Food review blog from San Francisco.

(salmon is orange)

Restaurant: Red Box Sushi (San Francisco)
Food description: Raw slices of salmon sashimi
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

This beautiful sashimi arrangement was my second dish at Red Box Sushi, and what a relief that it was to be nothing like the edamame! I have to admit, when the dish arrived, the presentation was simply arresting--the vividness in color, the salmon sculpted into a rose, the leaf concealing the wasabi and ginger, and the meticulous arrangement atop a tiny bamboo mat. Though I can't add points for presentation, it's impressive to see such a small establishment upholding the aesthetic standard for sushi, an aspect that is commonly becoming an afterthought in some places. It was really a shame to mess it all up, but I couldn't look at it forever. I had the salmon first, so I'll review that first (plus it was the best of the three, hands down). First the bad news: I noticed there was a thin strip of the skin lining the edge of each piece (you can see it in the photo). It gave off a subtle metallic flavor and didn't melt in my mouth like the rest of the piece, so I would have preferred if the chef would have removed this part. Other than that, the salmon was excellent: the flavor rich and buttery, the texture semi-firm and tender, and color bright and fresh. Out of the entire meal, the salmon was my favorite and I'm looking forward to having it again. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I always have a bowl steamed rice in between sashimi bites, but we tried to order some and they said they didn't have any. What kind of sushi place doesn't have steamed rice?