Rebel Omakase: Laguna's first Michelin star
I know your August has been busy. I know that you’re as amazed as I am that this week sees us broad jumping into September. But I just want to be sure you noticed that less than three weeks ago, Laguna’s own Rebel Omakase took down Laguna Beach’s first Michelin Star. Ever.
The owners, Jordan Nakasone (the “Itamae” or Head Sushi Chef) and his wife Debrah Cha aren’t much for ballyhooing. They went back to work the next day, providing an extraordinary omakase experience that typically caters to much larger municipalities.
For the record … this doesn’t, by any means, disparage our other two Laguna Beach restaurants that have received Michelin acclaim. Any kind of nod from Michelin is more like a very noticeable seismic tremor.
Selanne Steak House was added to Michelin’s “New Discoveries” list in 2023. (In other words, they’re on the radar in a big way.)
And Oliver’s Osteria earned Michelin’s “Bib Gourmand” in 2021, a specific Michelin list created for “exceptional dining options without breaking your budget.” (It wouldn’t surprise me if Chef Erik De Marchi earns a Michelin star, but my bet is on his larger edifice in Shady Canyon, Oliver’s Trattoria, as the kitchen is built for easier execution and overall service.)
Remember, too, that the younger restaurant rating system, AAA, awarded a rare 5-star diamond rating to what used to be Chef Craig Strong’s “Studio” back in 2009. Today, there are only 11 restaurants in the state of California with 5-diamond ratings. Unfortunately, Studio shuttered a few years ago just as COVID was settling in.
A Michelin Star, though! Now that’s really something.
When you figure there are more than 68,000 restaurants in California, and only 85 have achieved Michelin Star status (6 with 3 Stars, 13 with 2 Stars and 66 with 1 Stars) … Rebel Omakase’s first Star has really proven something. (And California has the most Michelin awards in the U.S., too!)
But this is why Jordan and Debra opened their restaurant here in August 2021. They were ready to prove something, and they did it in just three years.
When I first reported on their opening on Aug 9 of that year, Jordan noted that he chose to step away from his leading role in a Marina del Rey sushi restaurant because he wanted to return to the originations of sushi making, the omakase way.
Omakse: an ongoing parade of pure artistry
Omakase is an orchestrated 1.5 to 2-hour tasting menu of sushi with a set prix fixe price, much like a fine wine pairing dinner or high-level tasting menu option. You are not ordering a la carte here. The entire restaurant – whether counter or tables – participates in the tasting menu. In the evening, Tuesday through Saturday, you choose one of two seatings, 5:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. For weekday lunch, Wed - Sat, a single seating for one hour (as opposed to the 2-hour experience) begins at 12:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon offers one seating beginning at 12:30. (Scroll to the bottom to see all details on pricing, hours and reservation links.)
If you’ve ever enjoyed a tasting menu particularly crafted by the lead chef, you know this is an above-and-beyond experience.
Directly translated, “omakase” means “I leave it up to you,” and that’s exactly what patrons do. They rely entirely on the Chef’s choice for the evening, based on the seasonality of the freshest fish and the sophisticated ingredients that accompany careful slice after slice of the fish and its creative plating. Chef Jordan works only with a Japanese company that delivers fresh fish directly to the door, allowing him to create ongoing unique options for his diners each evening.
When I’ve eaten there, it’s not just about the fish. Jordan’s tasting menu includes miso soups, sorbet cleaners, surprise portions of buttery Wagyu beef (under a smoky dome, no less) and more.
The creativity is truly endless. In my Aug. 9, 2021 article, I noted:
On this particular evening, we were treated to fresh Kanpachi, Stripe Mackerel, Flying Fish, Jack Mackerel, Red Snapper, Blue Fin Tuna, Otoro Tuna Belly, Uni, Hokkaido Scallops and more.
But it’s not just fish. Enjoy two or three sashimi or sushi items and, then, enjoy a palette refresh with a Red Snapper Miso or Strawberry Wasabi Sorbet.
