14 OctOber 26–NOvember 1, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Cultured Pearl Former Nobu chef Shine Tamaoki adds Pearl Sushi to Dallas’ burgeoning Japanese scene. BY AAREN PRODY F ormer Nobu chef Shine Tamaoki and business partner Todd Lan- dis are serving authentic sushi based on Japan’s Yamanashi Pre- fecture with progressive tech- niques, providing an inviting atmosphere, a takeaway window and monthly omakases. Drawing from his early years living in Ja- pan and over seven years perfecting sushi at Nobu Dallas, Tamaoki opened his own res- taurant, Pearl Sushi, on McKinney Avenue in September. This style of Japanese cuisine holds the current spotlight, with many new and anticipated openings this season, such as Yujo, Anchor Sushi Bar and Kinzo. There’s an edge of sophistication through- out Pearl, but it’s anything but pretentious. Experts and sushi novices can both mingle in the rich desaturated tones and nacreous touches. Choose from a variety of seating: pa- tio for al fresco dining, a traditional dining room, a five-seater bar and a lively sushi bar. To truly experience chef Tamaoki’s pas- sion and vision for Pearl, grab one of the nine seats at the sushi bar. Here it feels as if you’re being hosted by close friends as you watch each chef’s expertise and attention to detail, and are guided through each dish. There’s no set start or finish on the menu, aside from the first page of appetizers, al- lowing diners to chart their own path. Ev- erything is made in-house with a focus on seasonality. The abundant drink menu of- fers a variety of sake, a lineup of cocktails, wine and two beers. Our meal started with the sunomono, a Japanese style of ceviche made with salmon belly, snapper and hama- chi belly, cherry tomato and cucumber coated in a house-made ceviche sauce. All three varieties of fish are unbelievably ten- der and fresh, and the lightness of the sauce allows each ingredient to shine. The menu’s centerfold holds the main event: sushi. There are a few varieties to choose, from simple to more complex. Nigiri and sashimi options range from the beloved ohtoro (the fattiest cut of bluefin tuna), snow crab and wagyu, to more adventurous options like botan (prawn), rai (red snapper) and saba (mackerel). There are also three different styles of maki (rolls): urumaki (“in- side out” sushi), hosomaki (one filling) and futomaki (many fillings). The torched salmon came out flaming, literally. We watched as the chef rolled chopped salmon, avocado, spicy mayo and scallions tightly, then topped it with fresh pieces of sashimi and a dot of yuzu olive oil before gliding a torch across the top. Before presenting, he added a dollop of chili garlic sauce and a garnish of microgreens. With each bite, a different ingredient shone, each in balance with the rest of the roll. The buttery fish seemed to just melt. We were hesitant to add the pickled ginger, fresh wasabi and soy sauce to it as the roll was a statement on its own, but the trio en- hanced rather than overpowered the dish. Our spicy yellowtail roll was on the sim- pler side, lightly dressed with fresh wasabi and pickled ginger — the perfect segue to the hot dishes. The Japanese fish and chips seemed like an intriguing option. After praise from our neigh- bor at the sushi bar and a recommendation from the chef, it was tough to pass up. Red snapper is fried in a tempura batter with Japa- nese curry spices and tossed in aonori seaweed flakes, then served with burdock chips, home- made tartar sauce and ponzu mignonette. With subtle but powerful flavors, it was tender and flaky fish directly out of the fryer. The burdock root’s nutty/earthy flavor works well with the dish. Dessert seemed to be an afterthought and wasn’t listed on the menu. Options were crepe cake or matcha cake, which is a famous Japa- nese dessert more formally known as “matcha mont blanc.” A small, circular sponge cake base is piled with whipped cream and finished with spaghetti-thin strands of matcha chest- nut cream, raspberries and a mini stroopwafel. It’s not too sweet and just enough of a serving to curb a hankering. Seating inside is limited, so reservations are encouraged. Pearl Sushi, 4640 McKinney Ave, No. 130. Tuesday – Sunday, 5–10 p.m. ▼ OBITUARY END OF A LEGEND LONGTIME LAKEWOOD LANDING BARTENDER AND GM ROGER NELSON HAS DIED. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS L akewood Landing’s longtime bar- tender Roger Nelson, a fixture in the Dallas bar scene, died on Oct. 8. He started working as a bartender when he was 18 years old, landing a job at Boss Cafe on Lower Greenville Avenue in the late ’80s. In 2014, Nelson was named the Observ- er’s best bartender and at the time told Eater the initial reason he wanted a job in the service industry was so that he wouldn’t have to cut his long hair. He said he lied his way into his first job, claiming he had expe- rience when he had none. But he picked up the knack quickly and eventually grew to love it. In that same Eater interview, he said a big perk was having weekdays off to go fishing. “There’ll be five miles of traffic on 635, backed up and stopped, and I’m going 70 the other way with a boat. It’s fun. It’s just like skipping school, you know?” Nelson said. He spent time at Coyote Bar in the West End, Warrants and the Gypsy Tea Room. Around 2009 the owner of Lakewood Land- ing, Bill Rossell, lured him over to the moth- erland of Dallas dive bars, where Nelson made a home. There he became a calm and strong presence. “He saved my life,” Rossell says. “I got re- ally sick, and I had to have a liver transplant, and it came to that point where it was around Christmas and they sent me home. There was nothing else they could do.” While on the waiting list for a transplant, Rossell got a call to go to the hospital, but it turned out to be a false alarm. A few days later, they called again. “I said, ‘No, it’s a false alarm. I’m not going back down there again.’ Well, they called up Roger, he came over and picked me up, threw me in his truck and took me.” Before and since then, the two spent a lot of time doing what Nelson loved most: fish- ing. “We went fishing last week and we fig- ured out we’d been fishing together at least a thousand times,” Rossell says. “It was shocking because he such a tough guy,” says Jordan Lowery, who bartended alongside Nelson at Lakewood Landing, of Nelson’s death. “He was a straightforward, tough guy who let you know how he felt about you right away. Everything was right there on the surface, but because he Aaren Prody Torched salmon roll from Pearl Sushi. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish >> p16
