Could Japanese Cuisine by Omae Take on Raku?

Japanese Cuisine by Omae has been getting a lot of love from the food critics, and Jim Begley is the latest to weigh in on the 12-seat omakase house from former Morimoto XEX executive chef Takeshi Omae.

Diners only have a choice of what to drink (that liquor license is coming soon. Promise). Begley says the “zensai (hors d’oeuvres) of amaebi (sweet shrimp) tartare layered between a sharp tomato sorbet and a celeriac purée with shrimp, a dish reminiscent of a ’70s-era shrimp cocktail in the best possible way.”

He calls the sashimi from Toyko’s Tsukiji Market “elevated.”

Most interesting, he notes that Mitsuo Endo at Raku may finally have a “worthy adversary.”

“There’s no denying Omae is a memorable and welcome dining experience; since Mitsuo Endo’s Raku stopped serving its kaiseki dinner, there’s certainly nothing else like it. While I’ve enjoyed this new, exciting addition to the local scene, I’m not ready to relieve Endo of his crown as the city’s premier Japanese chef.”