I always said there is no excuse for a chef to have a public bad night.

I always said I’d never look back.

I always said I’d never eat sushi again after Frankfurt.

I always said I despise commercial enterprise when it comes to gastronomy.

Can I take it back? Not all of it, make it less … forget it!

[End of Rant]

Yes, last night I was at Uchi and if you read this blog you’ll certainly remember my previous review. If not, read it here. This is not going to be a pathetic apologetical letter because I still stand by the fact that my first visit was disappointing. OK, I stop here, still, I wanted things to be clear.

The other night I met with someone who subtly, with a dose of treachery and charm convinced me that Uchi was in fact this fantastic place I’d heard about and that I needed to try it again. She was shocked when I summarized my first experience… Well, last night turned out to be quite exceptional I have to say. Granted, my date’s presence had a strong positive influence on the outcome.

We started with Sake on the patio, remember to order Suishin, beautiful, dry and fruity. We then made our way through the various Sashimi, specials and … yes, Sushi! No content to have brought me at Uchi against my strongest will, my date decided to make me eat a sushi rolls (yes the stuff with algae around it). I did and loved every bit of it! Did I mention that I should never says never again?

The food turned out to be well balanced, flavorful yet delicate and of the utmost freshness. A couple of items definitely stood out:

- The yellow tail, unagi and avocado sushi rolls. The various flavors enhanced each other and brought this dish to a great finish.

- The foie gras sushi, no blasphemy here sorry mother. Really, trust me, this was a piece or art! A beautiful foie gras poele served on sushi rice, amazing!

- Pork belly stuffed wild squid! This was my pick and challenge to Chef Cole. I was suspecting a dish similar to my first experience where flavors just killed each other. How on earth can you decently stuff a squid with pork belly and not perjure yourself???  Well, Cole did it and succeeded without a blemish. This dish was just stunning, sea and land fighting in your mouth like a bunch of Scots. Impressive.

The only remaining downsides being the wallpaper and the cars stills driving through the patio…(had to say something, right?)

Fred’s is almost like a food cart, it has this bohemian look to it, run down, chaotic but so welcoming. Inside I sat at the bar and ordered the first thing on the menu: Chicken fried steak. (Hey, looking at the logo I just noticed that it opened the year I was born…). Anyways, the staff was genuinely friendly, not fake, not over the top just cordial and friendly the way people should be. There were a lot of regulars, reading their Sunday papers, ordering beer, chips and salsa at 10am…

That’s that, I loved it, the gravy was amazing, the steak just melted in my mouth, the potatoes, well, they reminded me of my grand-ma’s, nuf said. Go say hi!

Address:
915 Currie St
Fort Worth, TX

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well, for once no bitching, complaining or ranting, I like this place! The decor is great and comfortable, ask for the “cave” for a more romantic setup.

The Indian menu is extensive and interesting, staples are there as well as interesting dishes that I’d never seen before (but honestly I’m not an Indian food aficionado so you might disagree). The food is well interpreted, my only (!) complaint is that more than once you could see that it had sat under the infrared lamps a little too long, once out of the kitchen just serve the dam dish right away and if you cannot, hire more staff!!!

Service is great, well slow but great…

Address:

1601 Guadalupe Street

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I decided to invite her on a date and selected Parkside remembering that she wanted to go. We arrived and were greeted by a somewhat provocative but not attractive hostess which should seek a dress coach. The atmosphere is “industrial” in the positive sense of the term, faux brick wall, big pipes rugged floors. I liked it.

We ordered drinks and had to send back the blackberry puree cocktail as it was extremely bitter. Drink are very personal and I will not comment, you might like it.

We decided to splurge and sampled a few items on the menu ranging from refined to comfort food. We started we the Oyster platter, they were fresh and served with 3 different condiments: traditional vinegar and shallot, cocktail sauce (really, who would want that, don’t answer!) and finally home made horse radish. This last sauce was delicious!

We ordered calamari as a second appetizer, the dish was slightly over salted but tasted fresh. I wish that they had been served with the famous chipotle mayonnaise from La Fonda San Miguel (review to come).

Jessica then order the burger (for a reason that to this day I cannot begin to understand). The burger was well executed if not very creative. The fries were excellent! I decided to try my luck by ordering the Berkshire Pork Shoulder. It is served with Spatzle which is a german type of fresh pasta that my grand-ma used to make and that I absolutely love. I make it sometimes but long for my grand-ma’s, I was therefore curious to taste what the chef would be able to produce. It turned out that the spatzle were well executed, by no means as good as grand-ma’s but good nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised. The pork shoulder melted in my mouth, it has been months if not more since I last had so much pleasure eating in a restaurant. The meat was perfectly cooked and served in its juice with seasonal vegetable including some radish. A very Autumnal/Winter plate that I recommend.

