As Teddy Khafif worked his way up through the high-end sushi scene in New York City, he realized that there just wasn’t anything similar in the kosher community. After making the necessary contacts and forming relationships all over the industry, Khafif decided he was going to do something about it.
Like most in the restaurant business, Khafif was looking for a new job during COVID. Instead of feeling down on his luck, he made his dream come true by starting Akimori. Originally, the main feature was bringing the setup to a person’s house and doing omakase service there. Omakase is Japanese for “I’ll leave it up to you” and is a method used in restaurants where the chef makes food without the guidelines of a formal menu. A lack of restaurants and a lack of entertainment options meant that omakase at people’s homes was a big success.
Operating a high-end omakase bar is about who you know. Khafif has to have a guy in the famous Tsukiji Market in Japan. He has to know all the best vendors in New York. He has to know the chefs to hire. His research enabled him to do everything necessary to make Akimori happen. When restrictions eased, Khafif decided to open his first brick-and-mortar location.
Akimori first opened its doors in late 2021 in Brooklyn. They also maintain a partnership with Salt Steakhouse in Long Branch, New Jersey, where they have a sushi bar and lounge inside the restaurant. Unfortunately, a fire damaged their Brooklyn location and the renovations won’t be completed until the fall. In the meantime, you can check out their new location.
When I was invited to experience Akimori at their new location on the Upper East Side, I was struck by how elegant the location was. Part of the immediate mood change is that the restaurant is located a few steps below the sidewalk on Lexington Avenue. You go from the loud, bustling, bright sidewalk to the quiet, comforting, loft light of this stylish space. The sushi bar is right where you walk in and has 12 seats, while the lounge farther back features tables for other patrons.
Akimori isn’t like most restaurants, so this column won’t be like most of my columns. Most people who are walking through the door aren’t picking their food off of a menu, so I can’t exactly recommend selections for you to make on your trip. As it’s an omakase bar, the chef is the one doing most of the choosing.
While you can still order any of the regular omakase selections (10, 15 or 18 courses) at lunch time, you might want to choose from the two special lunch offerings. These include an appetizer plus a selection of four hand rolls per person or a two-person lunch that features a mixture of classic rolls, nigiri, hand rolls, crispy rice and a sake pairing. You can also select anything off the la carte menu.
If you come at dinner time, picking one of the omakase choices is mandatory. You can still add to your meal with the à la carte menu, but it’s really the experience that you are there for. While that experience is best had at the bar, you can also order omakase to your table. The chef will make everything and send it to you on a platter. While this might not be as alluring as sitting at the bar and watching the magic happen, it might be the way to go if you are in a hurry.
Let’s talk about the omakase process. Depending on the number of courses you order, you’ll get more or less of the different types of food. The first one or two plates will be appetizers. I had hamachi and cucumber topped with jalapeño salsa in a truffle ponzu sauce followed by marinated tuna in soy sauce with toasted garlic chips and microgreens. Both of these were fabulous and really brought out the flavors of the fish. Not only were they plated nicely, but they also showed the great care the chef puts into both the taste and presentation of the food.
Here is where the main course starts. As with most omakase, most of the courses are nigiri. Sitting at the bar allows you to watch the chef preparing the fish and the toppings, torching the fish sometimes, and making sure you have an amazing time. The chef will mix and match the different fishes they have available with different toppings and preparations. While some of the courses might seem similar (a few types of tuna), you are sure to get a few things that you may never have even tasted before.
Some of the interesting fish I had included striped jack (also known as white trevally), sea bream, fluke, sablefish, golden eye snapper, sea perch and amberjack. Along with different types of tuna (bluefin, toro, otoro) and salmon (king, sockeye, belly) none of my 13 pieces of nigiri were the same kind of fish. One of my favorite parts of the process was the selection of the topping and how different they were depending on what went best with the particular fish. Some used stronger tasting toppings like pickled plum paste or scallions and truffle salt. Others were minimalist with choices such as lemon zest or just a sprinkle of sea salt.
After the nigiri comes the hand roll portion, followed by the dessert. The hand rolls have a great crunch that contrasts well with the buttery fish of the nigiri courses, and the mochi ice cream is also a real treat to close out your meal on a sweet note.
Leaving everything up to the chef is an amazing way to dine. It does away with any anxiety you might have over choosing from the menu, plus the omakase experience gives you a behind-the-scenes look … right in front of your face.
Akimori
Pareve* – Omakase Bar – Waiter Service
Sunday-Thursday: noon-10 p.m.
Friday: noon-5 p.m.
Saturday: 10 p.m.-midnight
(646)-833-7848
858 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10065
Mehadrin Kashrus (Rabbi Avrohom Marmorstein)
* (cold dairy desserts)
Nati Burnside is a freelance writer living in Fair Lawn and is a man of many interests. He can be reached at [email protected].
