Uchi is such a scam!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2004-04-20 13:28
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[color=red][Please refrain from personal attacks -- your site moderator][/color]
I have been hearing all these great things about Uchi.
What great food, great ideas, or my personal favorite-Tysons food is amazing:he is so creative.

Oh my god, do you ausitnites never leave town or read a book or watch tv. Tyson Cole is [color=red][text deleted by site moderator][/color]. And the fact that all of you beleive it is even worse.

I know that all sushi bars steal alittle something from other places. But very very very rarely do they have the audacity to get up infront of all the customers as say, I invented this special! What a bunch of bs. The avocado dish from uchi is from smokey (mushusinos head chef who can slice and dice circles before tyson could even get his knife out). The tuna and goat cheese that is so revered he got out of a cook book. The this cut whitefish is just stolen from Nobu (another great chef [with a bunch of restaurants] who could kick tysons butt in a competition).

Tyson cole and his store is nothing more then a copycat keneichi. And worse then that, they try to tell me, I'm here for south austin. What a lie, I know south austin, this place is a scaming californian restaurant.

I say never again.

--And as a sidenote, they seem to run out of rice on a regualr basis, bad planning and bad copying.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2004-04-21 18:03
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where does all this bitterness stem from? perhaps this is a rival sushi chef who's had his business hurt by uchi. uchi is not scamming or stealing from anyone. many restaurants have similar items. does a french restaurant get torched for having creme brulee, or coq au vin? we live in the 21st century, and culinary boundaries are stretched to the limit. great chefs always build upon the past. if they cannot garnish inspiration from other chefs and other restaurants then where does it come from? as a chef i can tell you it does not fall from the sky. if someone were to try and steal, or even replicate dishes from these cookbooks they would inevitably fail. these books are eye candy meant to inspire not to serve as cookie cutters for the soccer mom. i suggest this person seek a better means of venting his frustration than to publicly ridicule those who do what he probably cannot.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2004-04-22 12:05
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I agree with mister8. uchi is as good as it gets in Austin. Tyson used to work for Smokey, and helped develop much of Musashinos menu. Why can't he bring one of his dishes to uchi? uchi should be congratulated for pressing the boundaries, not ridiculed for improving upon the past.

by mcap on Fri, 2004-04-30 16:46
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This is Mike from Uchi. You forgot to list another one of our rip-offs: the Endo roll. It's names after the chef at Mushashino who created it. I am pretty sure that Tyson created the avo-bake while working at Uchi, so I'm not sure if he can rip himself off. Tyson would be the first to admit that Smokey blows him away as a sushi chef. That why chose to work at Mushashino in the first place: to learn from one of the best sushi chefs here. Smokey helped us greatly in getting Uchi started. I don't think he would have helped Uchi if he thought we were imitating him. I'm not sure if the other items came from a cookbook or Nobu or what. I don't see how that matters. Does it matter that Hut's and Waterloo Ice House did not invent their hamburgers? I can tell you as an eyewitness to the events that, in no way, were we trying to emulate Kenichi in terms of menu, service or decor. I was going to park my motorcycle by the front door of Uchi, but decided against it. It's sort of hard to deny that our restaurant is in South Austin. Most of our staff lives in South Austin. It's not like we called the place SOCO Sushi. (I personally wanted to name it Sushi Shack, but was outvoted.) I hope this clears up any misunderstanding.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2004-06-17 14:27
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[quote]I was going to park my motorcycle by the front door of Uchi, but decided against it. [/quote] ok, that was funny as hell. Uchi is easily the best place in austin. As for ripping people off, come on. Where did the spicy mayo that smokey uses on his spicy tuna rolls/handrolls come from? Matsuhisa...

by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2004-06-26 00:53
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haha! hey "roundrockinaustin", before you go completely crazy i just wanted to be the first to tell you that musashino has changed or "added on" to their previous menu. go check it out, & then look at uchi's menu. hahahahaha... im laughing to my grave. here i'll even save you some trouble: http://musashinosushi.com http://www.uchiaustin.com

by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2004-09-21 16:13
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We ate at Uchi and it was very good. But, since the portions were small we spent $200 for 4 people. That's about all we're gonna need from them.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2004-09-22 11:42
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I've been to uchi dozens of times since it opened - i'm glad it's here in Austin. I was tired of having to drive to Dallas (to Teppo) to find the nearest decent sushi restaurant. Tyson is a hard-working guy and he attempts to offer the freshest, most interesting sushi and Japanish food in the area. It's not cheap but it eclipses ANYTHING else in this burg (including Musashino and Kenichi which are both lesser entities). I don't think anyone that works at uchi would claim that ALL of their dishes are somehow original (they keep Nobu's cookbook behind the bar), so the gripe that he isn't original is bogus. Thanks to Tyson, Taka and the rest of the uchi crew for serving great food....

