THE CASTRO—Disheartening news from an already-barren restaurant landscape in the Castro: Sumi, matron of her eponymous restaurant, will be retiring and is selling the business after more than 23 years on 18th Street. As a result, the restaurant, in its current form, will close on December 6th.
The good news, we suppose, is that the new owners aren't planning on changing the concept too much. The new name will be Sumi Sushi, and most of the staff and chefs will be staying on. As you can probably surmise from the name, it's going to stay with the Asian concept, but focus more on sushi. According to our sources, Sumi herself will even take on a sort of consulting role with the new endeavor, so she won't be totally out of the picture either. Her goodbye note follows:
To All SUMI's Customers, Past and Present:[Photo: Flickr/mintamu]After 23 years of business at this location SUMI will be closing its doors for the final time on Saturday December 6th, 2008! It's a bittersweet occasion, as I've enjoyed serving everyone all these years and will miss welcoming you into my restaurant. But all good things come to an end and it's time for me to retire.
BUT, there are a few weeks left before our final night and I hope you or your friends can join for one final time. You can stop in, call us, or go online to make a reservations. Details are below. Thank you very much for coming to SUMI over the years. I wish you all the very best for the future.
—Sumi