Shannon Sutlief just called to confirm, and yep, it's true: Sushi Samba in the Dallas Galleria closed at the end of service last night. More details forthcoming.
And speaking of fusion restaurants calling it quits, Fusion Cafe in Eastside Village in Plano just closed as well.
Does anyone know where else to get fried japanese river crabs (Sawagani) now that they're gone?
So obvious. The Galleria mall is not what it used to be anymore. That place is super ghetto and trashy. Plus, Sushi Samba wasn't that good (although its drinks were yum)
DJ: Good question about sawagani. Nobu used to serve them, but I just called Nobu to confirm and the manager said the higher-ups decided not to serve them any longer after a choking incident involving sawagani a while back in California.
Any else have a lead?
Sushi Samba works better in markets such as NYC, Miami and Vegas, I always found the Dallas location lacking any real class or style. Alot of 30k millionaires in that place.
When they scouted Dallas, they chose the Galleria location because the felt it would be located equidistant from their target audiences (rich folks in Dallas and Plano). But the Galleria area makes for a terrible destination for just about any restaurant. It's a real cluster to get in and out. They would probably still be open had they chosen Victory Park or a swanky near-downtown hotel / condo building for their location instead.
I loved the drinks too. One of the few places in town to have shochu cocktails.
Yo, Bill... The first sawagani I found in Dallas was at Teppo - but not always on the menu.
I've also had sagawani at Sushi Sake and at Tei Tei. Check the specials boards.
I have to agree with Todd. I live in Addison, so you would think I'd frequent Galleria-area restaurants. I even went to Sushi Samba a couple of times and liked it. But it is such a pain to get in and out of the Galleria, that it's a battle I'm rarely willing to fight unless absolutely necessary. I've noticed a few restaurants popping up in that area. Good luck to them.