Austin Sushi News,  January, 2001

THE NEWS!

The NASDAQ may be tanking, but Austin sushi is booming.
The number of Austin sushi bars grew 50% in 2000.

NOTE: There was no December, 2000  issue of Austin Sushi News

YET ANOTHER NEW SUSHI BAR?

Well, not exactly. Momoko, Austin's first source
for Bubble Tea and all of your Sanrio needs (Hello Kitty, Keroppi,
Pochacco, Badtz-Maru, Pekkle, etc...), has expanded at their
705b W. 24th Street location and has added Momoko Energy Supply Station.
It's a small Japanese restaurant and take-out joint featuring
sushi balls ("What you will get from a roll of sushi now comes in a ball"),
Bento boxes, Baby Burgers ("A rice-based bun with...meats"),
Chubbies ("...put a stick through them and have them boiled or deep-fried..."),
and other delights. Most meals are available in vegetarian versions. Check
'em out.......
Phone: 469-0086

NOT ANOTHER NEW SUSHI BAR??!!

This one's for real folks. Kimchi Sushi Restaurant is now open
in the Lincoln Village Shopping Center, 6406 N. IH-35. Phone: 453-4111.
I can't say much for the decor but the sushi was quite good. The sushi
chef, Yasumoto, was unusually talkative and entertaining -- he claims to
speak six languages (Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, English, Spanish,
and French). More fish fun!

YUM! LICK! SMACK! KOUNTDOWN TO KENICHI!

The DesignAustin web site has finally posted their feature
on the forthcoming Kenichi sushi bar and boy does it look tasty!
Here's the link for the architectural details and design sketches.
http://www.designaustin.com/architecture.htm
Excerpt:
"The interior of Kenichi exposes the existing wood
trusses behind a layer of back-lit scrim fabric, which will
serve as a light screen to create a warm ambient glow.
The millwork is conceived as visually heavy pieces,
simple in form, lightly resting within the shell space."
For those just tuning in to Austin Sushi News, Kenichi is a new
sushi bar that is expected to open in March at the southeast
corner of Colorado and W. 5th Streets. Dick Clark Architects
is managing the decor. Salivate over their current fare at
www.kenichi.com, the web site for their Aspen, Colorado, location.

YOUR PERSONAL SUSHI CHEF

I recently attended a sushi dinner party at a private home
catered by former Kyoto sushi chef Nat Sawatphadungkij.
He setup in the kitchen with his fresh seafood and tools, and
proceeded to create boatloads (literally, using wooden boats
for trays) of sushi wonders for the dinner party. I highly recommend
him if you want to have a catered dinner party in your home.
You can hire him. His trade name is "Nat In The Kitchen."
Phone: (512) 797-6897 or Email: SushiNat@yahoo.com

WASABI PREVENTS TOOTH DECAY?

Science Daily has the scoop (Thanks Tim!). Here's the link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/12/001215082049.htm
Excerpt:
"The isothiocyanates in wasabi are already known to have a
variety of beneficial health effects. They have been implicated
in cancer prevention, found to prevent harmful blood clots,
and have demonstrated anti-asthmatic properties. In addition,
wasabi has antimicrobial properties - which may account for
its popularity as an accompaniment to raw fish."

CELL PHONE ACCESS TO THE LATEST SUSHI RATINGS

As always, if you've got a compatible cell phone (Spring PCS'
Wireless Web, AT&T's PocketNet, or Verizon's Mobile Web),
point it at our list of Austin sushi bars (www.marystreet.com/s.wml).
Push a button to automatically call your favorite sushi bar. Handy!