Sushi Restaurant Changes
Rumors of Midtown sushi restaurant demise are exaggerated: New look, new chef, new menu on the way
With all the restaurant closings that have happened this week, Houston diners could be forgiven for seeing an announcement that a restaurant has closed "for renovations" and assuming it's gone for good. After all, how many restaurants actually reopen after an allegedly closing to renovate?
When an eagle-eyed CultureMap reader spotted a sign advising of a temporary closure at Midtown sushi restaurant The Fish, he wrote in expecting the worse. But fear not, Midtown sushi fans! The Fish is actually renovating and will reopen in two weeks or so.
"It's been 12 years. The restaurant was due for a facelift," owner Daniel Chang tells CultureMap.
"It's been 12 years. The restaurant was due for a facelift," owner Daniel Chang tells CultureMap. Chang, the brother of Nara owner Donald, says he and co-owner Michael Collins are excited to debut the restaurant's new look to diners.
Another major change to the restaurant is the addition of Harold Wong as executive chef. Chang says that he and Wong, the longtime executive chef at Azuma Downtown who departed Uchi Houston to take over at The Fish, are still working on details of a new menu, but Wong's plans include expanding the number of items available from the sushi bar.
Considering that the restaurant has seen Midtown rise, fall and rise again, the move is well timed. With the Azuma group set to open an izakaya under the direction of former Haven/Cove chef Jean Philippe Gaston by the end of this year, the updates should help The Fish stay competitive.