Uchi: Fancy Sushi in Austin
Most of my visits to Austin have consisted of casually dining out of food trucks in parking lots rather than fine dining so I figured it was time for a change. Nancy, Linh and I headed over to Uchi to meet our other friends for dinner. Knowing the place doesn't take reservations and fills up fast, we tried to show up on the early side. When our the rest of the group found out that it was going to be a two and a half hour wait to be seated, they graciously offered to give Linh, Nancy and me the reservation. The wait time for three people was just 45 minutes. We'd see the others for drinks later on.
Nancy spoke to the hostess, confirming that we were in fact the new and improved Raj party. She suggested we take a seat and have a drink while we waited. We found an empty table in the outdoor area. It was still a sweltering hot Texas day, but I have pretty much gotten used to sweating all of the time (in fact I even enjoy it.)
I was actually surprised that there were no cocktails on the drink menu, instead there were beers, wines and sakes. We each ordered a Japanese beer while we waited to be seated. A waitress came out and passed out some seasoned cucumber slices to all of us waiting for our tables outside. After about thirty minutes, Nancy suggested we cool off inside.
We found an open seat on the narrow leather bench near the bar. We grabbed a menu and scoped it out while we waited. There were dozens of options for hot, cold, sushi, sashimi and more. We weren't sure we'd even know where to begin when it came time to order! I looked at many of the accolades that hung on the wall, "Best Chef in the Southwest..." I read an article about the chef/owner of Uchi. He had apparently worked us way up through a high-end Japanese restaurant. Starting in the kitchen and eventually learning the art. He traveled to Japan to perfect his skills and then opened Uchi. While we continued the wait for our table, another waitress came around and served a small appetizer to all of us waiting. This time it was tempura onion rings. I appreciated the concept of feeding the patrons some free snacks while they complete the marathon wait for their table.
Finally the called out for "Raj" and we went to our table. We got a nice booth in the middle of the room. The waiter came along and explained the menu to us. He said that most of the plates were small and the idea was to share everything with the table in a "tapas" style where we could order in waves. We ordered a bottle of sake while we contemplated the menu. I don't think any of us regret the items we finally chose, here are a few of the favorites:
Pitchfork Roll with japanese steak, crispy leeks. Never would have thought about beef in a sushi roll but this was incredible:
Foie Gras "sushi" This may have been my favorite item we tried. Nancy was a bit skeptical when Linh and I suggested ordering it. "Foie Gras" she said, "Isn't that when they force feed a baby goose?" "Yes," I said, "And it is amazing...just don't think about it!" Can't say Nancy was a fan, it was too greasy for her palate, but the upside of her rejection of this delicacy was that Linh and I got to eat her portion!
Mussels with peaches, green tomatoes and more:
Pork Belly with radish...also amazing...anything with pork involved makes my stomach happy:
Uchiviche...their version of ceviche with salmon and yellowtail. Subtle on the citrus:
Another amazing yellowtail roll:
Spider roll. This was good but can't say it was that much more fantastic than other good soft-shelled crab rolls I've had else where:
Dessert was peanut butter semifriddo with apple miso sorbet and some kind of dried apple garnish. It was an amazing combination of flavors and Nancy, a peanut butter lover, was quite smitten with it:
We took guesses on how expensive the bill would be before it came. It was actually a bit better than I had prepared myself for, ended up being about $75 per person. Will I dine here again? Maybe if I win the lottery, then yes....otherwise would reserve it for a super special occasion with a small group of open-minded eaters. I will be tempted to check out the Houston version that is coming soon. All in all, we agreed that we were impressed with the meal, even Linh who has dined at places even fancier like French Laundry in Napa. I did feel like I might need to hit up a food truck to fully satiate my appetite afterwards though...kimchee fries, anyone?
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