DC's Newest Omakase Counter Is Already Gunning for a Michelin Star

"Chef Tadayoshi Motoa has cooked all over the world from his native Japan to Copenhagen, Jakarta, Dubai, Madrid, and London. Now, he's arrived in DC to open Omakase Room by Tadayoshi with the Group NYC, which also operates La Grande Boucherie and Olio e Piu downtown."

"Motoa previously earned a Michelin star for his restaurant in Spain, Toki, and he says he already his eye on another. His omakase room will serve a 20-course menu of nigiri and prepared dishes for $200 per person at a 12-seat counter. (There's also a room with tatami mats for groups up to eight coming soon.)"

"Motoa describes his approach is super traditional: "Modern Japanese cuisine is you put the jalapeno onto the sashimi and green sauce with oil, la, la, la, la, la. That kind of thing I don't do." Rather, the meal will start with a series of appetizers such as liver-marinated spot prawn, deep-fried monkfish, and chawamushi egg custard. The menu will feature 12 pieces of nigiri-half with a classic sushi rice vinegar, and half with a modern vinegar. Sushi was historically made with a fermented red vinegar and no sugar, once an expensive commodity in Japan. Now, however, sushi vinegar is typically sweetened and Motoa uses a blend of white and red vinegar. The modern sushi rice has a more mild, balanced flavor that Motoa will pair with delicate fish like young sea bream and lean tuna. The traditional sushi rice has sharper notes that pair with uni or fattier tuna. Motoa will source all his fish from Japan. "Actually, this is my first time using Japanese fish in another country," he says. "I think [in the] US, we have a high, high quality of local fish. But when I receive the fish from Japan, it's one more step up.""

Chef Tadayoshi Motoa brings global experience and a Michelin-starred pedigree to Washington, DC with Omakase Room by Tadayoshi. The intimate space centers on a 12-seat counter serving a 20-course omakase of nigiri and prepared dishes priced at $200 per person, with a tatami room for small groups forthcoming. Motoa emphasizes a super-traditional approach and opens the meal with appetizers like liver-marinated spot prawn, deep-fried monkfish, and chawanmushi. The nigiri sequence alternates between classic and modern sushi vinegars to match fish textures. All fish will be sourced from Japan. A curated sake program offers 20-plus premium selections.

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