Omakase Prices at O Ya

[Heeney]

Will be going to O Ya in 3 weeks and am curious about the current price points for the Omakase.
I am hearing ranges anywhere from $150 to $275.
Anyone have current prices?
Also, hearing sake is about $25 a bottle. Sound correct?

[enhF94]

I presume you've seen the Bruni review and several threads on this board outlining loved and not-so-loved dishes?

There are at least two long threads, one just after the Bruni review and one with "one and done" in the title, citing a lack of rotation in the menu. This had changed on my last visit; there were at least six dishes I hadn't seen before.

ObFood: both Kumamotos and the foie are sublime. The mushroom sashimi you can read about on Bruni, and I regularly cite his review to friends who ask "what's umami?" The potato chip isn't worth it. The ballotine is the best chicken nugget I've ever had.

[barleywino]

also don't miss the (tiny lobster) legs w/ eggs, the aji tataki w/ scallion-ginger powder, the otoro w/ wasabi and scallions

[cambridgedoctpr]

you might also like trying uni bar in the Charles Hotel, which is a similar concept.

[enhF94]

http://oyarestaurantboston.com/menu_d...

This link will help you out. O Ya's website has a menu, with prices for pieces and sake.

For omakase, you can set your price point and they'll make it work, but I wouldn't do less than $100, and if I were to limit to $100, I'd probably get a hot dog on the way home. I wouldn't be disappointed if I did this, but it's good to know up front that while you may not leave hungry, you may not leave "American-style stuffed," either.

There's a wide range in prices for items, which helps explain the wide range in omakase. For $150, it's unlikely you'll receive a $61 2oz petit strip loin unless you ask for it specifically, and then you'll decrease your courses by three or four.

[Heeney]

Thanks. We were thinking $150-$175 wouldn't be doable. $275 seems awfully steep, given the fact that for that price you can eat at Per Se or Alinea. I have heard good things about O Ya but not that good.
I had read online somewhere that there was a 22 course for $275 and a 17 course for $150. Was basically just wanting to know if the 17 course was still there.
We are more interested in the nigiri and the other seafood. Not so much in the wagyu.

[yumyum]

I recently got the $125 omakase and was very happy. We didn't leave stuffed but felt like it was quite a lot of food for us. The wine and sake prices killed us though and so id watch that if you want to keep cost (relatively) down. A glass of sake or two won't break the bank but didn't work for us because we are lushes. That said the wine list is lovely.

[Heeney]

Was the $125 range a limit you requested? Or was it pre-defined? If it was pre-defined: were their other "tiers" on the menu?

[barleywino]

the menu i'm looking at (May 24) does not list other tiers. you're really better off setting your own budget and choosing a la carte. Otherwise you may end up paying for items which you are not crazy about and would not have ordered on your own. for example, on that particular day's menu, i see (among other things) certain dishes involving kumamoto oysters, morel mushrooms, onsen egg, lobster, grilled chanterelles, marinated delice de bourgogne. Would I throw these dishes out if they were presented to me? of course not. I would eat them and enjoy them. But given the many other choices on the menu, and the amount of money involved, these would not be my first choice, nor even my second choice. Better to go a la carte, imo. You could set a price and leave it to the discretion of the staff, but why gamble? (yumyum of course can charm foie gras out of a stone :)

[Heeney]

OK. We may attempt that.
What's the best way to do a-la carte for 2 people? Is each a la carte order about twice the portion of the omakase? So if we wanted a 17 course meal each we just order 17 courses total and share?

[barleywino]

right. PS. when i mentioned kumamoto oysters, i was referring to the raw oysters, not the preparation with fried oysters and squid ink bubbles, which should not be missed imo.

[johndory]

I agree that this is the best strategy. It can be difficult to figure out what you want from the dizzying menu alone, so you might want to provide a price point, ask for suggestions from your server, and then switch out the dishes that are not what you're looking for. I, for one, would not get the potato chip again, and wouldn't miss the hamachi with spicy banana pepper mousse.

[Jolyon Helterman]

Agree about ordering à la carte being a great option if you're not overwhelmed by the menu.

Incidentally (by which I mean: we all have diff tastes), the grilled chanterelles were cited by Frank Bruni as possibly the best dish on the menu; I agree it's up there. (I'm also a big fan of the onsen egg.)

[barleywino]

absolutely agree, i was just citing personal preferences (now if they added grilled spam to the onsen egg, a la spam musubi (the Hawaiian favorite) that might be a different story ;). or maybe replace the egg with a sodium alginate miso soup dumpling...

[yumyum]

I requested that price point. Barley is right though -- if you are savvy at ordering a la carte you might do better in the long run. For example we had the goddam $18 potato chip as one of our courses and it kills me every time I see it mentioned. It's a potato chip! But we also had the foie as our last 'dessert' course with aged sake that made me forget the rest. I think their signature dishes always come up on the omakase so it's less stressful to just let them feed you. Just set the limit beforehand.

[barleywino]

i ate at Alinea once and was glad I tried it but would not think it worth going back to. O Ya on the other hand I am happy to revisit again and again (as much as the wallet allows; as mentioned before, I do'nt get the omakase). It depends of course on your tastes.

[Gabatta]

There's not a lot of traditional nigiri at O Ya. Most of the fish is dressed up in some way, some successfully and some overshadowed bu the flavors for my tastes. We enjoyed our first visit but were disappointed and felt a bit gouged by future visits. We now reallocate $ that could be spent at O Ya to visits to 15 East in NY. O Ya is worth one visit, just be clear and firm on your budget, avoiding stuff like the wagyu will make the bill manageable.

[Klunco]

Gabatta where would you recommend for traditional nigiri in the Boston area? Oishii, Uni, Sushi Island or another place? We've been looking to have a sushi splurge dinner but have been weary of O Ya simply because we'd prefer more traditional preparations.

[Gabatta]

Sushi Island or Oishii Chestnut Hill would be my choices. The Omakase at SI is definitely great. There aren't any traditional places which I consider a real treat splurge, but the two above always leave me happy. Uni isn't as extreme as O Ya, but I still don't consider it traditional. I lived across the street for nearly a decade and rarely ventured over there for some reason.

[enhF94]

Having now perused some of your other posts, I'll add both "welcome to Boston!" and also mention that in Boston, folks will invite you to report back on your experiences with specific descriptions, so that you can be part of this high-participation board!

[Heeney]

Will do!

[barleywino]

on a recent menu it was listed as $275 (not including tax/tip) for 21 courses (this includes 2 oz ? of the wagyu beef which has an a la carte price of $61). Sake price depends on the bottle. You can of course get away spending less if you go a la carte.