The Finest Blend of Taste & Technology » Chef Tyson Cole

Uchiko – What would it feel like to win the US Open, the College World Series, or the World Cup?

KeeperTeam — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:53:29 +0000

If there was a tournament for new restaurants today, UCHIKO would know how winning would feel, as this restaurant deserves a trophy. Chef Tyson Cole unleashed his creative Executive Chef, Paul Qui, to create the menu for their “Japanese farmhouse”. The food spoke of the huge talent Chef Qui possesses. Just like Uchi, Uchiko is aiming for perfection. As we sat down and were greeted by Chef Cole, he told us that we were in for a night to remember. And WOW, we are still remembering!

Uchiko was designed by Michael Hsu, aiming to provide an interior that is said to be of “aesthetic, crafted materials and warm finishes to round out the dining experience”. We really like the feel of the restaurant, starting with the backdrop at the entry, to the openness of the kitchen at the sushi bar, and continuing to the glass-front private dining room.

The comfortable feel of the elements of wood, leather, glass, and perfect lighting just added to the culinary experience.

Now, for the food. Along with a Drinks list overseen by Wine Director, June Rodil, the menu is divided into 7 sections – TASTINGS (a selection of delicate hot and cool items); GREENS; GRILL;

SUSHI & SASHIMI; MAKIMONO (sushi rolls);

AGEMONO (a category of deep-fried dishes in Japanese cuisine); and DESSERTS, created by who other than Uchi/UCHIKO’s talented Executive Pastry Chef, Chef Phillip Speer.

UH, oh – on our first dish, we will have to describe the dish only, because the Keeper Team Member in charge of photography went in full force before taking the picture. It WAS Kai Jiru, which is Atlantic mussels, in heirloom tomato water, along with basil blossom and celery. Great starter and so refreshing in the summer – this was a nice balance of salt and acidity. (Note: We have insider scoop that the Alcoholian Blog may have a great picture of this dish, so watch out for their blog about UCHIKO.)

Kai Jiru - Atlantic mussels, heirloom tomato water, basil blossom, celery

After reining our photographer back down to Earth, we were WOWed with a dish called Koviche, composed of fresh day boat scallop over tomatillos, kalamata olive powder, black lime salt, and a corn flake tuille. The scallops were perfect, and they had a sweetness that paired well with the tomatillos, which were tart but not bitter. Our server suggested that we use the tuille as a chip under the layers of scallop and tomatillo, and yes that was a hit!

Koviche, fresh day boat scallops, tomatillos, kalamata olive powder, black lime salt, corn flake tuille

Our next surprise was Avocado Sushi Pieces with Yuzu kosho and tamari. The Yuzu Kosho is something special, and we think can be used in many ways, especially with fresh fish sashimi. Wish we could get the recipe for Yuzu kosho – hint hint, UCHIKO!

Avocado Sushi Pieces with Yuzu kosho and tamari

Our next two dishes were sashimi. The first was amberjack and the second was mackerel. The Shime saba (mackerel) is so incredible and a NOT TO MISS dish, so we must focus our writing on this one. The Norwegian mackerel was salt cured and topped with heirloom yellow cherry tomatoes, a slice of fresh truffle, and basil microgreens. We did not want this dish to end. The mackerel was not oily or strong in flavor, but rather, melted in your mouth. Even though we dream of truffles dancing in our heads, we had no idea that truffle would take mackerel to this level – thank you UCHIKO.

Hiramasa Yaki - seared yellow tail amberjack, fennel, fuji apple

Shime Saba -cured Norwegian mackerel, tomato, truffle, basil

Surprise from Chef COLE – Grapefruit sorbet with a fine dice of avocado and asian pear, candied fennel chip – YUMMY

Grapefruit Sorbet with a fine dice of avocado and asian pear, candied fennel chip

AND NOW – to maybe, the dish of the night – Usagi yaki, a mold of rabbit confit that was made crispy and topped with fresh sweet pea, along with two sides- a lightly poached egg over pea puree and a pear, mustard seed sauce. The second picture shows the dish after the egg is broken and combined with the sweet pea puree – WOW WOW!

Usagi Yaki - crispy rabbit terrine, quail egg, pear mostarda, sweet pea

Two sushi pieces were next, one eggplant – one beef tongue.

Nasu Japanese Eggplant, sumiso (on left); Gyutan Grilled Beef Tongue, fish caramel, maldon salt (on right)

Just when we wondered what else could be coming, we were presented with a dish from the Agemono section of the menu. Chef Qui created UCHIKO’s version of a great, fried chicken dish with a twist. Cornish game hen is dipped in a batter, fried, and topped with shaved onion and a medley of fresh greens. The dipping sauce is such an interesting combination using primarily sansho pepper and lemon. We are sure that some secret ingredients are lurking in there too.

