Sushi in Uptown

Sushi restaurant with Vegas vibe rolls into Uptown Dallas

Uptown Dallas gets a glossy new spot for sushi.

Photo courtesy of Blue Sushi

A third branch of Blue Sushi Sake Grill, the glossy sushi restaurant from Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group, will open at 3230 McKinney Ave. in Uptown Dallas in fall 2017. Flagship CEO Nick Hogan says in a release that the restaurant group was eyeing Uptown for a while, stating that the restaurant's "lively bar scene and variety of sushi" would make it an ideal happy hour and late-night spot for Uptown residents.

That part of Uptown has one or two sushi options, including the small chef-driven Yutaka, and Sushi Zushi, a small Texas chain. But neither of those resemble Blue Sushi, which is noted for its energetic dining experience, with unique food and drink and a kind of a club ambience. Lighting is sophisticated and does, in fact, incorporate the color blue. There are fish tanks and a kind of Vegas vibe, though in a classy not trashy way.

This is not to be confused with Blue Fish, the small Dallas chain whose closest branch is on Greenville Avenue.

The Blue Sushi menu combines authenticity with polish, with sushi and cooked dishes. The restaurant emphasizes the social aspects of sushi, serving dishes at the center of the table in traditional Japanese style to encourage sharing.

A grill menu features dishes such as beef tenderloin served over a plate of sizzling hot rocks, and chicken lettuce wraps with bean sprouts, toasted cashews, and cucumber sunonomo. Signature dishes include yellowtail serrano specialty sashimi, and sea bass nigiri.

Blue Sushi was one of the first places to offer edamame hummus, and its version, sprinkled with regular and black sesame seeds, is very good. It also has noteworthy desserts such as the chocolate roll, with a puff pastry enclosing a liquid chocolate center.

Cocktails and martinis use creative and refreshing options such as the samurai saketini with cucumber–infused vodka, cold sake, and lime juice, and a cucumber-jalapeño margarita with Corzo silver, Cointreau, lime juice, simple syrup, and muddled jalapeño and cucumber.

A simple yet authentic list of premium cold sake provides a basic overview of sake varietals that complement Blue's menu.

Blue Sushi first debuted in North Texas when it opened in Fort Worth in 2010. A second branch opened in Dallas' Preston Hollow Village in Dallas in 2015. The chain has nine locations total, in Nebraska, Colorado, Texas, and Kansas, with plans to open four more in 2017.

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RIP Murph

Dallas restaurateur Ed Murph, owner of Norma's Cafe, dies at 78

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Edward "Ed" Murph III, RIP

Dallas restaurateur Edward "Ed" L. Murph III, owner of Dallas' treasured home-cooking chain Norma's Cafe, passed away on Monday, February 23; he was 78.

A statement from the Dallas chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association called him "a respected leader and cherished member of our restaurant community" who'd served as a former GDTRA President, Texas Restaurant Association State Board Member, and was a Hall of Honor Inductee.

Murph was also the first-ever Texas recipient of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant Neighbor Award, reflecting his unwavering commitment to community service and leadership through Norma's Cafe.

"His impact on our industry and the countless lives he touched will not be forgotten," the association said. "He was truly a great man who will be greatly missed."

One of Dallas' oldest restaurants, Norma’s Cafe was originally opened in Oak Cliff in 1956 by namesake Norma Manis. Murph was a Dallas native who grew up in Oak Cliff and ate at the original location even into his days as a student at Adamson High School.

He'd been in the hospitality industry since 1970, owning a series of clubs, bars, and restaurants, including Café Cancun in the early 1980s.

When he learned Norma's was up for sale, he acquired it in 1986, seeing an opportunity to buy a restaurant that was not only a Dallas icon, but a place he enjoyed as a child. It became his legacy.

"As a kid, my parents took me [to Norma’s Cafe] to eat, and in high school it was the place to go to have French fries and a Coke, because that’s all the money you had,” Murph recalls on the restaurant's website. “It’s been around for so long that [it seems like] everybody in the world has eaten there."

Norma's is the ultimate everyman restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with signature dishes such as the “eNORMAus” chicken fried steak, fried chicken, fluffy biscuits & gravy, cornbread, and housemade "Mile-High Pies."

Murph went on to open four more locations — in Plano, Frisco, North Dallas, and Park Lane — as well as takeout operations in Garland and Fairview. Each location became a destination for its neighborhood.

He also exhibited an uncommon sense of philanthropy, stepping up with many charitable overtures during the pandemic, and continuing its epic annual tradition of serving a free turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day to those in need.

“Working people like to have breakfast and lunch,” Murph told D Magazine in a 2017 story about his passion for outfitting each location with period-era antiques that would match the profile of the food: lowkey, homestyle, and friendly.

"It gives a feeling of comfort," he said.

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