Pretty little restaurant with some good fresh sashimi & sushi. The ambiance reminds me more of an L.A type setting and is very easy, hip and cool on the eyes. Service is good, food is good but have yet to try more items on the menu. Tempura corn was definitely a new thing to me, but was yummy =) not to mention presentation was good. I have yet to try Omakase, which my cousin has been telling me about all the time as he eats there often. Hey maybe the stars might be bumped to a 5 after the Omakase ;)

EDIT:

had Omakase 2-3 weeks back with cousins and gf. RIGHT ON THE MONEY!!! ***** 5 stars ALL DAY!!!!!! ***** thats COD my goodness!

Thus far this is the best sushi bar that I've visited stateside. They serve contemporary fusion works for cooked dishes but the sushi is still prepared with great tradition.

I've read some of the complaints here but most of the reasons are cost associated (everyone has their own view of cost vs quality) or they don't understand that when you go to get sushi you sit at the sushi bar and eat...yes...sushi...and you do it with some self-respect and patience.

Our sushi chef for the night is known as Neko and as mentioned in other reviews he is from Nobu's in New York. The choice and maintenance of the ingredients, the cutting and handling skill, the rice quality, the ingredients, and the overall presentation was wonderful. I've not had such a good experience in the United States besides Sushi Ota in San Diego. This even rivals places I've been in East Asia for quality.

I particularly enjoyed the lobster sushi (and watching the preparation of the very slightly seared lobster meat with the roe), the live eel and the anago together, the ocean trout, the uni and ika uni together, and watching the chef secretly down Kohada while preparing our own.

The staff were very polite and quick which positively added to the experience.

I would encourage other "epicures" to give it a try at least once. It was well worth our while because I live on the peninsula and the travel time is relatively short.

Alex brought me here after all the rave (see below me) he heard about it being the new place in Palo Alto with the two "Nobu guys".

The outside doesn't really have a sign yet, (or they do but it's within the window, very hard to see!). The inside is a bit on the trendier side for a sushi place, (Hey, after Nobu, how can these guys cut back on the ambiance aspect now?) but still simple, yet clean and has neutral colours.

The bar is long, and I like how the seats don't make you feel claustrophobic. Alex told me I had to try the live eel, and please let me clarify however, Their "live eel" is eel transported from Japan that they skin daily in the morning. It is VERY very good, especially because you don't taste a piece of eel nigiri splashed in sauce. I loved it!

Also one thing to note, the prices on the menu are per piece. So for instance, one piece of nigiri will run $2.5-$5, or otherwise $5-10 per pair...eeps! A bit higher than your normal place but, the quality shows through so really, it's not much higher.

OH, if you want a good bang for the buck, go with the Sushi Dinner. It includes the home-made miso soup, 8 pieces of nigiri, and 6 pieces of spicy tuna roll (all for $20.) The sashimi dinner is $26, or deluxe sashimi dinner (higher quality pieces, supposedly at least) for $28.

Omakase prices, $60, $75 (same amt as the $60, but higher quality sushi,) and $90.

1.) Food taste  - 5 stars

Super high quality fish. Rice is pretty good. Tea (green) is super. Miso soup made from scratch.

2.) Cleanliness, freshness - 4 stars

Clean interior, counter. Standard..

3.) Presentation - 4.5 stars

Pretty, I like.

4.) Location/price - 5 stars

Decent prices (if you get the combination plates). Easy parking.

5.) Service - 5 stars

Attentive staff

Recommendations:  Kobe Beef Tataki, "Live" Eel, Oh Toro

I came here for lunch with a buddy of mine after reading reviews on it. The two chefs are great really amicable guys (they explained to me that they quit their jobs at Nobu New York and opened this place). I like how they gave me background on all of my orders, like that their Tai is fed copious amounts of green tea. One chef took note that I really enjoy Aji, so he had the bone deep fried for me - which was very nice of him.

The nigiri was very good and the live eel blew me away, I've never had it like that before. This time I only ordered nigiri, however I will return and may venture out into the rest of menu.

Good work guys, keep it up.

Once in awhile, so bereft of sleep, my body relents to hibernation; thirty-six hours of don't-call-me-I'll-call-you, like Dead.To.The.World., I might as well be anesthetized.  It's amazing, really, to wake up in the shadows and glows of street lamps peeking through the blinds with not a clue as to what year or time of day it is and certainly not a single worry or question except for the most important one, of course, which is, what to feed this hollow belly:  Breakfast or dinner?  Bellini or pinot noir?  Bacon or bacon? 

Come Friday, I had seen the sun rise once too many times this week.  A literal pain was crying out to play the social Flake card and book some time with said dormancy.  Tempted to take a rain check yet again, I decided better of it and met a friend for dinner at Jin Sho.

