According to owner Annie Zheng, it's about time Chicago had a yakitori joint to call its own. With that in mind, Zheng traveled far and wide seeking inspiration and honing her knowledge of the skewered Japanese specialty, prepared over Japanese binchotan charcoal.

Yakitori, by definition, is made with chicken, but Mizu puts skewers through beef, duck, seafood and vegetables, too (each skewer costs $1.75-$4). Put your bravery to the test with items like the chicken gizzard or the "shrimp with head." Less adventurous eaters will feel at ease with the teriyaki chicken, steak or salmon (served with miso soup and rice).

If you prefer your food raw, take advantage of a well-stocked sushi bar that dishes out standard sashimi as well as such favorites as the spicy tuna, rainbow and dragon maki. Other signature dishes include salmon ceviche, homemade dumplings and a hot mushroom salad with butter and soy sauce (well worth the post-soy bloating).

The espresso-colored dining room, sleek and elegant without being pretentious, is as visually appealing as the food. For an extra $50, you can bring a group of up to 12 people to the private tearoom (call ahead to make sure it's available).

Mizu has a decent selection of wines and martinis, but its drink list really shines with its sake offerings. In addition to having a good selection of sake by the bottle, you can sample three varieties with the sake sampler ($10), which comes with a card describing the flavor profiles of each.

Centerstage Reviewer: Natalie Goldstein