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TriValleyVine Restaurant Review: Dublin’s Amakara

Ahhhhh, sushi.  I love sushi.  If I could eat any meal in a restaurant it would almost always be sushi. I have tried many sushi restaurants in the Tri-Valley including many in San Ramon, Danville, and Pleasanton.  For the past few months, however, I have only had eyes for one place - Amakara in Dublin. 

The first time I went to Amakara, I will admit that I was not overly impressed.  I think they were working out some kinks in their service and their food.  But, at the urging of some very good friends, I went back to give Amakara a second chance.  I am so grateful I did!

My second visit to Amakara imparted upon me an amazing sushi experience; however our waiter was a bit controlling as to how our tables were set up.  It was sort of weird and rubbed my party the wrong way.  But, no matter, the sushi made me a believer.  I officially became an Amakara devotee on that very night.

Every time since, I have had great service from the waitstaff and wonderful food.  Even when we arrive with all of our kids and friend’s kids in tow, the staff does an impeccable job of making everyone happy and routinely and pleasantly stuffed. 

The restaurant is pretty elegant inside and quite large.  The sushi bar is right in the middle of the dining room and is where all the action’s at.  The first several times I went, there wasn’t much of a crowd.  It was a cinch to get a table, even on weekends.  The last few times I’ve been, this hasn’t been the case - it’s plenty busy. 

On a recent Saturday night, we waited 15 minutes (not bad, but not nothing) for a table at about 7PM and the entire restaurant was full for most of the night. I am happy for Amakara; the word is out!  This devotee will call for reservations on future trips.

My Favorites:

Sushi Items You Cannot Go to Amakara Without Ordering: Hawaiian Delight, Spicy Sesame Seared Tuna or ask the chef to make you an original.

Non-sushi Craveables: Amakara’s gyoza is light, thin and crispy, standing out from most I’ve tasted.  I’ve heard of some who love their grilled edamame, but I would hands-down stick with the steamed.  My wife wants me to mention that Amakara offers the option of ordering white meat chicken teriyaki.  This deserves bonus points, as few folks enjoy the knobs that can make the dark stuff downright distasteful.

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Dublin, San Ramon, Danville, Pleasanton, and Livermore’s End of March Real Estate Update

This graph consists of real time inventory numbers for Danville, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon and Pleasanton. Here are the active real estate housing stats for the Tri-Valley cities for the end of March.

I have noticed a definite increase in buyer interest, as well as seller activity, over the last few weeks in my own real estate practice. Buyers are starting to feel that this may be a great time to buy due to a combination of items: increased inventory, an increased number of value-priced homes, historically low interest rates and possible tax incentives.  I’ve also talked to sellers in the last few weeks that are looking to move up and hoping that a ready and willing buyer becomes interested quickly.  And, it seems, this is happening for some sellers.  Buyers are actively pursuing value-priced homes, including foreclosure and bank-owned properties, as well as homes that have realistic sellers willing to negotiate.  Transactions are happening!

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