Welcome to Ask Eater, a column from Eater SF the place the positioning’s editors reply troublesome eating questions from readers and buddies. Have a query for us? Submit it through this kind.
Pricey Eater SF,
My daughter is obsessive about Japan and desires to go to a restaurant the place you sit on the ground! I do know Izakaya Kou had that, however they appear to be closed. Any concepts?? (I’d love a Japantown spot if you happen to consider something.)
Thanks,
Useful Mother
Hey Useful Mother,
It’s pretty to listen to your daughter is seeking to discover different cultures, and that you simply’re serving to her in her journey. There are two kinds of seating your daughter is likely to be pondering of, tatami and horigotatsu. Tatami is the place a low desk is ready on tatami flooring, or mats product of woven straw. Friends take away their sneakers earlier than stepping onto the tatami platform, then sit on cushions on the desk. Horigotatsu, in the meantime, is comparable in that there’s a low desk for consuming, however there’s a sunken space beneath the desk to your legs to dangle. It’s nearer to being seated in a chair.
At Izakaya Kou (RIP), the seating type was horigotatsu — and most Japanese eating places within the Bay Space that I’ve seen lean this manner, as nicely. Sister eating places Sakesan Sushi & Bistro and Sakesan Sushi & Robata — positioned within the Inside Richmond and Ingleside, respectively — each supply horigotatsu seating. Sakesan Sushi & Bistro has tables with horigotatsu seating, however there’s additionally a non-public karaoke room designed in the identical type (reservations are beneficial and include a minimal food and drinks cost for a time restrict of three hours); in the meantime, Sakesan Sushi & Robata has a number of tables within the window completed in horigotatsu type. And whereas it’s most likely not fairly what you’re in search of, Ozumo has a superbly crafted non-public kotatsu room obtainable for occasions and Fuki Sushi in Palo Alto additionally presents a non-public tatami room for dinners, as nicely.
Exterior of San Francisco, if you happen to’re keen to look a little bit additional out, Ichika Sushi Home in Brisbane presents a number of tables with horigotatsu-style seating of their restaurant, and Berkeley favourite Ippuku has extra tatami-style seating. It’s value noting that this type of consuming is finest completed in a gaggle — it’s a rarefied eating expertise lately and, if supplied in any respect, leans closely in favor of bigger events than a two-person group, so preserve that in thoughts when planning a meal along with your daughter.
