YOSHITOMO
Hoppen Hierarchy: ★★★★
District: Benson
Sushi Bar
Perfect For: Casual Dining; Upscale Dining; Date Night
Standout Dishes: Aburi Wagyu; Kani Miso; Moriwase Nigiri; Hama Toast; Baraniku; Kumo Roll
From the moment I first dined at Yoshitomo, I knew it was the best seafood-centric restaurant in Omaha. From the clever, delicious rolls to the sashimi and nigiri so fleshy and fresh it tastes like it was swimming five minutes ago, there’s just nothing like this restaurant around here.
But the more I dine at Yoshitomo, the more I realize such a description is selling Yoshitomo short. The things chef/owner Dave Utterback, a two-time James Beard finalist, are unprecedented. This isn’t just one of Omaha’s best restaurants; it’s one of the best in America. And I truly believe that.
Yoshitomo is commonly referred to as a sushi restaurant, and that description isn’t necessarily wrong. The menu over a dozen signature rolls, each thoughtfully constructed to balance acid, heat, fat, and texture. And the quality of the fish, which is purchased in auctions from some of the finest fishmongers in the world, is unmatched.
But Yoshitomo is so much more than rolls. There’s a playfulness in every plate at Yoshitomo. Utterback transforms dishes you’re familiar with an completely flips them on their head. A deviled egg features eggs four ways, with three different roes entering the preparation. There’s a “pasta” dish with sliced scallops as noodles.
And maybe most well-known, a fried rice dish with sushi rice fried in crab fat and studded with sweet snowcrab.
Legitimate thought goes into every single part of the restaurant. Take, for example:
- Size and shape: Yoshitomo is long and skinny with small tables so the chefs, positioned behind the sushi counter, can watch diners and see when the next dish needs to be prepared and delivered.
- The pacing: Even if ordered all at once, dishes arrive within 10-15 minutes of each other so diners fully experience the flavors of each individual dish rather than mixing several.
- The flavors: You won’t find the standard California roll here (unless you ask for it). Each roll is carefully constructed to maximize the flavor of each ingredient.
Yoshitomo is likely different than any sushi experience you’ve had, and that’s why it’s one of my favorite restaurants I’ve ever eaten at, sushi or otherwise.
The restaurant is a critical player in the revival of the Benson district. It’s a hip, semi-casual restaurant with limited, intimate seating. The menu may seem a bit foreign on your first visit, as the omnipresent sushi staples like the California Roll and Philadelphia roll are nowhere to be found. Replacing them are chef David Utterback’s unique spins, in which he inserts ingredients and flavors that on paper seem an odd pairing for sushi, but they’re so delicious you won’t argue with him.
The absolute must-try item is the Aburi Wagyu, a thin slice of Wagyu beef on top of rice and crowned with a tiny pat of uni butter. I don’t truly have the words to describe how wonderful this bite is. Immediately the flavors burst forth, awaking every tastebud. The seared beef has just a touch of sweetness, and the butter provides a fatty, unctuous flavor that goes so well with the tender, sour rice, much as the runny yolk from an egg does. This is, for my money, the single best bite of food you’ll find in Omaha.
Not far behind is the Baraniku, the most delectable piece of short rib you’ll ever taste that leaves a pleasant smoky flavor in your mouth long after its been consumed.
What separates Yoshitomo’s sushi menu is its inventiveness. Most sushi restaurants have a bunch of different rolls, but they all follow the same script: one or two fishes, a veggie or two, maybe something fried, all wrapped in rice and topped with sauce. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with that formula, as it’s clearly worked for many a sushi restaurant. But Yoshitomo shoots for something more.
Each roll feels as if it was put together in a lab, with Utterback carefully tinkering with each element until he found the ideal solution. I don’t think you’ll find sun-dried tomatoes, broccolini, or pickled plums in many other sushi rolls, but Yoshitomo makes them sing.
The Khaleesi is an excellent example, as the fatty salmon, creamy avocado, tart sundried tomato, and bright, acidic torched lemon all provide varied flavors that your tastebuds discover piece by piece, carefully unpacking this adventure. On a similar note, the Kumo employs beautifully fried tempura soft shell crab with a spicy, umami-forward viet cajun shrimp butter that’ll have you wanting to lick the plate.
I could go through the whole menu and describe the different “wild card” each roll brings. The salmon on the Kobayasi Maru infuses the entire roll with a pleasing smoky flavor, and the broccolini adds nice texture. A soy chili aioli on the Royale adds just the right amount of fat to complement the lighter salmon and crab. And the Rodeo just goes wild, using wagyu beef, pickles, and Japanese mayo to meld a burger into a roll of sushi.
While it may be tempting to gorge on sushi and nigiri, don’t forget to peruse the plates portion of the menu. Here you’ll find fun and inventive dishes, such as the rich, fatty brilliance of the Kani Miso. This bowl of rice is cooked in crab fat, giving it a brilliant buttery taste, and interspersed with chunks of delicate snow crab and pops from salmon roe. It’s somehow incredibly simple and complex all at once, and you’ll find yourself wolfing it down at an alarming pace.
And the Hama Toast is a mind-bending dish. The sourdough bread is served warm, so drenched in nutty brown butter that it takes on a soft consistency. That richness is cut by the mild, sweet yellowtail, which is perched cold atop the bread. The temperature disparity messes with the brain, but in the best way. It’s a dish that challenges you to think about food in a new way.
Perhaps the most creative dish I’ve ever eaten is the FB&J, a dish that has guests smear a sticky orange marmalade and hunks of creamy foie gras ganache onto pieces of toasted nori sourdough. The sweet, citrus notes in the jam balance the rich fattiness of the foie brilliantly. It’s as if the French Laundry decided to serve a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Something to note with Yoshitomo is that meals are served in courses. Even if you order everything at once, different items can arrive 10-15 minutes apart. Yoshitomo encourages you to stay and have a good meal rather than wolf everything down in 10 minutes. I respect this approach, but it’s important to note if you’re on a tight schedule.
You could easily drop Yoshitomo into New York, Paris, or any other food capital of the world and it would immediately fit right in. That’s the level of restaurant we’re talking about, and Omaha is so lucky to have it.