A First Look at Soto South Lamar Opening 10/27

Chef Andy Okamoto along with his family, Bar Manager Bryan Masamitsu Parsons, General Manager James Gregory and the rest of the talented Soto team are excited to announce the opening of their second location on South Lamar! The restaurant will open Friday October 27th and are currently taking reservations here. Chef Andy and his family opened the first location of Soto in March of 2013 and it quickly earned a reputation as a dining hotspot. It is definitely the first restaurant that comes to mind when I am planning a celebratory evening, date night or catching up with friends. Chef Andy had expressed his vision of expanding to downtown or south Austin and I couldn\’t be happier for him to see his dream blossom. 

The innovative restaurant features some customer favorites along with brand new creations and an exciting omakase option for a $150. If you have dined at Soto in north Austin you know what a special dining experience it is and the shiny new second location does not disappoint. From the  warm knowledgable team, handsome decor, captivating presentation and mouthwatering cuisine, Soto South Lamar is a big contender for best new Austin restaurant of the year. What makes Soto so special? At Soto your dining experience does not stop at the sense of taste, they incorporate site and smell into their imaginative dishes. They want you to have an enjoyable culinary experience and it shows with each creative dish along with the friendly interactions with the Soto team. Guests will relish over the presentation of menu items such as fire salmon, hamachi toro tartare served on blocks of ice and fresh uni served in its shell.

Here is a look at some of the tantalizing dishes that I enjoyed during the friends and family night at Soto South Lamar:

Foi Gras Gyoza at Soto South Lamar

The Amuse Bouche per se was the pan seared Gyoza with Foi Gras topped with chili sauce and micro greens. This brilliant bite beautifully set the mood for an exceptional dining experience.

Shima Aji with Uni at Soto South Lamar

The first enchanting sushi dish I tried was the Shima Aji. This exquisite dish has a tender cut of shima aji paired beautifully with California Uni in a yuzu shoyu and micro cilantro.

Tuna Titaki with Summer Truffle at Soto South Lamar

The alluring Tuna Titaki is topped with truffle oil, smoked soy, fried shallot and freshly shaved summer truffle.

Tempura Kumamoto Oyster Nigiri at Soto South Lamar

Anytime I see Kumamoto Oysters on the menu I cannot resist! Chef Andy switched things up a bit with a Tempura Kumamoto nigiri married with unique flavors of yuzu pepper, spicy eel, baby chives plated  with sea salt and yuzu zest.

Ikura & Hamachi at Soto South Lamar

The stunning Ikura nigiri is served on a bed of torched hamachi wrapped snuggly in kyuri (Japanese cucumber) topped with a hint of wasabi.

Botan Ebi at Soto South Lamar

The gorgeously plated Botan Ebi (sweet shrimp) sashimi is torched and topped with yuzy toiko and baby menegi.

The King Salmon nigiri is paired with rich goat cheese, balsamic and topped with micro greens.

Salmon Toro on House Made Potato Chip at Soto South Lamar

The Salmon Toro nigiri on top of house-made potato chip with a refreshing lemon wasabi and micro cilantro is a fun playful bite.

A5 Wagyu Nigiri at Soto South Lamar

One of my favorite dishes is the A5 Wagyu with eel sauce topped meticulously placed fried shallot, gold flake and sea salt. Yes, that is gold on that Wagyu y\’all!

Uni Ramen with Truffle at Soto South Lamar

Similar to the off menu uni pasta at the north Austin location, the decadent uni ramen with poached chicken egg, shaved truffle and truffle salt is a must. Note: this is a smaller portion upon request.

The delightful culinary experience was punctuated nicely with Tomago and lotus fruit.

The bar and lounge area will feature an exceptional bar program along with lighter bites. If you are seeking a divine culinary experience in Austin make sure to make to put Soto South Lamar at the top of your list.

Related links:

http://sushiatx.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-of-soto-japanese-cuisine.html
http://sushiatx.blogspot.com/2015/03/soto-celebrates-their-2-year-anniversary.html
http://sushiatx.blogspot.com/2014/03/soto-celebrates-their-one-year.html
http://sushiatx.blogspot.com/2013/04/soto-launches-their-social-sake-hour.html
http://sushiatx.blogspot.com/2017/02/city-guide-to-sushi-in-austin.html

Address:

Located in Lamar Union

1100 South Lamar Blvd 

suite #2115

Austin TX, 78704

Hours:

Tuesday-Thursday 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Friday and Saturday 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Sunday 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Closed Monday