Good call, because this is possibly my new favorite sushi joint.  Kiss Seafood and other more traditional Japanese restaurants are run by, arguably, traditional and frigid chefs - their frown lines deep and settled in, marked by how despotically they take their codes and craft.  But the head chefs are so mild and good-natured that I'm won over by how they manage to move orders in the open kitchen without sacrificing their plating skills or abandoning their counter patrons.  Observe how soft and limber Ichiro-san keeps his wrists when knifing, like a beauty queen waving in a street parade.

We chose the mid-range omakase, and due to fact that it was our first visit, the chefs presented us with dishes (but nothing fried at my request) off the menu as a general sampling: 

wild toro tartare topped with caviar and a very sweet yamamomo served on a bed of shaved ice; 

wild seared sake with kaiware and a delicious onion-miso sauce;

grilled marinated miso black cod;

angus beef tobanyaki (sadly, came out too well-done for my taste);

assorted sushi, including maguro zuke;

miso soup;

strawberry panna cotta;

mango mochi ice cream

The servers were top notch and attentive, refilling my tea cup just before I thought to motion.  In fact, one of my guys left Sumika Los Altos to join the team at Jin Sho and as always, he was so nice to present us with a bottle of nigori sake off the menu.  I recommend the hou hou shu sparking sake as a delectable complement to dessert. 

Unless you have a particular aversion to raw foods, my opinion is that the omakase (namely, the entrees) isn't necessary, but a great way to familiarize yourself with the real strengths of the menu.  My next visit shall no doubt include a lot more sushi bar and sashimi selections, a special request for uni and a certain spider roll wrapped with a sheet of cucumber.  As other people have described, if you're looking for a bit of pizazz and sexiness, the peninsula's version of a Jewel Bako NY has yet to make an appearance (*sigh*), but what Jin Sho does do right is serve wonderful quality fish and that makes it a jem it it of itself.

Went back today for lunch and have upped this to 5 stars.

Sure, it's a bit more pricey than other lunch places. The sushi lunch is $18 vs. $10 or so at other places. But this lunch came with a substantial portion of fish. Really generous cuts of nigiri (but not overly thick. think long instead). And a 6 pieces spicy tuna crunch roll. And soup.

For this quality I'm more than willing to pay more. Definitely recommended and my new fave sushi lunch spot.

Will need to go back again to try more, but here's a review of the omakase.

Continuing my trend of giving new sushi places a try and trusting in them the first time, we did our standard let's do omakase the first time and order off the menu the next time (which we really need to remember to do!)

We opted for the $75 omakase (slightly higher quality was the description). The description was:

- 2 courses from sushi bar, 2 courses from kitchen, sushi, soup, dessert

hmm. did that mean 2 course from sushi bar AND sushi? who knows (well, I do now)

we got:

- tuna carpaccio kind thingy. it was tuna toro sorta mushed and put in a cylindrical shape, served with caviar and a cool berry on the side. It was good, the berry was really intersting.

- wild yellowtail served with an onion sauce and cabbage sprouts. Really good. fresh fish, interesting sauce.

- rock shrimp tempura . this was really good but what they neglected to tell us when they serve it (or I didn't hear) was that it was rock shrimp and LOBSTER tempura. A hearty portion and the tempura was almost donut like in its flavor and consistency. I enjoyed this a lot.

- miso black cod. I think this dish was made famous by Nobu and the two chefs here worked at Nobu NY, so it wasn't surprising that this was a fantastic rendition. and again, a very hearty portion

- sushi. yup, also included sushi. I'm not sure I remember them -- seared toro, something else, trout, something that came braided and was interested and live eel. All the sushi was very good and beautifully presented.

- soup

at this point we were told it was the last course before dessert and asked if we wanted anything else. I thought this was a nice gesture (and the tuna nigiri we asked for was comp'd)

- dessert was a very light berry creamy thing. Not a great description, I know, but it was really nice.

Anyway, the service was great and attentive. The food was expertly prepared. I look forward to going back and exploring the menu on my own.

came here for my parents anniversary. the place didn't look fancy, but the food was most delicious and most fancy. i love it... LOVE IT when restaurants actually put thought into their food.

we ordered the Omakase $75 and was stuffed. I usually don't order omakase because I'm allergic to fish and eel. I'm super sensitive too. I can't even use the same spoon that scooped up fish to get something else. So the very very polite and helpful waiter asked me what I could eat and I listed everything on the menu besides fish and eel.

1st flight: Tuna Tartar (I got Seafood Ceviche) - SUPER FRESH

2nd flight: Hamachi with Sesame Miso dressing (Lobster with Sesame Miso dressing) - SUPER FRESH AGAIN! My mom said the fish was really really smooth and my lobster was perfect. Huge portions too. I think it a tail and a claw.. for a SALAD?!

