Should you’ve ever questioned the place Jimmy Fallon dines on an evening off, you might have discovered him noshing on vegetarian crudo at East Hampton’s new robata and seafood spot, O by Kissaki, on a steamy mid-August Saturday.
Through the restaurant’s opening evening, the eating room and patio noticed the likes of Fallon, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Bobbi Brown, based on proprietor Garry Kanfer, because the kitchen debuted a menu of crudo, sushi and maki rolls, but in addition scorching Japanese dishes grilled over coals, robata-style.
“About 70% of the menu relies on robata meat, hen and seafood,” mentioned Kanfer. “The sushi items and nigiri are there, however not as conventional as at Kissaki.”
He is referring to Kissaki in Water Mill, an omakase-focused sushi restaurant he opened final summer time with government chef Mark Garcia. In truth, the final 18 months have seen lightning-fast enlargement for Kissaki, one which started with a single restaurant on New York Metropolis’s Bowery in January 2020, two months earlier than COVID-19 lockdown.
“My plan was by no means to open one restaurant, however I did not assume it was going to develop as quick because it did,” mentioned Kanfer.
Kissaki’s fast pivot to omakase containers, which hit a chord with these sheltering in place, led to enlargement to the Higher West Aspect, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Water Mill; two pop-ups in Montauk (now closed) and Lengthy Island Metropolis; and now the O by Kissaki offshoot, which may also broaden to Miami inside weeks. All are headed by Garcia, a mentee of Chicago sushi grasp Kaze Chan.
O by Kissaki takes over the previous Zok-Kon in East Hampton, which was gutted to create a minimalist area with 70 seats contained in the 30 on the patio.
The vast majority of the seafood is flown in from Japan; offbeat takes on nigiri sushi ($9 to $15 per piece) embody blue fin tuna (akami) sushi with wasabi relish and Faroe Island salmon with shimeji mushrooms, truffle oil and chives. Maki rolls ($9 to $28) pair that Faroe Island salmon sashimi with whipped cream cheese, ikura, lemon French dressing and the whole lot bagel spice, or King crab meat with avocado and asparagus tempura and chanterelles. Among the many handful of crudos is a scallop (hotate) crudo with cucumber, shiso oil and a lime togarashi emulsion, in addition to a vegetarian roasted beet and radish model.
The robata grill and scorching dishes ($12 to $48) run from hen marinated in shio koji (a fermented rice marinade) and grilled lobster tail with candy miso butter to 2 takes on kara-age, or Japanese-style fried hen, that contain fried grouper with a jicama salad and crispy yellowtail collar (hamachi kama) with ginger aioli.
Kanfer mentioned Chicago bartender Robert Murphy, an alum of The Aviary and Subsequent in Chicago, honed the beverage record, which even at first look looks as if one of many extra modern on Lengthy Island — assume Japanese vodka martinis with sesame shochu and margaritas with yuzu kosho, plus a prolonged sake bottle record.
For all of its finesse and glam, Kanfer mentioned the fast string of Kissaki openings, particularly in a time when workers are arduous to search out, has been a grind. “This was a troublesome summer time, and it took a toll on myself and my workers,” he mentioned. “I have been recruiting myself. I acquired again on the telephones, and am calling all my contacts.”
That will not hinder the subsequent deliberate opening on Lengthy Island, although: Kissaki will open in Manhasset early subsequent yr, mentioned Kanfer.
O by Kissaki is open Wednesday to Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight (the kitchen closes at 11 p.m.) at 47 Montauk Hwy. in East Hampton, 631-309-2352. exploreobykissaki.com
