Austin Food News

This week in food: Jeffrey's scoops June Rodil, The Great Food Truck Race rolls into Austin, plus a taste of St. Philip's menu

In this week's food news, The Great Food Truck Race finally makes its way to Austin. Plus, we get a sneak peek at the St. Philip's menu, and a taste of a chocolate "pharmacy" (yup, you heard me). Check out all the tidbits below.

Jeffrey's scoops up June Rodil
June Rodil has left her role as director of operations at Qui for a new position with another powerful Austin restaurant group. "We scooped up June Rodil to take over our wine program at Jeffrey's," Larry McGuire tells CultureMap via email, "and also work with the buyers at each of the MMH restaurants to keep our quality improving across the board."

A taste of St. Philip
The Uchi/Uchiko brand is expanding with St. Philip, set to open this summer in the former home of Cannoli Joe's. Director of Culinary Operations Philip Speer gave us a sneak peek at two items you'll see on the menu. First up: gulf prawns, watermelon, jicama, dill, chile-citrus vinaigrette; followed by a pizza of wild mushrooms, baby kale, ricotta, idiazabal cheese.

The Great Food Truck Race rolls into Austin
We’ve just receive word that this Saturday the Food Network's hit showThe Great Food Truck Raceis rolling into Austin. The show will set up in front of Star Bar, Rattle Inn and Ranch 616 from 5 pm to 7 pm on Saturday, with six participating food trucks filming for the show. According to a press release, "The public is welcome to stop by during the taping and order food from the food trucks featured on the show." No word just yet on the nature of the appearance, but if you’re looking for your 30 seconds of fame, you may have just found it.

Foreign & Domestic introduces new Indie Chef
Foreign & Domestic has exclusively shared details with CultureMap about the upcoming Indie Chefs dinner. The restaurant’s next attending chef will be Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett of The Absinthe Group in San Francisco. Corbett’s desserts and pastries can be seen in various famed fine-dining restaurants, including Absinthe, Arlequin Café, Boxing Room and Comstock Saloon. The seven-course, collaborative dinner takes place Monday, June 16. Counter seats are $125 per person, which includes tip. Table seats are available for $100. Seats can be purchased through this link.

Austin Beerworks' new flavors
Austin Beerworks is releasing a slew of new brews this season. On May 14, the craft brewery will release a Heavy Machinery Half IPA, which Owner Will Golden describes to CultureMap as a "low bitterness, high hop flavor, American pale ale." Around June the brewery will release the Einhorn Which, the brewery's summer beer, which he describes as “a tart, high effervescence sour German-style wheat beer.” The brewery is also working on a sour wheat beer with peaches for a collaboration drink they're creating with Joe Mohrfeld from Pinthouse Pizza.

Game of Thrones libations grow
Game of Thrones has thrown out several shocking surprises this year, and the North Door has been there every step of the way with free weekly screenings and specialty Game of Thrones cocktails. Recently, the restaurant added even more new drinks to the medieval-themed viewing menu. New libations include the Ruby Red Wedding, made with Deep Eddy Ruby Red, strawberries, lime juice and sparkling wine, as well as the Targaryen Dragon’s Blood, made with pomegranate juice, agave syrup and ginger beer. Those who show up in costume will also receive $2 drink specials.

There’s a new pharmacy in town — and it's sweet
A few weeks ago, a new Austin chocolate company, the Chocolate Pharmacy, reached out to introduce their raw, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, sugar-free (did you take all that in?) chocolate. Naturally, I was a bit (okay, very) skeptical; however, the treats turned out to be divine. Below, Jyl Kutsche, one of the two creators of the unconventional chocolate company, explained the genesis behind her brand and highlighted four of the many chocolates featured in Chocolate Pharmacy’s diverse line.

