My Birthday Dinner No. 3 - Kado no Mise, Minneapolis

As I explained in my previous post, I turned 70 years old on Thanksgiving Day 2021. That being something of a milestone, I ended up enjoying four birthday dinners. Thanksgiving dinner was the first. Two weeks later, my wife and I had a special dinner at Italian Eatery in Minneapolis. You can click here to read that post, or simply scroll down to it after you read this post. 

Both my son and my daughter gave me the gift of having dinner with each of them individually. They actually did pay for those dinners. But I would have been happy to pay just to have the time alone with them. 

Just four days after Birthday Dinner No. 2, I picked up my son and we went to Kado no Mise, a Japanese restaurant serving a fixed price "omakase" tasting menu. The restaurant's website explains that Kado no Mise translates as "corner restaurant." (The restaurant is located at the corner of N. 1st St. and N. 1st Ave. in Minneapolis.) The website further explains that "omakase" means "I'll leave it up to you," that is to say, the diner leaves it up to the chef to decide what food to serve. It does take some level of trust to do that. But my son and I both are adventurous diners, so we were eager to give it a try. 

The restaurant offers three levels of an omakase experience. We opted for the basic "ume" menu. It featured five courses. The "take" and "matsu" menus feature a sixth course, and each of those includes more items on the sushi course. 

But first, before I get into the food, we had a drink. Besides the omakase restaurant, the same establishment has a Japanese whisky bar called Gori Gori Peku. So to start our evening, we both ordered an old-fashioned cocktail made with Japanese whisky. It was very good; it motivated me to get a bottle of Japanese whisky for my bar at home. 

Then, as the meal service began, our server brought us a small glass of vermouth. I haven't previously had vermouth as an aperitif, only used it as a cocktail ingredient. But this was very pleasant and set the stage for the meal to come. 

2/5 of my sushi course

Our first course was "sakizuke" - a selection of small bites, sort of like an amuse-bouche. That was followed by probably the most unusual course of the meal - chawanmushi. It was a steamed egg custard with fish and mushrooms and ginger. Great flavors with a silky smooth texture. 

Next came the sushi course - five pieces of simple nigiri. The fish was excellent, very fresh and flavorful. But the style of service was new to me. Every other place where I've had sushi, you're provided with a small ball of wasabi paste that you mix with soy sauce and then dip the sushi in it. However, for this meal, the chef put a small smear of wasabi on the rice and under the fish. Then, instead of dipping the sushi, we were provided with a small bowl of soy sauce and a tiny brush. We were instructed to brush a small amount of sauce onto the fish and then eat it. If you look at the photo closely, you'll see the brush with the bowl of soy sauce on the right. 

After we finished the nigiri, and before the next course was served, our server asked if we wanted to extend the sushi course with some more pieces. We declined, but it is an option in case a diner wants more. 

See how simple the rolls are?

The next course to come out was makimono and misoshiru - sushi rolls and miso soup. Like the nigiri, these rolls were very simple, basically just rice and fish. Once again we were invited to 'paint' the rolls with the soy sauce. We did receive the traditional side of shaved ginger to enjoy with the rolls. The miso soup was very good. I'm not a big fan of miso soup. My son is, and he said this was very good. Tea was served with this course. 

The last course was a scoop of sorbet.  

Here are my final observations about our meal at Kado no Mise. 

1. Going out for sushi can be very expensive. There's a tendency to keep on ordering and pretty soon, you've run up a pretty hefty tab. So an omakase fixed price menu like we had helps to provide a buffer from spending more than you intended.

2. That said, this is not a very filling meal. We both were satisfied. But if your expectation is to get ample amounts of food with each course, you may be disappointed.

3. This is not the kind of sushi that is typically served (at least here in Minnesota). The nigiri and rolls are very simple. If you expect, or want, exotic sushi with many different kinds of fish and vegetables, this isn't that kind of sushi. No California rolls on the menu.

4. The omakase experience at Kado no Mise is just that, an experience. The service, the setting, and the food are all part of the experience. To enjoy it, you should set aside expectations, keep an open mind, and relax. 

I would definitely go back. But it would most likely be for some kind of special occasion and with somebody who would enjoy the experience. 

Enjoying our rolls and miso