{Photos: Daiwa sushi-Japan, Kabuto, Koo-assorted sushi, Koo-Spoonful of Happiness}

“I was once blind, but now I can see.” This quote truly reflects my taste in sushi. Three years ago, I backpacked in Tokyo. I truly tasted the best sushi ever located next to the famous fish market. Good sushi is all about three main things: rice, fresh ingredients, and the art of food styling. Training to be a sushi chef, it takes one year just to master cooking the rice. Good sushi rice consists of rice being separated as well as the “sushi sauce” a.k.a. the sugar/rice vinegar mixture. With the mile long line, the best sushi in Tokyo is Daiwai sushi. Fresh fish is caught around 5am in the morning. Through an auction process, chefs select their prize. Next, the fish is brought to Daiwa. The Japanese even dine here to eat sushi for breakfast. Counters are so clean that the sushi is served on it. Eating like a prince for one day, I had sweet abalone, rounds of fatty tuna, sea urchin, yellowtail, and other seafood delights. Total, I spend $100USD for one person.
After that experience, I can confidently tell you the great sushi restaurants. Sakura, a new Bay Area transplant, have been seeking great places. Here you go.
{Hints: It is a good sign when you see a sushi bar. You can clearly see the color of the fish. Beware of sushi places that serve food behind a hidden kitchen. I once was a sushi waiter so I advise that eating anything raw should be served by trained chefs.}

Stats:
95%: percentage of Japanese restaurants in San Francisco owned by Korean or Chinese
5%: percentage of Japanese restaurants in San Francisco owned by Japanese

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Spider Roll/Caterpiller/CA roll are not real Japanese delights. In Japan, pure nigiri is served. Rice + fish. In San Francisco, most sushi restaurants are actually fusion cuisine.

It’s true. You get what you pay for. Expensive sushi means that the sushi chefs pay for a better grade of fish. Tuna should be bright red as oppose to pink. Hamachi (yellowtail) should melt in your mouth. Uni (sea urchin) should have a foie gras texture and a taste so pungent that it channels through your nose canal.

Here’s the list.
#1 Situation: You need to close a million dollar business deal with Japanese client Mr. Fukamoto and need a place to impress your client. Your daughter’s college tuition depends on this deal. Look no further. Dine at Kyo-Ya (Palace Hotel) The toro (tuna belly) is buttery in texture and truly melts in your mouth. One of their sushi dishes has a few sprinkles of edible gold flakes. Fresh grated wasabi enhances all dishes. On my virgin visit, I spent $80 each person.
{2 New Montgomery Street — San Francisco, California 94105 — (415) 546-5090}
#2 Situation: You meet a cute Japanese girl/guy online. Find a refined restaurant but is not pretentious. Dash over to Koo. One step into Koo and your senses become calm. Soft cream colored walls and master sushi chefs ready to serve you. Their yellowtail is amazing but it will cost you ~ $6 for two nigiri pieces. One of their house special is A Spoonful of Happiness (spoonful of Uni, Quall Egg, Tobiko, Ponzu & Ankimo wrapped with whitefish, Truffle-Oil & a shot of chilled Sake). Flirt, give your date a spoonful.
#3 Situation: A few of your buddies get together and want to relax in a cozy sushi place. A great find isKabuto Sushi. For a fruity sea - sweet taste, try the hamachi (yellowtail) with pear. Skip the charashi (raw fish over a bed of rice), it lacks excitement and presentation skills. A year ago, I bought a Restaurant.com coupon ($25 worth of food for only $10). I will keep you guys posted for the next promotion.

Honorable Mentions
Ebisu: try their special roll with bean paper. Crispy on the outside, it truly compliments the inside ingredients. Hands down the best tamago (fried egg omellete). Should be eaten last on the sushi line since it is sweet. Most Japanese restaurants buy the block of omellete from their food distributor. Here, they make their own.
(1283 9th Ave San Francisco, CA, 94122)
Taravel Okazu-Ya: Best neighborhood sushi. Where your junky clothes, the sea bass (served with a pan grill) is sweet with a soft texture. By far, the best tempura. Panko crusted shrimp tempura fried delicately, clusters of small meteorite crust that shatters with one slight bite. Favorite items: sashimi geoduck, hot and cold roll (tempura battered with scallops and tuna) lingering in a great fruity cream sauce, hamachi wrapped in a wasabi tobiko (green colored fish eggs in Japanese mustard)
1735 Taraval Street San Francisco, CA, 94116
Sushi hunter: for $25, its all you can eat feast. The sushi grade is nominal but it will satisfy your craving.

Sushi places that would kill a Ninja
Kiki Sushi: Untrained sushi chefs,poor presentation, and just a waste of a meal. The sashimi pieces are cut into clunks and tuna are pink colored.
Yum Yum Fish Sushi: Once my favorite to go sushi spot, the Japanese owners have sold it to a Chinese family. Untrained sushi chefs and a lack of fresh seafood in their counter turns away a food snob like myself.

Consultant Hat.
Japanese food has fierce competition. On Geary street alone, you can easily find over seven sushi restaurants. As I mentioned before, advertisements do not work. But distinction does. At Kabuto, you can drink organic sake. Ebisu has a great double hamachi roll (yellowtail fish inside and out). Hire a good sushi chef, personality matters. Remember,

successful restaurant = giving patrons an EXPERIENCE worth talking about.

A few years ago, I visited Ebisu Sunday for lunch. Jackson, my personal sushi chef, would talk about girl problems and laugh over funny matters. Combined with his sushi creations, the experience gave me so much value. Emily, my college buddy, would take me to L.A. and we would dine at this great sushi restaurant. The chef was named Tako and he got to know us and often served us three pieces of nigiri as an added bonus. Great sushi chefs poses a few great skills such as listening and engaging their clients. If you find one, let me know. I need a shrink that can make artful sushi as well.