Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/557531
Pursuit of Perfection AS UCHI EXPANDS ITS REACH, IT'S THE IDEAL TIME TO REVISIT WHERE IT ALL STARTED AND ENJOY THE EXPERT WORK OF CHEF TYSON COLE—AND THE ART OF PRESENTATION AT ITS FINEST. by stirling kelso PhotograPhy by kate lesueur The plates arrive one by one, glossy white and volcanic black, well lit against a dark wood table. The roar of the social space seems to soften as we zone in on these works of edible art, each dish inspiring a carefully worded haiku: Translucent sea bream covers mint like frosted glass, sparks of orange zest; petals of urchin, Japanese and buttery, tastes of salt and sea. This is the dining experience at Tyson Cole's Uchi, a restaurant that— along with attractions like the Congress Bridge bats or the Broken Spoke honky-tonk—now rolls off the tongue when listing Austin's cultural cor- nerstones. This says a lot about an establishment (serving sushi in Texas, no less) that opened more than 12 years ago on what was then sleepy South Lamar Boulevard. Since then, the city has seen tremendous culi- nary growth, the kind that has kicked many long-established restaurants to the curb. Not so with Uchi, which is still a top stop for celebrities (Danny Meyer recently dropped in; Matthew McConaughey and Brooklyn Decker are regulars) as well as typical city residents, who find any excuse—special occasions, casual Wednesday nights—to dine here. Uchi's original design—Joel Mozersky's pop red wallpaper, 12-seat sushi bar, serene bamboo-framed courtyard—is modern and comfort- ing. And a handful of core dishes such as the hama chili—slices of yellowfin tuna topped with Thai chiles and served with succulent orange slices—have made their way into our only-in-Austin vocabulary of food cravings. While Cole's menus have evolved over the years, they're guided by long-standing principles: He believes in editing and refining, and the concept that less is more, all of which is expressed on his Chef Tyson Cole's different take on hamachi kama, with chimichurri made of Thai chiles and cilantro, served with Texas peaches. continued on page 68 AUSTINWAY.com 67 taste this issue: Beauty and the Feast