Vegan News

3 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants are first in U.S. with special sushi

That "eel" sushi is made from a surprising ingredient.

Photo courtesy of Blue Sushi

Sushi restaurant Blue Sushi Sake Grill, which has three locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, has added a new lineup of vegan sushi, featuring products from Ocean Hugger Foods, an innovative company based in New York.

They're the first restaurant concept in the country to serve it.

Blue Sushi is already known for its large selection of vegan sushi along with regular fish items, and is a favorite with the Dallas-Fort Worth vegan crowd and for those who don't do raw fish.

In the world of vegan foodstuffs, most of the faux meats currently on the market mimic land animals such as beef, chicken, and pork. Ocean Hugger Foods has carved out a special niche by creating plant-based alternatives to fish.

And unlike most faux meats that use ingredients such as soy, wheat protein, and the ultra-hot pea protein, Ocean Hugger uses vegetables.

Ahimi raw "tuna" is made from Roma tomatoes.
Sakimi "salmon" is made from carrots.
Unami "eel" is made from eggplant.

What is especially persuasive about these items is their texture: firm-yet-fleshy. Ocean Hugger says they use a proprietary process which means they won't share, but a food dehydrator definitely seems to be part of the technique.

"We play to the natural attributes of the produce we use," the company says. "We make Ahimi, our raw tuna alternative, from tomato. Tomatoes contain high levels of naturally-occurring glutamic acids, which are responsible for the savory flavor of meaty foods."

According to a release, Blue is the first national restaurant group to serve Ocean Hugger Foods plant-based alternatives in the United States. It's available at all three DFW locations including Preston Hollow and McKinney Avenue in Dallas, and West 7th in Fort worth.

"We are thrilled to have Blue Sushi Sake Grill as a partner serving our Ahimi vegan tomato tuna and Unami vegan eggplant eel products," Boudin says. "We value their continued commitment to offering plant-based menu items, not only for their plant-based guests, but for anyone concerned about the impact their diet has on the environment."

Blue's new vegan maki rolls include:

Green Goddess – Spicy Ahimi, cucumber, cilantro, shallot, avocado, black vegan tobiko, and ponzu sauce
Unami Express – Unami, pineapple, red pepper, Thai basil, vegan masago, scallion, and sweet soy sauce
Unami Maki – Unami, vegan cream cheese, avocado, and sweet soy sauce
Vegan South Pacific – Unami tempura, vegan cream cheese, pineapple, scallion and sweet soy sauce

To enhance the new items, the chain has added soy- and dairy-free cream cheese from Follow Your Heart, and vegan roe — including masago, tobiko, and ikura — made from seaweed from Plant Based Foods: Cavi-art.

vegan

Joie de vivre

New Bishop Arts bistro brings French elan to historic Oak Cliff home

Photo courtesy of Trapèze/Peter Novotny

Trapèze is serving French fare in a laid-back bohemian yet deeply thought-out atmosphere.

Transforming historic Oak Cliff homes into dining destinations is an art, and a duo known for their Deep Ellum hot spots has a new work on display: Trapèze, a French bohemian bar and bistro, that has quietly opened at 240 W. 8th St. in a repurposed bungalow on the west end of the Bishop Arts District.

Owners Peter Novotny and Dan Murry, who operate Ruins on Commerce and Armoury D.E. on Elm Street, told CultureMap in February that they envisioned Trapèze as “an old-fashioned bohemian artist’s enclave.”

Now in the soft opening phase eight months later, they say, by "drawing inspiration from the old French bohemian bars and cabarets,” they've accomplished their goal of creating "a place where people can enjoy a great meal and drinks, listen to some music, and just lose track of time a little.”

Trapèze has been welcoming guests discreetly the last couple weekends, as they complete a few finishing touches both to the building — they are excited about the near-complete patio — and to the food: “We have a limited but very solid menu available now, and should have the full menu, brunch and all, ready very soon,” Novotny says.

A grand opening date is still in the works.

Novotny has said that inspiration for Trapèze came from Oak Cliff’s historical French influence. Bishop Arts once was home to the French utopian community La Reunion, which settled in the mid 1800s. The neighborhood pays homage to these roots at its annual Bastille on Bishop celebration.

“We’re trying to do a tribute to the French history of Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts, and our goal is to capture the things we love about regional French cuisine and culture,” Novotny said earlier this year.

trapeze Designed by local artists at Decotron, the front-porch sign at Trapèze offers a taste of what's inside. Photo courtesy Trapèze/Peter Novotny

Novotny and Murry hired New York-bred chef Jeremy Spector to direct Trapèze’s culinary program. He’s worked in famous kitchens such as Balthazar and Gramercy Tavern and has owned and operated restaurants in NYC. The owners have told CultureMap that Spector's menu represents different regions of France, along with flavors inspired by France’s once-vast colonial empire, including Moroccan cuisine.

The bar menu is full of classic French and New Orleans-esque cocktails made with French spirits and liqueurs like absinthe and chartreuse; an extensive list of cognacs; French Caribbean-rooted Rhum Agricoles (or Agricole rums), and French and “French-adjacent” cider and beer.

The house that is now a restaurant underwent a massive revamp, which lasted months due in part to weather-related delays. To make matters more challenging, Trapeze is located in a conservation district, which means construction had to be done in a specific way that would preserve the home’s original look.

“It’s basically a complete renovation,” Novotny says. “They had to rebuild the entire structure. The whole exterior is all new.”

The new sign out front reads Bien Mangé, Bien Bu, which translates roughly to good food, good drink. Made by the sculptural artists at Decotron, an Elm Street-based signage fabrication company, it creates curb appeal and offers a preview of the attention to detail, whimsy, fine craftsmanship, and French flavor found inside.

Hours have been slightly fluid. At this time Trapèze is open 4 pm-"late" Wednesday-Thursday and 4 pm-2 am Friday-Sunday. Updated days and hours will be posted on Instagram along with information about live music performers, they say.

bar food drink craft cocktails french food live music bishop arts restaurants