Dominique Crenn to Host an $850 Omakase Pop-Up in Miami Beach

Miami's omakase scene has taken off like wildfire in the past few years. There's good reason: in a city that loves to be entertained, an outstanding omakase "experience" combines all the elements of a wonderful meal with the showmanship of a great chef and their culinary team to create a memorable evening.

For that reason, an omakase dinner rarely comes cheap. Dinner at the Den at Azabu, which received a Michelin star, costs $220, for instance. Critically acclaimed Naoe is is $280 per person. For that price, chef Kevin Cory serves a personally prepared, ten-course dinner for only four diners at a seating.

If you're looking for a more extravagant dining experience, you'll have to snag a reservation for Dominique Crenn's culinary takeover at Mila Omakase. Crenn will be in Miami Beach for two nights, March 1 and 2, and will offer a meal for $850 per person. The obligatory 9% tax and a 20% service charge per person are additional, as are your beverages.

Since it's an omakase dinner, there is no menu to peruse. But New Times asked for basic details like how many courses would be served and — mainly — why does this omakase dinner cost nearly three times more than Mila Omakase's usual $280 per person omakase dinner.

The $850 price tag is justified because "this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience," according to a PR rep, adding that chef Crenn will not be in the kitchen, "but right there looking at you and making each dish alongside the Mila Omakase team."

But what about the seafood? "The ingredients are SUPER (sic) high quality, plus the techniques being used here are super impressive," was the reply.

There is no doubt that Dominique Crenn is a master chef. Her San Francisco restaurant, Atelier Crenn, received three Michelin stars in 2021, a designation reserved for a select number of restaurants that are considered "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." Thomas Keller's famed restaurant, the French Laundry, is also a three-Michelin-star recipient.

A 14-course pescetarian tasting menu at Atelier Crenn, by the way, costs $450.

But if a trip to California isn't in your foreseeable future, there's the $850 omakase at Mila Miami. In a press release, Crenn is eager to make your two-hour dinner magical. "It has been a dream of mine to bring Crenn Omakase to Miami. I love the energy that is created when curating intimate experiences and exchanging passions with my guests. This collaboration with the Mila team, and in such an amazing city, is going to be incredible," she said.

These two days are sure to sell out in a city where Lamborghinis are as common as Kias and thousand-dollar steaks are served in briefcases.

If you want to book Crenn's Miami Beach pop-up, you can make reservations at sevenrooms.com. Full payment is required in advance, and there are no refunds. But if your date cancels, shoot me an email and I'll make myself available.

Dominique Crenn Omakase Takeover at Mila Omakase. 6 and 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, and 6 and 9 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at 1636 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach; 786-706-0744. For reservations, visit sevenrooms.com.