At Art's Cafe, the Cult of the Samurai Omelet

Alex Hochman

Teriyaki beef, cheese, and onions: The mysterious samurai omelet.

​Fifteen years ago, after a particularly long night of SOMA barhopping, a friend whispered the words "samurai omelet" with the same mysterious tone you'd use to describe a magic elixir.

Alex Hochman

​These days, a long night means two Jack and Cokes while watching back-to-back episodes of Bored to Death, and last Sunday we woke up with those mysterious words ― "samurai omelet" ― buzzing through our cobwebbed brain. A trip to Art's Café in the Inner Sunset was finally in order.

The samurai ($7.20) is a three-egg affair loaded with teriyaki beef, cheese (we chose cheddar based on our server's command), and onions. The egg blanket was thin like a crêpe, allowing us to cut the omelet with a fork while freeing our other hand to massage our left temple. The quiet tang of the mild cheddar balanced the sweetness of the teriyaki and the onions. Also plopped on the plate was a crunchy disk of hash browns that had us wondering if Hanukkah had come early this year: Combined with the onions, it tasted almost exactly like a latke.

So now, 15 years later, we finally understand why our friend spoke in hushed tones. The samurai is a magic elixir of sorts. We wish we had really put it to the test ― like after three Jack and Cokes.

Art's Café: 747 Irving (at Ninth Ave.), 665-7440.