New Japanese Restaurant Open Christmas Day

If you are looking to go out to dinner this Christmas, and not feeling up for the typical Chinese take-out, drive on over to Mizuki Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar, located at 156 Main Street in . The restaurant, which celebrated its grand opening this month, is open regular hours on Christmas Day (11 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m.-11 p.m. for dinner) and will be serving off of its regular menu. 

My husband and I decided to try out the restaurant pre-Christmas so we could give Patch readers an honest opinion of this new  spot in case they wanted to go the day of. When stopping in for dinner, we were greeted with friendly smiles and escorted past the sushi bar, which seats six, to the dining area where we were served a hot towel for our hands.

The restaurant is clean, with a simple Japanese flair, and tables are lit with tea light candles and a beautifully embossed draped tablecloth. Tables, as well as booths, line the restaurant comfortably.

After a hectic day, the soothing music transcended us to a relaxed state- it's as if you stepped into a spa. It is a nice romantic setting for a date, to bring the family, or gather with friends. 

The menu was extensive and served Bento Boxes, including with your meal rice, Miso soup, salad, Shumai and a California Roll. Teriyaki meats, tempura, katsu, and noodle entrees are also served, in addition to sushi, which was reasonably priced. 

My husband and I started with edamame and I ended up ordering a Shrimp Tempura roll ($7.95) along with my all time favorite, Sweet Potato Roll ($3.95). My husband started with a Spicy Tuna Roll ($4.95), Spicy Yellow Tail ($5.50) and a Dragon roll ($8.95). The rolls came out beautifully displayed on modern square and rectangular dishes.

The sushi was fresh and delicious. After my husband finished, he made a special request for a spicy eel roll, which was not on the menu, and they were happy to fulfill his request. We enjoyed the sushi so much, we ended up switching our New Year's Eve platter to them instead of another sushi retailer.

The restaurant is BYOB, so grab one of your favorite wines and stop on in to check it out for yourself. In my opinion, you will be glad you did. If you go on Christmas, be sure to look across the street at the beautifully displayed lights at the Butler Police Station!

A copy of their menu is on their web site www.mizukinj.com