3rd flight: Rock Shrimp Tempura (Canadian Duck) - My duck was so tender and the sauce was sweet and just the right amount of tartness. My family wasn't very impressed with the tempura. It reminded them of mayonnaise shrimp with walnuts you find at any 2 star Chinese restaurant but they said you can tell the batter was very very good.

4th flight: Cod (Angus Steak) .. by this time we were all pretty full but still delicious!

5th flight: Assorted Nigiri (Super Spider Roll) - SUper Fresh again! The spider roll wasn't mondo filled with rice like you'd find at other Japanese restaurants. You can tell the chefs have are most talented because my huge rolls did not fall apart. There was also a thin slice of cucumber wrapped around the outside.

6th and final flight: strawberry panna cotta - perfect light and refreshing to end the meal.

total with sake .... $400. Yea, a bit pricey for the location, atmosphere and decor, but the portions are pretty hefty and I liked it. Will come back most def, but will probably try a la carte.

thumbs up: FRESHNESS, friendly, thought into the food, service, cleanliness, taste

I'm going to bed dreaming of the jalapeno hamachi and the blackened cod.  But EVERYTHING was so unbelievable -- including the service.

When I popped the piece of O Toro sushi in my mouth, I experienced something that I never thought would happen...

The piece of sushi melted in my mouth before I could even chew it!! It was the most delicious sushi I have ever had!! They get the O Toro and store it overnight to make it more buttery!!

And the service was like the warmth of a mom and pops joint with the five star food!!

You can't really go wrong with two sushi chefs moving out here from Nobu in New York and if that's not enough, here's another reason to come here-

THEY ORDER THEIR FISH FROM JAPAN!!

hint: Sitting at the bar definetly has it's perks. After ordering the black cod in miso and yellowtail tar tar with caviar...everything else was per recommendations of the chef.

Short Review: Awesome! Go there now

Long Review: I saw this place on "Hot on Yelp," and while on my way home tonight stopped in. Omg soooo good. It was empty when I first entered so I thought it was closed but I was overwhelmed with how greeted I was. I never know what to order when going to a restaurant so I usually ask the server or host. Well luckily, this place has that option on the menu already, its a little pricey but it was a really good experience. I ended up with the blackened cod in a very yummy miso sauce, and the shrimp tempura in an awesome spicy mayonaise that put it over the top.

The service was great. My server was very kind and very conscious with what I liked and didn't like. I don't know how helpful I was though since it was all awesome. Garnish or not, I used everything on my plate to soak up everything on my plate.  They have a special lunch menu too with what looks like really good values for your buck. I hope this place isn't just this good on first visit. I want to actually come back there again soon. Again if I didn't mention it, I loved this place.I got to convince some coworkers now to make a drive down during lunch someday.

Jin Sho is quickly making its way into my list of favorite Japanese restaurants in the south bay.

My experience at Jin Sho echos what several other reviewers (Dan V, Marc Y, Dennis J) have already posted, so I'll attempt to provide a slightly different perspective; the cuisine served up by chefs Ichiro-san and Kaneko (Neko-san) is just mouth-wateringly delicious and creative.

I went there twice in the space of a week, and both times I sat at the counter and ordered the same set omakase dinner. We received no repeat dishes at all, and the breadth of the dishes the chefs are able to serve up is impressive!  So far the range has spanned subtly flavored toro tartare to Angus steak on a hot-plate, to a delicious seafood broth, to well-cut sushi (see the pics I uploaded up top).

On my second visit to Jin Sho, we specifically requested that one of the courses be duck only for one of the diners in our party, as she loved duck, and I remembered how good the duck had been on my first visit. That was the only request we made, and it was then that Chef Neko-san allowed this little tidbit of information:  the creative dishes that he prepares are not based on a set of standard recipes that aims for 100% consistency, but rather reflects his mood at the time. So in essence the dishes are all a bit unique each time. True enough, when the duck was presented, it was a different preparation than the first time I had it, but nevertheless, just as good.

Another strong point I found was that the sauces that were used in the dishes were as much a part of the dish's character as the main ingredient. Oftentimes, the sauce is more of an afterthought, and by themselves not memorable at all. Not so at Jin Sho. Case in point, the ginger-soy sauce that followed the shima-aji with kaiware sprouts, and the olive oil-vinegar-jalapeno sauce drizzled on the organic salmon. Mind-blowingly good!

Service, as others have mentioned, was polite, and kept up with the pace of our eating. Parking is a non-issue as well - plenty of street parking, and there's a parking garage just on the back side of the block. Overall I am thrilled to have Jin Sho in the south bay and can't wait to go back for another visit.

