Blue Fin Sushi

Happy anniversary to us! I'm a terrible wife--J had to remind me today that if we wanted to do a nice pre-anniversary nightl out, we would have to do it tonight or wait until next weekend. He even suggested a new restaurant for us to try: Blue Fin Sushi on Clement and 19th Avenue. There are definitely perks to marrying a seafood fiend.

The star of the show tonight was the sashimi plate ($28). We might have gotten a few extra pieces because it was a slow Sunday night, but either way this is a gorgeous dish and a phenomenal price for San Francisco. All the fish was fresh and delicious, but compared to other sushi plates this dish had some extra culinary flare as well as nice aesthetics. In the martini glass was a pool of ponzu and several ice cubes. Perched on top of that was thin sliced halibut topped with shiso leaves and masago. Tipped in ponzo instead of wasabi, the halibut was a nice change of pace from the rest of the plate.

Deep fried oysters ($1). Yes, you read that right. $1! On Sunday-Thursday between 5pm-10pm, there is a short list of appetizers that are available for $1 a plate for every $30 you spend. We ended up spending enough to get a deep-fried soft shell crab as well, but the oysters were by far superior. Six meaty pieces, deep fried to perfection, with a richy, creamy, flavorful center.

The scallops were another very nice dish, served with thinly sliced lemons and masago ($14.50, seasonal). One thing about Blue Fin: all the fish eggs were exceptionally fresh and crunchy, with just a salty hint of the ocean. The scallops were so fresh and sweet that, eaten with the lemon slices, they almost reminded me of lemonade. Crazy, huh?

The side dish that came with the scallops was a fried pancake made with the parts of the scallop not suitable for sashimi. It was like a Korean pajeon, served with a light ponzu dipping sauce.

The one dish we regretted getting was the foie gras ($14.50). It was too expensive for the portion, and the portion was a little overcooked. It was also probably not great quality to begin with. If I'm going to eat the innards of a tortured goose, which I don't very often, it'd better be beyond delicious. Sub par foie gras is just not worth it.

Finally, we had the king roll ($14.50). This was an unagi maki roll topped with sea urchin roe and tobiko. Again, the fish eggs were deliciously fresh and crunchy. The uni was tasty, but I did not like the roll underneath. But overall, this was a really great meal at not a bad price point. I may have to revise my long-held assertion that there is no good medium-range sushi in San Francisco!