There's just something relaxing about a sunday afternoon drive through the hills on Southwest Parkway. The lengthy, meandering road easily takes you away from the city, classes, work and stress. This particular Sunday, I was heading toward a lazy brunch at Mizu Prime Steak & Sushi.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Brunch at a sushi and steakhouse? But Mizu’s menu definitely isn’t shy, combining sushi rolls named after pop culture figures, omelettes made with duck confit and plate-sized pancakes.
The hostess was waiting to greet us inside the restaurant with a bright smile. Since the weather was verging on perfect, we were escorted to a table on the open patio. The view included a vast panorama of the hills, green and spackled with two-story homes.
Here is where the story begins to splinter into the enjoyable aspects and the not terrible, but unimpressive, points of Mizu. I’ll start the list by saying the service was amazing.
Everyone who assisted us had a welcoming and helpful attitude. Our glasses were always full, and there was nothing we needed that wasn’t promptly brought to our table.
The food was a little more hit-or-miss. A basket of miniature banana nut bread loaves, still warm and crispy from the oven, arrived accompanied by a small cup of cinnamon butter. It’s a very rare occasion that I would call the complimentary bread one of the best parts of a meal, but these phenomenal tiny cakes are the exception to the rule.
The next item out was The King, a sushi roll made with spicy salmon, avocado, escolar, grilled scallion and yellow curry vinaigrette, topped with slivers of crisp garlic. The name and description led me to expect a flavor explosion, while what I got was closer to a dud. The spicy salmon wasn’t spicy and the rice was a little mushier than it should have been. The roll was generous in size, but for $12, I’ll try something else next time.
The buttermilk pancakes, $9 for three, were light and spongy by themselves, but their topping of blueberry Grand Marnier maple syrup made them even better. The fruit cup full of ripe kiwi strips, blood orange segments and fresh strawberries made the plate a perfect breakfast.
The most successful dish presented was the tamarind chicken melt, $11, packed full of smoked cheddar, avocado, pineapple and fried onions. The accessory house fries were crispy, spicy and quickly devoured.
Brunch at Mizu can be worth the drive and the price, if you make the right choices. Stick to the sandwiches, skip the sushi and enjoy the view, service and most importantly, the banana nut bread.
MIZU PRIME STEAK & SUSHI
3001 RR 620 South
512.263.2801
mizuaustin.com
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