I will preface this review by saying that Mr. Yamaguchi and his wife have both an excellent selection of Japanese Sake and Liquor, well-chosen food pairings that are both authentic and often creative, and a good concept and location. I also understand and respect their policy regarding wanting to be a "drink and make merry" establishment, rather than one focused on food.

My respect and appreciation for their vision has caused me to visit the establishment over 10 times in 3 years, even recommending it to friends and coworkers. I don't expect them to know that, but I would at least ask them to try to be a bit kinder to customers who stray from what they consider to be "correct".

I took my Japanese wife to SRO after a long day at work as a surprise. She saw an item on the menu she wanted, the Mentaiko (a treat from her hometown area), which the menu said had to be ordered with sake. My wife hates drinking but out of respect, we nevertheless ordered her a mix drink ($8) and I ordered two cups of sake for approximately 10 dollars each. Having spent 30 dollars on alcohol, I though it would be acceptable to then order the mentaiko for my wife.

Unfortunately, when I asked for it, it was pointed out to me in front of my wife that I and not her had ordered the sake and thus Yamaguchi-san would not be making the mentaiko for us, simply because I made the mistake of saying that the mentaiko was "for her". I was so shocked when I was told no that I honestly did not know what to say. Thinking it was a joke, I laughed and said "could you make an exception?", only to be explicitly told "no exception". I did not argue further, I simply ordered another item and we took them to the garden to finish.

This was embarrassing for me. My wife was extremely shocked and angered by this treatment as well. Given that we were hoping to relax after a difficult day by "celebrating" with a visit to SRO, this is not what we were hoping for. I understand refusing food for people who do not order alcohol, but please try to have a little bit more empathy for patrons who come to your restaurant willing to spend $50-some dollars while not perfectly satisfying your expectations. Change your menu, your rules, or whatever, I do not care, but whatever choice you make, please have a little heart when dealing with people who are doing their best as well.