The Best Asian Smokehouse On South Lamar By Elinor Ryan
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oro is operated and owned by Hai Hospitality, who also run many other restaurants in Austin, including Uchi,
Uchiko, and another restaurant in Houston, Uchiba. The goal of Loro is to meld Texan, Southeast Asian and Japanese cuisine to create a new concept that is deliciously familiar. “We are primarily a sushi restaurant, we have Uchi, and Uchiko, and Uchiba, and that very grand umbrella, but we realized we don’t know anything about BBQ…so we went to Aaron Franklin, and when he thought of the idea of partnering with us, it was kind of a nobrainer,” said Hai Hospitality training director Stevie Stanwyck, explaining how the idea of Loro came to be. At Loro, the environment of the restaurant is casual and communal, and sharing is encouraged, and they believe “The best food starts with the best products,” so they only source their food from family farms who use natural protocols. Former general manager Zach Knight said his favorite part of his job is “Interacting with people, providing hospitality, providing a unique experience, and getting to talk with different people every day”. Stanwyck agreed and said, “I get to work with and interact with really great people every day,” Stanwyck said, “Our food is awesome and incredible, our drinks are amazing and delicious, but the people are what makes it all special and worthwhile.” The staff and customers are both very important to the dynamic of the restaurant. Loro has lots and lots of amazing recipes, but the wonton chips and dip stand out to Zach Knight. He said it is his favorite because it is unique and delicious. 16 Healthy Cusine Spring 2022
He described it as “[The appetizer is] a play on chips and salsa but it’s in the southeast Asian style; chips and green chili green pepper salsa,” Knight explained. “…Then there is a peanut sauce that is a little more rich and deep in flavor…and the chips are fried wonton paper,” A recipe that is special to Stanwyck is “A dish called chicken karaage. It’s fried chicken and it comes with a thai chili gastrique and there is szechuan salt and szechuan peppercorn to give you this numbing kind of spice. “We actually have our chicken karaage at each of our restaurants as well,” Stanwyck said. “But Loro is by far the best one out of all the restaurants. Really comforting,” he added. Covid-19 had a large impact on the restaurant industry,
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