Uchi Is a Five-Star Restaurant, Declares Leslie Brenner

Austin-born Japanese sensation Uchi has been slammed practically every night since it opened in Uptown on June 1 — but a packed dining room doesn't always translate into favorable reviews from the critics.

In this case, however, Dallas Morning News critic Leslie Brenner's professional opinion seems to be right in line with that of the dining public: She drops an elusive five-star rating on Uchi today, calling it "an incredibly ambitious enterprise" that succeeds in offering "one spectacular experience." She's got plenty of praise for the sushi rolls, declaring them "uncommonly terrific," but don't sleep on the more unusual menu items:

Unconventional sushi items are outstanding here, too — even things that sounded too simple to be worth ordering, like grilled eggplant. Painted with lemon miso and sprinkled with gomo shio (sesame salt), the eggplant melted delectably into the rice. Avocado nigiri, carefully sauced with tamari and dotted with yuzu kosho, somehow tasted like a rare and expensive delicacy. If you’re a foie gras lover, do try the sushi version, gorgeously seared, painted with fish caramel, garnished with candied quinoa and negi and banded with nori (seaweed). Wow!

Uchi joins the tiny and illustrious club of restaurants that have won five stars from the paper — the only others are Lucia and FT33. If you thought it was hard to get a table at Uchi already, brace for even longer waits now.