We've already figured out what they're shouting when you walk into a sushi bar – "Irasshaimase!" which is basically a warm, hearty welcome greeting. You head to the sushi bar, slide into a seat, hopefully right smack in front of a chef. Now what? Will you order sushi combination no.1 or no.2, will you order a la carte, or will you order...omakase?
"Omakase" loosely translates in English to "trust." In the context of a sushi bar, it is the equivalent of the chef's tasting menu, meaning you will be putting the trust of your tastebuds in the hands of the chef.
I was always shy and nervous about omakase, partly because I'm a control freak, and partly because I thought omakase meant the chef would be giving me weird things like monkfish liver (which is actually not that weird) or octopus brains (which would be weird – do octopi have brains?). However, omakase really does lead to the best sushi experience you could have in the restaurant that night, because the chef is picking out the freshest, tastiest thing for you to try.
Not all of us are gazillionaires able to afford the $250 per person omakase-only meal at Urasawa in Beverly Hills (and that's for the food only; add some sake, tax and tip, and the date you're trying to impress will cost you four figures!). But there are options. They're not cheap, mind you, for this is raw fish after all, but it definitely won't require a winning lottery ticket. At Echigo in West Los Angeles you can do an omakase lunch for $25 to $35. Sushi Sasabune for dinner costs from $40 to $50. Obeying the infamous Sushi Nazi" at Nozawa in Studio City starts around $60.
But these aren't the only choices. Almost every sushi chef now will put together an omakase menu for you. All you have to do is ask. And trust.
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