There are very few good choices for sushi in our neck of the woods, though there are some options! Most everyone has their favorite style of sashimi, is impartial to a charming chef behind the counter or feels at home in that hole in the wall joint they've grown to love.  If you're into sushi, you've most likely sampled at least one of the Mikuni's restaurants across the region. Welcome Mikuni Kaizen as the latest location.

Mikuni is a sushi mecca and a magnet for those who are looking for some authentic Japanese cuisine along with some of the more fusion finds including plenty of sauce, jalapenos and rolls flambe. The restaurant chain is among the first ever to introduce avocado to its rolls which makes it a personal favorite among the avocado happy Californians. It's no wonder the business is getting plenty of buzz after another grand opening.  It's a new spot for people in our area to roll out (pun intended) and pick up some chopsticks! Mikuni is also close to the hearts of many in the community because its staff continues to give back, including efforts with a recent fundraiser that sent funds to those in Japan displaced by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated thousands in March of this year.

Mikuni Kaizen located in the Fountains shopping center in Roseville.  Kaizen means "continuous improvement" in Japanese, according to the restaurant's front man, Taro Arai. If you've ever seen Taro's hair alone, you know the man is eclectic and ever-evolving. He is also very faithful to the art of his native food history. With that, he opened this experimental kitchen. The minimalist dark wood styling and facade that nearly blends into the building next to DSW would belie the hotbed of culinary combinations within. The sushi bar and the David Garibaldi paintings add splash and give a hint that flavor abounds at Mikuni's latest concept - the ninth in all from Denver to Tahoe. Lotus root and squid dot the menu. The first thing to pique our interest was  a hot kimchee dish that sounded awesome - and was a flash back to one guest who grew up on the pickled cabbage as a kid! After speaking to COO Kevin Kim, we learned it was his mother's recipe!  (We gave the dish - and Kevin's momma - two thumbs up.) 

The restaurant offers authentic Japanese-style curry - something you can buy the mix for at the grocery store and make at home, but rarely offered by restaurants. Thicker and richer than an Indian or Thai curry, it's more of a gravy that surrounds hearty meat and veggies alongside a bed of fluffy rice. Like the kimchee, Taro's dream is to inject a sense of diversity into what patrons would expect in a Mikuni spot. Even if you're a sushi aficionado, it's different than what you might expect with delicious "Japanese tapas" or izakaya, if you're speaking the language. Many of the signature items you would find at the Eureka Road location or at Taro are also available at Kaizen. Then for a bit of literal "pop" culture, you can experience fun loving bubbliness in a glass:  melon creme soda. It was amazing -- and way more fun than a cola alongside my plate of veggie rolls.

More and more people, though, are daring to dig in to more than just fancifully named rolls. The popular and family-friendly outdoor mall makes for almost a contradiction in clientele. When we went -- it was all about families -- they had high chairs for one table which shared bento boxes with the little ones while the parents noshed on small plates and rolls. At night it's packed with a bar crowd that is Sake-savvy. (I've heard through coworkers  instead of Sake, we finished off the meal with a "guilt-free" TOFU cheesecake that my friend surprisingly enjoyed, and a scoop or two of very green, green tea ice cream. Leave some room for the ice cream -- or remember Kaizen is conveniently located kitty corner to Miabella Gelato.  There is lots of fun shopping at stores such as Anthropologie and Z Gallerie to walk it off afterwards :)

Sayonara.