Sushi saves the world!

Okay, well sushi really doesn't save the world but sometimes after you have had a really great sushi meal, don't you feel like you could do anything? Or maybe that is just me :) This dining experience was good but not great. Let me explain...

I recently dined at a new (to me) sushi place that is literally down the street from my new hood. I love spending my money at local businesses whenever possible and I had heard good things on Yelp and from my friends about Tomo Sushi for some time now and an occasion came up that warranted celebrating with sushi so Tomo it was.

We started off with the Screaming Orgasm appetizer. An appropriate name given the name of my food blog. This appetizer is described as tuna tataki with a creamy, spicy ponzu sauce. Below is what it looked like:

Underneath that creamy, spicy ponzu sauce was a generous portion of tuna on a bed of chopped cabbage(napa, bok choy? can't remember). What I do remember was the nice contrast between the cool tuna and the creamy, slightly spicy sauce as it hit my tongue. I would've preferred to have the sauce on the side for dipping and I thought that the ratio of sauce to tuna was rather high. However, that didn't stop us from cleaning the plate. If you can't discern it from the photo, there are chopped green onions garnishing this sauce as well.

We also ordered another appetizer - the rock shrimp tempura that was also stated as being served with with a 'spicy, creamy sauce'. Rather vague description and when it came out it looked like this:

The tempura fried shrimp were coated with the sauce and served on a bed of mixed field greens. While the flavor was good, I would have preferred the shrimp to have been crunchy with the sauce on the side. In case you don't know, I am one of those weird people who prefer all my sauces on the side and I don't like my food to be touching on the plate. Regardless, the dish was fine but not stellar. We went ahead and placed our sushi order.

From l-r Something Wrong Roll, Austin Roll, Say My Name, escolar, yellow tail and smoked salmon nigiri. The Something Wrong Roll was shrimp tempura, soft-shelled crab, tuna, salmon and yellow tail with special sauce. The Austin Roll was actually wrapped in soft rice paper which was very different and unique. I couldn't tell you what was in it at the moment. The last roll had cream cheese, jalapeno and was then deep fried. All pretty tasty. The nigiri had a nice size cut of fish with a smaller than usual mound of rice. If you are on low carb or like the high ratio of fish to rice than you should check out this place. We ordered two additional rolls to share but I didn't take a photo of them and although they were good, the didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

We were lucky to arrive early in the evening and got one of the two booths located near the front of the restaurant. The establishment itself is very tiny and the other tables are literally all lined up right next to each other with one wall of continuous booths and tables jammed together. The sushi bar itself is on the small side as well. The service was fine for us but I have heard complaints about the service and the sushi chefs as well who tend to take lots of sake bombs and begin to exhibit frat boy behavior but again I didn't see any of this during our visit. However, they didn't greet us when we entered as either.

Overall, the sushi was good but I think that the prices are comparable to most other sushi restaurants but the drawbacks are that it is very small and crowded and if you arrive later in the evening, you will probably be waiting to be seated. There was a vibe of "see and be seen" which always is a turnoff for me. I am there to be served good food and can even forgive bad service if the food is fantastic. Sadly, most places are not up to par.

My recommendations if you are looking for a decent sushi (that won't break the bank) are in the following order:

1) Mikado Ryotei www.mikadoryotei.com near Honey Baked Ham on Burnet and 183. MUST TRY - Hamachi Kama - fresh yellow tail collar grilled with salt, pepper and lemon. This appetizer takes 20 minutes to make but the wait is worth it. Trust me. I also recommend the Crunchy Kazi Roll (Spicy tuna, avocado, crunchy flakes and smoked eel, with eel sauce on the outside) and the Chorishi's Fire (2 pieces of shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, and spicy sauce).

