Sushi News

New Deep Ellum restaurant hands off hottest sushi trend in town

We bring you: the handroll.

Photo courtesy of Nori

One of the biggest looming trends in sushi right now will make its way to Deep Ellum with a new restaurant called Nori Handroll Bar, opening at 2814 Elm St., in the same vintage brick storefront as Hide.

Handrolls, aka temaki, are like a more forgiving version of sushi. Sheets of seaweed are wrapped in a cone or cylindrical shape, enclosing a filling of rice, fish, and vegetables — your basic sushi ingredients.

Handrolls are easier because they don't require a perfectly tight assembly. They also tend to be simpler in ingredients and construction than the overloaded, over-sauced sushi rolls found at many sushi spots.

A number of handroll restaurants are in the works around Dallas, but Nori, which is set to open in August, will likely be the first.

Nori owner Mark Lee is an entrepreneur who moved to Dallas from Korea as a child, and who runs a successful employment agency.

In Nori, he's partnered with Jimmy Park, the former Nobu chef who helped open Pok the Raw Bar at the West Village.

"We wanted to do something beyond the traditional mom-and-pop sushi restaurant," Lee says. "Our menu is finite, with only about 12 fixed handrolls, plus special items that Jimmy will offer, based on seasonal availability."

But the ingredients will be top of the line, he says.

"We've teamed up with a distributor that will fly in our fish from Tsukiji market in Tokyo weekly with a 30- to 48-hour turnaround," he says. "We're using sustainable wild-caught fish for everything we're doing, it will always be fresh. And the nori seaweed for which our restaurant is named is one of the highest grades from Japan."

They'll also serve sake, beer, and wine.

Before settling on Deep Ellum, they considered other in-town spots such as West Village and Victory Park. But Deep Ellum was best suited for what they wanted to do. The storefront they got is a gem which has been vacant for some time.

"It ties in to three separate aspects of Japanese culture," says Lee, who's done quite a bit of traveling to research his vision. "The front portion will have an izakaya, reminiscent of the neighborhood alleyway bar in the streets of Tokyo. The izakaya will have a special menu of sake from Japan, along with Japanese and local craft beers, and wines. Jimmy will do a rotation of distinct seasonal tapas which will blend Japanese cuisine with some Texas flair."

In the center of the restaurant, they'll have a sushi bar — no tables, just 26 stools, serving temaki, and maybe the occasional omakase.

"We are entertaining the idea of doing an omakase meal once in a while to truly showcase chef Jimmy's talents and to show what a true edomae-style omakase looks, feels, and most importantly tastes like," Lee says.

If you've read Saveur magazine lately, you know that edomae is a style of sushi invented in Tokyo centuries ago, in which the fish is aged, fermented, or otherwise treated to bring out its best properties, that is coming back into favor.

"We've created a more elegant, quiet, typical Japanese sushi bar," Lee says. "And the back of the restaurant will tie into the Deep Ellum vibe with murals and art on the wall."

They'll open at the beginning of August, and already have their sights set on more locations in Texas' top cities.

"But we'll start with Dallas, and if it's successful, we'll give it a go," he says.

deep-ellum

A Roundup of Restaurant News

Fill up on the festive fare in this roundup of Dallas restaurant news

Maison Chinoise

Spread at Maison Chinoise

This roundup of restaurant news around Dallas is all about new menus, with lots of festive-themed dishes and menu additions. There's a new brunch at a surprising destination, new cocktails, and lots of hot chocolate, fitting for the season.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Taziki’s Mediterranean Café is opening a location in Las Colinas, at 5910 N. MacArthur Blvd. Taziki's is known for its hummus, whipped feta, kebabs, Greek salad, and Mediterranean lamb burger. This is the chain's fourth Dallas location and 100th location nationwide.

Catch Dallas, the seafood restaurant at Maple Terrace, ha some splashy new items including truffle sashimi, rainbow sashimi pizza, and a Wagyu hot rock dish with options of A5 Kobe beef, olive beef, and snow beef cooked tableside.

Dive Coastal Cuisine in Snider Plaza has new seasonal specials, including beet & blood orange salad, butternut squash soup, fingerling potatoes, coconut rice, and portobello mushrooms, available through the end of November.

TK's Addison, the comedy club, has a new brunch every Sunday from 10 am-3 pm. Shareable options include cast-iron cinnamon rolls with Grand Marnier cream cheese icing, deviled eggs, and Belgian waffle bites. Meals include filet mignon Benedict, crab cakes Benedict, Nashville chicken biscuit, and the hangover burger, with a short rib/chuck/brisket blend patty with bourbon bacon, four-cheese bechamel, a fried egg and crispy onions.

Fish City Grill, Half Shells restaurants are launching a name brand oyster on November 19 called the Mystic Mermaid, which have a heavy brine and shell ranging from 3-3 1/2 inches, served with cucumber-citrus mignonette. Available for for $21 per half-dozen and $42 per dozen at all Dallas, Flower Mound, Richardson, and Plano locations.

