Mizuna Restaurant

This was a lovely find! The atmosphere is on the more fine dining side. The old brick building as a beautiful charm. (I Live on the west side of the state-the old buildings in Spokane are beautiful). What pulled us in to stop by was the mostly GF menu. For my starter I enjoyed a half order of the Roasted Beet Salad with arugula, whipped goat cheese, candied walnuts, and a lemon-custard vinaigrette. I then tried the Trout for dinner. It was served over a white bean rague that included bacon, kale, leeks, and fresh dill. Oh, there was a bread served with oil before our food and there was a gf option. I highly recommend and will return when visiting Spokane.

My significant other visited this restaurant years ago when it first opened. We went in for drinks and spent quite a time chatting with the owner as the restaurant was practically empty. We vowed that someday we would come back and here it is 3-4 years later we finally made it on New Year's Eve. The restaurant has tripled in size. I ordered the seared scallops and he ordered the seafood linguine. My meal came with five scallops, asparagus, a small scoop of risotto pasta. I have to admit the scalops were some of the best I have ever had. My partner was not impressed with his meal stating that is was slightly higher than the quality of Olive Garden. We will not be going back. Although the scallops were excellent $45 for five scallops and $41 for mediocre seafood linguine (no side salad) was something I'm not willing to do again. We had to ask for bread which was nothing special.

Honestly, for the first 20-25 minutes I spent there with minimal service, excluding a glass of lemon water, I felt almost completely unnoticeable to anyone working that evening. But eventually my waitress, who was very apologetic she was serving patrons both indoors and their outside dining space situated in an alley on the side of the restaurant between another business, came to get my drink and appetizers order and was extremely helpful and made wise suggestions as I had a hard time making decisions concerning the menu. Her service from then on was very attentive, but not in a smothering way. She paced bringing out each course and checking up on me, with impeccable timing. I started with fresh bread and olive oil, black cracked pepper and a tiny amount of balsamic vinaigrette to dip it into..the bread had a crusty outer layer and a warm, flaky, soft texture on the inside, perfect for soaking it all up. One of the best "complimentary" breads I have been served at any restaurant in a long while. For my appetizer I had the pork belly which not only came served with crostini-like slices but an absolutely delicious sauce for dipping or spreading and sliced apples to go on the side. I was legitimately shocked at just how large it would be and I know now it was most certainly meant to be shared—they were almost the size of bbq ribs and very dense and meaty. I boxed the rest up for later, as I didn't realize until I sampled it that I really didn't want anything that heavy at the time. The seafood fettuccini was INCREDIBLE—the highlight meal of my entire week! I also want to give kudos to the chef who took the time and consideration of the guests by peeling the ENTIRE shrimp shell off and making sure the clams shells were FULLY opened before serving to the patrons, as many establishments do not, and it is very annoying and inconvenient 😩; the scallops were one of the few times I've had it prepared so perfectly as well. I reluctantly ordered the flourless chocolate torte and was surprised how much I liked it and didn't miss the flour one bit! It also had crystallized sugar coated bits of hardened organic ginger pieces that was both unsuspected and highly enjoyable. I had a blackberry mojito and a berry-infused lemonade martini, which like the meal was amazing and not diluted or watered down in any way. The atmosphere consists of an alleyway outdoor dining area with lights hanging overhead, beautifully shining in the evening's waning hours. I def want to sit out there when I return. The inside consisted of two rooms and the entire structure was quality brick and stone work with a fusion of Edwardian chic and neo-industrial styles, complete with Tiffany-style stained glass and exposed metal ceiling ductwork.

The drunken noodle tofu dish was delicious with an intriguing, fresh flavor. The port poached peach sorbet was one of the best desserts I’ve had ever. But the vegan risotto is $27 and it’s literally a plate of rice. I mean that’s it’s. No tofu, gardein chicken, no vegetables. I could have made that risotto at home for $5. No matter how good it tastes it’s a plate of rice. And the flourless chocolate cake was just fine.