Japanese Fast Food

Earlier this year I spied a new sidewalk sign outside Amy's Cafe in Sausalito noting that it has Japanese cuisine. It took me awhile to check this out, but I did get there. I found that Amy's had been transformed again with a new concept. Japanese food was indeed the main feature, with udon, yakisoba and donburi dishes galore. A couple favorite Korean dishes sneaked on to the menu somehow as well such as bibimbop,

I tried the Seafood Yakisoba. Wow! It is SO colorful. Purple cabbage, red and yellow bell peppers, green broccoli and light white mung bean shoots, and cocoa colored shiitake mushrooms. All sauteed with scallops, shrimp and mussels. It was a fresh palate pleasing dish, and generous portion for less than $11. The other half of the colorful menu above the counter lists Smoothies with such names as Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and Sausalito. I had the Golden Gate Bridge which was made of strawberries and banana with a soy base. It was quite cold, thick, and tasty. Quick, tasty and inexpensive, it is a cool find for a casual lunch. Amy's Cafe no longer serves breakfast.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 3
Noncritical: 4
Last inspected: March 22, 2o1o

Previously reviewed:
April 29, 2009

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High standards still prevail

I dropped in after a long absence at Sushi 69 in San Anselmo. Hiro (Hiroyuki Makino), the Executive Chef and owner was smiling behind the sushi bar as always. He informed me that the other long time Chef at Sushi 69, Takeshi, is returning to Japan today, his last day behind the sushi bar being last Thursday, so I just missed him. And miss him I will. Takeshi, like Hiro, has a fine hand at slicing up the sushi so that it melts on your tongue and he sometimes made little variations that he thought would suit my taste.

I ordered one old favorite straight away, the Tuna Lily. The combination of the crisp shrimp chip shell filled with soft pieces of tuna mixed with onions and caviar and a tart sauce just dances on your palate in a pleasing way.

In honor of Takeshi, I ordered the Takeshi roll which I had not tried before. A wonderful pairing of tastes, expertly executed by Hiro, included tempura shrimp, spicy scallops and cool, crisp cucumber on the inside, topped with maguro tuna and slices of shiso leaf on the outside. This is worthy of a repeat in the future.

I finished with another favorite, tamago nigiri, noticing that Hiro's fine sense of style has been refined since my last visit to include a decorative brand on the ends of the egg. It is served on a fresh leaf on the granite counter in front of you (if at the sushi bar). Sitting at the counter, watching the careful preparation and plating of food I noticed the care and attention that Hiro puts into the beautiful food that comes to his customers has been maintained at the high standard that he has kept from the beginning .

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: February 26, 2010

Previously reviewed:

February 7, 2008
January 18, 2007


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The fragrance alone...

Jo-Ann and I were in San Francisco's Japantown a bit back, and had to decide where to have lunch. We went for one of the places Jo-Ann had not yet visited, and I had had previous good experiences with, Miyako Restaurant. It's located just across the street from the Peace Plaza, in a downstairs location.

The Miyako Ramen Combo was a very nice set. Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen, gyoza (pork), California Roll and assorted tempura was a grand meal and it all tasted like the chef was attentive to the flavor and arrangement.

Miso Ramen we knew our meals were coming as the scent of this bowl wafted out of the kitchen as it was brought out and we wondered who was getting something that smelled so good that we exclaimed in unison about it. Jo-Ann loved this ramen meal and we vowed to come back sometime in the near future. The service was attentive and the place was clean and modern. Definitely a place to return to often.

Previously reviewed:

July 11, 2008

Wowed in Petaluma

Linda and I went to see The Young Victoria in Petaluma this evening. I don't like period pieces generally, however, this one was really good. What a love story! Afterwards little Olivia joined us and we went to Hiro's Japanese Restaurant just a couple blocks away. What a gem! It is so beautifully appointed and has such attention to detail. The sushi plates that floated past looked like they were stills in a museum.

My photos do not do the food justice, and give a pale echo of each dish. The miso soup was piping hot and tasted just right!

Linda chose the Tempura Dinner and Olivia dittoed the choice except in appetizer portion, fitting for an 8 year old. They both reported that it was delicious, and I tried a couple pieces at the end of this generous portion, and would have to agree. Linda remembered the amazing tempura we had with my host family about three years ago in Tokyo. In Japan the best restaurants use fresh oil each day, and the old oil gets sent down the line to a second tier tempura restaurant. Fresh oil really makes a difference. Hiro's oil tasted quite fresh, and it was all exquisite!