Chicken Karaage - Fried half cornish game hen, sansho pepper, lemon

We were then presented the Oyster Mushroom Nabe – a hot bowl with rice, egg, oyster mushroom, parsley, and bonito flakes. If you want a great, filling vegetarian dish, this is the dish for you. The dish has great layers of flavor and is good comfort food too.

Oyster Mushroom Nabe – oyster mushroom, rice, egg, bonito flakes, parsley

Many think “bacon fat rules”! Appropriately, we were brought the Bacon Sen, pairing pork belly with two completely different apple sides. The apple kimchi was our favorite of the two.

Bacon Sen - Berkshire pork belly, fried green apple puree, fugi apple kimchee

For a taste of the ocean, try Uchiko’s Uni sushi – Uni lovers will not be disappointed.

Uni Sushi

Of course, not one, but two desserts from Chef Speer appeared! These desserts were both very creative and unique. We are always amazed at Chef Speer’s desserts.

Sweet Corn Sorbet, Polenta Custard, Caramel Salt, Lemon

Chevre Fondant Tomato Sorbet, sicilian pistachio croquant

At this dinner, UCHICKO knocked it out of the ballpark, only had birdies and eagles, and won with a hat trick. Chef Qui worked intently throughout the night overseeing the taste and presentation of his creations along with the rest of the crew.

Chef Paul Qui & Crew

We counted 17 chefs/sous chefs in the kitchen, along with 9 chefs manning the sushi bar – quite impressive. The service had Uchi written all over it – upbeat, caring, customer-oriented focus. We can’t wait to go back to UCHIKO and often.

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Calling all Chefs! Chefs Under Fire 2010 Entries Open Tomorrow – June 2

KeeperTeam — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:38:53 +0000

Calling all Chefs to the new & improved Chefs Under Fire 2010! If you thought last year was fun, wait ’till you see what’s in store for 2010. More events, more prizes, more chefs, and of course, more heat!

Beginning tonight at midnight, we will officially be accepting entries to compete in Chefs Under Fire 2010! Do you think you have what it takes? Prove it! Do you know someone in the food biz that you think can take the heat? Recommend Chefs Under Fire to them!

Visit www.ChefsUnderFire2010.com and read the Official Chefs Under Fire 2010 Rules to learn more about what it takes to compete in Chefs Under Fire 2o1o.

Follow Chefs Under Fire on Facebook and Twitter, sign up for email updates at www.ChefsUnderFire2010.com, and keep checking back here for the latest news and developments.

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Flames of Success!

KeeperTeam — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:28:43 +0000

Chefs Under Fire™ came and went and left us smiling from its success! From the fervent competition in the kitchen to Jim White’s flavorful commentary to the judge’s insightful remarks, Chefs Under Fire was chock-full of excitement, laughs, and entertainment. At the end of the night, our adept celebrity judges, Chef David Bull, Chef Tyson Cole, and Chef Kent Rathbun, were proud to finally announce the three outstanding winners. After quiet deliberation, Chef Bull selected Keith A. Hildebrandt II (of Texas Culinary Academy) for his exquisite (and inverted!) chicken and pancetta cacciatore, Chef Cole chose Loren Root for his unique, refined version of Cole’s Uchiviche dish, and Chef Rathbun picked Martin Weaver (also a graduate of Texas Culinary Academy) for his original, pumpkin-infused barbecue sauce and pork tenderloin. And as an additional surprise from the judges, they even awarded Keith Hildebrandt the Best in Presentation award for his beautiful Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore!

Keith Hildebrandt's Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore

As all three of the judges noted, each contestant created drastically different versions of each recipe, which made the judging exceptionally challenging. Despite the stiff competition between the contestants, the three best dishes certainly stood out, and both Keeper Collection and The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas are very proud of 3 the acclaimed winners! We also want to give a special thank you for the commitment, cooperation, creativity, and above all, the magnificent attitudes of all nine finalists. In addition to the three winners, Alysha Cable (of World Beat Cuisine), Trysh Gonzales and Eli Ollinger (of The Art Institute of Austin) Steve Crisler (of Chefs Creative), Tonni Hinojosa (of HinoSpices™ Rio Grande Catering), and Maite Palma (a graduate of the Hospitality & Culinary Education program at Collin College) were carefully selected as finalists among numerous applicants. Their dishes—and dedication—deserve high praise. Everyone who attended the event would agree that each contestant brought his or her own unique spice to the night!

Keeper Collection, LLC and The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas would also like to recognize Jon Pluskota and his Audio-Visual Team from the Art Institute of Austin for their hard work and organization that was vital in capturing the entire event on film. We can’t wait to release the footage! In addition, we want to thank the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center for providing such a state-of-the-art setting for Chefs Under Fire.

Thank you to everyone who contributed in making Chefs Under Fire a flaming success! After all, the dedication, support, and enthusiasm of everyone involved is what truly fueled the night’s flame.

Did you attend Chefs Under Fire? Comment here to let us know what you thought!

For those of you who didn’t get to attend Chefs Under Fire, check out these great photos from John of Austin and Austin Food Journal’s recap of the event!

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