Imagine if Gisele were a filthy homeless bag lady.
She’s won the genetic lottery and probably exercises twenty hours a day, but without makeup and a miniskirt she’d just be an abnormally tall vagrant pushing a lopsided grocery cart.
It would be difficult to watch. You’d probably want to yell something like “Take a shower and get on the runway!”
Uchi evokes the same frustration.
She’s won the genetic lottery and probably exercises twenty hours a day, but without makeup and a miniskirt she’d just be an abnormally tall vagrant pushing a lopsided grocery cart.
It would be difficult to watch. You’d probably want to yell something like “Take a shower and get on the runway!”
Uchi evokes the same frustration.
The food was phenomenal. The head chef must be quite gifted to create dishes that combine flavors so unusual yet perfectly matched. Sautéed scallops with peaches? A tiny masterpiece.We splurged and went with the Omakase, a ten course tasting dish for two and all ten courses were spectacular. Don’t ask me to name them all, as the pronunciation alone would have my tongue in knots, but the $200 cost that initially had me speechless was justified by the quality of the food.
Another memorable favorite was the Wagyu ribeye, which was perfectly cooked and sliced down to chop-stick friendly pieces. Each bite had a brilliant oak flavor on the outside which transitioned to a wonderfully barbaric raw beef flavor in the middle. 
Ohh…and the moonfish served on a brick of frozen salt turned out to be an intriguing way to play with the temperature and salinity of the dish while dining.I could go on.
But by now you’re probably waiting for the other shoe to drop. Why the frustration?Two reasons – ambiance and service.
Let’s start with the ambiance. I realize that everyone wants to “Keep Austin Weird”, but if that means not knowing when formality is required then I’d rather be normal. The dress code was non-existent with patrons wearing everything from suits to t-shirts. This lack of an attire preference leads to an identity crisis for the restaurant. Is it a hip sushi bar for UT students or a posh altar of fine dining? If you have a $200 tasting menu you should request jackets and be done with it.
It seems the restaurant decided to squeeze in as many tables as possible. Our booth was too cozy for my taste so I was inadvertently playing footsie all evening (sorry Joseph!). Claustrophobia set in around the fourth course.
Now on to the service. Our waiter’s understanding of the menu was quite impressive and he had an excellent knowledge of each dish. But each course came out at random time intervals, often times stacking on top of one another. I realize that this was likely a logistical problem with the kitchen, but I expect better from a restaurant with this caliber of food. There’s nothing worse than feeling rushed when you’re savoring the flavor of delicate Trout roe.
The check had some questionable issues (one of the ten courses was billed separately), and the overall quoted price of $200 for the Omakase was actually $214.
Rounding isn’t cool.
That sounds like a bad experience, but the food alone was worth the price of admission and they got more things right than wrong.
It’s just difficult to watch a supermodel digging through a dumpster without thinking “if only”. Hopefully the owner of Uchi will see the potential and put on some lipstick.
Food: 5 Cuy
Ambiance: 4 Cuy
Service: 3.5 Cuy
Value: 4 Cuy
Overall:
.
.
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Are you dating an Austinite who believes that food shouldn’t be cooked above 115°F? You can bring her here if you’d like, but honestly I’d dump the pretentious girl and find someone who would appreciate the splendid food. Preferably someone with patience.
*By now you've probably noticed that the pictures don't match the text very well and seem to be of low quality. I took a picture of each course, but the lighting was very dim and many of the pictures look like an unrecognizable blob on a plate. So I used the ones that still look like food.
While waiting for a table we chatted up the friendly bartender who offered a few suggestions of his personal favorite menu items. After we were seated our table started with an assortment of appetizers including the Tandoori Mixed Grill (as recommended), the Mixed Appetizers for Two, and some Naan. These were a good source of variety as most were great and none were bad. I probably wouldn’t go for the Mixed Grill again unless you were planning on splitting it with 4 people, as it is larger than many entrees on the menu (and equally as expensive).
One thing that’s worth noting – the portion sizes seem deceptively small on first inspection, but there was always more than enough food to fill you up. This was especially true for my main course of Tandoori Shrimp. The waiter took tedious care to ensure that I knew the shrimp were not served with a sauce. The exchange went about like this:
Overall I would say the food was on par or slightly better than 
As I left the restaurant I found myself questioning my theorem. Is it possible that I can like a chef’s food but not share the same taste in other areas? Maybe the big boss from Le Rêve loves SUVs, hates public radio, and dislikes tall buildings.
I ordered some Red Snapper served over risotto with cooked spinach. The fish was covered with a very nice cream sauce and it all combined very well, with the minor criticism of slightly over-salty spinach. Mey’s strawberry salad was decent (the orange bread was squishy and unusual, but in a good way), and I’ll admit that my sweet tooth stole most of her carrot cake. 
We sat at the window against a bar in contemporary barstools while facing a massive church, but not because the atmosphere is something to be avoided. The chef told me that they were shooting for a “contemporary general-store feel” which just about covers it. I really dig the furniture, with the dining area looking like a page in a 
I must say that I regret ordering one of the pricier items on the blackboard. Not that it wasn’t good, but for that kind of coin the lunchtime competition includes seated restaurants like 
Thankfully 
It was an odd thing to watch. On one hand it was a brilliant technical display with intricate motions seemingly impossible to anyone with a normal human skeleton. Truly fascinating. On the other hand I was acutely aware that I was essentially watching a scantily clad exotic dancer while sitting next to my wife. Awkward….
Which isn’t to say the food was bad at all. Quite the contrary. Mey ordered the Doner Kebab and I went with the Lamb Shank a la Turca which were both very good. My dish looked spectacular with the blunt-looking lamb covered with the delicate flavor of an eggplant. If you look back to my review of Shiraz, you’ll find that I ordered a similar entree which was done a little better – albeit at a higher price – at the Olmos Park establishment. 
Mey’s dish didn’t look as spectacular, but the flavor of the slow-grilled beef and lamb was phenomenal. It tasted a bit like gyro meat, but juicier.
The quiche looked every bit of it, but the flavor didn’t match the presentation. It wasn’t bad, as the crust and eggs were light and fluffy and the shrimp was a delicate complement rather than an overpowering theme. But if you were to detach yourself from the appetizing appearance, you would discover the quiche had as much passion as the Land Rover driving soccer moms that peppered the restaurant. And they appeared to be essentially ironing boards with tennis bracelets.
