DISH OF THE WEEK: Domokase at DOMO DOMO

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

So somehow my birthday was as close to normal as possible this year. It wasn’t as relaxed as those whose birthdays are in January or February (before COVID turned life on its head), but it could have been a lot weirder.

Usually for my birthday, my wife takes me out to an exciting special dinner at some hot spot in the city. More often than not, it’s Japanese because I am a big fan of the cuisine and the good stuff is often quite expensive.

This year she took me to Domo Domo, which is as fancy as Japanese food gets in Jersey City, where we live.
Domo Domo’s other location is on Houston Street in Greenwich Village and I stopped in a few years ago to find out what their hand roll tasting was all about. It was good (although I slightly preferred the experience at Nami Nori), but I didn’t spend as much time working my way through their offerings as I would have liked.

The Jersey City location is located on the ground floor of a very posh apartment complex and their current outdoor seating is very nice. Our temperature was taken immediately and I felt safe throughout the meal.

Since it was my birthday, I got their special Domokase tasting menu which was actually a really good value and let me work my way through some of their cooked dishes, hand rolls, and sushi options.

Fittingly I started with two impeccable oysters covered with foams and toppings. I especially liked the one topped with punchy yuzu foam. Raw oysters are not something I have attempted at home these last few months, so it was refreshing to say the least.

That was followed by some more yummy bites, including a truffle scented tuna cone, a rich earthy chawanmushi (egg custard), and a toothsome fried scallop floating on a dashi-laden risotto.

Next up were some more goodies. I could have skipped the mini toast with miso eggplant purée, but I easily gobbled up the umami bomb of housemade tofu and the excellent miso black cod with potent pickled mustard seeds.

My favorite course of the night was definitely the sushi, which I have been deprived of since March. The Chef’s choices were varied and fresh. The fatty tuna just melted in my mouth and the shrimp was plump and sweet. Believe me, I savored each and every bite of the eight options.

If I hadn’t had enough food, I still had a hand roll coming my way. I chose the innovative unagi, which is house smoked and slicked with a chocolate koabayaki sauce. It was absolutely amazing!

And the dessert I chose was the roasty and creamy hojicha pudding. A nice way to end a meal fit for a birthday boy!

I’m grateful to my wife and Domo Domo for making my birthday special and (somewhat) normal. Here’s hoping everybody else gets the same and if you’re birthday was over the previous six months, I’m wishing you some Domo Domo (which means “very very”) normality for next year! Price: $80