Uchiko. Austin, TX. Owned by chef Tyson Cole. Food to die for.

There were seven of us, and we chose to allow our waiter to bring us dishes at his discretion. We lost count of the number of dishes they brought out, but we think there were 17, four of which were desserts.

Everything was fantastic. My favorites were the wagyu short rib that melted in my mouth and was reminiscent, but far better than, the best brisket; the razor clam with bacon foam and garlic roots (yes, roots!); the pork belly; and the fried brussel sprouts. As someone who usually is not a fan of brussel sprouts, it’s quite significant that I requested another bowl of them, and could have had a third for dessert.

And desserts? There was a buttermilk mousse with cherry, coriander and onion; black olive gelato with chocolate and lemon cream; tobacco pastry cream and chocolate; and the best, which was corn six ways. Mmmmm….

It was a great night, and I’d like to thank Jon, Stu, David, Egill, Derek and Marcus for being fantastic dinner companions and fellow food photographers! A special shout out to Derek, who said he’s “not a fish person” for trying just about everything!