Sushi Fraud
We've covered this story in
the past, but it's nice to see the press still working it over. This ruse works because very few people actually recognize the subtle taste differences between various seafoods. So, restaurants can save some big bucks by, for example, serving you pacific rockfish yet claiming it's red snapper (to be fair, it's sometimes the distributors that are deceiving the restaurants, but any seafood establishment worth its salt should know the difference).
In a recent Wired Magazine report on "mislabeled" tuna, researchers "ordered tuna from
31 sushi restaurants and then used genetic tests to determine the species of fishes in those dishes. More than half of those eateries misrepresented, or couldn't clarify, the type of fish they were mongering." We first covered this type of story wayyyy back in 2001 when the Houston Press reported on red snapper and lobster being faked using pacific rockfish and langoustine as substitutes. Last year, we also reported on the two kids who fingered rogue Manhattan sushi bars by analyzing fish DNA.
In the not-so-distant futur=
e, we will all have DNA hand scanners that we can point at our toro sashimi, but
until then, caveat emptor....
Friendliness....
Yanagi might have been just another nice strip-mall sushi bar in South Austin, but what sets them apart is, well, friendliness. On a
recent visit, everyone was so nice that I thought we had walked=
into the wrong place. Warm holiday fuzzies all around.....
Yanagi
4404 W William Cannon Dr
Austin, Texas 78749
(512) 891-0989
The New ASS
Long ago, there was an Austin Sushi Society (ASS). It was a rather hoighty-toighty affair that was never directly associated
with this web site. The ASS didn't last very long. In fact, I think it petered out within a year or so of its creation.
But now, there's a new ASS
in town, and it's called the ASK. Austin Sushi Club (better than "ASC",
right?). The full name is the "Young Professionals Austin Sushi Club"
which means that its primary demographic is people with enough free cash to spend
on sushi.
Once again, they aren't ass=
ociated with this web site, but we, as usual, wholly endorse the consumption of el pescado crudo. Join them at: http://www.meetup.com/Austin-Sushi-Club.
New And Not-So-New
We've been busy for a while
, and a few sushi bars have inadvertantly escaped our attention. Here's a quick rundown:
Sushi Den - way up North on Lamar.
Haiku - way South at I-35 and Slaughter Lane.
Ryu of Japan - way up on Burnet Road.
Oishi - Japanese fusion in the Dobie Mall.
Look for new web site updates and features soon at austinsushi.com ! |
