Ômo by Jônt
This is my 3rd visit to one of Chef Ryan Ratino having first visited his flagship Jônt in Washington DC and a previous visit to this offshoot in Orlando. Chef Ratino is getting a lot of attention and rapidly expanding is restaurant empire. In general, I am not a fan. Tonight didn't dissuade me from that opinion.
His food hits all of the high level notes - caviar, wagyu, uni - and is prepared well. But, like the physical spaces of his restaurants, I find it a bit soulless. Color by numbers. And given his extraordinary price points (tonight was $375/pp), I typically find his dinners a let down.
There were some stellar bites, for sure. One of the hosts really stood out. Friendly and engaging. A little plastic, but always looked forward to her visit. I had mentioned that my son was a chef and they generously invited him into the kitchen to chat with the chefs for a bit before we headed to dessert. A terrific, generous and much appreciated offer.
But tonight, there was a warning shot right from the start.
You begin with small bites in a "living room" area with couches and high back chairs and such. Some of these were the best bites of the evening. The final bite was crown melon sorbet with caviar and champagne foam.
"Uh oh." I shot a look to my son Ryan, concerned. He got it.
Let me explain.
In many restaurants, produce that is going bad is thrown into a soup. Lots of celery on its last legs? Cream of celery soup is on the menu for the next few nights. It's a way to utilize product you can't serve directly any longer.
Crown melon is among the most expensive products there is. Each one is cultivated on a single plant (with others pruned away) and cared for solely to create the single melon that can be. It is that good. I'm a melon lover, but I've had this product only at Chef Ratino's restaurants and Jordnær in Copenhagen. I told Ryan all about it on the drive here. "You can't believe what you are about to eat."
It's their signature. It's the highlight.
So why is it in the appetizer? Pairing it with a champagne foam and caviar is a beautiful dress up to a product that is clearly going bad. This was confirmed when we arrived at the melon itself at the end of evening. Receiving only half a portion, it was soft and mealy.
The wagyu dish also felt offensively short. $375. And there is a piece of wagyu with...a small vegetable on the side? That's what you came up with?
Writing this blog can be difficult. I am fully aware that complaining about wagyu is, well, foolish. I mean, really. Let's keep this in perspective, right?
But my goal is to look at restaurants in comparison to their chosen echelon and how it delivers across the board for its price point. This is the major leagues. And Ômo just doesn't deliver it should for that level of investment.
I am headed to Miami soon and gleefully looked at MAASS. Until I realize that it, too, was Chef Ratino's. Though I have nothing against him personally, I think I'll pass.
There is no reason to think that will be any different.
Invited by the dining companion I met at The Clove Club in London, I was happy to visit Chef Ryan Ratino's newest outpost. Jônt is a known 2 star stalwart in Washington D.C. While our experience there was sub-par (from most of what I have read about it), I was happy to give another try to this very new restaurant in Orlando.
The format is exactly the same as Jônt: opening bites in a living room, dinner at an open chef's counter, desserts at a different counter. They are nearly identical experiences, down to a course-by-course comparison. If you have been to Jônt, you have been to Ômo. That's not necessarily a bad thing - just a note to those who may have experienced D.C. It's a terrific opportunity for those in Orlando to experience Jônt without the plane flight.
Much of the staff came from Disney, which makes all the sense in the world. And to a person, they are outstanding. Engaging, friendly, caring, able. I need to give special kudos to the front of house manager, who is among the best I've ever seen at the position.
We didn't experience some of the service-misses that we had at Jônt, though we never received napkins and had to ask for them. (They were properly sheepish when told and took care of it immediately.) Overall, this was a group of people who are definitely aligned to Chef Ryan's vision, proud to be there and working cohesively. To me, that is the most impressive thing here. To be able to pull that off so quickly in a city that does not have this level of dining, it's a credit to Chef Ryan's hiring practices and training regime. Bravo.
While too new to be eligible for this Thursday's Michelin Florida guide, Ômo is clearly shooting straight for 2 stars. There is no "let's build up to it" attitude here, something Chef Ryan confirmed as he shared his vision with us during dinner. He was far more enjoyable this time around. As offputting as he was when we dined at Jônt, it was an off night. We all have them. He was far more engaging and friendly this evening.
The food is stellar. Absolutely a 2 star delivery. Top quality ingredients, smartly put together. If you go, you must order the musk melon add-on. This melon is grown 1 per tree and shipped on a pillow. I know - it looks like a honeydew. But you have never tasted anything so delicious in your life. For $30, do it.
With 8 of us dining (at this later seating), staffing was greater than 1:1. Though less so, I was still looking for the soul and passion here. Everything (food, service, physical space) is refined and "cleaned up" so much, it still seems a bit "sterile". Perhaps a more rounded story would help. Chef Ryan and I discussed SingleThread and when I think of that place, it's not just the food but the vision. The connection of their passion to the experience I enjoyed when I dined there. I'm not sure I know what that is here other than that Chef Ryan loves Japan.
That being said, Ômo is a credit to Orlando and provides a very strong updraft to its culinary scene. For those who have not yet been to Jônt, I would strongly recommend a visit here. It's substantive quality, incredible food and a true high-end experience. Great to have it nearby.