Over the years, I've watched Sushi Ran make its annual appearance as one of the Chronicle's 100 Best Bay Area restaurants. The small and highly popular Japanese fusion restaurant on Caledonia Street in Sausalito has a devoted clientele, which makes it difficult to drop in for a spontaneous sushi fix. Weekend evenings, including Sunday, are usually booked at least several days in advance. Obviously a lot of people manage to plan ahead to dine on sushi!But ordinarily, I'm not one of them. I tend to think of sushi on the spur of the moment, so most of my experiences with Sushi Ran have involved stopping by after a movie to be told the wait for a table or spot at the sushi bar would be half to three quarters of an hour. I'm usually either too hungry, too tired, or a combination of both to do that. Consequently, it had been several years since I'd had a meal at Sushi Ran. Having managed to call far enough in advance to snag a dinner reservation, I now understood that tweaking my ordinary modus operandi enough to do so is well worth the effort.
Even on a weeknight, the young host was sending supplicants across the courtyard to the wine bar, where the wait was hoped to be 15 minutes shorter, and most of the dishes are available. The two small spaces share similarly simple décor. Honey-toned wood is the predominant theme, with a wall of windows facing the street in each. Since both spaces are miniscule, the window tables afford a sense of extra space. I was momentarily disappointed when we were ushered to a nook toward the back, but soon our dishes started to arrive, and banished my claustrophobia with their artistry.
Executive Chef Scott Whitman offers a changing page of specials, which range among Asian cuisines with touches of Europe thrown into the mix. They all sound fabulous, making our decision difficult. Our server was sympathetic, and suggested we order beverages while we made our choices. Sushi Ran's extensive international list of champagnes, reds and whites by the full, half bottle or glass; seasonal hot and cold sakes, sake cocktails and beers is a little bit intimidating. When we expressed our bewilderment and preference, he ably guided us to the drier selections cold sake list. Two tall, frosty bottles with beautiful labels soon arrived, and were duly poured until overflowing into glasses set in small, square lacquered boxes. You drink from the glass, then pour the extra into your glass when you have displaced enough to make room for it. We agreed that the perfumed smoothness of Kikuizumi ($9.50 a glass) far outdistanced the less expensive Bishonen ($7.50 a glass) and was well worth the extra splurge.
The exotic sake service was enough to move us into the swing of the evening. Leaves of our spinach salad ($6.50), a densely rolled emerald green cylinder in a thick, sweet and salty ground sesame dressing, unfurled themselves to our questing chopsticks, vanishing in a twinkling. Not for the last time that evening, I wished for a spoon, or something with which to soak up the remaining sauce. Sushi Ran's slender black chopsticks are pretty, but they don't make it easy to corner small or slippery bits of food.
From the specials, our next dish was Smoked Hamachi Tataki $13.50). A chilled white bowl held a scoop of chunky mashed avocado floating in a shallow pool of Yazu-black pepper sauce, topped with raw slices of delicately smoked fish and ruby grapefruit sections. The presentation was beautiful, but although I'm pretty adept with chopsticks, it was very difficult to get more than one of the elements onto them at once. I kept trying to savor a bite that incorporated all of the flavors, but failed every time. Perhaps this dish would work better arranged on a plate than in a bowl.
From the sushi list came a Futomaki ($10.50), the classic combination roll with prawn (Ebi), eel (Unagi), egg (Tamago), shiitake, Japanese cucumber, and pickled vegetables. Sushi Chefs Mitsunori Kusakabe and Garth Murakami compose their sushi of seasonal ingredients, borrowing from the "Kaiseki-Ryori" style of small plates. Their maki are softer and less tightly wrapped than some, with the nori more tender to the bite. I found this made the big slices easier to eat in more than one bite!
Vegetable Tasting ($9) from the specials menu changes seasonally, but our selection was spectacular, and one of the high points of our meal. Four bowls enclosed servings of crisp roasted potatoes with minced scallion and nori, soft ginger grilled eggplant, spicy garlic bok choy, and a square of tofu topped with vegetable shards and a black sesame vinaigrette. Each one was a delight.
Next came Ahi Poke ($11.50), which showcases the chef's flair for presentation. A three inch round of ruby-colored Ahi tuna chunks, wrapped in a thin slice of avocado and topped with ground Kikui nuts, was ringed by droplets of seaweed aioli. Two golden fried noodles were planted in the center, sprouting high into the air. We love good poke, the lightly sesame and scallion scented raw fish snack from Hawaii. This was perfectly seasoned and chilled, and also happily devoid of the greasy taro or wonton chips most mainland restaurants feel obligated to serve alongside.
At this point in the meal, we were ready for a hot entree. Again from the specials, we had chosen Vietnamese Shaking Beef ($19.50), soothingly tender slices of grilled fillet in a soy- based gravy spiked with lime and black pepper, and topped with sweet onion slices. We were just plain nuts about this dish, which needed only a bowl of rice. We mused about coming back for a simpler meal of the beef paired with the vegetable assortment.
Our final Rainbow Roll ($16) a gorgeous snake of fresh snow crab, avocado, prawn, halibut (hirame), marinated salmon (sake), red tuna (maguro), and yellow tail (hamachi), put us over the top, and could have served as dessert. We were a little bit sorry we had not let it do so, because our dessert course proved to be the only disappointing event of a long and lovely evening.
Trio of Custards ($6), Espresso, Coconut with caramelized banana, and Orange Ginger, sounded divine. But the puddings were thick and grainy, their colors muddy, and the only flavor we really enjoyed was the Orange Ginger, topped with a thin layer of chocolate. And Bananas Foster ($5.50), which our server had recommended with raves, was a mess of warm sauce so gloppy and sweet that it made negligible any ginger flavor in the ice cream.
I remain amazed at how quickly the noise of the crowd receded at Sushi Ran. I think it was due to prompt and excellent service of mesmerizingly good food. We waited barely a beat between dishes, and servers mopped spilled sauces and refilled out water glasses whenever plates were removed. Each successive course was a feast for several of the senses. After a 90-minute meal, I often can't wait to pay the check and get out into the night air. But time had flown at Sushi Ran, and I felt relaxed and replete. I finally understand how serenity and artistry can co-exist with the hustle and bustle of modern Japanese life. Tiny, efficient and exquisite, Sushi Ran accomplishes that goal.
