Kame Omakase

I typically rant against what I call "the big 5" - Uni, caviar, wagyu, fois gras, truffles. These are items that instantly scream luxury and don't take too much skill to prepare, because you don't do too much to them. I find they can be used as crutches in fine dining to give you the feeling of luxury and avoiding the skill to compose an impressive dish.

Well, I guess I need an asterisk, because Kame Omakase gives you 90 minutes of nothing but these items, one after the other and then back again. One could begin to roll their eyes at yet another dish flowing with caviar, uni and truffle. But DAMN was this fun and delicious!

Omakase means "I'll leave it up to you". In other words, true omakase is the relinquishing of your desires as the diner to the chef, leaving it to him/her to provide what they feel is best.  So it was terrific luck that there were only 3 of us dining. Chef Hideki Tsujimoto stood in front of only me all evening providing each dish, walking me through what I was eating and eagerly awaiting my response to each. He was fun, engaging and friendly from the minute I walked in.

The fish he served was top notch. Fresh and delicious - flown in twice weekly from the Toyosu Fish Market in Japan (the gold standard for sushi-grade fish). There were two servers as well who could not have been more lovely. They spoke better English than Chef, so at times when I had a question (such as what chu-toro meant), they gleefully dove in and knowingly answered, assuring you fully understood the products.

I think what was most fun is their overall excitement about what they were doing. They kept showing off. Here is a live baby crab that you're about to eat. Look at our enormous hunk of A5 wagyu - birth certificate included. Even bringing out a live gigantic hairy crab to demonstrate what we were eating next. It was immensely fun and the food was off the charts. 

The highlight for me was their signature "jewelry box". Such a beautiful presentation and the flavors! You couldn't help but giggle with each bite, excited that another bite of the same was awaiting you.

This is not an inexpensive meal, as you can imagine. But you definitely see where your investment goes! This place - about a mile off the Las Vegas strip - is a terrific place to say "Screw it!" and indulge in all of the best that the earth has to offer. Highly recommended as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.