2 1/2 stars
I'll start with the positives.
1. Muramoto has large cuts of decent quality fish.
2. They have a large saki list
3. The space itself is trendy.
Now the negatives.
1. The service is terrible. I've been there numerous times and I always leave vowing to never return because the service is so bad. I won't get into specific examples so you'll just have to trust me. When you're spending a fairly sizable amount of money on sushi and saki you should get good service. Some servers are better than others but overall there is a feeling of ineptitude.
2. They're always out of the more interesting cuts of fish.
3. Its in a mall.
4. No saki flights like the one downtown. Why?
5. A bit pricey. $16 for a roll? Ok in some places but Muramoto's are not big enough to be $16.
6. Tables are a bit crowded but this is more of a minor concern compared to the rest of the shortcomings.
Overall the lack of an alternative 'fancy' sushi place in Madison keeps me going to Sushi Muramoto. Unfortunately I feel like the negatives are beginning to outweigh the positives as the restaurant matures (it should be the opposite). If Takara was not in a strip mall next to a dollar-store it'd be my go-to. But for now Muramoto is - somewhat disappointingly - 'it'.
PS I agree with the other reviewer's take on the edamame - mushy and not edible.