MF Sushibar

Wow! That's a great description of our experience at MF Sushibar, one of the highest rated sushi restaurants in the Atlanta area (and deservingly so!). We joined our friends at the restaurant on Tuesday night for a pre-Thanksgiving sushi fest, one of our better restaurant selections in recent memory.

Arriving at the restaurant, I actually noticed a strong smell of cleaning products, which originally worried me. Uh-oh, maybe this won't be as nice as I had expected. The smell disappeared rather quickly, though, maybe they had just cleaned the dining area before we arrived? I saw one of my favorite Sake's listed on the menu (Bishonen) and asked for a similar selection. The recommendation of Mutsu-Otooyama was perfect, Kirk and I shared a large carafe - which turned out to be the perfect amount for the evening.

The specials offered looked excellent, from which we selected the Toro TarTar immediately. After reviewing the menu, we asked a waiter about the variety on the Sushi Combination for 2. We were really hoping to try some of the more unusual nigiri and sashimi selections on the menu, but their standard combo was a fairly tame. The waiter immediately offered to customize a plate for us, which we immediately agreed to, asking the chef to select what he preferred. We asked if the restaurant served real Wasabi, one of our learnings from the Japanese Tapas and Sushi tasting in New York, and were pleasantly surprised to hear they did. Prior to the food service, a waitress came to the table with an actual Wasabi root and sharkskin grater, from which she proceed to grind fresh wasabi for our sushi - very impressive. The wasabi was slightly milder than the fresh selection we were served in New York, but was still delicious (and far superior to imitation wasabi).

The Toro TarTar was served first, piled into a narrow cylindrical form and topped with tobiko. The texture was amazing, as there were pine nuts mixed with the Toro for a nice crunch, and very tender. A great start to the meal! Our chef's selection of nigiri and sashimi was served next, 12 pieces nigiri, 2 rolls, and 8 pieces of sashimi. The nigiri selections included Claim and Tai (Japanese Red Snapper), plus two other nigiri selctions . The two rolls were Uni with Quail Egg, which both Kirk and I were nervous about trying again, but had been discussing recently. Surpringly, this was amazing - completely different than the last time we tried this previously. It was so soft and creamy, absoluetly delicious! The sashimi was 4 pieces each of Otoro (Fatty Tuna Belly) and Saba (Mackeral). We finished the meal with a Hurricane Roll (Salmon, masago roll topped with tuna, yellowtail, salmon & snapper).

The service was very attentive, without being overwhelming, and the food was delicious. Overall, the best sushi I have had in years - on par with my visit to Japan. This is one restaurant that deserves its reputation!