At the end of each year, food writers come out with lists:
best restaurants, trends, favorite meals, and on and on. I’m just in the
process of completing my very own. But for me, 2013 also marked the sad closure
of one of my favorite restaurants in San
Francisco , and the soon-to-be-changing of one of my
favorite drinking holes as well.
Sebo was one of those
restaurants that was picked apart by many, while beloved by others. Put me
squarely in the second category. There is no way to describe my first experience
at Sebo – it was 3+ hours of pure sushi bliss, sitting at the sushi counter,
eating piece-after-piece of nigiri, enjoying a bottle of sake, forgetting all
of my problems.
It was never a staple dining option for me – sushi is
expensive and I’m a writer. But I often
brought friends who wanted a unique sushi experience, which is what Sebo
presented. Sushi is not so much about the fish for me,
it’s all about the quality and presentation of the sushi rice. Having made sushi rice in my family for
years, I know what it should taste like and the time-consuming nature of the
process. I thought the sushi rice was
off the charts at Sebo and it was consistent from the first visit to my last.
But it wasn’t only about the sushi. Owner and sushi chef Michael Black was not
only one of the nicest people in the industry, but also became a great sounding
board for Japanese restaurant recommendations in the Bay Area. I remember talking to Michael after the devastating
earthquake in Japan and
although he knew his business was going to take a big hit (Black had most of
his fish flown in daily from the markets in Japan ),
he talked to me about some of his closest friends in Sendai and the devastation to their lives. Black was always cordial and hospitable when manning his station
and what I really liked was he never wavered from his beliefs in the
product he was putting out at his restaurant.
Yes, Sebo was an expensive night out, yes the nigiri may have been
small, but if anyone questions the quality of what he was doing, I will be the
first to argue with them. I’m excited
for what’s to come at his next venture.
The other news came just recently and caught me a bit
off-guard. Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen will no longer be in the coming year, or at least the current iteration
of the restaurant and bar. Bar manager
Kevin Diedrich, who has run the highly successful and innovative bar program
since the space opened, said the Serrano Hotel is coming under new ownership in
2014, and will no longer be under the Kimpton umbrella. He said he is out
as early as mid-to-late January. “It’s
disappointing because I started the program from the ground up here,” Diedrich
said.
Jasper’s was one of those spots that never let me down. Kevin and his staff always had a unique and
interesting cocktail menu, and it really became one of the forerunners in the
craft cocktail movement here in San Francisco, with cocktails on tap and those
that were barrel-aged both having prominent positions on the menu. Instead of standing pat, Kevin was always pushing
forward, always thinking ahead and never stagnating.
It’s still unclear exactly what the future holds for Jasper’s. For fans of Diedrich, he promises a bash to
close things out and said he has a new project in the works come mid-Spring.
My look at some new restaurants for 2013 is coming soon, but
I wanted to pay homage to two great spots that will always have a place in my heart.
