by Acacia P. on Holy crap, this place is spectacular. I have been here for the omakase many times over the years and am always blown away. I have been to comparable (and sometimes more expensive) restaurants in other cities and with the exception of Nobu in NYC, which is pretty similar in its awesomeness, there is just nothing that competes both in terms of food quality and quality of service. If you are ordering a la carte, I highly recommend the ishi yaki bop with kobe beef (or, if you are feeling really really decadent, upgrade to wagyu). It is a singular dish - extremely yummy, and something you can't get anywhere else. I have also heard good things about the Sea Bass. They have a great selection of sakes, some of which are Morimoto house sakes, and they are great at matching you with a sake based on your preferences. Morimoto is not really known for its dessert, so I wouldn't recommend coming just for dessert, though. That said, let's get on to the important part: the omakase. First of all, paying more really does make a difference. The most expensive omakase grade is completely worth it - I find the $80 to be a bit lackluster by comparison. The same goes for the beverage omakase. I have tried both the general beverage omakase and the sake omakase and in both cases, they have been superbly matched with the courses (this is particularly true for the more expensive courses paired with the more expensive beverage omakases - at lower levels, it's more like some tasty drinks and some tasty food but they aren't perfectly matched up). Even better than there just being fantastic food, I have almost always had superb waiters who are familiar with the food I am eating, as well as the drink pairings (they either selected the pairings themselves or have tried them) and can talk with us at length about what we are eating. It is worth noting, for the lady who gave the place 3 stars because she didn't love one of the dishes, if you are honest with the waiter when he asks you how you like each course, HE WILL BRING YOU ANOTHER COURSE. They don't mind. They know you are paying a lot and want you to be happy with your experience. I have found Morimoto to be nothing but pure class. One time, a bug got in my glass of sake 2/3 of the way into my carafe and in apology, they brought me an entirely new, full carafe of sake. If you are really into food, you will have a great time doing the omakase. I have had a particularly good experience with a server whose name is, I believe, Dan? (he has a birthmark on his face) SO AWESOME.
by livetoeat u. on Want to give this place 2.5 stars. Went here for dinner and ordered the cioppino, as I had just learned that day that this dish is an SF invention and was curious about it. It was expensive ($24) and came with two slightly overburned pieces of garlic toast and a combination of seafood (calamari, clams, mussels, crab, fish) in a light, slightly spicy chipotle sauce. The broth was okay, but the seafood was clearly not fresh. (My fault, who orders seafood from a sports bar???) The crab meat had apparently been soaking in some type of salt solution because the meat, even though it was enveloped in shell, was too salty and not very warm. The clams and mussels tasted fishy and the fish tasted like nothing. On the other hand, my friend's order of St. Louis Ribs ($18) were very good - not over flavored and juicy to the bone. Generous portions of meat were accompanied with thick-cut sweet potato fries and coleslaw.
