You're going to love him
He's not going: First tidbits about Paul Qui's plans for his new South Lamarrestaurant
It looks like Paul Qui is setting up shop just down the street from his friends at Uchi.
During his dinner series at New York's City Grit, Qui divulged some details about his forthcoming restaurant. The good news: It's going to be in Austin, not New York or some other city further afield, as some had speculated. The bad news: Are you kidding? There is no bad news, although it's probably going to be tough to snag a reservation.
Qui's still-unnamed concept is coming together at 2310 South Lamar, combing the former Electra and Casita Taco spaces, according to a release by broker Herman Tjahja. It's not only close to the original Uchi, but it's also near Sway, the just-announced Thai concept by the La Condesa team that's expected to open later this summer.
Qui told SeriousEats that the menu will be "Asian-esque," with a 50-person dining room, a separate 12-seat bar that will offer a tasting menu and a single kitchen that will service both. "Sort of like a kaiseki? But not really like that," said Qui. "The plates will be a little bigger than sushi bites."
Early plans for the concept have been scrapped in the wake of Qui's whirlwind trip to Copenhagen's Noma, which inspired him to change some of his ideas.
Says Qui, "This is me trying to figure out my own style of food."