Utzutzu — Restaurant in Alameda

I would like to share my unique experience with this restaurant: I was thrilled to see this restaurant suddenly availability 2 weeks again for 2/5 at 8pm so I quickly took it since it's my husband’s bday weekend. It was only on the day of that I realized that I had actually only got one seat (yeah I know, it was my fault that I didn't recheck my reservation again for details). Since the restaurant had 48 hour cancellation policy, we knew it was too late to cancel/alter my reservation. We decided to call them to see if they could accommodate 2 people instead of 1. Unfortunately, no one answered the call for the entire day. We ended up deciding to drive up to the restaurant from south bay a little before 7pm, hoping 🙏 there's bit chance that the chef could still accomdenate us. We got to the restaurant promptly at 8pm. I told the waiter about the situation and below is whole conversation:

Waiter: “let me check with chef to see if there's anything we can do. Normally we wouldn't be able to accommodate you if you have reservation for one.” Me: “ thank you!”

2 min later: Waiter: “sorry we might have enough fish, but not enough appetizers” Me: “thats completely fine! I can just skip appetizer”

Another 2 min later Waiter: “sorry we still can't do that.” Me: “i understand. Can I then pack my food to go?” Waiter: “sorry we don't have to go containers” Me: “oh I can go get some containers” Waiter: “sorry we just can‘t pack your food to go” Me: “i will be just having it downstairs in the car” Waiter: “No.” Me: “Alright. Then can I have my food at the table and share it with my husband?” (pointing to their cozy little dining table by the window) Waiter: “no you can’t”

At this point, I am clueless. It started pouring outside but we seemed to have ruled out all the options.

The nice waiter finally said: “ I am really sorry this happened. What I can do for you is to cancel your entire reservation tonight and NOT charge you for the penalty (aka the entire meal’s $$$$).”

He paused for a moment and continued: “but you are BANNED from our restaurant for the rest of your life. You will not be able to make any reservation with us.”

I was so humbled and grateful by the generous offer. How dare I, someone so careless in making reservations in the first place, dine at such prestigious Japanese restaurant!

We left. In the rain. My husband got me some pickled fish for dinner. It was not raw fish, but I think it was a good bday...

The Food I have only visited a handful of omakase places. But a friend was able to get a reservation at Utzutzu, so I wanted to give this place a try. Once we settled in our seats, the chef presented us with the fish that he will be preparing for the night. Few friends and I decided to try out their Sake of the day, which was the Nagurayama "Gekkyu". They presented the Sake in an aesthetic glass, it was not bad, though I prefer some of the sweeter sake. As the courses began, they were as follows...

Kinpira Gobo (braised burdock root), with asparagus topped with saffron Nanbanzuke (marinated fish, with a slight citrus taste)

Nigiri Isaki (伊佐木 / Chicken Grunt, soft and have a slight crunch) Shima-aji (縞鯵 / Striped Jack, hint of lime zest) Ishigakidai (Knifejaw, smooth with a slight chew) Horse Snake Mackerel Golden Eye (Deep Sea) Snapper (hint of roast flavor, not overdone) Black Seabream (almost melt in mouth) Maguro (leaner cut but still fresh) Amberjack (balanced with yuzu kosho) Saba (topped with sweet kelp) Ocean Trout

Sumiso-ae (miso and vinegar dressed with cucumber and octopus, sweet and refreshing, octopus have a slight chew, but not tough) Uni Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard, topped with Hokkaido uni, along with shitake, spinach, and ginkgo nut)

Nigiri Scallop, Torched (slight burnt bitterness) Shrimp From Canada (fresh, almost melt in mouth) Otoro (delicious) Toro Hand Roll Tamagoyaki (the right sweetness)

Akadashi (miso soup with zucchini, mushroom, and tofu skin) Peach Jelly (slight sweetness, not overpowering)

The Miscellaneous The Utzutzu restaurant is a bit tucked away. There is no sign other than a door number, and you will know you are in the right place once you go up the stairs. The inside greets the guests with a small lounge area while they wait for their reservation. They have a sushi bar that just seats 7 people. It gives a more personal experience with the chef I believe. The service and staff were good. You know they put attention to detail when they fold the clean wipe so it is easy to use. The menu has a good variety of dishes to keep it interesting. Reservations open around 1 month in advance, it's still hard to get seating, so reserve early. All in all, the food was delicious, and quite the array of selections. Would recommend and would also want to...

The omakase itself was a nice experience, I really enjoy hearing about the meals and watching the skilled preparation. I feel like the presentation of the food and the preparation were amazing, very relaxing and full of a refined art. The nigiri was really good and I also enjoyed the fish soup, uni, squid, miso soup and the pudding.

The chef responds really well to basic respect and makes it known. He is skilled in his craft and has years of experience. At one point he was pretty angry at another loud couple who had shown up late and were talking loudly as he introduced the meals, only to ask him to repeat himself. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

I want to start this complaint by saying that they apologized immediately when I brought it up, but it seems like I should mention it. In the reservation, I clearly stated that I had a minor mint allergy and my guest had a strong allergy to pine nuts. Again in the lounge (we showed up early), I was asked my allergies and I stated I have an allergy to mint. At the bar again the chef asked me what I was allergic to and I said mint. The preparation of one of the nigiri had a mint leaf in it, which gave me a very mild reaction compared to normal, just a buzzing of the inside of my mouth followed by a light itching of the inner mouth and throat and then an hour or so later a light gut paint/irritation, so nothing crazy. It was a Japanese mint leaf as well, so I got lucky.

The only other thing to me that was a bit strange was that the sake is served in plastic glasses. The sake itself...