Lillian T.
Yelp
Let's see, where do I actually start..
I made my reservation for 2, via a third party, that charged $35 a person for the reservation, probably because of the 3 Michelin stars this place has, ugh. I contemplated going through the hotel concierge route because it would've been free, but ended up going through the 3rd party. When I made the reservation, there was no mention of a second counter, or where we would be seated. Fast forward to that day. this place is a bit hard to find, but when you find the building, it is on the 3F. I first walked in, not knowing if I had the correct place, but they indeed confirm that it was Sushi Yoshitake. A gentleman greeted me, and had us walk back out from the main counter, through a small little hole in the wall (literally), into another private second counter. I was SHOCKED. I booked the reservation thinking that I would get the man himself making and serving my sushi, but nope, I was in this private counter with his apprentice chef! I was fuming that I wasn't able to sit in the main counter, especially since when I walked in, it wasn't full! The reason may be because we're foreigners, and Mr. Yoshitake does not speak english, but I wish I had known beforehand because I could've spent that extra money for another restaurant!
Anyway, I was pissed, and I would've done what Roberto S did in his review, and leave, but I paid the reservation fee already, and would have needed to swallow $70 to leave. Now that I think about it, I should've, just to show them that this isn't right. Also, like other Michelin starred restaurants, they would take your jacket and hang it up, or put it to the side, or something. Yoshitake DID NOT! We had to hang our jackets on the back of their chairs!!
Our apprentice chef was named Dai, who actually seems like a nice and humble guy, but unfortunately, he got to feel the wrath of myself, and my RBF (rest b*tch face), almost the entirely night LOL. I even asked him if people sit at this counter and he said yes, it's typically for VIP guests and such. And I was like, can you be bullshitting me any more? WHO THE HELL WOULD WANT TO SIT AWAY FROM THE ACTUAL CHEF IN A SECLUDED COUNTER?
Anyway, the meal went on as planned. There course was divided into an appetizer and sashimi half, and then a sushi half. The former was 7 courses, and the latter was 14 courses including the tamago and the miso soup. The food was good, but the experience was meh. The apprentice chef knows English because he used to work at the Japanese Embassy in the US. He's only been at Yoshitake for 3 years, but Yoshitake trusts him enough so I guess that's a good thing. The apprentice chef is named Dai, and he seemed genuinely sorry about our experience.
Overall, the price ended up being $450 after the exchange rate, but plus the extra $70 was $520. The price was decent, and would've been better without the reservation fee, but it is what it is. Good omakases in CA will run you around $200 or so per person, plus tax and tip, so the price is right around what you would get, but you get better quality fish haha.