A little lucky

Some times the best restaurant experiences occur spontaneously. I've planned events, made reservations and paid attention to the tiniest detail only to have a mediocre evening. No planning or research went into our dinner, only random luck. My wife and I were sitting in hotel lobby people-watching and enjoying the free wine and snacks. We had gotten up early and had full day of activity. Both of us were hungry but really didn't feel like putting a huge effort into dinner. We had looked into Ozumo, the Japanese restaurant next door, and admired the decor. No menu was posted so we had no idea what the food and prices were. We talked and took a plunge. We boldly walked next door with no reservation and asked to be seated. With smiles and flourish we were seated. The place is gorgeous and the staff is too. I felt like we had arrived on the set of a fashion magazine photo shoot. As we perused the menu I got a little nervous because I didn't know what most of the items were. Our waitress Leah Rae came over and I said "I think we may be in over our heads here." She responded with kindness and guided us to our selections. Then there was the sake issue. I have had sake before and was totally underwhelmed. Not so the case here, Leah Rae suggested the sake "flights." We had a taste of a number and each was unique with floral and fruit aromas. This is good we kept saying and probably consumed more than was necessary. We ordered off the robata grill section of the menu. April had the Mori Roku (grilled vegetables) and I had the Gyu Filet (Angus filet with shiitake mushrooms) and both were extraordinary. Not to leave well enough alone, we had dessert. The chocolate fondue is a giant vat of chocolate over hot coals that comes with huge array of fruit and such for dipping. It was enough for two but we had the pannacotta as well. Too much food but just the right amount of good times. The price you ask? With tax and tip $114. We can eat peanut butter and jelly all next week. It was worth it for this lucky fun experience.

Mori Roku

Gyu Filet

Ozumo Restaurant

161 Steuart St.

San Francisco,Ca. 94105