Dining out with Marc Y. can be quite the culinary experience, though I've learned to be sure to hit the ATM first, because I never know if the meal is going to break my wallet or not. He invited me to join him and a couple of other friends for dinner at Jin Sho. "It's a new Japanese fusion restaurant," he said.

We all decided to order the $90 omakase dinner and a bottle of sake. Between my poor short-term memory and the sake, I can remember the seared beltfish, the organic salmon sashimi, the unagi wrapped in harumaki, and an assortment of sushi, all of which were delicious. At some point during the meal, we were served an incredible seafood "soup" with shrimp, clams, lobster, and vegetables in a clam and lobster broth.

What I didn't expect to be served in a Japanese restaurant were three perfect little lamb chops, with a dollop of mashed potatoes. Oh, my god. I haven't wanted to cry over food so good since the first time I had the prime rib at Alexander's Steakhouse in Cupertino.

The dessert was the delicious strawberry panna cotta mentioned by other reviewers.

The restaurant was nearly empty that Saturday night, and we got to chat with the chefs while we dined at the bar. The wait staff was attentive and polite. With the glowing reviews Jin Sho has been getting, I'd wonder if we would get such a personal experience for long, but I'm definitely looking forward to going back for another visit.

1, I am speechless with the dish.

2, I am speechless with the 2 chefs. ( both from Nobu N.Y)

3, I am speechless with the wait staff.

4, I am speechless with the *real-live-Unagi.

5, I am speechless with the real- Miso soup made from scratch.

6, I am speechless with the great tea.

7, I am speechless with the nice clean counter & interior.

8, I am speechless with the Petaluma Chicken.

9, I am speechless with the Sushi-Neta( fish) and Shari( sushi-rice).

10, I am speechless with the service.

10 star, period.

* importing live eel from Japan! This place doesn't use frozen Unagi.

I have never had the Unagi the way prepared like this place.

In the menu, there is a Sushi-dinner, 28 bucks with 10 Nigiri with 1 Tekka maki with miso-soup. Coincidentally, the chef was making it when I was looking the menu. The 10-Nigiri + 1 Tekka for 28, about 2.20 each? ( 1 Tekka is 6 bucks)

That's a bargain! With the great fresh fish in there!

When I said that to the chef, he was glad to hear that 28 is seems high for a sushi dinner but 2.20 each is cheap. He said that the fish he choose are very pricy. I can tell the pricy fish by just looking at the Nigiri.

There are plenty of Sushi-Nazi-chefs out there and said, " I make Traditional Sushi in Authentic Japanese way. So you must appreciate the Sushi I make!", kind of attitude. And they go on to say, " I don't make ANY Jive Ass Rolls because That's not Authentic Sushi, period!".

Man, they are such a dickhead.

They are all themselves, such a self centered and living in their own kitchen and they think they know everything about Sushi in their own small mind.

And, I agreed with them, but now I am sorry.

Yes, I am sorry. I said it out loud!

This is my 300th review and I am sorry that I was such a hard ass MXXXXX FXXXXX. But not anymore because these 2 great authentic sushi chefs from Japan have the rolls in the menu and told me that, " if it's good, it's good. we are open for any thing new and we are not afraid to try it."

There are 3 different level of Omakase-dinner.

$60, $75 and $90.

We had Omakase-dinner $75 per person.

I'm not go into the details but we got way over our limit.

Satisfied with Full stomach and No Regret!

It was a great fun educational dinner.

There is open kitchen you can see it from the counter. In the kitchen, there were 3 Latino guys  working very hard. I think the 3 guys are going to learn the real thing. I do wish them  good luck because they are the next generation if they can keep up, and that's the only way to be a good sushi chef.

P.S., Please see the other reviews especially Ken K, Dan V and KQN for good detail information.

P.S., they have pre-fixed lunch, $16.

And NO BENTO-BOX! The chef said," I don't want to do "Bento" because Bento is originally take-out thing in Japan so it should not serving inside of restaurant because it's all cold food."

Yes, he is right, Bento means take-out. I'm just tired eating Bento inside of restaurant anyway.

The shima aji with ginger-soy dressing and purple kaiware sprouts alone makes the meal 5 stars.  I wanted to lick the plate clean, but refrained.

For a taste of New York style Japanese & fusion that's done right and righteously so, look no further than Jin Sho in Palo Alto, the latest addition to the gourmet Japanese landscape that will very very quickly soon be widely talked about, bookmarked like mad.

One week fresh into opening, and Jin Sho staff were running at full speed and capacity (except for the 10 seater bar of which I was the only lunch patron there), serving the patrons in the main dining area of between 10 to 12 tables.

