nose-to-tail experiences: Ittoryu Gozu is introducing an eye-opening perspective on wagyu beef

 

Wagyu beef is seen as a luxury item, but a new restaurant in San Francisco is serving it in a way that allows guests to taste it in new, different and approachable preparations.

Ittoryu Gozu, New Wagyu-focused Restaurant Now Open in San Francisco’s SoMa District.

Ittoryu Gozu’s Chef and Owner Marc Zimmerman embraced Japanese Kappo-style cuisine with live-fire, tasting menu restaurant and whisky lounge.

Served as a kappo-style tasting menu, Gozu’s Executive Chef/Owner Marc Zimmerman and Co-founder Ben Jorgensen of the newly formed MZ Dining Group will brandish long-nurtured relationships with farms in Japan, Australia and America, introducing an eye-opening perspective on wagyu beef and immersing guests in a “nose-to-tail” experience.

At Gozu, diners will explore wagyu beyond the primal cuts of ribeye, New York and tenderloin to discover the lesser-known parts that normally are not imported. Zimmerman will use kappo, a Japanese style that features five different cooking techniques – grilling, steaming, frying, simmer and raw – to guide guests through two multi-faceted, simplistic and delicate menus, with prices ranging from $95 to $150 per person. Diners have the option of choosing between five beverage pairing menus, which features a mix of cocktails, rare and exclusive spirits, sake, wine and beer throughout the course of the meal. Or they can order a la carte from cocktails served with Japanese sensibility.

“We will honor the animal by serving it in its entirety. By doing so, we hope to shift the perspective of whole cow use specifically in the wagyu breed,” said Marc Zimmerman.

The GOZU Menu focuses on the versatility, intricacies and nuances of the wagyu breed. Guests are guided through a 2.5 hr menu of fifteen items spread over ten courses comprised of Japanese and local sea life, wild foods and wagyu. The MEZU Experience is comprised of eight dishes spread over five courses. Guests are guided through a 1.5 hr experience comprised of Japanese and local life, wild foods and wagyu. A la carte options are available.

Chef Marc Zimmerman’s culinary career spans the globe, from launching locations of Alexander’s Steakhouse in San Francisco, Tokyo and Taipei as business development chef and executive chef of SF, to working in high profile Las Vegas restaurants Nobu, Okada, Restaurant Guy Savoy, Social House and Lutèce. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Zimmerman’s first venture from MZ Dining Group alongside partner/co-founder Ben Jorgensen is the much-anticipated Ittoryu Gozu, located in an office tower owned by KBS, one of the largest owners of premier commercial real estate in the country.

With full-cow utilization as the inspiration, the restaurant plans for a minimal waste program by highlighting the wagyu cow beyond plated dishes.

Upon entering the front doors, guests will be greeted by a blackened steel wall that encases the private dining room/whisky chamber. This 12-seat space is hard on the exterior and soft inside – paneled with cloth, it is a deliberate counterpart to all the action surrounding the main dining bar, introverted, and a surprise. Its centerpiece, a marble table designed by a l m, is flanked by leather-cushioned oak seating from Germany’s E15. Designed for guests to savor the creations of Chef Zimmerman in a secluded setting, the space turns into an exclusive Japanese whisky bar later in the evening. Unique to Gozu, the restaurant will create custom plaques for guests to store their private whisky bottles on the shelving of this room.