Omo By Jont and Sorekawa were in contention for the first two stars in Florida (after the Joel Robuchon in Miami)

I went to Omo before it got its star and while I loved the food, it felt…overproduced? It felt like a resteraunt designed for the inspector, not for me, the guest.

Every other star I’ve been to in Florida honestly feel like they would struggle to contend for a bib gourmand in a more stablished region. 

Sorekawa is the first experience I’ve had hetr that I feel would fit right in the “real” fine dining world. The experience was much like Omo, multiple rooms with a fair bit of production. A lot of storytelling, and at least 20-30 minutes of the 4.5 hour dinner dedicated to discussing art pieces rather than food 

However this time, It felt so much more warm and genuine. I enjoyed chatting with each server so much, and actually felt relaxed and comfortable at the table. There was a lot if playfulness. Food themed after the chef’s dog, a dish that involved a magic trick, and a Valentines Day special that had us plate the dish ourselves.

As for the food, it was wonderful…and plentiful. 16 courses, and many of those courses had multiple plates (one course the chef called his take on konbini food had like 10 dishes). I think the only dish that wasn’t flawless for me was a tortellini with uni. The taste was great, but it was awkward keeping the uni in top while slicing through a much tougher piece of pasta. 

I don’t know if Michelin would ever give 3 stars to any of its “pay to play” regions like Florida, but if they did, I’m pretty confident who should get it. 

Sorekawa (**) - Orlando, V-Day