2) Maru Sushi www.austinmaru.com Just past 45th street on Burnet Rd at the corner of a little shopping center, across the street from Sampaio's new location. This little unassuming sushi joint has been in business for few years now and is a little gem. I really like their seaweed salad and their special appetizer Stuffed Mushrooms. Their nigiri and rolls are reasonably priced and of good size as well. Since they are also a tiny joint, the best bet is to go earlier in the evening. Word is getting out and I have had to wait the last few times that I have gone.

3) Korea House couldn't find a website for them but they are located in the Village Shopping Center on Anderson Ln. behind Fuddrucker's and next to the Arthur Murray dance studio. I have been going to Korea House since 1992 for their awesome Korean food but they also have a very decent sushi bar as well. Decently priced sushi and no frills, just great food.

Some other places that I have heard good things about but have not tried are Mushashino's and also Kyoto (downtown). Kyoto's has special happy hour sushi prices but I have never been. Since I work downtown you would think that I would have tried it by now but it's on the list. So there you have it. My little treatise on sushi. I hope that you give these places a try. Happy eating!

Hot dog...August in Texas

Where did the time go? It's already the beginning of August and here we are in the second half of the year already. I am so sorry for not being a more regular blogger. This is all new to me and even though people make fun of me for taking photos of my food all the time, I did manage to somehow eat some meals and only afterwards realize that I didn't take a photo!

However, that being said, here's a post of one thing that I have eaten lately that left an impression. I hope that you enjoy!

Below is a photo of two of the 'dogs' that were available at Frank. Frank bills themselves as purveyors of fine artisan sausage. Their website is hotdogscoldbeer.com and they are located where the old Starlite downtown was on Colorado Street next to what used to be the original downtown Alamo Drafthouse which then became Pangea (which has now closed down - Pangea that is). Anyways, the location is fairly convenient but the walk in the heat almost made me want to order a nice, cold beer except that it was a work day. Instead, I made do with some yummy food instead. I was having lunch that day with a co-worker so that allowed me to of course have a bite of another menu item. Whereas I ordered the Chicago Style hot dog that is pictured second, I must say that the sausage my friend ordered was out of this world.

It was called "The Greek" and one of the things that Frank does is have a daily changing menu of specialty sausages. These daily specials come and go but this one should definitely stay on the main menu. It was a lamb and mint sausage with tzatziki sauce, feta, fig orange jalapeno chutney, garlic butter roasted peppers and feta cheese on a french roll. It was definitely a foo-gasm! My friend shared a bite with me and we decided to flag down the waiter to let him know that this needed to be added to the main menu because we were both immediately saddened knowing that we might not come across this option again.

My Chicago Style dog was very good. As you can see below, it came with all the requisite fixins. Poppy seed bun, Vienna Beef hot dog, celery salt, sport peppers, tomatoes, nuclear green relish, onions, dill pickle spear. I had it all the way and it was a good dog. This is always on their regular menu and was only $3.75. The daily specials run a wee bit pricier given that they are usually made with local, limited supply artisan sausages.

Every day Frank will post their daily menu specials. For the day that we went, you can see the specials in the picture below.


I hear that the Jackalope is also very delicious. Frank also has various sides that you can order. The waffle cut fries large basket is pictured below and comes with your choice of two delectable sauces. The buffalo blue sauce is on the bottom and the punchy sauce is the one above. The punchy sauce is a mix of hot sauce (tabasco?), mayonnaise and vinegar I believe. Just the right amount all blended together to make a slightly addictive and spicy sauce. The buffalo blue is just what it sounds like - buffalo sauce and blue cheese mixed together. A nice tangy, spicy combo as well. They do offer a veggie dog and even a portobello cheesesteak if you're cutting back on the meat however my friend who tried a veggie dog here a previous week and then had The Greek said that she was blown away by the flavor in The Greek. I'm just saying...


I am definitely going to come back to try out the corn cup which is described as grilled corn served with cilantro, lime, chili and cheese as well as a beer soaked brat. With the regular menu combined with the changing daily menu, there are endless combinations of sausage/dogs that you can have and as it says now on my Facebook page, I love weiners! Check it out if you're in the area...