by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2004-09-22 11:43
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I've been to uchi dozens of times since it opened - i'm glad it's here in Austin. I was tired of having to drive to Dallas (to Teppo) to find the nearest decent sushi restaurant. Tyson is a hard-working guy and he attempts to offer the freshest, most interesting sushi and Japanish food in the area. It's not cheap but it eclipses ANYTHING else in this burg (including Musashino and Kenichi which are both lesser entities). I don't think anyone that works at uchi would claim that ALL of their dishes are somehow original (they keep Nobu's cookbook behind the bar), so the gripe that he isn't original is bogus. Thanks to Tyson, Taka and the rest of the uchi crew for serving great food....

by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2004-09-22 11:46
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I've been to uchi dozens of times since it opened - i'm glad it's here in Austin. I was tired of having to drive to Dallas (to Teppo) to find the nearest decent sushi restaurant. Tyson is a hard-working guy and he attempts to offer the freshest, most interesting sushi and Japanish food in the area. It's not cheap but it eclipses ANYTHING else in this burg (including Musashino and Kenichi which are both lesser entities). I don't think anyone that works at uchi would claim that ALL of their dishes are somehow original (they keep Nobu's cookbook behind the bar), so the gripe that he isn't original is bogus. Thanks to Tyson, Taka and the rest of the uchi crew for serving great food....

by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2004-10-05 12:23
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I ate at Ushi for the first time a few weeks ago. I think it was one of the best sushi restaurants I've been to. I travel a LOT with my job and I eat sushi all over the country, so I have others to compare it to. The food was fresh, unique, and the service was great. It's better than any sushi restaurant in New York City, where the sushi is supposed to be "the best". As for roundrockinaustin: GET A LIFE. If you don't like Ushi, then how about just NOT EATING THERE! If you don't like McDonalds, do you put postings out telling people your un-solicited opinion? Probably not. Get over yourself.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2004-10-05 12:24
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I ate at Ushi for the first time a few weeks ago. I think it was one of the best sushi restaurants I've been to. I travel a LOT with my job and I eat sushi all over the country, so I have others to compare it to. The food was fresh, unique, and the service was great. It's better than any sushi restaurant in New York City, where the sushi is supposed to be "the best". As for roundrockinaustin: GET A LIFE. If you don't like Ushi, then how about just NOT EATING THERE! If you don't like McDonalds, do you put postings out telling people your un-solicited opinion? Probably not. Get over yourself.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2004-10-31 19:51
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Sorry guys, I took my boyfriend out to Uchi for a date, and let me tell you - our waiter was awesome but thats about as far as it went. The 'sushi' - at least the rolls - aren't sushi rolls at all. They're just a bunch of stuff in rice paper!! That's not even traditional seaweed. I mean they could have had the token rolls! And the fish was very bland. Even the eel sushi (on rice) was not as sweet and succulent as it should be. I was so disappointed. I mean... I went b/c you guys rated it as #2 in Austin. If that's #2 I am never eating sushi in Austin again. I don't blame you, all I'm saying is go back for another review. Maybe it's just decreased in quality...? -Val!

by mcap on Mon, 2004-11-01 10:26
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This is Mike from Uchi. I'm sorry that you were disappointed. We have two rolls that do not use seaweed, the Endo and the Bond. The other ten rolls on the menu use seaweed. We serve unagi (fresh water eel) in a typical style: warm with a brown bbq sauce. However, we warm the unagi on an oak charcoal grill, whereas most sushi places use a small gas grill. The oak gives it a different taste that may not have been to your liking. Our sauce is probably not as sweet as other places, as the sweetness can overpower the rest of the ingredients. We also have another dish which is anago (sea eel) served unagi style (with the unagi sauce and warmed on the charcoal grill). The anago has a different taste and consistency. The server may have not made that clear. We only order high quality unagi and unago from our purveyors. Val!, Can you tell me when you went to Uchi? Did you let the server know you were disappointed? If so, did they do anything for you? I hate to hear that anyone was disappointed with the quality of our food. Please PM me. I'd like to see if I can fix the situation.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2004-11-04 20:55
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I ws in Uchi Monday night. Every thing was amazing, except for the salmon... It has become my favorite and I was very disapointed in it at Uchi. Everything else was superb. I don't know if it was my high expectations or what... Kristin

