Hana Tsubaki Restaurant
5006 J St
Sacramento, CA 95819
(916) 456-2849

Price: Depends on budget

While tasting menus are more popular in French or western-style cuisines, Japanese cuisine does lend itself to a tasting menu if you can find the right spot. Although more popular for its sushi, Hana Tsubaki offers the option of “omakase” or chef’s choice. You can provide a budget per person and you will receive a string of dishes customized either to the chef’s specialties, your favorite ingredients or a combination of both. With omakase, it is not uncommon to try various small plates of traditional Japanese foods like miso soup, tempura, pickled vegetables, sushi and sashimi and chirashi. In addition, the chefs will create a series of dishes that they developed which may be more of a modern twist on traditional Japanese favorites or more hearty courses like tataki plates, involved seafood dishes, etc.

Erin De Santiago is a freelance travel and food/wine writer and photographer from Sacramento, California. She is a regional membership coordinator for the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) and writes for a number of publications in addition to publishing her own blogs.  She has traveled to over 40 countries on five continents in search of the best food and wine around the globe. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.