by “The Food Guy” – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine and Vero Beach Foodie
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Last night I was invited to tag along with some of my foodie friends to experience an Omakase dinner at The Sumo House. That term was new to me so I Googled it and found out that the definition of it means “Omakase (Japanese: お任せ Hepburn: o-makase) is a Japanese phrase that means “I’ll leave it up to you” (from Japanese “to entrust” (任せる makaseru)).” – Wikipedia. What this ultimately means is that we leave the menu and items to be served up to the discretion of the chef. In basic terms, a Japanese Chef’s Table. Each time owner Jack Maha hosts these dinners, the menu’s are slightly different, so your experience will be different each time. For example, for last nights meal, he ordered and had Japanese Wagyu beef flown in just for this event. Most people in the US have heard of a type of Wagyu beef from Japan called Kobe. It’s a particular Wagyu breed named Tajima-Gyu and is raised in Kobe, Japan. It is only available to 9 restaurants certified to carry it in the US (Sumo House is not one of them) and its some of the best quality beef found anywhere on the planet. With such a high demand for this type and quality of beef, other regions in Japan have started raising cattle using the same strict standards as the Kobe region does in raising cattle to meet consumer demand.
Now let’s dive in and see what we had to eat!
Course #1 – Golden Tilefish Ceviche with Citrus Granita
Course #2 – Wagyu Tataki with Pesto Ponzu
Course #3 – Pan Seared Scallop with butter Corn Miso & Wagyu Yakitori with Thick Sweet Sog
Course #4 – Hamachi With Jalapeno Butter Ponzu & Golden Tilefish with Roasted Red Bell Pepper
Course #5 – Fluke with Green Apple Ginger Sauce & Wagyu Sushi with Thick Mushroom Sog
Course #6 – Pan Seared Wagyu with Poached Quail Egg Sog
Course #7 – Blackened Jumbo Shrimp with Tempura Avocado & Wagyu Sushi with Fired Onion
Course #8 – Green tea Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote
Dinner was $75.00 per person and well worth it to be able to taste the Wagyu beef. I had the opportunity to taste it earlier this year during my review of Citrus Grillhouse and it was spectacular. It is silky, fatty, and oh so delicious! While it might be expensive ($100.00 per lb), I highly recommend that you taste it at least once in your life.
Click on the photo’s below to see some additional shots from last nights dinner!
These dinners are not scheduled for any particular time, so if this is something that interests you in trying, I suggest you contact Jack Maha at The Sumo House for further information.
Address: 713 17th St, Vero Beach, FL 32960
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