Downtown Chicago - Loop
20-course | 10-seat
In celebration of the opening of their Willis Tower location, Sushi San hosted an intimate, 10-seat omakase dinner on the 99th floor of the Willis Tower. The tasting was led by Master Sushi Chef Kaze Chan and put together by the wonderful Lettuce Entertain You team. While this experience was unique in nature, it speaks to the restaurant and restaurant group's wonderful event planning and execution, as well as their phenomenal fish and ingredient sourcing.
Getting to the 99th floor of the Willis Tower is no easy feat. After navigating many lobbys, elevator banks, and some stairs in between, I found my way to the appropriate floor. Upon arrival we were seated in a special room overlooking the entire Chicago skyline. Sadly, since Chicago has consistently inconsistent weather, a majority of the night was spent in the rain clouds. But those sporadic bursts of clear sky were amazing. Unreal.
But for a sushi geek like ourselves, the food to come was the main star. While we have dinned at Sushi San many times and even experienced their casual and quick 45-minute omakase seating (currently unavailable), we had yet to dine with Chef Kaze Chan himself. We were fangirling hard.
Let's get to the good stuff. The menu featured 20 insane courses of the most lavish ingredients you can find on a sushi menu. Multiple courses incorporated caviar and uni, two of our favorite things. These luxuries were added to the already thoughtful and flavorful fish underneath. Also worth mentioning were the multiple hand rolls included, and if you know us, you know our hand roll obsession. Needless to say, the menu and meal was of high value.
Rounding off our recap, we would be foolish to leave out mention of the sumptuous sake pairing. The Premium Pairing consisted of four first-rate sake and was lead by sake sommelier, Daniel Bennett. Not only were the offerings of the highest quality and class, but Daniel's knowledge and passion behind the selection added immensely to the meal and our experience as a whole.
Premium Sake Pairing
From left to right:
1. Award winning "KID Muryozan" by Heiwa Shuzo, Junmai Ginjo Sake
This sake has been named the Champion Sake two years in a row at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in 2019 and 2020 – a first in the history of the challenge.
2. "Silent Samurai", by Shichi hon Yari, Junmai Daiginjo Sake
"Shizuku” means “drops,” because the sake is not pressed, but rather allowed to drip out of cloth bags filled with the finished brew. Shichi Hon Yari is named after the seven spearsmen who became legends at the battle of Shizugatake fought just outside the town of Kinomoto in 1583.
3. "Golden Dragon" by Kokuryu, Junmai Daiginjo Sake
4. "Fisherman's Sake", by Kan Nihonkai, Junmai Ginjyo Sake
The Nihonkai Brewery is a stone's throws away from the ocean. Once can taste the salinity and minerality.
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