Hiro's has two choice of chirashi on their menu. Hiro's Special Chirashi sounded quite inventive, but I decided to stick with the Traditional Japanese Chirashi Zushi. I was so excited to see this glistening, fresh and artistic bowl be put in front of me. Again, the photo just doesn't do it justice. I very much enjoyed the choices and variety in this pretty lacquer bowl.

The staff and owners were so friendly and welcoming too. Our waiter struck the perfect balance of attention and sharing of knowledge of the menu. I would definitely come here again in a heartbeat!

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last Inspected: January 28, 2010

Hospitable

One cool evening last month I paid a visit to Tenkyu in San Rafael. It's so dark in December! And the staff at Tenkyu are so welcoming that it makes you forget the cool outdoors, and settle in to enjoy leafing through the extensive menu with a surprising amount of vegetarian choices to find your dinner.

Most dinners include miso soup, which sure tasted hot and soothing that night.

And they were nice enough to let me flex around the combination dinners to come up with a combo that suited my taste that evening, vegetable tempura and salmon teriyaki plus their regular sides - salad - gyoza - rice. (The gyoza was vegetarian). It all was fresh, hot and tasty. It was typical home-style food prepared well. I intend to come back more often, and try out some of the interesting vegetarian selections.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 1
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 2/10/2009

Previously reviewed:
December 30, 2006

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The Wasabi Incident

Dad & I went to Robata Grill & Sushi for a lovely lunch today. When I saw Dad's hand on the pretty green wasabi, I warned him- that' s hot mustard, it goes in the dish with soy sauce, not directly in your mouth! Oh, said he. He had a lovely obento special for $10.50 that included Teriyaki Chicken, Deep Fried Scallops, Salad, Miso Soup, fresh fruit, and an eel-cucumber roll (hense the wasabi). I had a combo of Teriyaki Salmon and Tempura. About three quarters of the way through our meal Dad suddenly looked like he was choking! Coughing, teary-eyes and redfaced suddenly, I jumped out of my seat thinking he'd inhaled something, and started patting his back and trying to remember the Heimlich maneuver. However, as he calmed down he said that it was something too 'hot', and I looked at the empty spot the wasabi tower had been. He'd forgotten that he wasn't to eat it. Next time, I'll have to ask the waiter to hold the wasabi from his plate.

New Japanese place in San Rafael

Dad and I went out for lunch to check out the new I Love Sushi in San Rafael. The owners of the previous place there, Jason's Burger Joint, decided to recreate the spot into a sushi oasis. They've nicely redone the interior with Japanese theme.

The miso soup that accompanied each of our lunches was great. These days some restaurants leave out the wakame (seaweed) that is traditional to this soup, however this had a full complement of it.

We started with a California Roll, it was fine, but nothing special. It was made with the imitation crab sticks so common these days.

I chose a two item bento box for my main course. The fry cook needs a bit of training on how to make tempura. The vegetable tempura that was one of the item choices was so limp as to be floppy! There were browned edges and spots where the batter didn't cover. However, whoever created the items knew their Japanese food. There was the grated daikon radish for the tempura sauce. This is missing in many US Japanese restaurants these days, and it is an important piece as it helps cut the grease. The teriyaki salmon that came was perfect. It was grilled nicely and the teriyaki sauce was good. The green salad section was overflowing with lovely fresh spring greens. That was a definite plus. The rice was slightly skimpy, but good nonetheless. The edamame pieces in the middle was also a nice touch.

Dad's salad came separately, and he said it was better than the usual.

Dad's main course was the Chicken Satsu Donburi. It was basically a deep fried Chicken Cutlet sliced and placed over a simmered egg and onion base, all topping rice. He said that he liked the green onion tops that not only added a bit of flavor, but put some color in the otherwise brown/yellow dish. He liked the flavor and insisted on taking the small bit he couldn't finish home. I Love Sushi has not been open long, and I anticipate that as they keep going things will gel in the kitchen for more consistency.

Restaurant Inspection Results

I Love Sushi has not yet been inspected.

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English translation not needed

Keep your eye on the glass... These Japanese women are braver than I!

And the burgers were good too...

Another closure to report in San Rafael. Jason's Burger Joint has closed to reopen as "I Love Sushi". Reportedly, the same friendly family is running the new place, so I especially look forward to trying out the new Japanese restaurant in Marin!