The chef's choice or omakase lunch offering is an arguably halfway scaled down affair at $45, and captures a nice snapshot of the strengths of this restaurant, so for those wanting your fix of BIG ARSE STOOPID NAME ROLLZ  might be missing out on some really good stuff.

In addition the lunch omakase set meal offers the choice from 2 sushi courses (includes sashimi) and 2 cooked dishes, although you are more than welcome to mix and match. What surprised me was the inclusion of dessert that I did not immediately see on the menu.

Oh yeah I got a bowl of miso soup too.

Starter:

Toro tartare - similar style to Koo's version in SF, except it was all toro (no avocado and other ingredients to make it multilayered). Literally a clone of Nobu Matsuhisa's creation, right down to the plating, the bed of ice, and a small piece of insanely delicious Japanese mountain peach (yamamomo).

Sashimi platter - 3 large pieces of hamachi with very finely minced (garlic?) and topped with a razor thin slice of okra diameter sized jalapeno, then doused with yuzu shoyu. Show off your chopstick skills and roll that up, then pop it in for less messier consumption.

Angus beef tobanyaki - A nice short round ceramic mini pot that guzzled steam and fragrance when the lid was lifted. Seriously sizzling delicious rib eye cut of Angus beef with a shoyu based sauce. Lots of marbling on the rib eye, and as unhealthy as it was, you don't want to waste the fat. Let it soak up the juices and down that muthafugga like a man.

Nigiri ikkan (1 pc each) sampler that includes very fine and delicate/delicious light brown gari, and moist paste hon wasabi (pre-prepped from squeeze tube), not the powered all artificial stuff). I should ask if they season their own soy sauce next time.

FRESH (LIVE) anago with yuzugosho - Kaneko-san explained to me that they imported a whole live and moving eel from Japan, filet and prep it from scratch. Then steamed to the right consistency. Served with no nikiri, but just a dab of yuzugosho. I think some good nikiri might benefit this a little more, as the anago was a tad bit fishy, but the consistency was excellent. Fresh eel is the norm in Asia, but rare as hen's teeth at least in the Bay Area. This is a strong selling point.

salmon - the wild variety arguably from Pacific Northwest (did not ask). Interesting usage of the word "organic" by Shawn C :-)

maguro zuke - this is not a prep that everyone enjoys. One might argue that marinating bluefin is a waste of fresh fish or that this makes the fish last longer by preserving it in marination), but I disagree it can be a wonderful interpretation on a classic. Although this is a simple shoyu, perhaps sake and mirin base receipe, the end result differs from place to place. This was one of the highlights, along with the fresh anago. Even better tasting prep than Kitsho's and arguably a notch better than Ino's (to be fair Jin Sho's zuke might be chu-toro or hon maguro akami)

ao (kuruma) ebi - blue prawn, served cooked. But get this, it's the closest thing you'll ever get to trying the real Japanese Kuruma Ebi for the Bay Area (since most places use pre-cooked and pre butterflied ebi for sushi). A whole prawn is skewered on a wooden stick from the tail side up to near the head, then steamed until perfectly juicy. The body is deshelled, sliced/butterflied, the pointy tip of the center part of the tail removed, head twisted but not detached, and the chef starts molding it as NIGIRI with the head still on! I'm then told to take a bite of the prawn meat, then "suck on the head" (I can hear a lot of snickering amongst you round about now). What the chef meant was the "brain juice" goes well with the prawn meat. It was delicious. You will never want to have regular crap ebi sushi anymore after this. This is true Japanese Kuruma style ebi prep (cook, clean, prep from scratch).

Madai - served with skin on. Delicious!

Albacore - Usually not too crazy about this, but this almost tasted like it was marinated. I gave the chef some feedback that I thought it was and he was open to offering it in the future (bincho zuke).

A delicious and beautiful strawberry pana cotta (same one that Dan V got) closed the epic lunch.

It is very rare to find a place that does fusion, cooked food, and sushi so well and Jin Sho is a very welcome addition to the scene.

At the rate of full steam speed they are heading, they are going to be very famous very soon.

One week old Jin Sho is a Japanese restaurant devoted to exploring a blend of Japanese ingredients with North & South American techniques, with an occasional tribute to European cuisine.

Chefs Kaneko ("Neko") & Ichiro bring very refined culinary craft & art that is not afraid of wandering away from traditional Japanese cooking & ingredients.  If you are someone who believes in rigid conservative culinary disciplines shouldn't expand outside of their ethnic boundaries, this may not be your place...  maybe stick to your local sushi nazi & enjoy your harsh discipline.

