Sushi by Scratch Restaurants: Cedar Creek — Restaurant in Bastrop

The Sushi is good, there isnt a unique concept that distinguishes itself from traditional Omakase. Wagyu A5 and Fatty Tuna are the only true premium items on the menu. These items are common enough now that they no longer stand out anyway.

The courses aren't complimentary in concept (enough) to justify items such as a shrimp being included. It felt like a cheap filler (I felt that way a few times on few courses. The quality of each was top notch, so points there.

The Location stinks. It's 40 minutes from Austin, and simply not good enough to justify a drive. It may make sense to dine there if you stay at the resort, not as a standalone experience.

Worse, there serious branding confusion with another restaurant actually in Austin call "Sushi Bar". The founders here used to be the founders there, and the "Scratch Family" of restaurants branding typically end with "Bar". For example "Pasta Bar", "Magic Bar", "Scratch Bar and Kitchen" etc. Inevitably, we went to the wrong location (45 minutes away) and were late. Both restaurants (Sushi by Scratch, and Scratch Bar) are obviously aware of the issue, because when I arrived and they couldn't find my reservation ( and saw my confused look), the hostess immediately realized our reservation was at the "other Sushi". Both restaurants are founded by the same chefs BUT no longer affiliated.

My expectation of restaurants in this tier is to be proactive in communication when aware of these possible misunderstandings. Scratch by Sushi, asked me to confirm my reservation an obnoxious 3 times in a week. Despite this, they never once suggested a new location with a similar name may exist and to ensure we didn't go to their previous location, now run under new management.

This is not a michelin quality restaurant and the multiple marketing inferences online are misleading. Compared to true michelin sushiya such as Sushi Nakazawa in D.C. or Yoshida in N.Y.C it's underwhelming.

The staff and service are very good, but management could do better on communcation.

Location-1, experience-2,...

My partner and I had high expectations coming into our meal at Sushi by Scratch, and somehow, they were all exceeded. When we got to the hotel that the sushi bar resides in, we were greeted by the free valet who gave us directions to the restaurant and validated our parking.

Once we had made our way to the sushi bar, we were greeted by a host who told us we were the only ones dining there at the 9:30 time slot! She brought us out a cold ginger drink and let us know that the chefs would be ready in a few minutes.

As we got seated, we met with the two chefs who would be making the sushi. They were personable and kind, and asked us if there were any accommodations that should be made. We were also offered drinks, and told our compkimentary finishing drink could be made non-alcoholic on request.

Now for the sushi: It was nothing short of an experience. The chefs experts in their craft, and watching them work is mesmerizing. The dishes start out light and gradually become more fatty, so come on an empty stomach (seriously, it's a lot of food).

My personal favorites were the Toro, Hamachi, A5 wagyu, Scallops, and King Salmon, but every bite is a treat. If I had to make a critique, it would be that the 13th (Wagyu), 14th (Bone Marrow), and 15th (Unagi covered in bone marrow) courses were a lot of fat back to back. Luckily, we had complimentary pickled vegetables to brighten the fattiness up in between bites.

It may have been because we were the only two there, but the chefs were happy to answer all of our questions (they were both incredibly knowledgeable), and engaged us in conversation about our lives, which made the meal feel far more intimate.

All in all, this was an amazing experience, and well worth the money. I also have to give a special shout out to our host, who helped us with an issue with our payment method at the end of the meal.

If you have an opportunity to go...

This was an incredible experience. If you're looking for a truly unique tasting, then this is for you. Sushi by Scratch is in the Hyatt Lost Pines at Cedar Creek. The property is a little under 500 acres, and you don't get to the parking kiosk until you're 1.5 miles in, and the actual resort is another mile. There are deer and giraffe roaming the property. The restaurant comes with free valet so parking is a non-issue. The restaurant itself is on the 2nd floor, but if you aren't directed to who you need to check in with, I guarantee you'll walk right past them. The actual restaurant is behind an unassuming wall connected to another restaurant. When you come inside, there are only 10 seats, and you're greeted by 4 chefs and the waiter who attends to your drinks. Your name is written on a board in front of you, so everyone has their assigned seat. After a couple of drinks, the mood lightened, and everyone began talking. What started as a group of strangers ended up feeling like a group of friends enjoying the evening.

The menu has 17 individual tastings of some of the best sushi you'll ever have. My two favorites were the A5 Wagyu and the Toro.

At the end of the meal, you can continue with the chefs selections, or you can opt for having additional servings of anything you already had.

I also love that they keep the dining area sacred and don't satisfy the bill there. When you're ready, you get up and walk outside, and the person who checks you in is who you settle up with.

It's definitely expensive, but if you love unique dining experiences, you should probably add this to your...