A top ten

A few weeks (months?) ago, a comment was left encouraging me to make a top 10 list for Marin restaurants. She said she was moving to our fair county, and this would help her in transitioning. I mulled it over a lot (obviously). I find it problematic, since there are a lot of good restaurants in Marin, and the 'best' can depend on your mood, formal or casual, etc. However, I can say that when someone asks me about the 'best' restaurant in Marin, I know I do not steer them wrong when I send them to Sushi Ran in Sausalito.

One sunny day, I decided it would be my lunch destination. Pretty much whatever your lunch choice, a delicious bowl of miso soup precedes it.

When I saw that there was a Vegetarian Bento Box Lunch on the menu, I couldn't pass it up. From the left it includes, snap pea, fermented black bean & basil, grilled tofu (seemed to be a miso/sesame sauce on it), and a salad including cucumber, takuan (yellow radish pickle) and gobo (burdock root). It was accompanied by some rice I didn't get in the photo. It was all tasty and inventive as I'd expected. It was light, more like a model's lunch than a working woman's.

So I overdid it a bit and ordered two more add-ons. The first was a squash tempura. It was made with kabocha I believe and it was great. And filling. This would be lovely to share as an appetizer or accompaniment to a dinner.

I finished with some tamago (egg) nigiri sushi. It tasted great, and there was something just a little different about their rendition of the egg. I asked and was told that chicken stock is used rather than dashi in the ingredients. Ah ha! It was tasty! There are cheaper places to eat good Japanese food in Marin, however, if you want a real treat or don't want to chance it, you can't miss with Sushi Ran.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 3

Noncritical: 1

Last inspected: 2/25/2009

Previously reviewed:
April 12, 2008
July 2, 2007
May 10, 2007

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Japanese Flavors in Marin

I finished the list, and then a new Japanese restaurant opened. It's great that we have so many options for Japanese food in Marin. "Fusion" in this group seems to mean 'serves more than one cuisine' rather than the actual fusion of the dishes. At any rate, I've updated the list!

Japanese and related Fusion

Corte Madera
Pacific Catch - Fusion

Larkspur
Fukusuke
King of the Roll
Sushi Ko

Mill Valley
Amberjack
Ino Sushi
May Lee's - Fusion
Robata Grill & Sushi
Samurai
Sushi Gourmet
Tsukiji Sushi

Novato
Masa's Sushi & Appetizer Bar
Matsuyama
Neo Tataki - Fusion
Sushi Holic
Taki Japanese Restaurant

San Anselmo
Sushi 69

San Rafael
Arigatou
Fujiyama Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Kamikaze
King of the Roll II - Fusion
Mikado Sushi
Sushi Boat Restaurant
Sushi-to-Dai-For
Tenkyu
Umi Sushi & Grill
Yu Shang Restaurant & Sushi Bar - Fusion

Sausalito
Sushi Ran
Sweet Ginger

Tiburon
Ginza Sushi

Japanese Restaurants reviewed elsewhere...

San Francisco
Ai Sushi
Anzu
Cha-ya
Delica rf1
Hime
Japanese Tea Garden (A nice place to enjoy Japanese Tea)
Kabuto
Kamakura
Oyaji
Shabu House
Sozai Restaurant & Sake Lounge
Sushi Bistro

San Franciso's Japantown
Izumiya
Juban
Kuishinbo
Kushi Tsuru
Mifune
Mifune Udon
Miyako
On the Bridge
Osakaya
Sanuki Udon
Sapporo-ya
Suzu
Takara

Sonoma County
Boat House Sushi
Gohan

East Bay
Tokyo

Nice ambiance, good food

Dad had another appointment with the audiologist, so we found ourselves in Petaluma at lunchtime again. This time I used my trusty Prius' GPS to locate the nearest Japanese food. I noticed a place called "Gohan" just a mile or two away.

So off we went following the easy directions up McDowell Street to a corner mall where Gohan is located. The interior had an open, airy, yet zen feel to it and there were beautiful orchids gracing the space as well. We were greeted promptly and warmly and soon seated.

We both chose a variation of the lunchtime Bento Box, quite a bargain at $10 for the one with Chicken Teriyaki, and $11 for the one with Salmon Teriyaki (me). Both came with a flavorful miso soup and crisp cucumber salad.

Besides the sunamono or cucumber salad and miso, all the Bento's come with a basis of prawn and vegetable tempura, California roll, house salad with sesame vinegarette dressing, and steamed rice. To this, the generous piece of salmon teriyaki that I chose was added. The tempura was so artistically presented, and the rest tasted great as well.

