WeBe Sushi Reviews

Shirley:

Well, it took a while, but tonight we ended up at WeBeSushi. Beretta was not yet open and El Valenciano has changed to a bar/nightclub venue. I've eaten at this WeBe many times and although it may not be the best or most exotic Japanese fare, it would make Ray Crock proud. The food is good, the service efficient and the visual miscellany on the walls amusing and intriguing.

I ordered the "Early Bird Special" for the first time. It includes soup, a choice of spinach or seaweed salad, a bowl of rice and 5 Nigiri of choice. I ordered three different varieties, doubling up on a couple of them. It was all just as I expected, with the exception of the salad. I was served spinach instead of seaweed, but because I knew it would be fine, I did not ask for a correction.

My impressions:
.Miso soup - good with some bokchoy added for the phyto-nutrient fans
.Spinach salad - barely wilted greens with a nicely balanced dressing
.Bowl of rice - superfluous but non-offensive
.California roll - default is real crab, always a plus
.Spicy tuna - makes me happy every time
.Hamachi - buttery and fresh
.Pickled ginger - always good. The stuff can sometimes taste soapy to me, but never at WeBe
.Water - pleasant taste of lemon
.Squid on the wall - a whimsical representation carved into wood

The place is small, or for a more poetic description; intimate. The entire operation is geared toward a good, solid, uncomplicated, uneventful dining experience. I am San-Francisco-Sushi jaded and consider WeBeSushi to be a regular "go to" eatery; convenient, consistent and casual.

On a scale of Bleck-Ick-K-Yum-OMG, I would give it a Yum.

Mary:

WeBe is already our go-to neighborhood sushi restaurant. It is cozy and quaint and the food is good. We by-passed Baretta’s to get here because it was too expensive for our wallets that night and not yet open. We were too hungry to wait. We agreed to shuffle the linear order of the restaurants we visit if dollars or time they open are factors; but we’ll return so we get to all of them. (Not the new ones that open in our wake, though.)

One of the things I’ve always loved about WeBe is the décor. Its very green walls are loaded up with Japanese wood block prints, carved wooden sea creatures and memorabilia, old photographs and printed fabric and lanterns. When the conversation lulls, I find myself scanning the walls and occasionally noting a new addition to the prints. Tonight it is a framed triptych of geishas.

WeBe has a casual neighborhood feeling--wooden tables and chairs seating maybe 25 at most. The diners are dressed as if they were out in the neighborhood and made a stop here during shopping or after errands. They’re playing 60’s music tonight, the Platters. I like that in a sushi joint. The wait staff is generally efficient, although tonight our waitress consistently places the orders in front of the wrong person.

I order a spinach salad for $3.75 and two orders of sashimi: one Maguro for $7 and one Tako for $6. The octopus is new to me. I like the texture, but the taste is a bit bland. The tuna is wonderful, buttery, soft and tasty. The spinach salad doesn’t disappoint. I know this restaurant well enough to make my way around their menu safely and that’s a plus.

I find it a bit difficult to review WeBe. Assessing it takes me out of the casual expected enjoyment of a favorite habitat to somewhere else that distances me a bit from the homey nostalgic ambiance that I enjoy so much here. But WeBe does well in the assessment process. We’ll definitely be back again as we have many times before.

As we walk out the door I notice a the new sign on the window. Gives you a taste of the casual, homeyness of the place. 

                             

     

JESSE:  Tonight we ended up at We Be Sushi. Which is one of my all time favorites on Valencia St.  When they first appeared, I quickly became a fan. Then, they even delivered !

     Tonight we had to skip a few restaurants on our list just because we arrived too early. Most places open at 5:30pm and we arrived at 5pm. Being very hungry we were delighted that We Be Sushi was open.

     We Be Sushi is a tiny, narrow place with maybe 16 tables. In my 25 years of eating here, it's a good idea to get there when they open if you can, because it fills up quickly and there can be a wait. It's a popular place. They don't have really fancy, creative rolls but are more known for their consistently fresh, and inexpensive sushi. A friend of mine described them as excellent working woman's sushi and I agree. 