Much has been mentioned of Neko & Ichiro's ties to NYC's Nobu restaurant, one of the first high-end Asian Fusion chains to take the world by storm.  Few are aware of Nobu Matsuhisa's original venture Matsuhisa [link:  http://www.yelp.com/biz/matsuhisa-beverly-hills#hrid:rtSXowuNCXvc5WgHX3SFuw ] which opened in the 1980s & fused cool Tokyo ingredients with warm Buenos Aires flavors & prep techniques.  The chefs at Jin Sho are obviously fans & have crafted a menu that shows their passions & inspiration to take their experiments into something new for Bay Area diners.

The space is clean & airy with high cielings & the service is solid & efficient.  The dining room is divided between a long counter & about 12 tables.  There is a long hallway leading to a back entrance & restroom area.  If you take a close look at the pictures in the hall way you may find Kaneko & Ichiro hamming it up with the likes of Robert DeNiro, Nobu Matsuhisa & others.

The menu is divided into cooked dishes & sushi.  Beverage menu is focused on sake (affordable selections & flights) & wine,  Bottled beer is available (Sapporo & Asahi).

We sat at the bar & ordered from the chef after asking him for his recommendations & clarifications.  The chefs were both extremely helpful & forthcoming with specifics.  We settled on two tasting menus consisting of 6-7 dishes from the kitchen & then two plates of sushi along with black edamame appetizer, miso soup & a wonderful dessert (more on that later).

The first 2 courses were a terrine of wild blue fin toro served topped with caviar, in a shallow pool of soy/ponzu/wasabi sauce.  If you have ever been to Masa in NYC, this may ring a bell.  The paired course were four kumamoto oysters, gently seared, topped with santa barbara uni & seasoned with chili oil & toasted sesame seeds...  this was a standout dish.  The first 2 courses impressed us both.  The impressive addition of yamamomo (mountain peach) as a palate cleanser was a very nice touch, reminded me of Sugiyama in NYC (another NobuNYC alumnus).

Next up were two platings of sashimi served alongside sauces.  The first was kampachi served alongside a deceivingly rich-looking ginger-soy dressing that was actually quite light & elegant, & garnished with purple kaiware sprouts & lightly fried onions.  The second plate of sashimi was sakura masu (ocean trout) served along side a vibrant mizuna green salad with jalapeno dressing.  This had a nice kick that balanced the delicately rich nature of the fish.

Next was Angus beef tobanyaki served with a petite arrangement of oshitashi watercress salad, jagaimo mashed potatoes & carrots.  The steak was served perfectly, medium-well on the surface & medium-rare in the middle, & topped with garlic chips.

Last of the kitchen dishes was Rock Shrimp Tempura ("ebi mayo"), the tempura was exquisite, not greasy at all & very delicate.  The rock shrimp was really flavorful.

Next was the sushi moriawase course which featured aoyagi (blue clam), madai (true sea bream), sawara (spanish mackerel), shimaaji (striped jack), maguro zuke (this was top notch, one of the better lightly seared marinated tuna I've had in the states), blue fin toro, kohada (gizzard shad), aji (horse mackerel) & anago (sea eel).  Almost all the fish was from Japan, & the kohada & sawara was garnished with minced ginger, & the tai was garnished with yuzu kosho.

The sushi was great, I was surprised these guys could kitchen-cook & serve sushi both very well.  Beautiful knife skill & rice recipe was very nice, maybe a little light on the vinegar for my tastes but still wonderful.  The chefs then took some fresh ao ebi (giant blue shrimp) & served them head on (cooking was done steamed on kushi sticks).  So much flavor, amazing.

For dessert we learned that Kaneko's wife prepared strawberry panna cotta for us.  His wife, prior to moving to California, apparently was the only Japanese chef ever employed at DANIEL in New York City, which is regarded as perhaps the best restaurant in the United States.  This was delicious & decorated very festively (red, white & green mint garnish for a holiday feel).  Delicious, even for the lactose-challenged (ahem).

I was surprised how prepared the Jin Sho guys were for only being a week old.  I have a feeling Jin Sho is a place that you'll be happy you can find a seat now, because in the future...?

Jin Sho should just rename itself to Mouth Orgasm.

As stated in previous reviews, the owners (Kaneko and Ichiro) use to work at Kanpai along with being Executive Chefs at Nobu in New York. Now on to the review breakdown...

Edamame: This may seem trivial to some people, but edamame sets the stage for the rest of the food. I've never had edamame so delicious in my entire life. So what if it is $7 an order!

Sashimi: I haven't been much of a sashimi fan in the past, but one of the nights I was in there, it was just me and the chefs and they started serving me some of their favorite Sashimi. From organic salmon to live eel (yes, they get the eel live the day of, filet it, grill it, steam it and ta-da!). Everything they gave me was fantastic.

