Sylvan Mishima Brackett

The 2026 Osechi was a lot. A month-long hunt for the last beautiful yuzu. Tanba black soybeans, brought over in luggage. Steelhead roe arriving from the Quinault River, with only hours to cure before pickup. Late-night texts up and down the coast, searching for California spiny lobsters in exactly the right size. Ninety-five live abalone, simmered, sliced, and returned to their shells.And 180 nerikiri wagashi — shaped like traditional kagami-mochi — made for us by one of our cooks. Candied kumquats with the seeds removed, one by one. The hinoki boxes were milled by one craftsman, assembled by another, with dividers made by a third. Then a team to clean them, line them with gold paper, and wrap them in washi. And finally, four long days of work — eight people, heads down — the last day beginning at 5:30 a.m., in the cold and dark. But the Osechi feels important to make — not just for our guests, but for us. It connects us to Japan and family traditions. It’s a chance to push ourselves, to do our finest work and to make something beautiful, entirely by hand. Goodbye, 2025. Hello, 2026. Happy New Year, everyone.

きんき Very oily and highly delicious, this Kinki is a bit tricky to grill. Part of this Monday’s Kappo menu.

This is Hanabi Ninjin Kakiage. Hanabi means firework because this tenpura does look a little like an explosion of sparks, non? I saw it more than a decade ago at a Tenpura Kondo in Ginza, and have been thinking about it ever since. We served this on our special Monday night dinners, but it’s finally making it to the main menu. The carrots right now are especially sweet. The last image is a video of the frying process.

We’ve made thousands of chirashizushi bentos over the years. This one starts with gomoku meshi: rice with dashimaki tamago, candied shiitake, konbu tsukudani, shiso, sesame, and lemon peel. Mamiko san has also made sakura denbu and masu denbu. The bento set comes with strawberry roll cake. Order on Resy for pickup later this week.

We’re looking to bring on a few new servers (and cooks). The work here is steady and fast-paced, but it asks for calm attention—an eye for detail, a sense of timing, and a genuine interest in taking care of people. Familiarity with Japanese food, sake, and culture is very helpful, but not required. More important is curiosity, generosity, and a willingness to learn. The schedule is four shifts a week, including weekends. We’re at the beginning of something new here, and it’s time to bring in a few more good people. Details are in the profile. And please include a cover letter! And tell your friends.

I’ve just returned from visiting my friends Ryo and Tomoko Murata (@ryo_eel.sake ) in rural, very snowy Okayama. I arrived at midnight in the middle of a huge snowstorm and woke to a white, silent landscape. This was my second visit. The first was in 2022, when my friend Yuri Nomura (@eatripjournal ) introduced me to their totally unexpected unagi restaurant in a converted farmhouse. I had previously eaten at their original restaurant in Nakameguro — which earned a Michelin star shortly after — but during the pandemic they moved to a tiny village in the countryside. The farmhouse has been transformed: the front rooms remodeled for guests, the back still their home. With only Ryo cooking and Tomoko running the front — with a particular focus on koshu (aged sake) — they can accommodate only a handful of diners. Most guests drive hours to get there. The building is utterly un-restaurant-like. In a side structure, there is a small onsen. This is where they keep their live eels. I’ve always loved unagi, but was blown away by Ryo’s cooking. He’s completely immersed in every detail of the eel, the way they are cut and bled, the skewering and piercing of the skin before steaming, the grilling... The food was totally pared down and simple-looking, but absolutely inspiring. Just days after my snowy visit, Ryo and Tomoko san boarded a flight to San Francisco. They arrived last Friday and will be with us, on and off, for the next few weeks. This coming Sunday, February 22, and again on Sunday, March 1, we’ll offer their full-course unagi dinner, using the whole eel from @americanunagi — liver, spine, fins, everything. Seating is extremely limited. Ryo-san will also grill unagi kabayaki and sakayaki for our à la carte menu on Thursday and Friday, March 5–6. Reserve on RESY. We’re still finalizing the details of the course dinners, but here are a few dishes from previous visits: – Unagi harumaki – Grilled unagi fins, roasted bones, and liver – Unagi with fried enoki – Unbelievably crisp and fluffy unagi sakayaki I’m very excited for their visit.

