One of N.Y.C.’s Most Beloved Pizza Joints Has Been Transformed Into a Sushi Counter
Scarr’s Pizza—consistently lauded as one of the best slice shops in New York City—recently moved to a larger space, to accommodate all those people looking for the perfect bite of crisp crust, flavorful tomato sauce, and gooey cheese. And while the old location is still up and running under the same ownership, it’s no longer the pizzeria locals had come to love.
Rather, the 22 Orchard Street address is now an omakase counter known as Sushi Oku. Scarr Pimentel, the restaurateur and namesake of the pizza shop, teamed up with Ryan Chadwick to open the new spot last weekend. Behind the counter is executive chef Kei Yoshino, who’s overseeing a 17-course, $165 omakase.
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“I’m excited for the new age of the space I grew my business in,” Pimentel said in a statement. “Chef Kei Yoshino is an incredible chef, and working with him is a very exciting opportunity.”
The omakase menu will be offered three times a night, taking a little more than an hour and a half for diners to work their way through. The meal will begin with soup and a starter, like Hokkaido uni and marinated ikura with Ossetra caviar and freshly grated wasabi, New York magazine’s Grub Street reported. That dish will come served over a small piece of mochi, which Yoshino is using instead of out-of-season scallops. The rest of the menu will be composed of nigiri and a couple hand rolls.
While Yoshino is training his eye mostly on fish, he told Grub Street that he may include a kobe-beef special on the à la carte menu for diners looking for something else after the set omakase. And in the front of the restaurant, which still contains the pizza ovens from the old Scarr’s, Sushi Oku is planning to host pizza pop-ups, if the combo of sushi and pizza appeals to you.
In terms of beverages, the restaurant offers a $75 pairing that includes three sakes and one red wine. Oenophiles can bring in their own bottles for a fee—$100 per bottle or $150 per magnum—with a limit of two per party.
It’s not often that you see a pizza shop morph into a sushi counter, but they say that anything’s possible in New York.
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