Sustainable Sushi in San Francisco: Tataki Sushi & Sake Bar

Casson Trenor, North Atlantic Books author of Sustainable Sushi: A Guide for a Changing Planet (January 2009) is an expert in oceans management and sustainability. Trenor is a top consultant for the new Tataki Sushi & Sake Bar in San Francisco. Along with chefs Raymond Ho and Kin Lui, Trenor is a forerunner in the effort to create ecologically sustainable options for San Francisco diners.

I recently had the opportunity to dine at Tataki. I was not sure what to expect, never having dined at a sustainable sushi restaurant. I was blown out of the water! The food was amazing, the wait staff well learned, and everything inside of the restaurant (not just the seafood) was sustainable! Overall, it was a great educational opportunity to compare and contrast Tataki to the conventional sushi restaurants that I habitually patronize.

The dishes that I tasted were quite tasty and many of the flavor combinations were unlike any I’d ever tried. On every table (which are lovely and made from sustainable bamboo) there was a Seafood Watch reference card, and only seafood from the “Safe” and “Moderate” categories is offered to diners at Tataki. As each dish was served, the waitress explained where the seafood came from and happily answered any sustainability questions that I had.

Here’s what I tried:

Appetizers:
- Cold spinach
- Baked mussels
Not traditionally a Japanese dish, the mussels gave a San Franciscan flare to the dinner.
- Ahi Tuna poke
There were three mounds of delicious Ahi, each with it’s own marinate – garlic (mild), sesame (slightly spicy), and chili (hot).

Main Dishes:
- Sashimi deluxe
I tasted the Wild-caught New Zealand Tai Snapper (Kodai), Closed-containment Farm-raised Striped Bass (Suzuki), Australian Farm-raised Yellowtail Amberjack (Hiramasa), Suspension Farm-raised Hokkaido Scallop (Hotate), Trap-caught BC Spot Prawn (Amaebi), and Wild Pacific Horse Mackerel (Aji). I was encouraged to enjoy each piece of seafood without ginger or wasabe to really savor the complex simplicity.
- Tataki deluxe
I tasted the Closed-containment Farm-raised Arctic Char (Iwana), Farm-raised Hawaiian Almaco Jack (Kona Kampachi), Net-caught Australian Skipjack Tuna (Katsuo), Handline California Albacore Tuna (Shiro Maguro), and Handline Hawaiian Yellowfin Tuna (Maguro), all lightly seared and with individual dipping sauces to compliment each unique seafood flavor.
- Nigiri special
I tasted the Wild Atlantic Mackerel (Saba), Wild Texas White Shrimp (Ebi), Wild Pacific Conger Eel (Anago), and Wild MSC-certified Alaskan Salmon Roe (Ikura). Trenor snatched up the last Ikura roll saying, “I can’t let it go to waste. Each of these would have become a fish!”

Rolls:
- Mix it up
- Raymond Special
This was a treat because the roll is the chef’s VIP special. Not listed on the Tataki menu, the ingredients are top secret. This was my favorite dish of the night.
- Extinguisher
By far, the #1 crowd pleaser and not for the weak of heart! This roll consisted of spicy Kampachi topped with avocado, habanero Tobiko (where the Tobiko was marinated in habenero chili), and topped with hot sauce. And then they set the whole thing on fire!

Dessert:
-Green Tea Cheesecake
This was very tasty and unique and a great way to cleanse the palate.

In addition to all of the information that I’m still digesting, I learned that wild seafood is not necessarily more sustainable than farm-raised, Arctic Char really does taste like Salmon, and a happy conscience is attainable while enjoying sushi.

Tataki Sushi & Sake Bar is located at 2815 California Street in San Francisco.

Tataki’s Mission: to showcase the beauty and delicacy of Japanese cuisine while respecting the sanctity and fragility of our environment. If we are to preserve the art of sushi, we must also safeguard the health and biodiversity of our oceans. With this in mind, Tataki strives everyday to integrate the concept of sustainable dining into its menu options.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Tataki Sushi & Sake Bar.
CLICK HERE to pre-order a copy of Sustainable Sushi: A Guide for a Changing Planet.