Finally we settle on tasting the restaurant’s famous mini cinnamon doughnuts. Served warm with brown sugar ice cream and ginger creme fresh, the desert was interesting, pretty good and surprisingly light (a plate for 2 is sufficient though). The ice cream is hopefully made on the premises and if so is mastered by the chef. Doughnuts were dry!

In all a great experience but do not expect great drinks or outstanding wines.

Address:

301 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78701

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Well, I unfortunately have to update my previous review.

The atmosphere and overall setting of the restaurant (market style where you  order at the counter) is still charming and lively.  The staff is pleasant (sometimes a little rough) and the menu interesting. Last night I got the homemade tortellini stuffed with Italian sausage and other kinds of meat served in a creamy mushroom and peas sauce. It was good, the mushroom were fresh and the sauce well spiced. The stuffing was definitely homemade, had chunks of meat (which I like) and tasted great.

My wife got the “Italian” salad (whatever that means), green salad topped with zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans and eggplant. Well it all sounds good upfront but what we actually received was a bunch of pre-cooked and half dried out vegetables tossed on top a boring and basic (packaged?) green lettuce. It didn’t look fresh and certainly did not taste good. I believe that the restaurant is still decent but they have to be careful, such a bad salad should not be served in a place where freshness and homemade meals are the main selling points.

Read this review but then head over to the update!

Here we go again, I will be the one who complains and criticizes one of Austin’s so called gem!

If you’re going to be offended or think that I complain just because I like it then stop reading! We arrived at the restaurant expecting a wonderful evening and amazing food. Well, the evening didn’t last long, cost us a lot of money and we ended up finishing diner (actually eating) in another restaurant (I’m not going to tell you were I’d lose all credibility)!

As an introduction, please understand that for me, a restaurant as renowned as Uchi must perform without a flaw in absolutely all aspects of the experience including:

- Design

- Quality of the furniture

- Cleanliness

- Ambiance

- Music

…

As an apero (pre diner drink), we ordered Sake, it was served in a wooden bowl filled with ice to keep it cool. We drank outside waiting for our table. Despite the restaurant’s reputation, the terrace is absolutely banal and badly furnished. No Japanes feel whatsoever, nobody paid any attention to the exterior atmosphere. Fair enough, I though well, nobody eats outside they certainly have put priority on the interior design. Not really, the restaurant could have been any old joint that you find throughout the country (and you know that I like them), well no, there was a sushi bar! More seriously, there was nothing creating a peaceful, relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere. We were seated at a table in the middle of the dining room with passage ways on both sides. The “traffic” was dense, the noise loud and the overall comfort level well below my truck’s seats…

Seriously, the building is old, the paint dirty, the furniture cheap and guess what? They provide you with throw-able chopsticks that any take away carries!!! I was starting to feel uncomfortable, annoyed … really pissed! OK I’ll stop ranting about the place and talk about the food. Seated?

Well, we decided to order food to share, needless to say that the portions are tiny and that sharing often means eating 1 bite which will cost you an average of 10 dollars. Count on spending 250$ for a meal for two without pushing on the wine. Fair enough, I don’t mind if it’s worth it.

1st course: maguro sashimi and goat cheese. Japanes cuisine focuses on respecting the taste of ingredient, serving fishes and vegetables in their purest states. Chef Cole, on his website, rightly describes Japanes cuisine using a simple sentence which I like: “The essence of Japanese cuisine is the ingredients”. The 1st course in question was a Tuna sashimi served with fresh goat cheese crumbled on top. Let me tell you, the fish was fresh but no fresher than what I get at Mikado or central market, the goat cheese was a commercial, bad fresh goat cheese on the sweet side that would be used for kid’s lunch sandwiches in France. On top of the ingredients not being amazingly fresh, goat cheese has a strong flavor, citrus, herbs … goat which totally overpowered the delicate raw fish. Following the Japanese tradition, the fish would have been served with ingredient enhancing its flavor not overpowering it. Sad!

2nd course: Uchi shot: I’m a huge sea urchin fan and couldn’t believe my luck when I saw this item on the menu. The shot is a quail egg and a sea urchin served in a white bubbly.

