Ebisu

After a career as an auto mechanic, Steve Fujii joined the restaurant business and opened Ebisu in 1982 near Golden Gate Park with the motto, "Eat with the eyes, taste with the mouth." The long, wooden sushi bar running gracefully through the narrow restaurant is certainly easy on the eyes, and like at all top sushi restaurants, presentation is of the highest priority here. The name Ebisu refers to the deity of prosperity and seems an appropriate way to describe the restaurant's rich and varied menu. Appetizers range from squid stuffed with salmon and monkfish pâté to pot stickers, boiled spinach and hot tofu. Dinner highlights include saba (mackerel) steak, sautéed sukiyaki steak and assorted sashimi including prawn, squid, halibut, clam, octopus and yellowtail.