by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2004-11-08 10:21
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Well, I gave Uchi a third try recently and had another bad experience (my first time there was amazing). I don't know if I've just been there on off nights or what...because most of my friends (who also know sushi very well) say it's one of their favorite places. I've never been let down at Musashino...in fact it has always exceeded my expectations. My last two expereinces at Uchi have been on par with Sushi Sake....and I just expect more than that from Uchi. Mike - don't let Uchi go the way Kenichi did...make sure you stay on top of quality control (both of staff and food). You've got a great place, but the passion seems to be falling off.

by mcap on Wed, 2004-11-10 12:47
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Val!, I can not reply to your PM. I think this is because you are not registered. Please e-mail me your address at mcap@io.com Nicolia, I'm sorry to hear you were dissatisfied on your last two visits. Could you post, e-mail or PM me some more specifics about where the quality was lacking? I'd like to take care of the situation.

by marney75 on Thu, 2004-11-11 00:13
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I've only been to Uchi three times, but I've experienced nothing but intense eating pleasure every time. The waitstaff was always very attentive. Actually, if anything, they were overly attentive but without being pushy or interrupting us every 2 minutes. The second we set an empty dish down, 3 waiters would jump out like ninjas and race each other to pick it up first. <lol> I actually joked with my hubby on my way to the bathroom that there would probably be someone in there to hand me toilet paper, flush, and wash my hands for me. lol.....we felt THAT taken care of. And when we've sat at the bar, the sushi chefs are always friendly, entertaining, and very nice, usually making us laugh until sake shoots out of our noses. The food has been nothing less than awesome. It's sushi, but it's such an eclectic blend of tastes. And I usually eat with my eyes, so it's nice to have the dish taste better than it looks.....and some of those dishes look like art. I think the reason I like it so much is that if I wanted plain old traditional sushi or sushi rolls, most places will have virtually the same menu with some slight variation in the types of rolls they make. Uchi has been a refreshing change of pace while still playing on traditional favorites. We actually try out all the different menu items that aren't the same old sushi fare.....I mean I can get a California or Philli Roll anywhere in town. So if I'm going to drive all the way from Round Rock/Pflugerville to Uchi, it's to try something new, different, and imaginative. My favorites thus far have been: ~ Crudo ~ Hama Chili ~ Uchiviche ~ Bond ~ Endo ~ and we usually always get the Hot Rock for starters. There is one consistant disappointment though every time we go. We always end up ordering a 2nd Crudo, and EVERY time, they've run out. They are so good, I guess that's why they go fast on busy nights. And I agree that it is expensive, which is why we've only gone a few times. Our regular place is Hakata cause know the owner and get good, fresh food for 2 for around $40-55. We always spend $80-120 for 2 people when we go, depending on drinks. But it's worth it, however we only go to Uchi on special nights out. Going to Uchi always seems to make a special occasion that much more so.

by spitboy on Mon, 2004-11-15 11:43
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My most recent visit to Uchi was last Friday, November 12th. I couldn't help but notice a rather disturbing trend towards shrinking portions - a Bond roll (with salmon) was roughly the diameter of plain kappa maki. I distinctly remember having Bond rolls in prior visits, which were significantly larger, where single pieces closer approximated mouthfuls. A good friend took a photograph of a piece of masago nigiri next to quarter at Uchi recently which corroborates my impression. Regardless of whether this evidence may be an indication of sushi chefs trying to stretch limited resources on a Friday night or whether there's a general trend towards stretching inventory for greater profit margins - I didn't expect this from Uchi. Thumbs up on the Norwegian mackerel sashimi, though. The portion seemed small also, but the quality of those five or six slices of mackerel made it easy to forgive stinginess. The price seemed fair for sashimi also.

