Favorite New Dining Experiences: Haru Omakase
Plus, a detour near Cincinnati leads to a trove of Uzbek cuisine.
In this post:
Haru Omakase is one of our favorite openings of the year.
Exploring Uzbek Cuisine in Southwest Ohio.
Learn how you can nominate a Columbus chef for the James Beard Awards.
Leave It Up to Haru Omakase
By Andy Dehus
Omakase is a Japanese phrase that means “I’ll leave it up to you,” and it’s a misleadingly casual-sounding translation for one of the more intimidating styles of multicourse dining the world has to offer.
While I’ve had the good fortune to experience (and be intimidated by) an omakase meal in Japan, I’ve always had a hard time imagining it translating well in the U.S. Its elegant and understated pageantry feels too firmly rooted in place and tradition, too far removed from the restless, chaotic individualism of the American here and now.
But what do I know? Dedicated omakase restaurants have recently sprouted up across the states at an impressive clip. With the arrival of Haru, one has landed in the Polaris area thanks to the owners of Fukuryu Ramen.
Upon first taking a seat at Haru’s kitchen counter, executive chef Yudi Makassau, who hails from Indonesia, asked if I’d experienced omakase before in New York or Chicago. When I answered “Japan,” he tactfully implied that, well, this evening might be a bit different.
The tone at the counter was convivial, with chef Makassau (“call me Yudi”) acting as a jovial and approachable emcee engaging in wide-ranging conversations that spanned the six occupied seats of the table-height bar. Banter, laughter and big toothy grins ensued—a departure from the taciturn omakase chefs of my memories.
Instead, chef Makassau’s approachable nature served to ease guests into the seriousness of the skills he and his staff demonstrated through five masterfully executed and beautifully plated courses comprising 11 distinct preparations.
The dinner’s structure was clear: a lovely and delicate cuttlefish salad to start, then sushi until dessert. Eight nigiri and one hand roll were provided across three plates, with each plate’s offerings to be eaten from left to right.
In Makassau’s hands, potent pops of unexpected flavors flirt with the subtle pleasures of conspicuously high-quality fish. Flounder is brightened by lime zest; barbecue eel is cleverly kissed with ume paste; and in one of my favorite bites, sea bream is surprisingly–and absolutely perfectly–paired with ponzu jelly and “crispy curry.”
These are all bold moves, amounting to a culinary high-wire act maintained with a masterful sense of balance. Chef Makassau lifts the diner with him throughout the meal, only returning to solid ground for dessert with a pleasant-enough matcha crème brûlée.
The space is a dark, dramatic and a remarkably well-done renovation of the former Fukuryu; as of my visit, it was not fully finished (it could well be by now). Tightly curated selections of sake, wine, beer, cocktails and Japanese whisky are offered, as are sake and wine pairings.
I could go on, but Haru is all of a week old, and some degree of change is inherent to the genre. Your experience will almost certainly vary from mine, but my impression of my meal there will not: It was firmly among my favorite dining experiences of the year, and easily the strongest restaurant debut in recent memory.
All of which is to say: Just leave it up to them.
Check back next week for more of our Favorite New Dining Experiences of 2024.
Day Trip
Exploring Uzbek Cuisine in Southwest Ohio
By Bethia Woolf
You may be surprised to learn, as we were, that there is a significant Uzbek diaspora around Mason and West Chester, Ohio. Our friend Lara discovered this when she was looking for an electric car charger on the way back from Cincinnati and stumbled upon Samarkand Food Market. She was so impressed that she insisted we stop there on our way back from Blink, Cincinnati’s immersive festival celebrating light and art.
Samarkand market is a feast for the senses. You can tell it’s going to be an experience as the store spills out onto the sidewalk with a plethora of grills and oversized cooking pots. It’s not a large market but is packed with everything a homesick Uzbek could want.
I have never seen, for example, an immigrant grocery store with such a wide array of prepared foods. There is an extensive hot and cold buffet line with everything from stews to savory pastries, manti and blintzes. Then there’s a pickle bar and freshly baked bread and pastries.
There’s also a large selection of smoked fish, kefirs from all over the world and an impressive butcher case. The pièce de résistance? The huge pots of soup and plov (Uzbek pilaf) that they dish out all day. If that’s not enough, there’s a “fast food” gyro counter tucked in near the entrance. There’s nowhere to eat the prepared food on site, but we packed up a picnic and took it to Caesar Creek State Park which was stunning with its fall colors.
On our next trip to Mason (this time for a swim meet), we decided to try one of the Uzbek restaurants in the same area–and revisit Samarkand. Our restaurant pick was EurAsia, a modest restaurant in a strip mall. We knew that we were in the right place when we pulled up and an older gentleman in a tracksuit was standing outside smoking.
EurAsia specializes in kebabs, and it also serves traditional Uzbek dishes like plov, laghman, samsa and a variety of Kazakh and Georgian dishes. We were impressed by the restaurant’s tandoor-style ovens that are used to make bread.
We really enjoyed the grilled meats we tried at EurAsia and recommend the lamb chops and the roulette kebab, which looks like little pinwheels. The plov was one of the tastiest versions of the dish that we’ve had. Uzbek manti are very different from the Turkish dish of the same name. Turkish manti are fingertip sized, whereas Uzbek manti are more fist sized. Both are delicious but have a very different filling-to-wrap ratio.
There’s still a lot more to explore in the area. Next time you’re heading to Cincinnati, we recommend making a detour.
Where to Try Uzbek Food in Southwest Ohio:
Chaykhana N1 Uzbek Cuisine
Dimmick Plaza Shopping Center, 9536 Cincinnati Columbus Road, West Chester Township
Uzbek restaurant serving plov, laghman noodles and other traditional dishes in a casual space
EurAsia
9559 Fields Ertel Road, Loveland
Casual restaurant serving a menu of Mediterranean cuisine, including kebabs and plov
Kebab House Grill & Bakery
7835 Cincinnati Dayton Road, West Chester Township
Samarkand Food Market
9956 Kings Auto Mall Road, Cincinnati
Impressive array of prepared foods and a ‘fast food’ counter for sandwiches and more
Uzbegim Halal Market
12141 Royal Point Drive, Cincinnati
Notes
Around the Columbus Food Scene
Nominations are now open for the 2025 James Beard Awards, and Experience Columbus is encouraging local residents to “get out the vote.” You can make your nominations through Nov. 29 by visiting jamesbeard.org/awards. If you need help, Experience Columbus put together a handy list of potential nominees it is recommending for the Restaurant and Chefs Awards and the Impact Awards programs. Earlier this year, chefs Avishar Barua and BJ Lieberman were both named semi-finalists in the 2024 Best Chef: Great Lakes category but did not advance.
Katalina’s Tres, the long-awaited third restaurant from Kathleen “Katalina” Day, is set to open Friday, Nov. 1, at 2741 E. Main St. in Bexley. The menu includes familiar items such as Katalina’s breakfast tacos, pancake balls and Mazatlan Slow-Roasted Pork & Egg Sandwich. New to the menu is the Shakshuka Brekkie Sammy on an urfa pepper bagel. Housed in a former Boston Market, the new Katalina’s will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.