Some Inexpensive Sushi Knives

Global knives
Global knives are a popular sushi prep knife in the United States.

MetroKitchen.com

Bunmei knives
High-quality, inexpensive stainless steel knives.

SushiKnives.com

Benmei Sashimi Knife

Mundial knives
A Brazilian corporation founded by Germans. Known for their fine traditional kitchen cutlery, they've recently started offering sashimi knives.

Mundial Corporation



RIP Pangos  

A Recent Austin/Travis County Health Deparment Score

100 is the highest score. Scores below 70 risk losing their permit.

January 20th:
Arirang - score: 80


Recent Williamson County Health Department Scores

More than 30 demerits fail and risk losing their permit.

March 5th:
Fuji - 4 demerits

March 5th:
Tokyo Steakhouse - 25 demerits



Austin Sushi News #32, March 2004

Chocolate Pocky 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.


Note: There was no February issue of Austin Sushi News

Contents


Pango Reborn As Silhouette

It's been just over a month since the video camera was found in the plant. Pango was peeking, it seems, and there are a lot of very pissed off women who want to know what went down.

For those new to the story, here's the two sentence recap. On Wednesday January 21st, 2004, a customer found a hidden video camera in a plant in the women's restroom at Pangos. Pango owner Chien-Jui Kuo admitted that the video camera was his, and the restaurant was immediately shut down by the police.

Pango is gone, of course, and, as far as I can tell, so is ex-owner Chien-Jui Kuo. Meanwhile, the venue has a new owner, has been renamed Silhouette, and is set for a grand opening this friday, March 12th. Yes, this friday, from 5pm-7pm, KGSR will be stopping by and there will be a special happy hour, so come on by and share the love with Silhouette's new owner, Yuan Nash (a woman, by the way). The sushi has been quite good, and creative, during the past few months, so expect more of same.

One anonymous tipster writes:

"I just wanted to send an FYI: Pangos has been reborn with a new look, new owner, new management, staff and name. It's now called Silhouette. Kevin (the sushi chef) and Pearl (the head bartender) are still there, so those who liked the sushi or drinks offered by Pangos can still get their favorites. The menu has some new additions all around as well - the Van Gogh roll is my favorite."

RIP Pango Tea Bar -- 718 Congress Avenue

Welcome Silhouette Restaurant and Bar!

Silhouette Restaurant and Bar
718 Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas
Phone: (512)
478-8899

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The Greater Austin Sushi Boom Continues....

Pangos is gone, but that's just part of the grand cyclic nature of sushi bars in Austin. Social Darwinism has vetted the field once again so that new venues can come forth. And come Sanrioforth they have....

First up, joining the sushi boom in neighboring Pflugerville, is Fuji Japanese Restaurant which is just down the street from the recently opened Hakata.

Nearby, the lure of mixing teppenyaki and sushi is too great. Tokyo Japanese Steak House in Round Rock is the latest to succumb, and has added a sushi bar. They now call themselves Tokyo Japanese Steak House "and Sushi Bar" (duh!). We've learned not to expect much from "and sushi bar" establishments, but we'll reserve final judgement for our visit.

And speaking of teppanyaki "and sushi bars"...... Kyoto II has been closed for a while and has changed owners. It's now called Fujiyama Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar (uh-oh!). It should open in mid-April.

So-called Japanese "fast" food is now trendy, and cashing in on the trend is newcomer Wiki Wiki Teriyaki, which has opened in the Arboretum next to Amy's Ice Cream. www.wikiwikiteriyaki.com

And speaking of Japanese fast food, the well-established Zen Japanese Food Fast now has a nifty web site you can check out. www.eatzen.com

Fuji Japanese Restaurant
15803 Windermere Drive
Pflugerville, Texas
Phone: (512) 252-0200

Tokyo Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar
201-D Sundance Parkway
Round Rock, Texas
Phone: (512) 388-7896

Fujiyama Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar
4815 W. Braker Lane #580
Austin, Texas
Phone: (512) ???-????

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Sushi 101

Props out to Origami Executive Chef Tim Thomas and Central Market Cooking School for a fun evening of sushi making. Yeah, yours truly took the class. If you're worried that your kitchen skillz may not be up to par then this is definitely your gig. Most of the prep work is done by Tim and the staff at Central Market, so you get to concentrate on the fun work of rolling your sushi and eating it. Ice Cream Puffs

Of course, it doesn't hurt that CM's attentive staff is filling your glass with all the wine and sake you can handle. After a while, your sushi looks perfect and tastes perfect no matter what the reality might be. Finally, the cost, $55, isn't that much more than you'd expect to pay at a sushi bar anyway.

Next class: March 25th
http://www.centralmarket.com/cm/cmClasses-A_NLmar.jsp

NOTE: Not to worry -- they allocate one Western-style cutting knife per table, so there aren't a lot of razor-sharp sushi knives laying around.

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All contents of this newsletter © 2004 austinsushi.com