06-04-2018 02:46 PM - edited 06-04-2018 04:23 PM
Omakase is a Japanese phrase meaning, “I’ll leave it up to you.” My boyfriend, Dave, absolutely loves sushi, and he has been wanting to have an omakase dinner—where everything you eat is the chef’s choice. The minute Dave booked a flight to visit New York City, I started researching omakase dinners. I wanted this long-awaited date night to be special!
I’m not adventurous when it comes to sushi. I’ll usually order a California roll, a spicy tuna roll, or a veggie roll, and I always add cream cheese and a side of spicy mayo. I’m actually allergic to rice, tuna, and sesame, so I’m playing with fire. Is my mouth going to burn, or worse, is my lip going to swell? It’s a gamble!
The more I read about omakase, the more intimidated I became. There are so many options in the city and exponential opinions to sift through. But two things became immediately clear: we should book a reservation ASAP and we should budget at least $100 per person.
While combing through reviews, I found Sushi Nakazawa, serving the omakase of Chef Daisuke Nakazawa, a featured apprentice in the artfully presented 2011 Netflix documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. The film tells the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono and his 10-seat sushi restaurant, considered by many to be the best in the world. In the film, Chef Daisuke is overcome with emotion when Jiro says he has finally prepared an acceptable egg custard.
When Sushi Nakazawa debuted in 2013, it was only the sixth New York City restaurant to receive four stars from the New York Times. This was definitely it! Dave is a huge fan of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, justifying the price tag. Although the 10-seat bar was booked, Sushi Nakazawa was able to accommodate us in the dining room at 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday. They took down my credit card number to secure our reservation and emailed a dress code requiring gentlemen to wear closed-toed shoes and shirts with sleeves, and prohibiting hats and shorts.
After receiving a text that our table was ready early, we walked to the unassuming West Village spot on Commerce Street. The restaurant was inconspicuous and not well lit, but a sign on the door confirmed we were in the right place. A host led us through a draped curtain and past patrons sitting at the lively sushi bar. We sat at a table for two in an adjoining dining room where 18 other guests enjoyed omakase in the intimate, candlelit setting as soft music played in the background and staff dressed in suits moved rapidly through the restaurant like synchronized ants.
A hostess explained two options: We could stick with our 20-course $150 per person meal, or pay an up-charge for omakase that also included wagyu beef and caviar. Not trying to break the bank, we stuck to 20-courses each. For the same reason, we thumbed through an extensive binder of sake, beer, wine and champagne before deciding on tap water.
The server asked if we had any dietary restrictions or dislikes (I kept my allergies mum). After wiping our hands with hot towels, our first plate was promptly delivered and featured three different cuts and preparations of salmon. We ate each bite in unison, comparing notes. Instructed to eat from right to left, the cuts got more fatty and decadent as we worked our way across our plates. The final bite of salmon tasted like buttery popcorn.
The server noticed Dave is left-handed, and adjusted his additional servings to mirror mine. We tried delicious scallops and strangely chewy squid with plum sauce, shrimp with flavor pearls, crab, mackerel, and four cuts of bluefin tuna. Each bite had different flavors, sauces, and spices, all complemented by rich, warm rice.
It seemed like the servings got better as they progressed, especially with the bluefin tuna, until courses 17 and 18, which were uni from the waters of California and Japan. Also known as sea urchin gonads, uni is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, but we hadn't tried it before. It was an emphatic hard-pass. The Japanese uni was more palatable than the California uni, but even still, we couldn’t get past the tongue-like texture, and the briny flavor’s only saving grace was the rice. Dave looked at me and said, “I’m going to swallow this as quickly as possible.”
Things were back on track with course 19, saltwater eel with sweet eel sauce. The final course, an egg custard, underscored Chef Daisuke’s passion, bringing things full-circle. We declined seconds of any of our favorites for an up-charge and then washed down scoops of sweet lychee sorbet with hot green tea.
Omakase was an adventurous meal and a fun date night. I learned a lot about Japanese dining and we bonded over our likes and dislikes. At the end of the evening, Dave scrolled through my pictures and, impersonating the server to the best of his ability, gave an explanation of every piece. He jokingly kept the receipt as a souvenir, but we both wish we had an actual menu from the evening to reflect on the pieces we most enjoyed.
06-04-2018 03:18 PM
Awesome @brittym,
This post really took me through your process of researching, finding and exploring Omakase. Loved it! Thanks for sharing this with us!
06-04-2018 03:35 PM
Hi @brittym
Interesting. Britty, I enjoyed reading your post. 🙂
One of the best Japanese restaurants I have tried is Nobu Perth
Please check the video description. You will enjoy.
I am here sitting at Nobu Perth.
Cheers
06-04-2018 03:38 PM
Hey @brittym!
Sounds like a pretty adventurous time! 20 courses sounds intense - do you eat these as-is or do you still get some soy sauce w/wasabi on the side?
06-04-2018 03:53 PM
@BruceDM Great question! A lot of the pieces were flavored with wasabi or marinated in soy sauce. The difference is, you don't get to choose how much or how little wasabi or soy sauce. The only item served on the side was pickled ginger for cleansing your palate. Something I'm not used to--there was no spicy mayo in sight! 👀 20 courses in this case means 20 pieces. The servings were plated in rounds of three, four, four, five, two, and two.
06-04-2018 04:02 PM
@brittym - so cool and thanks for clarifying on the courses to pieces ratio!!
06-04-2018 04:21 PM
I love uni.
06-05-2018 03:06 AM
It sounds like you had the best time ever @brittym. 🙂 Thank you for letting us be a part of this fine dining experience.
Can't wait to see more similar posts here on Connect.
P.S.: 3 days ago, I got together with a friend of mine, which I haven't seen in a bit and she told me about a horrible allergic experience that her boyfriend had on their holiday in Cyprus. That kept me thinking, if I were allergic to something that I love to eat, would I continue eating it from time to time or not? Your story gave me the answer to that question. Life is too short to not enjoy the things we love.
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06-05-2018 03:15 AM
Hello @brittym Omakase dining nice food specials ,Thank you for sharing with us....
06-05-2018 10:58 AM - edited 06-05-2018 10:59 AM
@KlaudiyaG I couldn't go to one of the best sushi restaurants in the USA and disclose I was allergic to rice! What is sushi without rice, anyway?! 🤔 That would have also meant not trying the bluefin tuna, which ended up in my top-two favorites of the evening! It's funny that I only have three food allergies and they're all found in sushi 🍣
My first allergic reaction happened after having Chinese food when I was 17. After tingling like when your foot "falls asleep," my lip swelled up comically large! It's happened two other times since then, and I know Benadryl and rest is the answer. I wouldn't take the chance if it was severe or frequent. I don't own an EpiPen (knock on wood!) 👊🏼🚪