truffle ponzu, mixed radish.

I loved the idea behind the Marinated Tuna Pintxos ($9.5) served with mozzarella and tomatoes, but we decided we felt the tuna was too marinated. There are so many spices and competing flavors in the item. Soy sauce, mirin, red wine, garlic.

Art’s effort to “Americanize” its dishes is something I can understand, can work quite well, but I personally don’t prefer. They seemed to have done a pretty good job of it.

We didn’t bother ordering the more American tapas options, such as the Spiced Chicken Taco ($6), Cali Cheese Fries ($5), or Chicken Wings ($6), but the wings looked really good at neighboring tables.

Instead, I wanted to taste the “real” tapas, or those most authentic to Spain. I consider myself well-versed when it comes to tapas. I lived in Spain for six months and I’ve had spectacular tapas dining experiences in California. My favorites for legit tapas are Esperpento in SF’s Mission District and Bar Pintxo in Santa Monica. Above, me in la Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Did you know that in Granada, Spain, you get free tapas with every drink you order?

I told the restaurant’s publicist I felt the tapas portion of the menu needs work.

The Cheese Croquettes ($9), above, and the Kurobuta Pintxos ($6) disappointed me. The cheddar croquettes were better than the mozzarella, which were essentially mozzarella sticks. (If you want mozzarella sticks, get em, they’re good. But don’t get them expecting croquettes.) I recommended they avoid the texture of the mozzarella and try adding garlic spices and other fillings (chicken, fish, pork). The Kurobuta Pintxos were breaded and fried pork. That’s about it.

I’m planning on returning to Art’s with a group of friends. Happy hour specials and a parking lot make it even more appealing.

Art’s Tapas and Sushi Lounge is located at 2353 Lombard Street in San Francisco.