Omakase at Tah-Xido - Xcarete Arte

 

Omakase is a dining experience from Japan. Omakase literally means "I'll leave it up to you", which means you let the chef dictate what you are getting. Typically, Omakase consists of many courses and the chef tries to provide you with the freshest offerings and things that may not be on the menu. The idea is that each chef may create a different experience based on their individual artistry and preference. Traditionally, omakase doesn't have a menu and ends when you let the chef know you've had enough, at which point they would give you a check to pay. In the US, an omakase is usually determined before hand how much food you will be getting and you are aware how much the experience will be before getting started. Sometimes you are given a menu before you get started, sometimes you are given a menu at the end. Other times you are not given a menu at all. The experience at Tah-Xido did not come with a menu.

This experience is $200 per person for regular Arte guests, and free for La Casa De La Playa (CDLP) guests. Since we are staying at CDLP, we decided to give this a shot. We are from the Atlanta area so we've had some omakase experiences there, namely, Omakase by Yun, and Mujo. Omakase by Yun is $165 a person, where as Mujo is $245 a person. Neither of those prices include tax or tip, or drinks, but considering you are giving up an included meal at the resort to pay for this omakase experience, I would consider the rest a wash. With that in mind, I had certain "standards" in my head for this experience as it's billed at $200 a person. (Of course, it didn't cost us anything extra as mentioned earlier.) So here's my expectations:

1. Freshly grated wasabi. Check. 

2. Sea Urchin. This was not delivered. 

3. Salmon Caviar. Check.

4. Some items from the kitchen, including a soup. Check.

5. Some unique fish pieces. This was not delivered. The only fish we got was tuna, fatty tuna, sea bass, salmon, and yellowtail. 

6. Excellent sushi rice. Also not delivered. The sushi rice was not up to par. There were kernels that were crunchy.

7. A sommelier with course by course pairings of either sake or wine or cocktails. Not delivered. They provided us with Asahi beer and one type of Sake. 

Overall, this was not a $200/person experience. The service was great - you have a sushi chef ENTIRELY dedicated to you, and a server also entirely dedicated to you. That was probably overkill. But it fell terribly short for a $200/person omakase. 

Amuse Bouche

Sashimi course: Yellowtail, salmon, sea bass, tuna, fatty tuna

Salmon nigiri with duck foie gras

Hamachi with yuzu

Tuna with mustard seeds

Fatty tuna with ramps and mushroom

Tuna maki w/sesame seeds, yellow daikon, green onions

Wagyu, truffle, black caviar. 

Mushroom soup w/shiitake, inoki, and vermicelli

Mexican oyster with salmon caviar, Japanese mint, and small amount of sugar

Fresh grilled prawn

Raw king clam, tiger's milk

Tempura shrimp with habanero mayonaise

Gyoza w/ponzu sauce and pea sprouts

Wagyu nigiri w/Durango Scorpion

Sponge matcha cake, mushroom ice cream, chocolates, raspberry

The strongest course was the Salmon w/Foie Gras. The weakest course was the Gyoza. The surprise hit was the Tempura Shrimp.