Chotto
3317 Steiner St., San Francisco (Marina)
30% off dinner plus perk
available nightly for dinner; minimum purchase of two menu items per person; valid for parties of 2–4; dine-in only; not valid on happy hour or with any other discounts or promotions; closed Nov 24, Dec 24, 25, 31 & Jan 1
one amuse-bouche plus glass of wine, beer, or sake
one free amuse-bouche per person plus one free glass of wine, beer or sake per person in addition to BBE special; extra perk valid only by mentioning BBE Passcode and showing your subscription confirmation email from The Economist upon arrival; valid only for new subscribers to The Economist as of 11/17/11; to subscribe to The Economist, visit their website
Limited number of passcodes. Early bird gets the good eats.
Special expires at close of business day on: Jan. 17, 2012
Never mind the lively Latin music, Chotto is an izakaya, a place for drinks and small plates, here with an earthy pale green interior and weathered wooden slats softly backlit by a soothing orange glow. The food is just right for sharing, although the bacon mochi—a combo of smoky, crisp nori and tender, gummy slabs of savory pounded rice sandwiched by thick bacon—is good enough to cause even polite diners to get grabby. Dishes range from traditional Japanese bar snacks, chicken kara-age marinated in soy and ginger, to uni gohan (uni risotto with shallots, garlic, and Parmesan cheese). Arugula daikon, a salad with avocado, cucumber, and ume dressing disappears in three bites; it’s the perfect precursor to sockeye salmon with crispy skin and shiso lemon butter. Spanish chef Armando Justo, who previously worked at Ozumo and Yoshi's, might like salsa when it comes to music, but his soul is Japanese.
menu musts
Bacon mochi
Chicken kara-age
Uni gohan
Arugula Daikon
Kinoko (tempura fried seasonal organic mushrooms)
Buta belly (pork belly)
view full menu here
sweet seats
Cozy tables all set against the wall afford diners a peek at what their neighbors are eating, while bar seats get a view of drinks and raw dishes being prepared.
chew on this
We don’t know if they’ll fly, but hovering against the far wall are miniature paper kites, hand painted by a friend of one of the owners.
hours
Sun–Thu 5:30 PM–10 PM; Fri–Sat 5:30 PM–11 PM
price range
$5 (deep fried tofu) to $16 (baby back pork ribs)
3317 Steiner St. (between Chestnut St. and Lombard St.), San Francisco, CA 94123; 415-441-2223
www.chottosf.com
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