Austin Sushi News #19 June, 2002 Welcome to Austin Sushi News, a friendly by-product of the sushi website for Austin, Texas, www.austinsushi.com Once every month or so, we bring you the latest scoop on sushi bars and related matters in Austin, Texas. You can UNsubscribe at any time by sending email to austin-maki-unsubscribe@austinsushi.com. Subscribe by going to www.austinsushi.com and clicking on the mailing list icon. If you have any problems, please send email to webmaster@austinsushi.com CONTENTS: 1. Odaku II will open soon 2. Edamame Pot Pies 3. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse Comes To Austin 4. Pango Serves Beats (Sushi Lounge Thursdays) 5. Buffet Palace South Opens =============================================== 1. Odaku II will open soon In the year 2054, there will never be a need for Austin Sushi News, because a trio of genetically modifed "pre-cogs" will be able to predict where and when someone will open a sushi bar. But like any good sci-fi movie plot (I'm ripping off the new movie, "Minority Report", can't you tell?) things aren't what they seem. Did they get it wrong or will a sushi bar actually appear? When will these sushi fiends be brought to justice? This is really gripping, so I'll come clean and let y'all know that Odaku II will likely open later this week. They aren't a sushi bar, however -- because they don't have a sushi *bar*. It looks like they're going the Japanese "fast food" route. Check it out. Odaku II 7901 Cameron Road #5C (NE corner of 183 and Cameron Road) (512) 837-2344 =============================================== 2. Edamame Pot Pies Seapoint Farms, makers of those bags of frozen edamame that you can buy at Whole Foods, has expanded their line of frozen fast foods with new rice bowls, veggie blends, and pot pies. Their "all-natural homestyle" pot pies are made using the finest Albanian hash oil along with a puree of Afghan skunk. The result is a somewhat fruity taste that quickly transforms your mealtime into a transcendent experience. Oh yeah, and they have edamame in them too. The rice bowl line, which we've previously reported on in these pages, has been expanded with new combinations such as Vegetable Fried Rice and Teriyaki Vegetable. The veggie blends are simply pre-mixed blends of edamame and other vegetables that are designed to be added to stir frys. www.seapointfarms.com =============================================== 3. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse Comes To Austin A new Kobe Japanese Steakhouse will open at the end of August, according to the owner, but will it have real Kobe beef? The owner says he has a supplier, but that it will depend on "demand" whether or not they put it on the menu. What's so special about Kobe beef? According to one web site on the subject: "Kobe Beef is a legendary delicacy of Japan, a type of beef that is so well marbled that it goes right off the charts for Prime grading in any other country. The meat ends up looking like it has been left out in the snow because of the intensiveness of the white fat marbling -- rivals foie gras for richness and caloric content, and costs an obscene amount, often $300 a pound or more for the real thing from Japan. " We'll see what they offer in August.............. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse Anderson Mill and 183 (Southwest corner) (512) 288-7333 =============================================== 4. Pango Serves Beats (Sushi Lounge Thursdays) Perhaps inspired by Seoul Sushi Bar's monday night disco party (has anyone been lately? Is it still going on?), or maybe Avenue A Sushi in Manhattan, which has a sushi bar in back and a dance area up front, Pango's Tea Bar has added a DJ spinning every thursday night from 9pm to midnite starting June 27th. DJ AM (AKA Aaron Morris) sets up his turntables to pump out bossa, nuJazz, downbeat, brokenbeat, and deepHouse there. DJ AM (dj.aaronmorris.org) Pango's Tea Bar 718 Congress Ave Thursday Nights starting June 27th 9pm - Midnight Avenue A Sushi 103 Avenue A New York, NY 10009 (212) 982-8109 =============================================== 5. Buffet Palace South Opens Buffet Palace's new South location (across the street from the Westgate Theatre) is by far the swankest chinese buffet in town and, by the way, does feature a number of sushi rolls on the buffet. It does *not* have a sushi bar, though, as their ad in the Austin Chronicle seems to suggest. Instead of the usual tacky Trammel-Crow industrial strip-mall cafeteria furnishings, the Buffet Palace folks have designed a standalone facility with an almost clinical Norwegian, or perhaps German Swiss, ambiance. The place is quite large, spare and clean, with high ceilings. This pseudo-European ambiance is offset by screaming kids and big guys with gimme caps. Have fun......... Buffet Palace South 4608 Westgate Blvd (512) 892-1800 ===============================================