Dog Haus is celebrating Thanksgiving all month with a twist on the Turducken: a turkey, duck, and chicken sausage topped with garlic aioli, turkey gravy, onions, and scallions, served on King’s Hawaiian rolls; and the Turducken burrito, a turkey, duck, and chicken sausage, three sunny side up eggs, white American cheese, sweet potato fries, caramelized onions, and spicy mayo in a toasted flour tortilla.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar has a new lunch menu with a two-course prix fixe starting at $28. New options include steakhouse filet chopped salad, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse burger, steak frites, and a barbecue salmon fillet. All lunch dishes are $30 or less. There are new cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, like Tropical Tee and Blackberry Lavenderade.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill has new menu items including Arancini, a risotto bite with fennel sausage, mozzarella, parmesan, & Romano cheese; rigatoni al forno, with tomato cream sauce, Italian sausage, Romano, parmesan, mozzarella and goat cheese; and short rib marsala, bone-in short rib over garlic mashed potatoes with Lombardo Marsala wine sauce. Dessert includes a triple chocolate bread pudding. New festive cocktails feature the merry berry martini and wood-fired old fashioned. Available through January 13.

Taziki’s has brought back its tomato basil soup. Prices start at $5.49, and the soup is also available as part of a soup-and-salad combo with pricing varying by market. This soup is available through January 26.

Beyond Sun Sausage is now available at Whole Foods Markets across Dallas. It’s made from plant-based ingredients, including yellow pea, brown rice, and red lentil proteins. There are 12 grams of plant-based protein per link with no cholesterol, soy, gluten, added antibiotics, or hormones. Flavors include Cajun and pesto, and a four-count package is $11.

Al Biernat’s has new cocktails with a festive twist. At the Oak Lawn location, find Golden Hour with Basil Hayden, Dolin Blanc, Campari, Giffard Piment d’espelette, and grapefruit bitters; Frosted Poinsettia with Titos, spiced cranberry syrup, lemon juice, and Zerbina with red glitter sugar; and Bloody Sidecar, with The Macallan 12, Fruitful Blood Orange, Cointreau, and lemon juice. The Al Biernat’s North menu has Spicy Pineapple Margarita with Flecha infused tequila, Grand Marnier, pineapple juice, and lime juice; Camp Fire Mule with whiskey, lemon juice, maple syrup, and Ladybird ginger beer; and Gin Apple Pie with Roku Gin, cinnamon syrup, and apple cider.

Maison Chinoise in Uptown has launched a new Dim Sum Happy Hour, available Monday-Thursday, with a selection of dim sum for $10. A new Sunday offering features all bottles of wine under $100 available at half-price all day for dine-in.

P.F. Chang’s has added Asian fried chicken to the menu for the first time. It comes in two options, Korean fried chicken and Taiwanese popcorn chicken, with a choice of sauces, including sweet soy glaze, dynamite, hot honey, and chili crisp. Available as bone-in three-piece or six-piece and boneless four-piece or five-piece, eight-piece or 10-piece for shareables.

Laredo Taco Company, 7-Eleven's in-house restaurant, has two holiday specials: Quesabirria, featuring shredded beef and melted cheese, available as a taco or bowl, paired with consommé dipping sauce; and tamales in choice of pork or chicken, in packs of three, six, or 12 or a family size with two dozen tamales and two sides.

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt is collaborating with candy brand Hi-Chew for a limited-edition Key lime pie flavor, inspired by Hi-Chew Dessert Mix’s Key Lime Pie. The flavor is available through November 30.

Main Event has new frozen hot chocolate shakes in three flavors: Classic, a frozen hot chocolate with chocolate candy frosted rim, and a Little Debby Christmas tree cake; s’mores with marshmallow rim and graham crackers; and peppermint with peppermint frosted rim and a candy cane. Bailey’s Irish Cream or Caffè Borghetti can be added to any flavor for $3. Prices start at $11. Available through January 7.

Rita’s Frozen Custard has two limited-time frozen treats: Frozen Hot Cocoa Gelati, which layers Rita’s Frozen Hot Cocoa Cream Ice with Vanilla Custard, blending the taste of hot cocoa with cool Italian Ice; and Frozen Hot Cocoa Gelati Blender with a crushed peppermint topping.

Dunkin' is bringing back holiday favorites and new menu items. Drinks include the cookie butter cold brew, peppermint mocha latte, toasted white chocolate latte, and white hazelnut bark coffee. New items include the cookie butter donut, holiday cookie latte, almond croissant, and hash brown brisket scramble bowl.

Barrilitos, the Mexican soda, has returned to Texas shelves. Originally produced nearly 100 years ago, the drink is available in four flavors: Mandarina, Manzana, Piña, and Ponche de Frutas in both 12-ounce and 1.5-liter bottles. The aguas frescas were sold until 2020-2021, and the sodas were sold until 2017. Now they're available at El Rancho, La Michoacana, and Fiesta stores across Dallas.

Wendy's has a new salted caramel Frosty. It can also be paired with the limited-time mushroom bacon cheeseburger, which features roasted mushrooms, bacon, Muenster cheese, and garlic spread. The Frosty is $3 and the burger is $6.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has shut down two oyster harvest areas in the Gulf: the 14-acre Desperation Reef and the 529-acre Dollar Reef, both in Galveston Bay, to allow the oyster population to recover the reef is healthy enough that they can start harvesting oysters again. They'll reopen in November 2026.

Chipotle has launched a wacky new merchandise collection that includes a $10 cilantro soap, a nod to the small percentage of the population who are genetically wired to experience a soapy flavor when eating cilantro; the $28 “Water” Cup candle, a lemonade-scented candle; and $20 car napkin holder. The collection will be available for individual purchase, or as a bundle for $50.

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