Rolls: I LOVE rolls. Especially spicy ones. I don't honestly know which ones I got off the menu because I just told them to make me some spicy rolls, but all of them had their own unique flavor and all of them had something I've never had (homemade garlic soy chips anyone?). They are both very creative with not only their food presentation, but making it taste different than you're use to having it taste.

Sake: I thought it was a cardinal sin not to give a blurb about the sake in this joint. Well, as you have probably already guessed, it was wonderful. They have a lot of sake I've never seen before which is a plus, because I've been so use to seeing the same "authentic" sake on every sushi restaurant's menu.

Atmosphere: No, not the band. This place isn't somewhere that gets real loud with people standing on chairs racing each other doing sake -bombs while everyone else is betting who is going to fall first. I haven't seen it completely packed yet, but it seems like the place that has moderate noise level.

Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have.

A rival to Sushi Tomi (Mountain View) and Edo Mata / Sushi Sam's (San Mateo) arrives. The two sushi chefs at this new joint (opened Friday 12/7 for dinner and will open for lunches as well beginning Monday 12/10) both moved out west from Nobu in NYC to open this restaurant. Their sushi is authentic. The selection is titillating - the fish is imported from all across the sea - Alaskan king salmon, ocean trout from Tanzania/Oceania, blue fin tuna from Japan. They are chosen for robust taste and are full of layers of subtle flavors. The rice is authentic Japanese sushi-style. This is not the place to go to order Americanized dragon rolls and godzilla whatevers. They know their cuisine. Each sake on the menu was hand-picked by the chefs. Appetizers are reminiscent of Nobu-style creativity. Jin Sho will be a place you'll return to time and again.

Taking over the old Salsa restaurant (which moved over next to Mediterranean Wraps) and the adjoining space, Jin Sho is a great new addition to the Japanese restaurant scene in Palo Alto. The layout of the restaurant is very simple and modern. The sushi bar sits to the right of the restaurant while a row of tables line the left. Simple wood furniture, elegant bar area and large picture windows showcase the space from the outside.

The menu is mix of both traditional Japanese sushi/sashimi mixed with some noveau entrees. After giving a hearty look at the menu while waiting for the last person in the party, we couldn't figure out what we wanted because everything looked so good. So we opted for two of the three Omakase options ($60 & $75 respectively, I tried the latter; there's also a $90 choice) and two appetizers. The spread included:

Appetizers:

- Rock Shrimp Tempura w Spicy Mayo and Yuzu Lemon

- Corn Tempura with Maccha Salt

Omakase 1:

- Oysters Plate with Three Sauces

- Tuna Sashimi Salad

- Rock Shrimp Tempura

- Grilled Miso Marinated Black Cod

- Assorted sushi 5 pieces

- Miso Soup

- Mochi Ice Cream

Omakase 2:

- Toro Tartare with Caviar in Wasabi soy

- Salmon with Jalapeno Dressing with Mizuna Greens and Garlic Sauce

- Grilled Miso Marinated Black Cod

- Angus Beef Tobanyaki with Garlic Sauce

- Sushi Plate: Kohada, Hirame, Kanpachi, Hotate, Chu Toro

- Miso Soup

- Mochi Ice Cream

Everything was fantastic. The standouts for us were the Toro Tartar, oysters, black cod and rock shrimp tempura. Even with the selection of food we had, the menu had so many more things we wanted to try. There are thirty selections for sushi/sashimi and about the same for salads, appetizers, and soup/noodles. Finally, there are ten entrees and 18 rolls. That's a lot of different combinations. They also have a nice selection of various sakes but since it was a school night we refrained.

Since the place is brand new and we were there on a weeknight we almost had the place to ourselves. The staff was focused but super friendly and they all came and greeted us at one point. The chef came out and asked our opinions and we got to speak with him a bit too.

Great debut and I'm looking forward to many future visits.

Jin Sho: Thoroughly modern sushi

JIN SHO FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAMED CHEF

By Aleta Watson

Mercury News

Article Launched: 04/13/2008 02:02:18 AM PDT

Blame Nobu Matsuhisa, the celebrated Japanese chef who gave raw fish a Latin accent in L.A. before spinning off a galaxy of eponymous restaurants: Classic sushi no longer has the undisputed star power it enjoyed a decade ago.

Hip Japanese restaurants today are expected to stretch culinary boundaries, introducing new flavors and combinations within a framework of traditional techniques. When all the elements are in balance, this new cuisine feels like a natural evolution of the Japanese aesthetic.

Consider the gorgeous platter of raw yellowtail ($15) - thinly sliced, dotted with slivers of jalapeño, and swimming in a bright ponzu - served at Jin Sho in Palo Alto. The fish, buttery and mild, gets a gentle jolt from the fresh chile, underscored by the sharp, citrus tang of the sauce. It's a fusion dish, but it doesn't stray far from its sashimi origins.

