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Monday, September 7, 2009
Now open: Mizu Prime Steak and Sushi
Something must have been going right for the owners of Mizu during their time in the Lohman’s Crossing area of Lakeway, because on Sept. 1, the restaurant moved up the road on RM 620 to a vaulted stone-and-beam cathedral of a building with spectacular views of the hills around Lake Travis.
The mixing of steak and sushi might seem an unlikely pairing of two very different disciplines, but Mizu clearly takes both styles seriously. On the grill side, Mizu brought in Christopher Bauer, the chef who helped launch Finn & Porter at the downtown Hilton Austin. The sushi side is overseen by Tatsuki, whose career includes time alongside Tyson Cole at Uchi. The general manager is Brian Phillips, who worked with Bauer at Finn & Porter and most recently was a wine sommelier at the Driskill Grill. Phillips said Mizu’s owners are going for a neighborhood restaurant and bar that offers ‘a little bit of everything for everybody.’
The menu promises something like that, with nigiri from $2 to $5 per piece, edamame sauteed with garlic and wine for $3, well-portioned sushi rolls such as the classic California and spicy tuna ($8 each) and specialty rolls like the Mclovin ($12 with crab, peppered tuna, avocado and serrano peppers) and the Mizu ($20, with lobster, Kobe beef and grilled asparagus). From the bistro side, Bauer offers crispy duck confit ($23), Niman Ranch tandoori chicken ($21) and hard-core Kobe rib-eye with a side for $39. At lunch, there’s a Kobe burger with fries for $9 and a fried halibut po-boy with a salad for $11, along with pizza, pastas, entree salads and sushi combos.
The bar, called Branch, pours a full line of mixed drinks and high-end cocktails, and the wine list reflects Phillips’ goal of encouraging experimentation with ‘esoteric and value-driven wines, something that’s a little bit more fun.’
3001 RM 620 S., Lakeway. 263-2801, www.mizuaustin.com.
Hours: Bar 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, with a bar menu served until 1 a.m. daily. Lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
(American-Statesman photos by Mike Sutter)
