Dishin': More Grilled Mackerel at Maneki

There's a reason a restaurant sticks around for 105 years.

Maneki has been a mainstay in the International District since 1904, and there's no sign of slowing down. We went last Friday night and found every table full, though our group was glad to be sequestered in one of the tatami rooms, thanks to the magic of a reservation.

The menu is comprehensive, containing lots of Japanese classics, from takoyaki to tofu, and soba to sushi. Seattlest, though, continues its pursuit of perfect saba shioyaki.

Maneki's grilled mackerel platter rings up higher than usual at $14.50, but it comes with miso soup, rice, cucumber salad (with baby shrimp), tempura, and a few pieces of sashimi. That's a nice amount of food. As for the fish, the mackerel was a generous portion and well-prepared. Like the rest of Maneki's food, it was three-star good; not the standout like at our long-lost Takohachi (we're still craving the accompanying fried rice, though we hear it's now available at the Uwajimaya in Bellevue), but better than what we had at Fuji Sushi, our last saba shioyaki sampling.