What is kosher sushi anyway? New spot Shi-Ya in North Dallas explains

The owners of Meat Point in far North Dallas have opened a sushi lounge with a special hook (get it?). Like their long-running steakhouse, the Alali family’s Shi-Ya Modern Asian Cuisine will serve only Kosher food – and they’re hoping to take every preconception you might have about that fact and throw it overboard (last fish joke, promise). 

To access Shi-Ya, enter through Meat Point and take an immediate right. There is no exterior sign, lending the space a speakeasy-like atmosphere. Sage green club chairs, gold-rimmed tables and a tiny marble-topped bar lean that direction, as well. The restaurant officially opened on June 28; a pre-opening visit allowed time to hear the interesting backstory. 

“Everything started in Dallas when we opened the steakhouse,” owner and executive chef Yehuda Alali says. “I said, from the beginning, ‘I’m in Texas, let’s open a Texas steakhouse.’” 

Yehuda and his wife, Lital, are originally from Israel. They met and married here in the States, finding common ground in their mutual experience in the restaurant business. Lital’s father is a chef with three upscale restaurants in Miami; Yehuda started as a dishwasher at age 14, working his way up to chef and owner. 

The couple is also Jewish, and after settling in Dallas, they noted a lack of Kosher options that spoke to their well-trained palates. Sure, we had a couple of diners, but fine dining? Bupkis. Cut to 2013, and the new Texans opened the aforementioned steakhouse. Adhering to Kosher laws, the restaurant serves no pork (prohibited) or dairy (meat and dairy must not be mixed), and sources meat raised and slaughtered according to specific Kosher guidelines. (Additional Kosher rules apply, but these are the key points pertaining to this story.) 

Beyond the basic rules, the couple also elevates ingredients and techniques typically associated with fine dining. Think glazes and reductions, marrow and sweetbreads, and fusion flavors. Over the course of a decade-plus, this plan built a steady clientele in the dining room and established Meat Point as a go-to source for Kosher meals among upscale Dallas restaurants and hotels. Then it was time to expand.  

“For many years, we have wanted to bring in another new cuisine,” says Alali. “Shi-Ya is a trip through Asia with dishes from Korea, Thailand and Japan, and three or four dishes that are Israeli served in an Asian way.”

Perusing the menu and spotting all of sushi’s greatest hits, like salmon and yellowtail nigiri ($14-16), spicy tuna maki ($15), and rolls aplenty ($16 and up), this writer (who happens to come from a Jewish family) had to ask: “How is Kosher sushi different from all other sushi?” 

What exactly is Kosher sushi?

Alali answers succinctly: “We don’t allow shellfish. Also, Kosher fish have to have scales. So, there are a couple of restrictions, but we try to bring it to a point that people are not going to feel it.” 

The other side of the menu includes entrees like Whole Steamed White Fish ($48) with lemongrass, ginger, and tamarind; Japanese BBQ Denver Skewers ($65); and 72-Hour Short Ribs with honey teriyaki and cherries ($68). Prices are on the high end, but appetizers like bao buns ($16 and up) and gyoza ($14 and up) offer more budget-friendly shareable options. Also worth pouring over (that wasn’t a fish joke; it was a drink joke), Shi-Ya and Meat Point share an all-Kosher wine list of over 4,000 bottles. The aforementioned little bar will also serve a wide selection of Japanese vodka, whisky, and sake. Altogether, it’s giving “cool new Asian spot” and not “that place your parents insist on going for dinner.”

“Our guests don’t come because they don’t have a choice,” says Alali. “You come here because you want to enjoy an amazing meal.”

Shi-Ya Modern Asian Cuisine, 7114 Campbell Road, Dallas. Open for dinner Sunday through Thursday at 5 p.m.