     They also have  great  decor. I never tire of exploring their walls, which are jam packed with Japanese artwork of many different styles. It creates a rich, vibrant, and very colorful environment. I love it.

     I decided to try something different tonight and ordered the Three's Crowd Roll for $11.50. It includes maguro, hamachi and sake. Translation is tuna, yellowtail and smoked salmon.  Loving all three, I was really looking forward to it. I also ordered a Hamachi Maki for $4.50,  which includes hamachi and green onion. 

     The waitstaff is usually consistently attentive but for some reason tonight they were a bit off. There were a couple of errors in our orders and I had to repeatedly ask for more ginger. Tonight allergies were not an issue. I am fine with raw fish, rice and wasabi. I just stay away from the soy sauce and the delicious miso soup they always serve to begin the meal. 

     I reluctantly have to say that the Three's Crowd Roll was bland. It desperately needed something to give it even a wee bit of punch. It filled you up but left the palate wanting more. The Hamachi Maki on the other hand, was delicious, as always. 

     I love We Be Sushi's bathroom. It's a slight adventure to get to. You go to the rear of the restaurant, through their tiny, fascinating kitchen, down a small step arriving at a toilet with an odd sign above it. We debated whether the sign meant no dribbling on the toilet, no dribbling on the floor or no peeing while standing. 

     Anyway, their bathroom is fine. Clean and with other amusing artwork on the walls.

     Bathroom rating is 3.5 stars out of a possible 5.

     Restaurant rating is also a 3.5 stars.

t-shirt is from the 80s

We Be Sushi

538 Valencia Street
565-0749

South End Grill

  Shirley:

It's one of those ideas that spring out of conversations with friends. The 'we should write a blog about this' kind of offhand remark that gets forgotten or dismissed due to lack of time, motivation or priority in the things-to-do-someday list. But, we kept eating out on Valencia, often at the same sports, so we decided to eat our way down one side of the street and up the other. So many meals, so little time. In fact, we assume that we will not be able to sample all the eateries before new ones crop up. We will make a valiant effort to keep up.

So tonight we began this tasteful adventure at the South End Grill, positioned at the corner of 26th Street, with the Salvation Army and the Dovre on its companion corners. We walked in a few minutes before opening time and caught them slightly unprepared for business, but they were definitely welcoming and accomodating. 

The artwork on the walls defined its character well; a fun, friendly joint described by its owner, Steve, as an 'easy going neighborhood kind of place.'

We sat at the table of our choice and looked forward to our meal. The menu offered bar food that would wash down great with a cold beer, hearty main courses and a whole list of mac 'n cheese options. I had a plain ole burger and would say it was mediocre. Both the service and kitchen execution were un-even, the food averaged out to okay, the prices moderate, the choice and volume of music good and the ambience comfortable. If I lived in the neighborhood, I would not hesitate to grab a meal there on the quick.

But, as I wrote earlier, we were very early and we had approached the place expecting a dinner restaurant and I don't believe that's its real personality. It was easy to envision the open space 

crowded and busy and noisy, a 'Cheers' sort of atmosphere of familiar faces and pub-like companionship. I liked the place. The food was so-so, but I liked the anticipatory feeling of impending activity, like the calm before a really good storm.

That's it for my first post to this calorie laden, taste bud challenging, senses taking experiment with fine friends and good times.  Enjoy.

Jesse:

Friday night, 5:30. I'm hungry. I'm on Valencia Street with my buddies and we've decided to eat our way up and down Valencia Street. Who in their right mind would refuse something like that? Right? Not me. I've lived near Valencia Street for over 30 years and it has always offered good food.

Remember when the Slanted Door started out on Valencia, near 17th Street? Limos would pull up in front of El Toro and discharge lusciously dressed men and women who would ask the first person on the street they could find, 'Do you know where the Slanted Door is?' Their food was and still is so wonderfully delicious. Or when La Rondalla had their Christmas decorations up everywhere, all year, and the hunting photographs were on the walls by the booths. Not the greatest food in town, but I loved that place. Anyway, I digress.

