Sushi Groove South

Sushi Groove South encompasses mood of San Francisco nightlife and dining all under one roof. Unless you are "in the know" you would probably walk by this inconspicuous giant iron-door entrance while clubbing it up in SoMa. I find the term "hidden-gem" over-used to describe excellent restaurants, but in this case, I will let it slide. SGS is definitely a true hidden-gem. For those who thought candle-lit dinners were saved for French restaurants on Valentine's day- be warned. SGS sports a wall of candles lighting the back area dining area. The atmosphere is really, cool. Sorry but there is no other way to put it. It's funky, unique, and eclectic. And I haven't even mentioned the sushi yet. The waitresses and waiters can and may bust into dance in the middle of the restaurant at any time. It's the kind of place you expect someone from say the land of Hollywood to walk into and order a saki-bomb at the bar. Anyone who's anyone knows you are going to get more bang for your buck if you sit right at the sushi bar, which is where G and I sat this past Friday night. Did I mention, there is a DJ behind the bar? Special props to the DJ who occasionally spins Groove Armada. Nice job, buddy.

OK. Onto what you have been waiting for.........The Sushi. I'm sure some of you are wondering, Honni=Sushi? Huh? Everyone who knows me knows I'm a vegetarian. And I do NOT eat fish(vegetarian wanna-be's beware, a true vegetarian does not eat fish, that would be a piscatarian to be exact). However for those who are possion-centric, yes, there is a wide selection of vegetarian sushi that is just waiting for people like me to consume. First we started off with some delicious miso-soup and edamame(see, vegetarian so far) and some Isen saki(also, vegetarian). Since G is so charming, he became friends with a few sushi chefs at the restaurant so he went through his usual spiel of 'do you have...(insert extremely exotic fish)....and 'what's that(pointing at various fishes in front of him).......I'll try that' in ordering directly from the sushi chef. And then the sweet boyfriend he is he always asks the sushi chef to make me an exotic vegetarian sushi dish so that I don't feel left out when everyone around me is ohh'ing and ahh'ing about whatever it is they are admiring on their plates. Did I mention this place is a goldmine for people-watching?

For starters, G had tako, maguro, hamachi, hen clam, and shiro maguro. If you want a more detailed description, you are going to have to ask him for the details as this is a foreign world to me. G said the shiro maguro was great that night. I had a few custom-made veggie maki, filled with asparagus tempura, avocado, shiitake mushroom and some other indescribable vegetables. As our sushi chef, Kenny continued to fill our plates with delectable rolls of this and that, G and I continued to try almost every sake on the menu. I do not recommend unfiltered sake, too sweet. I wish I could remember the names of them all but the last and final one we imbibed had the nick-name "Devil-minder" or something like that. As you can imagine, we didn't stay too much longer after we finished that one! While this wasn't the best meal we ever had at SGS, I would recommend it to all those who are seeking quality sushi in a trendy, upscale environment. So grab your friends, mates, co-workers, lovers, domestic-partners, whatever and hit the high-road to SoMa.

Eat. Drink. People Watch. Welcome to dining at Sushi Groove South. 4 out of 5 stars.

Sushi Groove South 1516 Folsom Street San Francisco, CA 94103