by mcap on Mon, 2004-11-22 12:12
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Spitboy: This is Mike from Uchi. There has not been a conscious effort to decrease portion size. All our dishes should be the same size as when we opened. The small roll is more probably due to a lack of consistency or a mistake on one roll than anything else. We'll make sure to discuss portion sizes and consistency at our next manager meeting.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2004-11-22 21:56
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I just wanted to chime in and say that I thoroughly enjoyed my first meal at Uchi last week. I'm a recent transplant to Austin from New York, where there is no shortage of acclaimed sushi and Japanese restaurants. I've eaten at many of them, and have to say that I found my experience at Uchi on par with some of the best. And I would further say that it's been one of the most positive restaurant experiences I've had since living in this city. The atmosphere is really wonderful - great servers. I found them attentive without hovering, and ours gave great recommendations. The seating, at least in a booth, where we were, was comfortable. The decor felt dinstinctly Asian, without being kitschy, and while the room was a bit loud, it only lended to the convivial atmoshphere. It felt casual and chic, completely unpretentious and natural. I would say the same for the food. There are so many options on the menu that one could make a meal out of sushi, or tempura, or the specials alone. We wanted to get a better sense of the kitchen and sushi bar's capabilities, so we ordered from across the entire menu, beginning with edamame and ending with the moshi ice cream, but sampling many more varied and interesting dishes in between. Some highlights were the hama chili, a delicious crudo of hamachi with chilis and other ingredients. The garnish of tobiko was really beautiful and lended a great crunch to the dish. We also tried the wagyu beef cooked on a stone, which might be a tad gimmicky, but was delicious with the ponzu sauce (or even raw). In addition to the many other dishes we had, the monkfish liver torchon really stuck out. It was one of those love-it-or-hate-it dishes, and I happened to love it. The monkfish liver was much less unctuous than the traditional foie gras dish, but had a delicious flavor and an interesting texture that was nicely augmented by the abundant daikon sprouts which were crunchy and spicy. Actually, that was one of my favorite elements of the dinner. While our dishes were mainly fish- and meat- based, the careful attention to garnishes, specifically interesting greens, really transformed the them. I should also note that accompanying our dinner were two excellent bottles of sake, both recommended by our server. Delicious from start to finish, one was served chilled in a beautiful class pitcher, and the other was served in a bamboo carafe. Dinner was about $200 for three, excluding tip, including two bottles of sake and about 8 or 10 small dishes. We were completely satisfied for the price. It sounds like some other posters find the portions small and the prices large, but I found them quite reasonable. After all, you really never want to eat "bargain" raw fish. I feel like we got a great representation of the chefs' offerings, and could only recommend ordering from all over the menu, because there were some dishes I knew I'd love, and some that I was surprised to enjoy as much as I did. By sharing, we were able to sample lots of different styles and flavors. I can't wait to return, and hope that my next experience at Uchi lives up to this one.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2004-12-14 10:39
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I don't want to be rude, but I really think that some of you may not know what you are talking about. Last week, I ate at Musachino for the first time since I went to Uchi over a year ago. Its just not in the same class. As for the prices, if you go to Nobu, you'll spend $300 for 2 people, much less $200 for 4. $50 a person for a high quality sushi dinner is excellent. Uchi is easily the best sushi in austin and there is a large gap between it and anything else. I try to go at least every two weeks or as time permits.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2005-09-21 23:25
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This place is overrated and expensive. Sure the chef takes you on his adventure with his food and it was unique, but the portions were so little that I left the place still hungry. I personally didn't find the food that great either.. good luck if u go here. :-(

by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2005-09-21 23:37
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This place is overrated and expensive. Sure the chef takes you on his adventure with his food and it was unique, but the portions were so little that I left the place still hungry. I personally didn't find the food that great either.. good luck if u go here. :-(

by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2005-12-01 16:54
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[quote="Crayon"] I don't want to be rude, but I really think that some of you may not know what you are talking about. Last week, I ate at Musachino for the first time since I went to Uchi over a year ago. Its just not in the same class. As for the prices, if you go to Nobu, you'll spend $300 for 2 people, much less $200 for 4. $50 a person for a high quality sushi dinner is excellent. Uchi is easily the best sushi in austin and there is a large gap between it and anything else. I try to go at least every two weeks or as time permits. [/quote] I have to agree with the cost debate here... Last time I was at Nobu we dropped $265 for two of us. A $50 lunch sounds like a bargain. Maybe it is just more expensive in CA. BTW a couple of us are coming to visit soon, any suggestions on specialty rolls?