Although I had already formed an opinion about my favorite Japanese restaurants, I wanted to try Maneki's to make sure I wasn't missing out on something better.

My inagural visit was on a Friday night-- a mistake from the standpoint of having any hope of being served in a reasonable amount of time, but good from another standpoint. This restaurant is a lot of fun-- something missing from a lot of restaurants in the International District.

You can either sit at the bar in front or wait in the narrow entrance area-- either one allows chatting with other patrons if you wish or just soaking in the atmosphere of a traditional Japanese restaurant. The staff there couldn't be nicer, and seems to care about every customer.

When I was seated the first order of business, of course, was Sushi. This turned out to be the highlight of the evening. The freshness was comparable to my favorite place, Kisaku Sushi.

The main course, Teriyaki Salmon, turned out to be a disappointment-- serving Atlantic salmon, even Bush Garden (another I.D. restaurant) is better.

The Tempura, though, was excellent. I definitely think the sushi is the reason to go here, but there are some other pretty good items too, such as the tempura. If nothing else, just go to have a good time.