Oh, and don’t miss the fantastic Wagyu beef tasting, the Blue Fin Tuna with edible gold flake on top (not kidding), and the fantastic Hokkaido scallops with cucumber salad that arrived nestled in a crystal bowl.
It started with random sushi snacks for President Bush
Initially, Chef Jordan stumbled across his sushi making skills when he participated in the security service detail for President Bush, who happened to love sushi. Eventually, Jordan dumped his plans of hotel management for high-end sushi training in New York. In 2016, he moved to Torrance to help an already-famous sushi chef set up shop. After a year there, he traveled to Japan to train with traditional sushi chefs. On his eventual return to the U.S., he took over a fabled Marina del Rey sushi location.
Still yearning for his own restaurant, he and Debrah signed paperwork for a space in Palos Verdes in early 2020, but COVID came calling days later and evaporated that option. Undismayed, the couple spent their time during those COVID days to road trip the Southern California coast in search of “the best town.”
Jordan said, “There’s a quote I read somewhere that says, ‘When you see the love of your life, you can’t move on to something else.’ That’s how we felt about Laguna Beach. We knew it had to happen here,” he said.
Thanks to you, Jordan and Debrah, you’ve put Laguna Beach on the map for Michelin stars. We’re quite pleased it had to happen here, too.
Rebel Omakase
361 Forest Ave. #103, Laguna Beach, CA.
Reservations through Open Table. For large parties, private events or general inquiries, please TEXT (949) 664-3186 with a complete message, full name and inquiry.
Remember, this is prix fixe only, pricing is below. Cancellations are allowed 72 hours in advance. Dietary restrictions can be sent in advance via text; find details at the Open Table reservations page. Dress code: Fine dining. (you might want a jacket or throw for the air conditioning
"Dinner Omakase Experience” Tue - Sat, 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Choose from two seating options, 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
$300 per person +drinks, tax and gratuity for a 2-hour seating.“Lunch Omakase” Wed - Sat, 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
One seating at 12:30 p.m.
$160 per person +drinks, tax and gratuity for a 1-hour seating.
Sunday Omakase Experience”
One seating at 12:30 p.m.
$300 per person +drinks, tax and gratuity for a 2-hour seating
P.S. More fun facts about the Michelin starring system …
The Michelin restaurant guide began in France in 1900 to differentiate and publicize “finest dining.” Its ulterior motive, however, was to sell more Michelin tires - French industrialist brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin created the first Guide in 1900 with the aim of creating a demand for automobiles and, thus, tires.
Between the years of 1914 and 1921, the annual guide stopped temporarily for World War I. The brothers emerged with a new plan in 1926 as an anonymous reviewer of restaurants and began to categorize the restaurants. Michelin began with 1-Star ratings, and expanded to 2-stars in 1931 and 3-stars in 1933.
The guide took a hiatus again during World War II, but began printing again in 1939 because it contained maps that were useful to the Allied Forces. Michelin added the “Bib Gourmand” rating in 1955 in an effort to help stir post-war economies with great restaurants that fed families at reasonable prices.
While Michelin continued to quickly expanded throughout Europe and surrounding countries, the Michelin Guide didn’t arrive in the U.S. until 1968 and really didn’t make much of a dent in the American diner’s mind until the early 2000s when Michelin chose to throw all its money on “red” - it decided to focus solely on New York City.
As Frank Sinatra most famously crooned, “If you make it there, you make it anywhere,” and the Michelin folks probably sang that mantra daily with the hope and belief that they’d made the right marketing decision.
Clearly, their gamble paid off. Michelin has since expanded to 6 major U.S. regions - Chicago, L.A., San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and Napa Valley. California has the most winners total, even above NYC. But NYC, alone, offers up six restaurants carrying the hallowed 3-Star Michelin blessing while our entire state of California has just 6 at the #3 tier. And, those of us chanting “USA! USA!” have a lot to live up to as Tokyo has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world with 11 at the top 3-star tier, and the world’s leading total at 183 Michelin starred establishments.
Michelin is now used to rate restaurants in 37 countries.