Omakase Shoji Review - West Town - Chicago - The Infatuation
"At $225, Omakase Shoji is as pricey as other special occasion sushi spots in Chicago. But the experience at this West Town sushiya is unlike any other in the city—a 20-course kaiseki menu, where the hot small plates outshine everything else. While the quality of fish used for nigiri is excellent, cuts sometimes lack precision and the sushi and sashimi aren’t as memorable as the hot dishes. Fortunately, the quick succession of so many large portions in just two hours means you’ll be full enough to skip a second dinner at McDonald’s. This isn’t the place to show up with your McDonald’s-at-3am college friends, however. The meal takes place in a bright room just big enough for a 10-seat counter and two staff members waiting to refill your water glass the second it dips below 25% full. And the only sounds are quiet instrumental music, punctuated by the chefs periodically speaking to each other in Japanese. But what Omakase Shoji lacks in energy, it makes up for by being a great alternative to a 20-piece fish-on-rice sprint. Food Rundown photo credit: Veda Kilaru Omakase Omakase Shoji offers a 20-course kaiseki menu for $225 per person. The meal is highly seasonal, lasts about two hours, and much of it is sourced from Japan. Seafood is the focus of the dinner, starting with a sakizuke course that might include perfectly fried tempura flounder that shatters on first bite. This is followed by a parade of subtle cold and hot small plates, like a bowl of baby eels in a vaguely floral umami sauce or silky chawanmushi with uni and chunks of tender lobster. The brief interruptions come in the form of nigiri, and some very hefty pieces of seasonal fish for the otsukuri course. Right before dessert, you’ll be presented with the best (and most unique) dish of the night: a piece of curry-flavored sea bream floating in green tea soup using the accompanying matcha soba like pool noodles." - Veda Kilaru
