Friends Only

"Top 100 It’s difficult to not reach for hyperbole when discussing Friends Only, whose sushi omakase feels like an exercise of exaggeration. Somewhere in between dry-aged tuna belly nigiri and brain-melting uni handrolls, your cognitive functions begin to slow, your knees start to buckle and, by the end of it, your soul may even transcend. Friends Only is as much a lab of experimentation as it is a restaurant; it’s a local pioneer of aged fish, a technique that greatly improves texture by slowly extracting water content. In the midst of nigiri courses you might get delicate crab rice blanketed in black truffles or a lush seafood chawanmusi that’s so rich the government might give it a tax break. Walking into Friends Only feels like being in on a secret. After all, only 20 lucky people per night are allowed to embark on a journey through the sea. This is better than finding Atlantis — if you can afford it. Friends Only is the R&D restaurant for AKIKOS at Avery Lane on Folsom Street in San Francisco’s East Cut neighborhood. Chef Ray Lee of Akiko’s fame opened an opulent lab for experimental dry-aged fish this year with a stunning, all-gas-no-breaks omakase ($325). This is easily some of the best sushi I’ve ever experienced — at once challenging, rewarding and utterly astonishing. Depending on the fish, aging it transforms its texture: giving it more bounce or encouraging meltiness. Dinner consists of a lengthy parade of nigiri interspersed with cooked plates like crab rice or a mind-melting uni hand roll. Friends Only is for food nerds to experience exhilarating, innovative Japanese cooking that’s fixated on what’s next. Our menu is centered around dry-aged ingredients, such as a mouth-watering bite of nigiri featuring a 21-day aged bluefin tuna, topped with Osetra Caviar. Another nigiri piece may be a tilefish, aged for 7 days and grilled to perfection with its own crispy scales. Our beverage pairings include reserve champagne, sake, and expertly crafted spirits by our beverage director, Quade Marshall. Guests can expect classic cocktails with an Asian undertone. Omakase menu starts at $325 per person."