Sea urchin is one of the most delicate seafood that can be consumed (taste and texture are extremely delicate, soft and subtle). Failure again! The bubbly was certainly not a Dom Perignon which is understandable but why on earth would you drown your sea urchin in a liquid that will completely cover its taste, transform it into a tasteless sponge????? I was disappointed, the sea urchin was most certainly drunk…

At that point we started becoming tense, we saw our bill increase very fast, our stomachs still empty and our palates frustrated.

Finally we ordered a warm course composed of baked avocado and seafood: avo bake. This was good! Good as in super creamy, rich baked goodness. But to be frank, nothing refined, Japanese, unique or incredible. It was filling which was good as at that point as we were starving.

So after 3 courses we told our stunned waitress that we needed the check and would depart shortly.

Despite the above review which is certainly not flattering, I have to praise chef Cole for his ingenuity. He succeeded in creating a “hype” and trendy place which attracts crowds. He is not the one to criticize, I believe that 85% of his clients have palates as refined as a mud-brick but want to make sure to be seen where “beautiful” people should be seen in Austin.

Hey, great news, chef Cole is opening a new location in north Lamar: Uchiko. Bravo!

Address:

801 S Lamar Blvd

Austin, TX 78704

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OK, so Austin Diner is clearly Mexican oriented, we went there twice within a matter of days and I tasted the Uevos Rancheros and a special of the day (ham, biscuit, spinach, eggs and hash-brown).

The food tasted great, simply prepared with fresh ingredients. The beans were actually home cooked (as opposed to the pre-cooked version found in most places) or it seemed so, they tasted great, light and were not pasty. Eggs were cooked as ordered and the potatoes (both hash-brown and home style fries) tasted delicious, well spiced! The only complaint that I can formulate is the fact that the spinach on my plate and in my wife’s omelet were totally raw which is a little simplistic and does not blend well with cooked eggs and beans.

The atmosphere of the place is great, decorated using retro kitchen tools, pastel colors and vinyl table, Diners’ basics! We arrived around 6.55am so needless to say that we were the first and only ones but the place was packed an hour later on Saturday.

Address:
5408 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78756

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We all ordered different plates to be able to taste a little bit of everything on the never ending menu. Within 4 minutes of ordering we were served 5 dishes including some sushi rolls! The time frame was suspicious already. After a few bites in each plate I had no doubt that the sauces and various vegetables came in sealed plastic packages and not from the farmer’s market. It all tasted artificial and boring, not a hint of creativity or freshness. Speaking of freshness, I had the duck which turned out to be a pre-cooked bird, re-heated in a micro wave and disguised with gallons of industrial “brown sauce”.

On top of the mediocre quality of the meal, the bill ended up above 100$ for 3 adults (granted I had my following day’s lunch set).

Don’t go there, don’t order there and try to find a cheap, on the street little Chinese shack, you’ll be better off!

Address:

3706 Jefferson St
Austin, TX 78731

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The place is simple (understatement), old and interestingly decorated. Don’t go there on a first date BUT go there for comforting, fresh and well prepared Mexican food. They serve complimentary chips and salsa (free refill). The salsa is spicy, homemade and fresh.

We ordered cheese quesadillas, carne asada (their specialty) and enchiladas.

The quesadillas were good, simple, fresh and the cheese tasted like cheese.

The carne asada was served with rice and beans, the rice was surprisingly good, well seasoned and properly prepared, the beans were…, well just standard refried beans. The meat tasted good but was slightly overcooked. The mix of meat with rice, beans and fresh whole spring onions tasted great though.

Jessica cleaned her plate (enchiladas) and raved about her meal for hours, best enchiladas ever!

The service is reasonable, nothing over the top but you don’t go there for the service!

Great experience, cheap and fresh this is enough for me to go back.

Address:

6534 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78757

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I’ll sound harsh once again but I have to. This cafeteria style restaurant serves great breakfasts in a funky, retro atmosphere. That was for our first visit on a Saturday morning.

Our second visit took place in the evening during the week. We ordered pretty standard plates such as burger, ceasar salad and quesadillas. Well, service was bad:

- Not friendly

- Rushed

- Sloppy

In addition, we ordered the quesadillas as starters for Jessica and I but they decided that bring all three plates at the same time to our small round table would do!

Taste wise, as I said breakfast plates are great, fresh and tasty. Dinner on the other hand was bland, banal and slightly overprices.

Nothing more to say really…

Address:

4800 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78756

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