Amberjack

 

5

50

andree t.

San Francisco, CA

Very small and intimate place. There are maybe 4 tables total.

This place is fun to come and listen to other peoples conversation(s). The service is pretty good. I stopped coming here because my bf has a surprise hawthorne leaf in his salad...he bit into it and cut his mouth and they said it was part of the salad..hm strange? the best thing to get here is the butter fish entree. omg. its so buttery and delicious. the sushi is ok, not the best. come here early if you want to get a seat. theres no place to wait for one unless you sit outside. they have sweet cups here too.

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0

5

E D.

Mill Valley, CA

Edmund is the owner/chef. Michelle is his wife, the waitress. His parents are back there in the kitchen. They all work every day. Amazing. I hear newbie customers trying to impress them sometimes with their knowledge of the Japanese language, but they are Chinese. However, they take it all in stride with a great smile.

This is the best overall sushi bar in Marin. Another one of Marin's best-kept secrets. Yes, BETTER than Sushi Ran. Affordable- and Edmund does a wonderful job selecting and preparing the cuts of fish. Small and intimate; a perfect neighborhood sushi bar. Most of their business is takeout since it is so small. Great fish at great prices.

Excellent sake selection as well. Try the Ohyama by the wine glass.

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0

1

teresa h.

Mill Valley, CA

We mostly get sushi to take out and every time it's been really delicious and fresh, even the tempura .  It's a small kitchen so it's advisable to call your order in so you don't have to wait long.  Nice staff too!

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3

28

vicki t.

San Francisco, CA

really really nice fish. i love that the place is so small. the prices are surprisingly reasonable for mill valley, but then again, mill valley is one of the more affordable places in marin (besides novato but who really thinks of novato when people say marin??)

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17

51

Josh L.

San Francisco, CA

I can't say enough good things about this place.  So instead, a simple haiku for Amberjack:

Your fresh Nigiri,
Beef Asparagus Maki,
Ten stars aren't enough

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5

63

Anna H.

Mill Valley, CA

Friendly service and fresh sushi.  I visited here last night and enjoyed an appetizer from their specials board, beef asparagus roll.  It took some time to make, but it was very well flavored and good.  Previous to this a nice miso broth was served.  It was short on contents, but the broth was good.  My main dish was chirashizushi.  It was ok, they passed the saba (mackerel) test.  Saba is a fish that easily tastes 'fishy', and theirs was quite fresh.  I wasn't so impressed with the addition of mixed greens under the egg -- I would have preferred a leaf of the more traditional shiso.  The patrons seemed to be neighborhood folk who well-appreciate the place and enjoy  meeting there.  A small place, with a friendly atmosphere that transcends just the staff.  It was my first visit, so I'll be visiting again and revising this review if necessary.

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0

8

Serge D.

Larkspur, CA

A quaint sushi bar with a few desirable additions to the sushi menu.  The quality of the fish is excellent and the rolls creative.  Very friendly service.

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31

146

k ..

Mill Valley, CA

As we entered, we were hopeful as I saw the linguistic correctness on the menu.  No obvious errors, and there was clear evidence that much care went into writing the menu.

However, the hope was quickly dashed.  While the fish was a standard fare, nothing special, but the rice was so dense.  The rice, or shari is the foundation of good sushi, and here it earns one star.

Also, I was troubled by the sight of salad mix in Chirashi-zushi.  Should have been a shiso leaf.  The "dashi" or the stock used in the miso soup was miserable, without any fragrance of Katsuo-bushi, and was just salty.

My eternal search for good neighbourhood sushi in southern Marin continues.

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11

22

Christian U.

Mill Valley, CA

I love sushi and I've been all over the place. I think Amberjack in Mill Valley may be my favorite so far. There are other places that have crazier rolls, but the Amberjack in Mill Valley serves sushi that's so super fresh that you can really taste the quality. I love their Tiger and Dragon rolls so much that I order them every time I go. A word to the wise, sit down and eat there; their sushi loses much of the magic if it sits for 15 minutes because you got it to go.

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Elite '08

53

324

lisa w.

San Francisco, CA

holy mother of god. how on earth did i *not* know this place was here?! it was so good that i even ate a piece of sashimi (which i never eat). our total bill was $54.00 for the kind of meal that i think should've cost about $70 because we had a beef-wrapped asparagus special and 4 rolls *and*  10 (!) pieces of ungodly fresh sashimi in addition to some other food and sake. wowzers! oh, and it's open on sunday nights! it's my new go-to sushi happiness.

UPDATE:
i went again tonight and amazingly it got even better! the poke was awesome and the beef asparagus maki was incredible. wowwww. this is my new go-to!

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60

209

Lizelle G.

San Francisco, CA

Hit or miss sushi. We've been here about a dozen times, mostly for take-out, and about half the time their salmon, unagi and rolls are fresh. Other times, food taste a bit like it's been sitting in a pre-packaged bento box for too long. I'm not a fan of their agedashi tofu and I wouldn't recommend ordering it if you like a crispy outside and tender center. Here, it's a bit greasy and soggy. It's a small place so we usually bring it home. Prices are low so you may want to order a bunch of things and see what you like.

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Elite '08

29

158

christine e.

Sausalito, CA

UPDATE 10/07. Sadly I have taken it down to 3 stars. The fish lately has a metallic finish to it. I can't put my finger on it, but it is not the same high caliber. I'd rather go to Samurai these days. I may be back, but these past 3 times really has me puzzled and not happy :(
previously----------------
yummmm
I just got back from eating there. It is a small place and you can hear all the conversations around you. Other than that, the fresh salmon, hamachi and ika were very very fresh! I agree on the rice being too dense so I did not give them 4 stars. For MV, it is above average and better than Robata when it comes to fresh fish. I am not a big fan of chopped tuna in my tuna avo roll. Its just too mushy! He made me a shrimp tempura handroll, and the shrimp was dinky, but the flavor was good. I'd go back. Beats Ino hands down on Miller.
*** update
the rice has gotten so much better! :) so I upt a star. The service is still great, the sushi yummy. What can I say? Amberjack's it for me!
UPDATE 3/28/07... upt it to 5 stars, since this is Marin and really not too many great sushi places here. I gave it 5 stars for the great service Michelle does and for the great consistant food. She is attentive yet out of the way. Always sees that your tea and water are full.The sushi chef  does magic with the VERY fresh fish! I ventured away from strictly sushi and have had their bento boxes. For under $9.00 you get a great meal. I have tried their butterfish, tender flaky and moist, the beef teriyaki and the chicken teriyaki. Both good. I choose the sashimi and you get 2 good pieces of salmon and yellow tail YUM! It comes with a large amount of rice and lovely fresh baby greens salad and miso soup and tea.
It has been here for 3 years, a very wonderful japanese restaurant, it gives Sushi Ran a run for it's money, and affordable!

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