Chirashizushi at Amberjack's. Sometimes it's the parking. You intend to go one place, but no parking there, and as luck has it, a rare spot opens up on a usually difficult street. Such is how I ended up dining at Amberjack Sushi in Mill Valley this evening.

The staff were really friendly and quite prompt. They served a nice miso broth to start (short on ingredients but the broth was well-flavored).

There was quite a lively crowd at the bar, and it looked well frequented by neighborhood folk who were very friendly with each other and the staff.

The miso was followed by my first course, an appetizer off their specials board, beef asparagus rolls. It took a while to come out from the kitchen, but it was tasty and well seasoned.



The chirashizushi was ok, but nothing to write home about. There was an interesting inclusion of mixed green salad mix under the egg. I'm so used to traditional tastes, this wasn't a positive for me. I would have far prefered a shiso leaf. The fish was fresh -- my test is the saba. That can be REALLY FISHY if not fresh, and this one passed my taste test. Cool and smooth the pieces slid down my throat. I would have also have paid a little more attention to centering the presentation so that it lined up with the design of the laquered bowl rather than having it fall to the blank seam between the designs. But that's a small thing. It was my first visit, so I'll have to try it a couple more times to see if it's consistent, especially since the Yelp review was not so encouraging.