How fortunate we are to have this level of restaurant in Orlando now! There was a time when you had to go to New York, Chicago, LA, or, yes, Washington DC, where Omo’s two-star Michelin parent is located, in order to have this type of dining experience. Now we have a wealth of fabulous omakase experiences in Orlando. But Omo isn’t like the other omakases, because it isn’t about sushi and sashimi, like Sorekara or Soseki. It’s closer in concept to Camille, but with the added experience of moving from space to space as you dine.
You begin in the lounge for a series of “snacks” featuring foie gras, wagyu, and caviar. Then you progress to dinner at an L-shaped counter that seats 16.
Each course was a thoughtful and complex construction, meticulously assembled in front of us, and accompanied by a dazzling assortment of dishes, cutlery and yes, one set of chopsticks.
Finally a flurry of sweet bites are served in the dessert room.
The menu offers two levels of dining. We opted for the more elaborate version, The Jaunt. It’s twenty or so courses included many pricey ingredients such as truffles, wagyu, and caviar. At about twice the price, it was an indulgence, but I don’t know that the experience was otherwise significantly different for those who opted for the simpler menu.
There were many stunning dishes, but the one that sticks in my memory was actually an intermezzo of peeled heirloom cherry tomatoes, wasabi, and verbena, served with basil sorbet!
Service was as you would expect from the offspring of a two-star Michelin.
Wine pairings are available, but we opted for a couple of bottles from the excellent wine list.
There is a lot of competition in Orlando now, but I would say that as of this writing Omo is the city’s most spectacular restaurant.
