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Izakaya Rintaro, Classic Izakaya at 82 14th Street South of Market


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We've been going to Rintaro for a while now and are considered regulars.

They've been serving lunch for several months.  B and I had put that on our list but for some reason, plans kept going awry....that is, until today.

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Japanese fried chicken wings with smokey tare, sansho pepper and wasabi arugula.

There is some really stellar, excellent frying in the kitchen. The chicken was marinated and coated in a crispy, flavorful shell that literally melted in our mouths.

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Berkshire pork gyoza, chicken foot jelly.

The "lace" shows you how light the batter is. 

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Hand-rolled udon, with two fishes broth, tenkasu (deep-fried flour batter) and hot spring egg.

The covered pot contains togarashi pepper and gomashio (sesame salt).

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Kaisen mori-don.

Clockwise from center: chopped California big eye tuna, wild striped bass and kombu-cured halibut over Japanese rice with nori, tamago (egg omelette) and shiso; soy sauce; wasabi leaf pickle, narazuke (traditional pickles from the Nara region of Japan) and senmaizuke (a traditional pickle originally from Kyoto, made from turnips); carrot and daikon radish pickle; Tokyo turnips and scallions in mustard-miso; marinated cucumbers in rice vinegar with black cod; miso soup with shimeji and maitake mushrooms.

Total bill came out to $95 (with 20% tax and tip).

Rintaro
82 14th Street (Folsom Street)
South of Market

http://izakayarintaro.com/

Medium article from April 2015

SF Chronicle reviews (for those of you who like Michael Bauer; personally I detest him, but variety is what makes the world go round): Original Review and Follow-Up Review from Last Year

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Rintaro is excellent.  My favorite yakitori in SF.  Go early so you can maximize your chances of the best skewers (thigh oyster, liver, hearts, tail, duck) still being available.  If you are by yourself or with just one other person, I love sitting at the counter so you can watch Koko (sp?) or one of the other yakitori chefs work their magic.

Literally the only thing I don't love about Rintaro is that their beer selection is not good, and they don't have a full liquor license.

Oh, and that the dashimaki tamago is only sometimes on the menu.  If you see it, get it.

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From last night's dinner:

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House made tofu with scallion, bonito and daikon radish

Creamy and silken; excellent as always

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Salmon sashimi

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Chicken thigh and king trumpet mushroom yakitori with lemon and togarashi pepper

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Berkshire pork and scallop dumplings coated in mochi rice, with hot mustard, baby bok choy and soy sauce

It was awesome; a Japanese take on lion's head meatballs

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Fried anchovies with carrots and spicy vinegar

Someone in the kitchen knows how to fry, and this was no exception

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Chilled udon with poached farm egg, nori, heirloom cherry tomatoes and Japanese cucumber

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We went on Saturday.

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Chicken gyoza

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Tuna, yellowtail, scallop and halibut sashimi over Japanese rice, served with shiso and wasabi

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Miso shiru with Manila clams

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Left - carrot and wasabi pickles

Right - long-cooked flaked tuna with lemon zest

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Left - turnip and asparagus with Japanese mustard spinach

Right - deep-fried anchovies with pickled onion and carrot

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B had the same set up except his main was a bowl of oyakodon (chicken and egg over Japanese rice

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On Tuesday, B and I were supposed to have a vegan dinner at Izakaya Rintaro cooked by Chef Daisuke Nomura, a fifth generation shojin ryori chef and owner of Sougo Shojin restaurant in Roppongi, a district of Tokyo. The meal would have been in the style of shojin cuisine, a tradition that was born in Buddhist temples in the 13th century. In accordance with the Buddhist prohibition against killing, shojin cooking uses no meat or fish, requires produce that is both local and in season and allows almost no waste. It is one of the world's most sophisticated vegetarian cuisines.

Chef Nomura was denied entry into the U.S. which essentially canceled that event. Immigration had asked him why he had visited the U.S. three previous times in the past year and what he was doing during those times. (Um, he's a chef who's in high demand...that's why.)

Congratulations to the Trump administration. Our #fakepresident is making America great again!

We had a wonderful dinner given the circumstances...

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Chu-toro and akami tuna sashimi, sudachi, myōga ginger

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Crispy-fried shrimp, cherry tomato salad

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Left: chicken gizzard, served with lemon and togarashi pepper.
Right: chicken liver, with sweet roasted garlic purée.

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Soy-marinated wild bigeye and bluefin tuna over Japanese rice with raw egg, nori and scallion

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Thank you for recommending Izakaya Rintaro!  For DC-based comparisons I'd put it a thin wedge above Sushi Taro and Izakaya Seki, because everything was so well made.  Really enjoyable meal and as you say, not expensive for the quality and for being in San Francisco.

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We had lunch here today and as usual, a wonderful time was had by all.

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Fried oysters, cabbage, tartar sauce

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Miso black cod with cucumber pickles

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Silken tofu with pickled wasabi leaf and salmon roe

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Squid with Japanese mustard spinach and turnips in a mustard-miso sauce

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Mabodofu-don (spicy tofu with minced pork over Japanese rice).

At right is a bowl of miso soup with shimeji mushrooms and razor clams. At top left are pickled watermelon radish and pickled carrots.

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Same lunch set along with a bowl of katsu-don (fried chicken with egg and sweet dashi over Japanese rice).

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Hōjicha panna cotta, served with a miniature pitcher of hōjicha syrup and sesame cookies.

Hōjicha is a Japanese green tea and is distinctive from other Japanese green teas because it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal, whereas most Japanese teas are steamed.

Total bill came out to $120 for two people. Very reasonable for the quality of food served.

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