Chef Jerry Cao brings ingredients to life at Kiyoshi Omakase with preparation and performance
Chef Jerry Cao // Photo by Jordan Baranowski
Moving to a new city is always a challenge, but it’s especially difficult if you’re worried your professional experience will have no place there.
For Chef Jerry Cao, that was a real concern—he spent well over a decade honing his skills and knives in multiple Omakase-style kitchens of New York City, including co-founding Zen Sushi Omakase in Manhattan. But he and his fiancée, Haley Li, knew when they moved here that an Omakase restaurant in Kansas City could be a tough sell. Still, he forged ahead with Kiyoshi Omakase, opening his doors in Downtown Overland Park this April, knowing that if people would check it out, his food and skills would speak for themselves.
“We have a unique menu and a unique style of service,” Cao says. “So we were confident that word would get around once people tried it. Lucky for us, it didn’t take long for guests to start buzzing about us.”
Courtesy Kiyoshi Omakase
There are a few Omakase restaurants in Kansas City, but here’s the gist if you aren’t familiar with it: Omakase literally means “up to the Chef.” It’s a prix fixe menu that focuses on several small bites of food rather than full dishes, often showcasing difficult-to-find or tough-to-prepare fish.
There are even further subclassifications of Omakase—Cao likes to highlight more of his techniques by generally serving a few hot dishes and a hand roll during his service, rather than the traditional “only nigiri and sashimi” that you would see at many Omakase counters.
Kiyoshi, like many Omakase restaurants, also has a bit of a performance involved. There are only eight seats at the counter in the restaurant, and Cao works at that counter in front of the guests. As he prepares courses for everyone, he explains his techniques, ingredients, and reasoning behind his choices, giving diners a bit more of an experience than they would get at a typical sushi spot.
Cao says that if people aren’t very talkative, it’s up to him to engage with stories about his cooking and the ingredients he’s using. Other times, he’s peppered with questions from different guests, and has to bounce back and forth to make sure he’s getting to everyone. Still other times, one or two guests are very involved and everyone else is listening or having their own quiet conversations. He says, “Either way, I love talking to guests as I prepare their food. It challenges me to learn more so I can speak to anything.”
It’s a good thing he enjoys it, too: It’s just him behind the counter. Li stands in to help serve up items and answer guests’ questions, but Cao is in the spotlight during the entire 14-course, 90-minute dining service. He prepares, cooks, and explains his dishes for three different dinner services Tuesday through Sunday, as well as two lunch services on Saturday and Sunday.
Courtesy Kiyoshi Omakase
Kiyoshi Omakase orders almost all of its fish from Toyosu Market, the largest fish market in Japan. Cao estimates that they get about 80% of their fish from Japan, but he likes to branch out if he sees something particularly unique or tasty. His favorites that he generally keeps on the menu are Madai (Red Sea Bream) and Hotate (Scallops), while Li likes to lean more out-of-the-ordinary: Baby Eel is her favorite course they serve. They also both call out the Toro Caviar as a dish that surprises a lot of people. “It’s really, really good,” Cao says, “and not many people have had it.”
Cao loves to find out what each guest enjoyed the most after the meal is finished. “Every single person is different,” he says. “You never know what dish will be someone’s favorite, and you never know why.” A flavor might remind them of a nostalgic taste, or an ingredient might taste like something they’ve never had before—Cao and Li both say part of the magic of Omakase is the sense of discovery that the Chef and guests both get to experience together.
Photo by Jordan Baranowski
Depending on their reservation list and the quantity of ingredients they have, there’s also an à la carte menu that you can order from after your Omakase service is complete. Since new fish are brought in daily and they’re generally ordering amounts to match their reservations, certain à la carte items may not be available on a day-to-day basis.
“I don’t want anyone to leave here hungry,” Cao says. “Our Omakase service has a lot of food, but some people always want to re-order their favorite item they had, or try something that no one else at the counter got that night. So we try to have extra ingredients.”
On top of all the skill and esoteric elements on display at Kiyoshi Omakase, the 14-course menu is only $98 a person. Considering that the menu includes pricey items like the Toro Caviar, Uni, and A5 Wagyu, it’s a great value for some items that you aren’t going to find in many other places around town.
Kiyoshi Omakase is located at 8016 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS 66204. It is open Tuesday through Friday from 5:00 – 10:00 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. for lunch and 5:00 – 10:00 p.m. for dinner. It is closed Monday.
