Niku Steakhouse, a new Design District showcase for Japanese beef, greeted its first customers with cocktails, more than 100 wines by the glass, and of course steaks this weekend. The latest and largest project from the Omakase Group (the team behind Michelin-starred Omakase, Dumpling Time, Okane, and more) opens formally on Wednesday at 61 Division Street. Preliminary hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and an opening menu, with all dishes available a la carte, is below.
Niku does literally showcase beef — a glass meat locker full of aging steaks faces the street to lure passing carnivores. That’s attached to Niku’s neighbor and steak supplier the Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse. Another door down is the Omakase Group’s other new business, fast-casual noodle restaurant Udon Time.
But it’s not all steak at Niku: Executive chef Steve Brown wants to give equal attention to produce from Kicking Bull Farms, whose cabbage he’s fermenting with koji, then frying and serving with fermented hot sauce, preserved Meyer lemon, and anchovy aioli. Crispy fried beef threads on top offer a connection back to beef.
And neither is Niku all Japanese: Brown’s inspiration is just as much classic American Steakhouse — he’ll be the first person to point out he’s not Japanese himself. Niku’s American twists include wagyu jerky served in a flight to highlight different beef producing prefectures.
“We’re trying to take what’s great about a steakhouse, and what’s great about a Michelin level restaurant, and combine the two,” says Brown.
Brent McDonald designed the 60-seat steakhouse space with the help of Omakase Group co-founder Kash Feng and Omakase designer Aya Jessani. It’s centered on an 18-seat chef’s counter and sunken kitchen below it, placing the chef at eye-level with diners while he grills impressively-sized steaks over binchotan coals. A private dining room behind a floor-to-ceiling glass wine case seats 14.
As Niku Steakhouse settles in, the restaurant will offer a tasting menu at the chef’s counter and tables, then an even more elaborate one inside the counter at the butcher shop. For now, reservations for dinner with the a la carte menu are available online through Resy.
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