Down Home Sushi

Where's the best place to get good Japanese food?Not where you'd think. Austen Texas, once home to many a Tex-Mex place now has a large number of Japanese  restaurants. Why here? Blame it on one restaurant that started the spark.

Brett Anderson, the famed New Orleans food critic, wrote about this in today''s New York Times Food section. For a long time Austen, Texas was primarily known for its' amazing Tex-Mex  food as well as barbecue. Thanks to one restaurant,Uchi, the spark of Japanese restaurants grew. Chef Tyson Cole created the eatery due in part to his love of the TV show, the campy "Iron Chef". He also had a job as a dishwasher and server at a sushi place in the downtown part of the city.A big part is is love of Japanese food along with being mentored by Takehiko Fuse, a locally revered Japanese born chef. Uchi gave birth to Uchiko, with its' fusion of Japanese  classics and Texas standards. Chef Cole, winner of the 2011 James Beard award, has been called responsible for rewiring Austen's palate.. There are other chefs , many non-Japanese , who are also expanding the city's tastes. There is Otto Phan ,a Vietnamese Texan, along with Taiwanese Stacy Chen who moved o the area when she was a child. Then there is Paul Qui who won Top Chef in 2011 . American chef Amanda Turner who apprenticed at Uchi is coming back this summer to open up her own Japanese eatery.

Fusion food had to happen. Takuya Matsumoto and Tatsu Aikakwa, chefs and business partners came up with Loro\,a marriage of Texas smokehouse and Japanese bar food. The meat is cooked in a hardwood cooker and served with Asian inspired sauces and sides.Candied kettle corn is made with the burnt eds of brisket and togarashi, a fiery seven spice blend. Diners can get a brisket sandwich and a tofu rice bowl. They can be washed down with alcoholic slushies or beers. Even Loro's decor is roadhouse with a tea house vibe.Another restaurant , their Kemuri-Tatsu-ya also follows this philosophy. They asked themselves what if a Japanese guy came to Texas a century ago . would he be cooking at a roadhouse? Their menu offers everything from Tokyo street corn to  a hot pocket type brisket sandwich.Octopus fritters are topped with chili and jalapenos. There's a sticky rice tamale  that's filled with chorizo, beef tongue and shiitake mushrooms. Even the desserts are  fusions. Roasted banana pudding is flavored with caramel miso and kokuto crunch while the pecan pie has azuki beans in it.

Austen may be in the heart of Texas, but its' heart is in Japan.It's now the center for sushi and ramen. What is great is that it can meld with Texan tradition and create an entirely new cuisine.

Octopus Cupcakes

One of the latest trends this year is mixing seafood with sweets. It's a way of infusing those bad for you treats with brain food.Many home bakers will balk at it but once they'll change their minds once they  taste the brininess of the ocean married to chocolate or vanilla.It truly is a taste sensation.

For those who still question this, the answer is just ease into it. Start with fish sticks or fish fingers dipped in chocolate or caramel syrup. Yes, it's an eye opening departure  from tartar sauce and ketchup, but it is tasty. The sweetness reminds some of the fruity tasting duck sauce served in Chinese restaurants. (and let's face it - ketchup is just as sweet as well). Anther way of jumping into the sweet seafood craze is by adding a scant cup of flaked fish to any cake or cupcake batter. The mildest is cod, used in fishsticks.It is more delicate than the robust salmon and tuna. These would be great mixed in with chocolate.Of course one of the best combos is any flavor cake with octopus.It's so versatile that it can go with with every kind of cake flavor from Red Velvet to butter. Octopus cupcakes would be the perfect treat at any little boy birthday party. It contains cake with something icky - every kid's fantasy.

Seafood can even find its' way into fancy desserts such as croquembouche . These are tiny cream puffs piled on top of each other to create a tree. This is a time to really go crazy with the seafood -sweet trend. Try mackerel, It is a bit oily  but a squirt of lemon will make it more compatible to the rich vanilla pastry cream. For a sweet punch of color add the coral fleshed salmon.Yes, it's great in a chocolate or devils;' food cake.It is sublime and pretty when blended with a pale yellow cream For a surprise, try chopped shrimp  too. It has a nice meatiness that works well with the other textures.For larger cream puffs think the meatier monkfish and lobster.Pair with a creme caramel for a truly lush flavor and mouth feel. Monkfish and lobster are also good filling for eclairs too.It's a nice way of combining a posh dinner with an even posher dessert.Lobster can also go with that elegant French dessert pot du chocolat - a rich dark chocolate pudding enriched with egg yolks. A bit of lobster tail can even be used as a garnish on top.



If this seems a bit outrageous to you check today's date. Got you , foodies!😋😋😋

A Good Sunday Read

Heads up New York Times Sunday Magazine readers, most of issue is all about wining and dining.It's both a gourmand's and a foodie's dream issue, with all sorts of good articles about food and drink. Some will shock , some will rivet you. There's also a bonus of some pretty delicious recipes thrown in as well.

This is an issue that comes out twice a year , like their fashion and travel extras.it really is chock full of some interesting info solely about restaurants but also about what goes into them , like good dishes and good wines.. Famous chef Mario Batali contributes with  a penne arriabiata as well as shrimp scampi and calamari recipes.This is for his workers, usually for  a late night after work gathering, although these recipes would go well on a Saturday night with friends,,There's also a piece by Times Dining great Sam Sifton about older restaurants hitting their forty year anniversaries. Aloso look at a neat write up about Los Angeles being the goat stew(!) capital of the US.

What I found interesting is an article by Marnie Hanel about a nineteen year old octopus hunter Dylan Mayer. This plucky teen goes diving for that culinary hit, the octopus. Catching it is a bit of a struggle as the sea creature is ready to do battle with anything and anyone. It can cause  quite a lot of damage to any foe as Mayer found out but the result is worth it. He is, after all a chef too, and has created some interesting dishes with it .Instead of the usual salad (popular with the Greeks) Mr. Mayer   put braised  chunks on yogurt dollops spiced with herbs. If this is a turn off stick with the  inspiring kale article or the many on cocktails (with recipes) and wines

Tomorrow, grab the Sunday Times Magazine. Before you do the puzzle , enjoy the articles. They' re fun , informative and amazing - a sure winner with both gourmands and foodies alike.,