Gui on Mckinney Ave

[ssh]

Gui, a Korean/sushi place, is about to open in Dallas on mckinney ave. Anyone know anything about it?

[bt1984]

My boss had lunch there the other day and didn't have too much to say.

[ssh]

We walked by today, its not open yet.

[Webra1]

It's now open. We tried to go today, but they don't open until 12 noon on Saturdays.

The address isn't listed yet, but it's 2719 McKinney Ave.

[guttural]

Went there for "soft opening" last week...menu was still limited (but the full sushi menu was ready), servers are attentive and earnest and English-fluent, dressed in various colors of t-shirts with glittered appliques spelling out "Gui", which, I was told, means "Grill" in Korean", on the sleeves and a cross on the shoulder--a reflection of the owners' faith. The brightly-lit sushi bar is the visual focus of the restaurant, set against a light yellow tiled backdrop onto which a red flower motif has been applied. Looking over the limited menu, I was struck with how reasonable prices were, compared to all the pricey nearby sushi temples. Shortly after we came in and ordered, the small room, which seats 50 or so (plus another 10 at the sushi bar; there is also a small bar adjoining the dining room), quickly filled with Uptown/SMU types, ordering their typical universe of edamame, miso soup, california rolls, and the ahi tower previously seen at Blue Fish, Little Katana, etc., here given a name of something-cake or the other. Since my dinner companions were not adventurous eaters, we ordered one, as well, it's no better or worse than any other version you might have had before--I thought it was a little heavy on the mayo (not kewpie) in the near-crab salad component, but that turned out to be a good thing for my companions. Gui will sell dozens and dozens of these on a busy night. One thing to notice was the rice used in all the sushi items were an unusual short- and small-grained type. It was a little bland to me, since I prefer more vinegar mix in my meshi, but was perhaps perfect for its intended dining public. The rice was well-cooked and had very nice texture, not too soft or mushy. Nigiri were well-formed, with generous cuts of fish, which were fresh. Our particular slices of maguro didn't come from a particularly high-grade fish and lacked in both appearance and flavor. I ordered the kalbi, which prompted said earnest waiter to ask, "do you like spicy cabbage?" "You mean kim chi?" I replied. Seemingly surprised that I even knew what kim chi was, he said, "Yes, sir. We usually serve the mild cabbage." "You mean dongchimi?" "I will bring some of the spicy kind with your dish." The ribs could probably have used another three hours in the marinade, which could stand to punch up the sesame oil component, but they were grilled to a nice texture. They had, however, virtually none of the char that I prefer but isn't usually achievable on normal restaurant gas grills. Binchotan-burning grills (or steakhouse-type equipment) which get temps to 800+ F are usually required. I didn't expect and got no banchan at all, save a platter with a neatly-stacked (not kidding) column of regular kimchi and one of the mentioned mul kimchi/dongchimi. Same rice, unflavored, accompanied. We asked about desserts, but the only ones available were described as "ice cream inside a dough cover" "you mean mochi?" "yes, we have mango, green tea, vanilla". We passed on the mochi. So to summarize, we had a pleasant first exposure, and I will definitely make at least a second visit, but I don't look for this place to be a bastion of authentic Korean on McKinney Avenue. Perhaps, to have any hope of success in this seemingly doomed location (which has been Watel's, Yellow, Tutto, and Tempations), it will need to appeal to the locals.