From N.Y. to Palo Alto If the yellowtail recalls one of Matsuhisa's signature dishes, that's because Jin Sho owners Ichiro Takahashi and Noriomi Kaneko are alums of Nobu's New York restaurant. They brought that dish and several other favorites to Palo Alto from their years working as a sushi chef and a sous chef in the Manhattan kitchens.

The Japanese-born chefs opened their small restaurant on California Avenue last December. Located in a modest storefront, it's a sleek, minimally decorated oasis of calm in the heart of Silicon Valley. A long sushi bar and open kitchen line one wall of the 47-seat dining room distinguished by a high ceiling and exposed trusses. Dropped ceiling panels, painted a cheerful marigold yellow, float above wood benches and dark-stained tables on the opposite wall. Lights are low and the music soft.

Jin Sho's small menu is almost equally divided between more adventurous fusion dishes and traditional sushi and sashimi offerings, most made with fish flown in from Japan. The chefs take pride in serving varieties that are not readily available outside Japan, including octopus shipped live.

The sushi was uniformly good, the rice nicely seasoned and the fish fresh and expertly cut, on my visits. Still, it was the other items that set the restaurant apart. Flavors were vivid but not brash, and presentations were eye-catching on everything from the impressively tender slices of barely seared Kobe beef tataki ($20) to the nicely balanced ceviche salad ($15), dressed in olive oil, lime and Peruvian spices.

Savory black cod Miso-marinated Alaskan black cod ($18), an often-imitated dish from Nobu, was elegant and satisfying, with a melting texture and deeply savory flavor. Rock shrimp tempura ($12), also a Nobu specialty, were plump and juicy beneath their thin, crisp coat of batter. They were served with a handful of greens and a spicy mayo sauce.

I could be very happy here making a meal from the appetizer page of the menu. Even the usually unremarkable seaweed salad ($8) stood out with its textural mix of four marine vegetables - wakame, green tosaka, red tosaka, and mekabu - tossed with a mellow sesame dressing. Slices of seared tuna sashimi ($15), encrusted with pepper, were enlivened by a creamy onion sauce dressing mixed lettuces and crunchy rice sticks. Chunks of crunchy, salty pickled eggplant played against the soft, velvet texture of nasu miso ($7), deep-fried eggplant accented by the caramelized flavors of sweet miso ($7).

The chicken kushiyaki ($12), however, was a letdown. The skewers of chicken were dry and tough from over-cooking, and no amount of the lively anticucho sauce - made with Peruvian chiles - could save them.

Perhaps the most delightful surprise was the lamb chops with wasabi garlic sauce ($24) listed among the 10 entrees. A rack of six beautifully trimmed chops - simply seasoned with rosemary, bay leaf and thyme and perfectly grilled to medium rare - is served with very Western mashed potatoes and spinach. It's a wonderful dish but not what I'd expect to find on an Asian menu. "I like lamb chops," Kaneko explained later. "I made the menu with what I like to eat."

Server was flawless Guiding my companions and me through the menu both evenings was a gracious and charming server who hit just the right note of friendliness. His timing was flawless and his pride in Jin Sho's cuisine obvious. "Just to let you know, this is the real Kobe beef from Japan," he pointed out one night as he delivered the extraordinary tataki.

To accompany the food, there's an extensive sake menu as well as sake-based cocktails, Japanese beers, and a quartet of wines. The sake flights are a nice way to become more familiar with the range of flavors brewed from rice.

One evening, the special was a young spring sake, Kasumi Tsuru ($25 for a 300 ml bottle), served icy cold in a special carafe. It was delicate and fruity with a hint of almond on the finish.

Ending your meal with a good glass of sake may well be the best choice here. The only desserts offered at Jin Sho are mochi ice cream ($2) and a bland panna cotta ($6) with a thin, very sweet strawberry sauce.

Jin Sho454 S. California Ave., near El Camino,

Palo Alto (650) 321-3454.

***

The dish Japanese cuisine takes on a Latin accent at this hip new restaurant and sushi bar in Palo Alto's California Avenue neighborhood. The owner-chefs are alums of Nobu in New York.

Price range Lunch $12-$20. Dinner appetizers $7-$24, entrees $12-$28. Omikase (chef's tasting menu) $60-$90. Corkage fee: $10.

Details Sake, beer and wine.

Pluses Extraordinary raw yellowtail with jalapeño and yuzu, elegant miso-marinated Alaskan black cod.

Minuses Dull, dry chicken kushiyaki and bland panna cotta.

Hours Lunch 11:45 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner 5:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, till 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Restaurants are rated on a four-star scale: four stars (excellent), three stars (good), two stars (fair) and one star (poor). Reviews are conducted anonymously. The Mercury News pays for all meals.