“Summer is naturally a slow season in Florida,” says Ryan Latino.
That’s true. If you survey most restaurateurs, they’ll tell you that these are often the most challenging times, affecting a wide range of demographics, from fast-casual and food trucks to places like Michelin-starred Latino’s Ômo by Jônt, a beautiful little space just off Park Avenue in Winter Park.
Here, Chef’s Tasting multi-course menus are priced at $195 or $375, but the new menu in the restaurant’s cozy salon is just $78, welcoming both regulars looking for something simpler and newcomers enjoying Omo for the first time.
The menu includes a selection of snacks, gorgeous bites that look like slow-motion food porn (edible flower bits cut with tweezers, topped with glistening protein, fruit and chocolate delicately shaped into petals), followed by first and second courses and dessert.
“We know that many people are now becoming more intentional about where and how they spend their money. Prix Fixe gives us the opportunity to welcome guests who are interested in Ômo but have been waiting for the right time to experience it.”
Similarly, at Sushi Saint downtown, chef/owner Michael Collantes and his team have created a $75 menu for the omakase room. With a 12-item menu (several appetizers, hand rolls, a selection of nigiri and desserts), it quickly became a hit.
“We were booked solid for three weeks,” Collantes said. “People have lost their minds.”
Sushi Saint’s Michelin-starred sister Soseki has become the 10-seat saloon of Orlando’s extensive omakase menu, but Downtown’s Omakase Room’s affordable new menu is, unsurprisingly, a very different experience from the $285 Soseki adventure.
“We wanted to provide value to our guests, an omakase experience they could experience on a budget, and hopefully as a gateway to other tasting menus,” says Collantes.
The experience lasts approximately 1 hour, but you can add more at the counter. Or enjoy a drink in the main dining room/lounge. Or stay there afterwards. Choose your own adventure outside of the great selection of chefs.
For Collantes, that’s one of the biggest draws to the tasting menu.
“You don’t have to think about it,” he says. “Let the chefs choose just the best of the season, or whatever they want to make or prepare that night.”
This is exactly what the team at Ômo had in mind when creating the current Prixfix, which allows guests to stay behind the wheel with one hand.
“The new menu is designed to give guests choice throughout the experience while showcasing the ingredients and flavors we love. Highlights now include dishes such as scallop crudo with white peach, almonds and cucumber, and a choice of Wagyu zabuton with flower bed mushrooms, boletus and beef jus, or red sea bream with saffron, tomato and potato.”
He says the menu will continue to evolve based on seasonality and ingredient availability. That has always been central to their approach.
Collantes said the atmosphere at Sushi Saint is easygoing, but there is dialogue with the staff, who guide guests, whether new or experienced, on what a proper tasting should be.
“I don’t want to take it too seriously, but you get a great experience where the chef makes everything directly and communicates with you. That’s the best part,” he says.
While Sushi Saint and Ômo have expanded their offerings to include themselves, others like Edoboy and Origami, also recognized by the Michelin Guide, have had this idea since the days of Go.
Norigami’s Plant Street Market counter in Winter Garden (look for a second location soon in Crooked Can’s new Mineola outpost) has two omakase menus in addition to the a la carte menu. The basic price (10 nigiri, 1 hand roll, soup) is $67.
The 10-seat counter is located in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the market, yet has an intimate atmosphere, filled with the chef’s attention to detail, with equally beautiful fish served on beautiful washi paper.
“We just wanted to have an intimate atmosphere rather than a really quiet luxury private room. This model is very approachable,” said Johnny Tan, owner of Norigami. His restaurant portfolio also includes Solekara, Orlando’s only two-Michelin-star omakase restaurant.
“We want to be able to share this style, this type of cuisine, this great quality of fish, at a low price. People want to know more about sushi. They think all the really great quality comes from a $200 omakase, and that’s not true.”
At Edboy, the city’s only stand-up sushi bar in Orlando’s Mills 50 district, guests can order a la carte, but chef Tyler Intabongsa takes the reins for the $65 set menu, which changes seasonally.
“Right now, we’re focusing on Chef Tyler’s Laotian background. The appetizers and the first half of the sushi are all Lao-influenced. After a palate cleanser, we go back to clean Japanese flavors to finish off the meal,” said Sean “Sonny” Nguyen, owner of Edboy.
Nguyen also notes the approachability of the set menu.
“We created it for people who want a high-quality, curated experience without the price tag…This is the gateway to the omakase experience,” he said, adding that the chef’s omakase set is made up of items not normally featured on the a la carte menu, offering something special to those who participate.
But it’s not just Asian counters that attract summer crowds.
A while back, chef Bruno Fonseca started offering $85 four-course Cuatro menus to give patrons an alternative to Marathon’s $195 multicourses, while also giving newcomers worried about getting too expensive too quickly a great excuse to try them out.
Foreign Restaurant “Quatro”: Exceptional and Easy to Access | Review
Of course, upgrades such as caviar or seared foie gras are available. As well as similar items and most of the wine and sake pairings mentioned above. But in reality there is no need for that. You might eat $300 worth of courses and still want more, but these sub-$100 meals won’t leave you hungry.
Some restaurants, like Norigami, don’t necessarily require reservations. If there is space at the counter, guests can sit and eat.
Across the restaurant line, chef Norman Van Aken’s namesake restaurant has its own “bargain” prix fixe. Offering three courses for $75 per person, diners can choose from three menus per person here and pair, mix, and share classics like Van Aken’s Key West yellowtail snapper and Brazilian conch chowder with their group.
“I started my career in Key West, and you learn in your bones to take care of the locals in order to survive,” Van Aken said.
“Relationships are at the heart of what we value in the hospitality business. We are creating these value-driven menus as a way to share food and service in today’s tight economy.”
Collantes’ summer specials at Sushi Saint may be here to stay, he says. The team is excited to see rookies and regulars return for faster, more affordable hits.
Ômo’s Ratino said: “It’s really about opening our doors a little wider and creating other ways for people to enjoy what we do.”
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram @amydroo or the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, and for more foodie fun, join our Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
If you go
Edboy: 728 N. Thornton Ave., Orlando; edoboysushi.com
Foreign Restaurant: 2816 Corrine Drive, Orlando, 321-517-6985; Foreign Restaurant.com
Origami: Located in the Plant Street Market, 426 W. Plant St., Winter Garden.
Norman’s: 7924 Via Dellagio Way in Orlando, 321-754-1025; Norman’s.com
Omobyjont: 115 E. Lyman Ave. in Winter Park, 321-972-5225; omobyjont.com
Sushi Saint: 400 Pittman Street, Orlando, 689-323-3028; sushisaint.com