It's still Friday night at 5:30. I know it's really early to be eating out, but hey, you can always find a table and it's when our watercolor group ends. Despite my best intentions of not being a stereotypical retiree, I do like to eat early and I love painting watercolors. But I am a bad-assed watercolorist, and I don't paint flowers. Not that there is anything wrong with painting flowers. Some of my best friends paint flowers. It's just not for me.

So, our first target is South End Grill, Bar, Pub & Club. It's so early we're the only ones in the joint. It takes awhile before Steve, the owner, appears. We tell him that we tried calling to make reservations but no one answered the phone. We weren't even completely sure they were open. He laughs, 'Reservations? We don't take no stinkin reservations. The neighborhood knows our hours.'

OK, that's cool. Steve and the restaurant do have a nice, relaxed neighborhood feeling. I hope the food is good because I like this place already. In fact, while we were waiting for someone to appear, we all fell in love with the art on the walls. The paintings are of San Francisco streets, which are near and dear to my heart. That's what I paint. Woohoo! There's a huge painting on one wall. It's of Valencia Street. The longer I look at it, the more surprises I find. It even shows Kenny playing his guitar on the steps of the Social Security buildig. He's wearing his signature wild, colorful long coat. He's the homeless guy who has been playing on Valencia for as long as I've lived here. Haven't seen him for a while, though.

So...now, down to business. Food. We're seated by Steve and I tell him of my food limitations. He's very attentive and willing to make substitutions in order to serve me the best dinner he can. Awesome.

I order the the hangar steak for $18. It's normally prepared with a gorgonzola butter sauce and french fries. I can't eat the fries or the cheese/butter sauce, so I ask Steve to leave it off the steak, and order brussels sprouts as my vege. He is happy to do it.

As much as I like this place, I have to say the steak was pretty tough. When I mention it to Steve, he says the sauce would have softened it. I think even with a great sauce, a tough steak is still a tough steak. Durn. I would not order it again. I see on their on-line menu that they normally offer a rib eye prepared this way. A rib eye steak for $18 is a pretty good price and much more likely to be tender. If I return and it's on the menu, I would give it a try. The Brussels sprouts with bacon are a different story. They are delicious. Perfectly cooked. A beautiful bright green, soft but still a little crunchy and lots of flavor. The salad is very good as well.

My overall assessment is 3 out of 5 stars. Decent food for a decent price, but uneven quality.

For those of you who care, and I know you're out there because I used to date one of you, their bathroom was very clean and decorated OK. I give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars. I've seen a lot nicer and I've seen a lot worse. Oy, have I seen worse in this town.

I have to say that what really stands out on their menu is their extensive mac 'n cheese choices. They have ten varieties. If I didn't have any diet limitations, I'd try their crab mac with garlic, parmesan, cheddar and jack cheeses.

I feel we really didn't do this place justice because we didn't try a mac and cheese entree, but perhaps you can. Go ahead, try it, and please let us know what you think.

Mary:

I'm glad to have a chance to eat at South End Grill. I've driven or walked by it often and been curious. 

The first thing I see and walk over to is the large, wonderful painting of Valencia Street, painted from the perspective of the center of the street, next to the South End Grill. You can see all the way to Market Street, and it seems propitious as we start our gustatory journey with this first restaurant at the South end of Valencia.

I order the salad with apple bacon and blue cheese and dressing. $5.50. It's delicious--a great blend of flavors and crispiness.
I'm anticipating a great meal now, and the Brussels sprouts are top quality cooking. They are also $5.50 and they are delicious--more bacon, beautiful color, cooked just right. So when the bok choy comes, $4.50,  I feel let down. It's over- cooked and flavorless. A little hard to chew. I wish I could eat the mac 'n cheese. I watch the delivery guy on his way out the door to bring containers of it to people's houses. Clearly, food wise, this place has made its reputation off their large mac 'n cheese menu.

I could see finding well cooked favorites off this menu by trial and error, and returning to enjoy the variety.




(Note: as of the end of January, 2015, this restaurant is closed and the premises are being remodeled. It looks like another restaurant will be coming in.