It’s hard to stand out in the world of wagyu these days in New York City, with many options available from meaty omakases at luxe places like Cote and Hyun to the tableside seared selection at recently opened Bazaar Meat by José Andrés. Now, new restaurant Togyushi will join the fray this month with an omakase sourced exclusively from a cattle ranch in Japan known for its Zao wagyu. Although the Midtown West restaurant debuted its casual lounge over the summer at its 37 West 37th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues address, the omakase counter opens on Saturday, October 25.
Togyushi sources its wagyu from Zao Farm, based in Japan’s Yamagata prefecture. The ranch raises female cattle, which are fed locally sourced rice, straw, sake lees, and water, per its website, lending the high grade of the lean meat, which is subtly sweet, marbled, and tender. At the restaurant, each cut is presented to guests in a handcrafted wooden box with a birth certificate at the beginning of the meal.
The $195 nine-course omakase counter journeys through wagyu cuts and dishes. Meats get cooked with techniques such as wrayaki, where the cuts are seared at 1,000 degrees over straw, or the nukazuke fermentation that uses rice bran or tea. There is an uni parfait with wagyu consomme, served in an egg shell; a sashimi roll of wagyu, abalone, and miyoga radish; a roll of marinated wagyu, mozzarella, and ginger; yaki-shabu with strip loin, sansho, truffle, and egg espuma that Zao wagyu served three different ways with a tea pairing; and the wagyu donabe rice with raw beef, seasonal vegetables, and coveted Koshihikari rice.
The restaurant also serves an omakase at its tables for $95. That has some standouts, such as wagyu shank with a white miso broth, scallops, and yuzu; and minced wagyu with ikura, cucumber, and snap peas. The counter seats 28 people while the tables seat 18; plus, there are private dining rooms. Reservations can be booked online.
The wagyu bistro bar in the front offers a more casual a la carte menu with food and drinks. There are wagyu katsu sandwiches, binchotan-cooked wagyu rib-eyes with fries, and ice cream made with Hokkaido cream.
Even the cocktail list reflects the love of rich Japanese meat. There’s an Old Fashioned made with Zao wagyu fat-washed bourbon, bourbon-infused mushroom, absinthe, and bitters. Wine pairings, available for an additional price, will feature in the omakase.
Togyushi is run by owner Ling Chen, who had previously worked in finance, and Kyoto-born chef Ken Yamasaki. He’s one of the few certified wagyu masters in the world; previously, he served as executive chef of Japanese restaurant Kikyo in Malaysia, executive chef at Michelin-starred Sushi Kimura in Singapore, and worked on the kitchen team at Michelin-starred Taillevent in Paris.