I've heard many good things about Uchiko and Austin becoming a culinary destination, cannot wait to check it out. Lived in Texas for 2 years when I was a kid. My family owned a small fusion japanese restaurant in a small town, back in the 90's folks in the area had no idea about sushi and the thought of eating raw fish was quite foreign indeed. I guess our timing was off, as it was still a growing trend on the left coast and hadn't quite absorbed into the culinary scene in a Lubbock. I do recall falling in love with Tex-Mex food at the time! haha
The plethora of well trained sushi chefs in LA and California in general make it an excellent place to learn and train. The flip side would be its a very competitive job market and the average wages for sushi chefs are relatively lower while the cost of living is quite high in LA or SF. I've been lucky to have worked at a handful of small sushi restaurants under strict and dedicated sensei. If ever in Austin I would love the chance to stage with you guys! Cheers!
i get off pretty late though
