We first met Suzi Yi when she was the überserver at Taiwan Restaurant on William Cannon back in the Eighties. In its day, Taiwan was one of the best Chinese venues in town, and Suzi was their top waitperson. We always made sure that we sat in her section, because she knew our order without asking, and we were assured the friendliest of efficient service. She embarked on her own to open the popular Suzi’s Chinese Kitchen on South Lamar in 1990 and then transformed an old Coco’s Restaurant into her show-place grill in 1996. Now she has added a new wrinkle to the grill, a superlative sushi bar, and the transition has been as smooth as glass. Fans of Suzi’s cuisine should also be on the lookout for her newest location to open on Dec. 10 in West Lake.
The Shoal Creek location has a warm, clubby feel, with muted earth tones, lots of windows (yet subdued light), and a calming glassed-in Oriental garden with a fountain. There is an open kitchen (partly shielded by opaque glass dividers), and you can watch the cooking action if so inclined. If we had to find fault with anything, it would be the sound level. There is a simmering murmur of background noise, compounded by lots of hard surfaces, but once the food starts arriving your focus changes, and the white noise fades.
We made the mistake of going for sushi on a Sunday, only to find out it was the sushi chef’s night off, so we decided to brush up on the Chinese menu. We’ll make a quick run through those results, but rest assured that Suzi has maintained her hallmark through the years: quality ingredients, quickly cooked with great flavors, in very little oil. We started with the Chicken Lettuce Wrap ($5.95), which is diced chicken and crunchy water chestnuts in a flavorful brown sauce with scallions. One wraps the mix in crisp lettuce leaves to make a delightful textural combination. Next came Sesame Scallops ($6.25), meltingly tender scallops in a fried wrapper with a soy-sesame-ginger sauce.
We then had Spicy Calamari ($6.50), just-cooked, lightly spiced, and breaded rings with a chile paste-vinegar dipping sauce. Mimosa Beef ($10.95) is a prime example of Suzi’s craft: large slices of incredibly tender marinated beef with a zip of smoky chile and a hint of citrus … a clean, light, delicious variant of the classic tangerine beef. Pork With Garlic ($9.95) features juicy, tender slices of meat with a sauce that is the perfect balance of garlicky sweet, tangy, and spicy. Lastly, Minced Chicken With Eggplant ($8.95) is flash-cooked chicken with scallions in brown sauce and slices of Ichiban eggplant, still purple-skinned and not the least bit mushy. Every dish was perfectly cooked, properly served, and delicious. But it’s the sushi that we came for, so return visits were in order.
Suzi’s sushi chef, Tom, worked for her years ago cooking behind the line and left for greener pastures at Musashino Sushi Dokoro (which seems to be the incubator for Austin’s newer high-quality sushi chefs). After learning and perfecting his chops, he came back into Suzi’s fold to help set up her new operation alongside Suzi’s sushi mentor and master, Frank-san. They created the sushi bar where the previous cocktail bar held court, turning the space into an attractive setting that focuses all of the attention on the chefs and their seafood.
The four-page menu offers a large and varied selection of sushi, rolls, sashimi, platters, and salads, and there are some newer items, such as tempura, that are still to be implemented. There was serious salivation (on both visits) as we cruised the menu trying to make up our minds from all of the choices, but hard decisions were made, and in short order treats began to arrive. Uzaku ($7.50) is two good-sized skewers of freshwater eel that have been glazed with a rich soy-ginger sauce, resting on a bed of crisp shredded daikon, with radish sprouts and pickled ginger. The eel is succulent and seductive, while the daikon, sprouts, and ginger are the perfect foil for the rich flesh. The Salmon Skin Salad ($5.95) is intriguing. Normally salmon skin, like that found in the typical roll, is just that, skin. This version has a nice layer of salmon fat attached to give it some body, and is lightly glazed, yet quasi-crispy. Accompanied with daikon, cucumber, and toasted sesame, it is a surprising delight.
We sampled two of the many rolls offered, both nice, large portions sliced for service. Dragon Roll ($12) features tempura prawn encased in glazed saltwater eel. The taste combination is excellent, and had we not let it sit while we scarfed sashimi, the texture would have been less cloying (a result of cooled-down tempura batter) … a regrettable error on our part, from which we have learned. The Dynamite Roll ($12) is aptly named: again, a nice portion, with a filling of yellowtail and scallops in rice, with a powdered seaweed exterior. The word luscious comes to mind … or dynamite.
Sushi selections included Anago ($2.25) which has to be fresh product, because of its silky texture, and not frozen. It literally absorbed in the mouth, and the glaze isn’t that overly sweet style, but light, clean soy with a kiss of ginger. The Maguro Tuna rolls ($2.50) feature dark red, rich tuna that tastes of the open ocean … so fresh and perfect. Hamachi (Yellowtail, $2.50) was the standout, if there could be one … buttery and rich, tender and lovely. Suzi’s rice is subtly seasoned and toothsome. It has some bite to it, and the rice is tight and compact, while the overlaid large seafood slices hang well over the edges. A nice package on all counts.
A couple of other treats passed briefly over our tongues. One was a half order of Fatty Salmon Sashimi ($7.95), arranged as four roses on the plate. It is the essence of wild salmon, rich and fresh, big pieces sliced paper thin, just as it should be. The Spicy Tuna Hand Roll ($4.50) appears in the holder, with crisp seaweed exterior encasing spicy minced tuna, peppery radish sprouts, avocado, and rice … four bites’ worth, and divine. The sushi bar staff uses freshly mixed wasabi that really packs a punch, and they don’t scrimp on it, or the fresh pickled ginger. All in all, we couldn’t have been any happier, especially after we topped it off with some green tea and red-bean ice creams (both wonderful, and a fitting end).
Suzi’s Grill has morphed into an all-encompassing dining destination, with light yet highly flavorful treatments of the Chinese standards, innovative Chinese grilled selections (which we have tried and loved in the past), and this most recent addition of a first-class sushi bar. Combine attentive service (just like we used to get from Suzi herself when she was a waiter) with a welcoming interior, a big parking lot, and easy access right off MoPac, and you have yourself an Asian restaurant operation that scores big on all counts. 
This article appears in September 19 • 2003.
