Buy This: Uchi Cookbook, from Austin’s hit, hip sushi restaurant

Tyson Cole knows a thing or two about cooking.

The chef of Austin’s hit sushi restaurants Uchi and the new Uchiko has released a stunning cookbook that you’re going to want. Cole’s advice is practical (“if you go to a sushi bar and everything is presliced, it’s not a good sushi bar…it means it’s cheap. It means the restaurant is cutting corners). It’s insightful (“it’s amazing how many people come in and order the unhealthiest things on the menu.” “Fried things aren’t sushi,” though Uchi offers some fried foods “because it’s what Americans want”). And it’s inventive (Uchi’s tuna topped with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil, a knob of goat cheese, and sliced Fuji apples is magical).

Ever thought of polenta custard with corn sorbet, corn milk and corn bread tuile? Tyson Cole has (and the recipe is on page 241).

Do you order all your sushi at once? Don’t. “It makes you look like an asshole,” writes Cole (page 140). And don’t ask for things that aren’t on the menu. “People seem to think every restaurant has the same sushi. You don’t see Big Macs at Burger King…if we don’t have a rainbow roll, don’t ask for it.” (Page 140 again.)

Stunning photography. Crisp, clear, compelling writing.

This is a book you will enjoy cooking from, reading, admiring, and savoring.

Uchi, the Cookbook, By Tyson Cole and Jessica Dupuy, $39.95, UT Press.

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