"In New York, Japanese cuisine has long been defined by omakase, a chef's progression of tastes from chawanmushi to one-bite nigiri. But with a crowded omakase landscape - just take a look at the "top rated" category on Resy that's dominated by omakase - diners may be ready to experience Japanese dining beyond the single-bite progression."
"Enter kaiseki, which has jockeyed into place as the next coveted dining experience, with restaurants like Tribeca's Muku, Yoshoku in the Waldorf Astoria, Yamada in Chinatown, Ikigai in Fort Greene, and Midtown's Jō, joining the likes of Tsukimi in the East Village, Hirohisa in Soho, Odo in Flatiron, Kappo Sono in the East Village, Hakubai in Midtown."
"While omakase is often defined by sushi, kaiseki is a choreography that follows Japan's five cooking techniques - raw, grilled, simmered, steamed, and fried - and leans heavily on seasonality. "The first element of Japanese food culture to land in the US was sushi, but mostly just rolls, which evolved into sashimi and nigiri, and then omakase," said Howard Chang, who opened Muku a few weeks ago in the space that was most recently the omakase temple, Ichimura."
Kaiseki is gaining prominence in New York as a luxury, multi-course Japanese dining format distinct from omakase. Kaiseki meals typically span seven to fourteen courses and follow a specific sequence that showcases raw, grilled, simmered, steamed, and fried techniques. The format emphasizes seasonality and a broad exploration of Japanese cooking methods rather than a sushi-centric progression. New venues offering kaiseki include Muku, Yoshoku at the Waldorf Astoria, Yamada, Ikigai, Jō, Tsukimi, Hirohisa, Odo, Kappo Sono, and Hakubai. Muku's ten-course menu under chef Manabu Asanuma features refined seasonal items such as hairy crab with tomato, caviar, and tosazu jelly.
Read at Eater NY
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