Dad went for the option of Chicken Teriyaki, and loved his meal too. We enjoyed our experience, and would come back in a heartbeat if we are in the area again at mealtime.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 4
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 8/18/2009

Quiet and good

I stopped by Fujiyama Restaurant & Sushi Bar in San Rafael for lunch earlier this week. I forgot it has one of those electronic welcome generators at the door, so jumped when I heard it say 'welcome' loudly in Japanese when I walked in.

I ordered a special that came with miso soup. This one was very good with the right balance and flavor.

The soup was chased by a Vegetable Korokke that had bits of carrot, burdock and kernels of sweet corn in the potato. It was covered in panko crumbs, and was great with the accompanying sauce. I was particularly excited about the burdock bits as that made it seem even more like something one would actually eat in Japan.

Then the main attraction arrived, a sushi and sashimi bento box. It was all fresh and good. Beyond the sushi and sashimi, it had edamame and a crunchy seaweed salad. I enjoyed my meal, and the service was charming.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 11/5/2008

Previously reviewed:
April 18, 2007

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Finally!

I've followed Tsukiji Sushi from its possibility in Sausalito, all the way to its coming to Mill Valley. And about a month after its opening, I finally made it here. I was favorably impressed with the elegant ambiance they've created on the inside, and the polite and knowledgeable waitstaff that served me during lunch.

Miso soup came quickly, and it was deliciously complex with just the right balance of dashi and miso.

I was surprised at the generous size of the salad that followed. It was well dressed in a typical Japanese mayonnaise based dressing. I thought it was a plus for the meal.

And then, what I was waiting for arrived, the Chirashi Don. It had a wide variety of fresh bites from the sea and beyond. It was a wonderfully artful and had the deft hand of a sushi master in the cut -- smooth, not grainy. I'm really happy to have another Japanese option so close to home!

Restaurant Inspection Results

Tsukiji Sushi has not yet been inspected.

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Local hot spot for Chinese and Japanese meals

Cookiecrumb recommended that I try the Chinese food at King of the Roll II in San Rafael some time ago. Unfortunately for Dad & I, the lunch menu doesn't include Chinese choices, and we didn't feel like the full dinner option. So we each tried a Japanese lunch special!

Specials start with miso soup, and include a salad which came in the box with the meal. Unfortunately, this meal got off on the wrong foot with rather watery miso soup.

Dad had the Teriyaki Chicken lunch special which came in a box, and included steamed fresh carrots and broccoli, along with the dark meat chicken teriyaki, rice and salad. The rice was more of a jasmine or basmati rather than a Japanese style medium grain. Dad enjoyed the meal, even the fresh and sweet orange slice. It looked attractive.

I ordered a combo lunch box with Tempura and Teriyaki Salmon. The salmon was rather lukewarm and sat in its box with unabsorbed teriyaki sauce sitting on top. The tempura had armor on it, very tough to bite through. The ingredients were top notch, my lunch offerings were just lacking in some technique. There was an Asian language being spoken in the back, that clearly wasn't Japanese, although the music playing was. The price was very reasonable, and the restaurant was quite busy during a weekday lunch. I believe it's a well-liked neighborhood favorite for its friendly and prompt service, and generous portions of fresh, hot food. I'll have to make a point to come in for dinner when the Chinese items are served since that was what was recommended to me. There is another King of the Roll in Larkspur.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 4/28/2009

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"Mom's Home Cooking" Japanese style

There is a mother in the house! The long time hostess of Larkspur's Fukusuke is still serving Japanese home style cooking, personality intact! She makes the place. A soft heart with a commanding exterior, Fukusuke is her domain. She has always been attentive to me and checking up on the food coming out of the kitchen. No worries there, it's always been great.

A delicious set of Cabbage Salt Pickles and Cucumber Salad appears right after your order is taken.

This trip to Fukusuke reminded me of the value of a carefully made miso soup. It often separates, leaving a glass-like top to billowing clouds of tasty miso base suspended in the soup. This one was delicious with depth and complexity.

I chose to have the Teriyaki Salmon Dinner. It was perfectly grilled, and felt, well - meaty! It has a lovely texture and flavor. The Japanese slaw was also fresh, crisp and wispy looking. I enjoyed it. If you like Japanese home cooking, this is a great stop. Don't expect much in the way of sushi, it is not that style of restaurant.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 5/9/2008

Previously reviewed:
December 15, 2007

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