Addicting Lunch. No wonder they call it Sushiholic. With a beautiful and modern interior, and an extensive menu, Sushiholic certainly has made a splash on the Marin Japanese restaurant scene. Jo-Ann and I met for lunch there one rainy day recently.

Pleasant lunch. Dad has a new physical therapist just upstairs of the building attached to Robata Grill & Sushi, so after the first visit, it seemed like an opportune time to revisit the closest Japanese restaurant to me which continues to have a wide variety of delicious dishes. I reviewed this in July 2006, and then again in October 2006. I was surprised it had been so long since I'd written about this place.

and Citrus & Spice in San Rafael is still doing well! My friend Sachiko was in the mood for Thai, and I thought she'd like this inventive place. She was a little surprised that it was rather refined and stylized compared to most of the Thai places around.

We started with Fresh Spring Rolls which were bursting with lettuce and so fresh tasting.

Been dying to try. I found a good opening to try Sushi to Dai For in its new space, it's LARGE new space. It's huge and echoing and I can imagine it hopping with fun at night. So what if the rolls aren't very authentic. They are inventive and artistic, and the menu is huge.

I decided to try the Niagra roll, a special. Albacore tuna paired with something green, I've already forgotten - either avocado or cucumber, with green tea soba noodles, daikon radish spouts and a drizzle of jalepeno (hot!) ponzu over the top. I had my doubts about this combination, but it worked! I'd order the same again if it were to appear on the menu.

New Chinese on the block. P.F. Chang's (yes, a chain) opened a new location in Corte Madera on Monday. Having enjoyed their food when in other parts of the country, I decided to stop in and see how this location measures up.

Friendly earnestness. I found myself close to the heart of Mill Valley at lunchtime, and thought that it was time to revisit Amberjack Sushi. Amberjack is small, and attentive to details. Good food attracts traffic, and at 11:45, this place was already packed, so I pulled up at the sushi bar. It was a great spot as I had a bird's eye view of the kitchen as I waited, and I could see all the directed, careful and clean activity taking place. This place is serious about giving you a delicious and well-prepared dish! I started with miso soup, which was well flavored and had good depth.

Sushi on Sunday. I didn't have any this time, but I had found myself a week or two earlier looking for a Marin location that served sushi at lunch on Sundays. Pacific Catch in Corte Madera is the only place that I could come up with.

Dad and I stopped by here for Valentine's Day lunch after getting Dad's hair cut around the corner. This sweet little nibbling plate is still given you with your menus.

Dessert First. Well I didn't have this Chocolate Lava Cake with Blood Orange Sorbet first, but if I'd have known, I would have been tempted. Lucky for me, Sachiko and I had just enough room after our feast at Betelnut to share this.

Transplant. And it's taking. Fukusuke was an old favorite in Sausalito some time ago, and the restaurant disappeared from its long established neighborhood, reportedly, because of an unreasonable rent increase. (I think the space is still unoccupied after a couple years now?) It's reopened in Larkspur, in a tiny space, but the same family is there making all guests feel welcome. Dad and I arrived at 5:45, and there was already a wait to be seated!

Arawan Thai Cuisine in Sausalito has been around for around ten years and is a local favorite. It has a comfortable yet visually interesting decor, and the staff makes everyone feel right at home.

For those who want to take a look at the menu before deciding, Arawan does one better and publishes photos of its dishes under its signpost by the door.

Anna does the drive-thru. It was a very rainy afternoon, the kind that makes you just want to curl up in a blanket in front of a fire and not go out. But out I was, at an afternoon class on the CPI (California Psychological Inventory) related to my graduate studies. So it seemed just the time to grab & go.

Having experienced Panda Express as unusually good for 'fast food', I took the drive through option in this nasty weather. I ordered two of the same "Panda Bowls" for Dad & I. Half & half fried rice/chow mein with a topping of stir fried eggplant and tofu.

Tiny and good. I've been driving by this "Little Mandarin" restaurant with curiosity for some time. Finally I took a chance to find parking and try it out yesterday for lunch.

You walk past some empty steam tables up front, but soon you see a busy and bustling section where you hope you will have a chance to sit after all. Where did all those people come from? As soon as I was seated a hot bowl of egg drop soup was placed in front of me, before I could even grab the menu!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope cupid finds you where ever you may dwell. I thought I'd post about Novato's well-loved Chinese restaurant, Ming Yen today. Dad & I visited it a few days ago. First off, the service was prompt and friendly throughout the meal.

