The beauty of Omakase, I have to admit, is in handing over power to someone else. In any other walk of life–politics, government, literature, art–the idea of yielding to autocracy would be impossible to even consider. But when it comes to nigiri, and the expert sushi chefs who let their creativity loose behind a sushi bar, I happily yield.
The word “Omakase” literally translates to “I leave it up to you.” Chefs love it because they have the freedom to work their magic with the freshest ingredients. Those who enjoy the privilege of delighting in each bite know there is something supremely relaxing about savoring 10 to 17 courses of divinely delicious food and not having to make any decisions about it. Omakase is a splurge, no doubt, but paying for superior quality, an intimate experience (usually 10 to 20 guests, clustered around an L-shaped bar), and an evening that weaves in a bit of theater is always worth it.
The Omakase trend has been exploding from London to Dallas, and pretty much everywhere in between. But it’s no longer just about sushi. Gifted chefs are taking poetic license with the term, and you can now find “dessert Omakase,” “pizza Omakase,” “speakeasy Omakase” and more. What they all have in common is the creativity and care that goes into it, along with the utter deliciousness of the result. Leaving it up to a gifted chef is not only liberating, it supports a labor of love.
Behind a nondescript black door marked “SB” on a back alley in downtown Dallas that is hard for Uber drivers to find, 12 sushi-aficionados begin their Sushi | Bar Omakase with a special welcome drink before heading down to one of two subterranean sushi bars. Three chefs stand ready to begin the evening with a sustainably sourced bluefin tuna hand roll wrapped in shiso, or savory Hokkaido scallop garnished with a pile of velvety white truffle. A cucumber salad palate refresher threads through each of 17 courses. The extensive drink list features wine and sake flights and special a la carte items such as the silky Heavensake sake.
The blissful bites continue: nigiri crafted from shumagi, fatty toro, madai from Japan, with a slight intermission between each course for it to be savored and explained. Otoro with foie gras, wagyu with torched butter and miso foam, Spanish mackerel, akami, each stunningly delicious taste building upon the last until, sadly, it’s time for dessert.
Reservations open at the beginning of each month, and Sushi | Bar has already expanded into four cities (Dallas, Austin, Miami, Chicago), with no one outpost easier to get into than the last. As an added twist, guests can prolong the evening at Ginger’s, a speakeasy and cocktail lounge that is connected by a hallway–a bar behind the bar, if you
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
As both a mom and a daughter, I can say with certainty that there's no one harder to shop for than a mother on Mother's Day. That's why I'm focusing on planning travel with my mom instead of getting her another scarf, bag or mani-pedi this year, though she loves all of those, too.
The W New Orleans - French Quarter debuts its 97 newly renovated guest rooms and carriage houses as it finishes its multi-million dollar renovation, led by Canadian design firm Chapi Chapo Design.
For over 20 years, Melissa Goldstein worked as a magazine photo editor. While researching imagery, she developed a fascination with Scandinavian ceramics, 17th-century botanical illustrations and Japanese woodblock prints dating back to the 1500s. It wasn’t until she moved to Brooklyn and began rehabilitating the overgrown garden behind her brownstone that she began combining her interests: “[My brand MG by Hand] was the merging of my research, the garden and making things for my family,” Goldstein says of the fine English porcelain ceramics she now sells in select shops and online. In 2008, the artist began hand-making everyday dinnerware in her home studio in Carroll Gardens, decorating the pieces with floral motifs in a cobalt stain. Black irises, poppies and flowering quince from her garden adorned vases, shallow banchan dishes and scalloped serving trays. Her new Poppy and Cherry collections, which were fired in a gas kiln for 12 to 15 hours, channel Dutch Delftware while depicting local flora. “I have a wall that separates my garden from my neighbor’s, and I’ve interwoven quince in it,” Goldstein says. “I’m very into blooming trees.”
When Norse Atlantic released its results for 2023, it was a celebration of several milestones. These included completing its first full year of operation and carrying over a million passengers on more than 4,000 flights.
“The house was already wonderful,” says Enrique Miró-Sans. He’s talking about the 17th-century residence that his family spent two years transforming into an intimate, lived-in hotel in the walled old city of Palma, Mallorca.
The ever-popular transatlantic corridor between New York City and London-area airports sees millions of yearly passengers and represents one of the busiest routes in the world.
Followers may be more familiar with her alter ego, Accidental Icon, but Lyn Slater’s credentials go far beyond being fashionable. The former professor and social worker has spent the past decade using the moniker to turn our perception of style and aging on its head. Scroll through her Instagram feed or blog, and you'll find Slater decked out in designer duds, interspersed with fashion campaigns for Hermés and Dior, and sponsored posts for luxury brands like Net-a-Porter, Kate Spade, and Moncler. Slater speaks of this life stage with gratitude for the opportunities it's provided—like access to a wealth of influential people in the fashion industry and travel experiences in new destinations—but always from a place of removal. The Accidental Icon is not her, says Slater. It's a persona.Now in her 70s, Slater says she has closed her chapter as an influencer and is embracing a new one. One where she is still undeniably fabulous and no-less influential, but has traded in her New York city apartment for a home upstate (where she is writing a monthly column for her local paper), her signature red lipstick and large statement earrings for a subtler wardrobe, and the title of “influencer” for “writer” and “grandmother.”