“We looked at the spice benefits first, researching spices and all the benefits that they were known for and the studies being done on them. Then we looked at flavor and spice blends in traditional dishes from around the world to see if these combinations that had evolved over centuries to heal as well as delight would be great with chocolate," Kutsche explained. "We saw that we could make blends to support general health but with extra healing properties predominant in one area."

The chocolates include "Finish Line," made for anyone who needs an energy boost; "Oil Can," recommended for achy joints; "Happy Tummy," for those with sensitive stomachs; and "Time Machine," which offers a midday pick-me-up without the crash of caffeine or sugar. The healing chocolates can be ordered online.

The Great Food Truck Race rolls into Austin on Saturday.

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Omakase for Everyone

New South Austin restaurant swims against current of expensive omakase

Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi keeps things simple.

Austin had no shortage of beautiful sushi restaurants, but a new one at Lantana Place is doing drawing the trend away from the center of the city and sticking a lower price tag on the experience. Tancho Sushi, offering "everyday omakase," is now open at 7415 Southwest Parkway.

The thought of casual omakase feels like a bit of an oxymoron in Austin, where the service style — which tasks the chef with choosing what the diner will eat — is almost synonymous with something fancy and expensive. Factor in the interior design at Tancho, which certainly doesn't look pedestrian, and it's hard to believe it's actually an everyday meal.

But all things considered, these prices seem reasonable: $29 for the lightest dinner option, and capping out at a $59 feast. Lunch is even less expensive, starting at $24.

In some omakase experiences, the chef might factor in a diner's taste, the special ingredients that are available that day, and any number of other factors to determine what hits the table. But at Tancho, these prix fixe options are predetermined, doubtlessly contributing to the more accessible pricing.

The 50-seat restaurant also uses a clever marketing angle to get diners in who aren't necessarily experienced in sushi, or might otherwise be intimidated by letting a chef choose unfamiliar foods. "With thoughtfully curated preset menus, Tancho simplifies the dining experience by eliminating the guesswork so guests can focus on enjoying their meals," a press release announcing the opening says.

The release was sent November 22, but it looks like Tancho has been serving customers in a soft opening capacity for about a month, based on its Google reviews (which are stunningly high for a new restaurant at 4.7 stars).

Although each menu is different, there is a shared arc. All four experiences start with sunomono salad, a cucumber-based dish with red seaweed and sesame. Then there's tuna sashimi with smoked yuzu ponzu and scallions, and the rest depends on what the diner chooses.

Some standout items across the dinner service are sea bream on the light menu; akami (very red meat along the spine of a tuna) on the standard omakase menu; a lobster open hand roll on the rolls-only menu; and a tuna flight on the grand omakase menu.

No menu item is especially complicated. The focus is on doing each ingredient right, including the temperature the fish is served at and even the flavor of house-made soy sauce and ponzu.

“We keep the focus on the ingredients,” said co-founder Brad Van Otterloo in the release. “By stripping away unnecessary flourishes, we allow the quality of our fish to take center stage. This is a Texas-born concept through and through, and we’re proud to contribute to Austin’s growing sushi reputation.”

Despite all this talk of omakase, it is possible to order à la carte items: some appetizers, nigiri (sliced fish on top of rice), and rolls. There's also a carefully curated beverage program, which largely focuses on sake. That includes the Kubota Manju or “Ten Thousand Celebrations" ($79), renowned in Japan for its complex layers and smooth mouthfeel.

“As Austin continues to grow, we wanted to introduce a fresh take on the sushi experience,” said Van Otterloo. “We’re here to make sushi approachable for Austinites while honoring the integrity of this cuisine. It’s about creating a space where everyone can discover and enjoy sushi at their own pace – no pressure, no pretense.”

Tancho Sushi is located at 7415 Southwest Parkway, Building 4, Suite 300. It's open daily from 11 am to 10 pm, offering both dine-in and takeout. There are no reservations.

omakase sushi openings south austin

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Omakase for Everyone

New South Austin restaurant swims against current of expensive omakase