We started with some walnut prawns which were great! Crisp/sweet without being cloying.

Fun evening in San Francisco. Before Christmas, I met Dr. Kato & Sachiko again in the city for a wonderful dinner at a very romantic restaurant, Annie's Bistro. We were the only party in an increasingly full restaurant where all the couples were gazing longingly into each other eyes.

Delish Thai Food Find. I'm lucky to have such good friends thinking of me on my birthday, yes, I'm reporting on yet another birthday meal! It was more like a birthday week. I met my friend Daniel at Chao Praya, a place that has been quite popular in Novato, but my first visit.

And this post marks completion of dining and reviewing ALL of the Thai restaurants in Marin! At least those that I know of, please leave a comment if I've missed a place inadvertently. And it's an old favorite I had not been to in a long time, Bangkok Thai Express.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this Thai place still serves Shrimp Chips as a treat. This used to be customary at many Thai restaurants, but has disappeared in the last few years. These were crisp and had a great savory dipping sauce.

Japanese at the Mall. There's a bright clean place at Northgate Mall in San Rafael which proclaims "Freshly Cooked Right Before Your Eyes", and it's true! At Oedo Grill the grill is right up front, and you can watch your meal be deftly grilled as you wait.

Vietnamese veggie fare. I stopped by La Maison de la Reine for dinner with my friend Sachiko one evening, and we were both in the mood for light eating. The staff were friendly and inviting and we enjoyed sitting in the heated sun room.

I've heard about a place called Ming's in Tiburon over the years, but never had actually seen it. Thought it may have closed. But peering through a walkway in the Boardwalk Shopping Center finally scored it!

So Dad & I tried it one recent evening. It seemed to be filled with families with young children. Noisy but happy. We started with Prawns and Asparagus which delightfully included some colorful carrots and was stir fried with a black bean sauce. It was very good.

Chain yes, and consistently good food and value too. I have liked California Pizza Kitchen for a long time. In fact since it came to my neighborhood when I lived in Northern Virginia. And that was in the 80s.

Dad and I had 'linner' there a few days ago. Starting with their ever-tasty Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup.

A noodle kind of day. Paul and I enjoyed a quick lunch at Tha Siam in Larkspur the other day, a place I reviewed first last February.

What's that on my pancake? Wood shavings? I promise, it tasted better than that. I was just very intrigued when I saw this jam in my local Persian market.

This orange blossom jam runs like honey and the blossoms are tender-waxy. It was a lovely topping for some freshly made buttermilk pancakes.

Sicilian, tucked around a corner. My friends Jo-Ann & Michael met me for dinner the other night at Mezzo Mezzo, a place that is a little out of the way in downtown San Rafael, but it would be a shame to overlook. It was actually a birthday dinner for me that we decided to do after all the holiday hecticness was over, and it was perfect!

Wise Chinese. I stopped in at Confucius Restaurant in San Rafael the other day when it was blustery but not raining. It's exterior may be drab, but it's clean and cheery inside.

I discovered a nice variety for a reasonable price in their lunch special. A small green salad and hot and sour soup start you off. Yes, these are not 'wow' items, but they are fresh and just fine.

Marin Japanese Restaurant Scene. The Japanese restaurant scene has had quite a few changes in the last few months, so I thought it time to post an update, and expand it to some other Japanese restaurants visited.

I find it rather amazing that I've visited every Japanese restaurant in Marin save one. If I'm missing any, please let me know!

Japanese Restaurants and others serving "Japanese" food (and link to my review, if I wrote one, or other info)

Larkspur

Dad and I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at a restaurant we stumbled upon in the Castro, Tangerine. It is popular in the neighborhood, we had a short wait in the foyer.

Dad wanted some simple Oatmeal. Simple yes, but beautiful and generously portioned with an add of fruit. Dad said every bite was delicious.

Staying power with good food fresh and fast. My friend Jo-Ann introduced me a year or so ago to a good Chinese place in San Rafael, Ping's Mandarin Restaurant which as been around since 1993. Since we were in the neighborhood, Dad and I stopped in for lunch the other day.

You'll notice I finally was able to activate my 'title' line, I'm happy! Dad and I felt like a neighborhood Italian place, so decided to try out Riccardo's in San Anselmo. It surely fit the bill with checkered tablecloths, wine bottles hanging from the ceiling and friendly, but busy staff.

Dad's Dinner Salad was unexpectedly large, but he said it was great with fresh greens and a variety of toppings.