17 March 6-12, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents gaps left by lower numbers of wild-caught fish. When farmed-raised bluefin first became available, most chefs and consumers felt the quality was good but not up to the level of wild-caught bluefin. Namo’s Mabuchi credits the improvements over the years to a better understanding of how fish mature and lever- aging technology to improve the process. “Technology and knowledge, not just of tuna, but farm-raised fish in general, has really improved,” Mabuchi says. “The fish are raised in a clean environment, and not trying to over- feed them to make them grow too quickly.” At Namo, Mabuchi says while the tuna they procure to do a breakdown dinner re- main wild-caught, the salmon being served is all farm-raised. Overall, almost half of Na- mo’s fish comes from some sort of managed population. With variabilities in the ocean waters and unknown pollution levels, Ma- buchi points out that wild-caught fish can actually be unsafe to eat. “The great thing about farm-raised fish is we can control what the fish eat and when they can be harvested,” Mabuchi says. “There are terrible farms out there too, but we’re particular about where we source.” A Pricey Bite Back at Nikko, chef Ip has finished breaking down the belly into several pound blocks of fish, which have been placed into large bam- boo trays on the sushi bar. The orders flowed in for cuts from this evening’s tuna, and we had a front-row seat at the bar to watch as Ip filled the orders with slices of lean and fatty tuna. There were plenty of orders to fill. A party of three next to us asked Ip how much tuna they might sell from this fish. Ip kind of shrugged and put the number north of $7,000. We ordered two pieces of o-toro ni- giri for $11 each, but selections of the head or cheek stretched to $35 or $40 per serving. Still, the number of pieces required to reach seven grand boggles the mind. When our ticket made its way to the top of Ip’s stack, he grabbed a block of the fatti- est tuna belly from one of the bamboo trays, and sliced off two identical rectangles of pink flesh. With one hand, Ip grabbed a small handful of rice from a pot and molded the shape in his palm, placed it on the plate, then deftly created an identical rice base. He carefully laid the o-toro on top, then brushed each with the lightest amount of soy sauce to enhance the flavors, and placed a pea-sized bit of wasabi paste on the plate. The bites of tuna were exquisite, to be certain. The fish was buttery and silky and glistened from the delicate ribbons of fat and the touch of soy glaze. There’s some- thing about rich foods like bacon, foie gras or toro that seemingly taste better than any words can describe. Combining fatty tuna with the visuals of seeing the whole bluefin being broken down in front of you creates a food memory that will last a lifetime. Tuna Breakdowns In North Texas Namo 3699 McKinney Ave. Namo arranges a whole tuna dinner several times throughout the year. There’s usually a tuna event for New Year’s Eve, another one in September to coincide with Namo’s anni- versary, and one of two other events throughout the year. Prices vary, but the New Year’s Eve event was priced at $350 per person, and included an open bar and cham- pagne toast at midnight. Yujo 12835 Preston Road Yujo has three locations in the area, but only the Dallas location offers The Tuna Show, a 3- to 4-hour tuna-centric omakase event. Yujo offers different levels of omakase expe- riences that start at $75 for basic tastings, but The Tuna Show usually runs $150 per person for a table seating or $165 to sit up front at the sushi bar. Tickets for the event are usually re- leased two weeks prior and sell out quickly. Nikko 420 E Southlake Blvd., No. 168, Southlake Nikko’s tuna cutting show is unique in that it’s offered almost every Thursday and there’s no fixed-price menu in order to at- tend. The word is out, however, and reserva- tions are booked weeks in advance. You can order dinner from Nikko’s regular menu of sushi and Japanese dishes, and waitstaff will distribute a tuna-specific menu to order cuts from that day’s whole fish when the break- down is complete. Christopher Durbin The final and best part — fresh sushi tasting. City of Ate from p16 The 100 bars we can’t live without. view this years full list