Almost ten years to the day since we hosted Naoko Takei Moore for her first donabe cookbook, we are very happy to welcome her back to launch her second book, Simply Donabe. Naoko san (@msdonabe ) is the owner of Toiro (@toirokitchen ), the celebrated Japanese kitchen ware shop in Los Angeles. There is no greater champion of donabe cooking. She truly loves these handmade pots, and her books show how their gentle, even heat can draw surprising depth and character from the simplest ingredients. On Wednesday, February 25, she will be at Rintaro to sign copies of her new book. We’ll feature several of her dishes alongside our usual à la carte menu. Reserve on RESY. 📸 Matt Russell

I’m teaming up with my publisher @hardiegrantusa for a giveaway to celebrate the holiday season! One lucky winner will receive one of 5 copies of my book Rintaro. To enter: Follow @hardiegrantusa and @mr_rintaro Like this post Tag your favorite person to cook with in the comments (multiple comments = multiple entries). Ends 1/3 at 12.00pm. The winner will be notified by @hardiegrantusa on 1/5/2026. Void where prohibited. US only, age 18+. Giveaway not sponsored/affiliated with Instagram.

We are excited to offer our two layer Osechi Bento 御節二段重 again this December 31st. It’s always a huge effort with specially made hinoki cedar boxes and ingredients hauled over in luggage from Japan. As usual, it’s a chance for us to make many of the nostalgic dishes of the New Year, as well as few new items. This year will be our most ambitious menu yet. Osechi foods are traditional Japanese dishes served during the New Year, each symbolizing good fortune, health and prosperity. The two box set is designed for four people. It will be available for pickup between 3:00-4:00 p.m. on December 31. We will open orders on RESY on Monday, December 15 at 10:00 a.m. LE MENU 伊勢海老 ISE EBI ~LONGEVITY~ Whole spiny lobster with yuzu butter 煮鮑 NI-AWABI ~LONGEVITY~ Simmered abalone with rapini 筑前煮 CHIKUZEN-NI ~PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS~ Ginger satsumaage, gobo, donko shiitake, lotus root, satoimo, konnyaku and carrot いくら醤油漬けと数の子とウニ IKURA TO KAZUNOKO TO UNI ~FERTILITY~ Dashi-cured steelhead salmon roe in a yuzu cup, bafun uni and salt-cured herring roe 鴨ロースとキノコ KAMOROSU TO KINOKO Smoked and grilled duck breast with roasted maitake and king trumpet mushrooms 銀鱈味噌漬け GINDARA MISOZUKE Grilled saikyo miso-cured black cod えびれんこん あられあげ EBI RENKON ARARE AGE ~WEALTH~ Shrimp and lotus root fried with rice cracker なます NAMASU ~LUCK~ Persimmon kanten jelly wrapped with pickled daikon 鱒の昆布巻き KONBUMAKI ~HAPPINESS~ Simmered ma-konbu and steelhead salmon rolls 伊達巻 DATEMAKI ~WISDOM~ Sweet rolled omelet with pastured eggs and lingcod 黒豆 KUROMAME ~HEALTH~ Sweet large Tanba black soybeans 田作り TAZUKURI ~WEALTH~ Tiny shoyu and mirin candied anchovies and walnuts 焼き蒲鉾 YAKI KAMABOKO ~RENEWAL~ Steamed and grilled lingcod fishcake and fresh wasabi 梅甘露煮と柚子練り切り UME KANRO-NI TO YUZU NERIKIRI ~LONGEVITY~ Candied ume plums and Hrasawa sweet bean confection

今年も二段重のおせちをご用意できることを、大変嬉しく思っております。 例年通り、お正月ならではの懐かしい料理の数々を、心を込めてお作りします。 お料理にはカリフォルニアで手に入る上質な魚介、肉、野菜に加え、丹波黒豆、数の子、田作りは、日本の職人から取り寄せた高品質なものを使用しています。 お重は、東風（ひがしかぜ）株式会社製の、檜の二段重を使用しております。 ご予約はResyにて承ります。 ご予約受付開始は、12月15日（月）午前10時からとなります。 伊勢海老 柚バター添え 煮鮑 菜の花添え 筑前煮 いくら醤油漬けと数の子とウニ の柚盃仕立て 鴨ロースと焼きキノコ 銀鱈西京焼き えびれんこん あられ揚げ 柿寒天の大根つつみ 鱒の昆布巻き 伊達巻 黒豆 田作り くるみ入り 焼き蒲鉾 生わさび添え 梅甘露煮と柚子練り切り

Friday is the last day of the November Bento. Order on Resy this evening to pickup tomorrow afternoon. With mentaiko dashimaki tamago, simmered beef, mushroom okowa, pickled takana mustard greens, lotus root satsumaage. Comes with a @gehwick yuzu nerikiri wagashi and Meyer lemon cream jelly.

. ✦ Holiday Market at Rintaro ✦ We’re so delighted to join this special pop-up holiday market! 📍 Izakaya Rintaro, San Francisco 📅 Sunday, November 30 ⏰ 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM We’ll be sharing traditional crafts from Japan, including: ✙ Dorakugama Donabe clay pots from Iga, Mie ✙ Magewappa cedar bentwood boxes & tableware from Akita ✙ Joboji Lacquerware from Iwate