Jesse Ito is somewhat of a James Beard Award pro at this point in his career.
The chef, who is a finalist for this year’s Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic award, has received eight nominations from the culinary foundation over the years. Just last year, he was the sole finalist from Philadelphia in that same category.
And yet, Ito has never actually taken home the bacon. He is still waiting on his culinary Oscar.
“I don’t have any expectations. This is my fifth time as a finalist, so I’ve lost quite a bit,” he joked.
Ito’s restaurant Royal Sushi & Izakaya has been lauded since its opening in 2016. The restaurateur took over the spot with his father, Masaharu “Matt” Ito.
“My dad is a Japanese chef from Japan,” he said. “My mom’s from Korea, and they did have a Japanese restaurant in Jersey for 40 years. So I implement a lot of my upbringing and those different foods into my cuisine, or into my food … Professionally, I’m a Japanese chef, but I also put some of my mom’s flair in there.”
Royal Sushi & Izakaya has become a household name in part because of its omakase experience, an exclusive, eight-seat bar where Ito creates a 17-course tasting menu for each diner.
The tasting menu allows him to serve what he believes is the “best of the best.”
“You’re essentially trusting [the chef] to procure the best prepared food, at the highest technical level – served at the right temperature, right pacing, in the right order.”
Ito puts a great amount of care into curating his food. While many of the dishes served at Royal Sushi & Izakaya are prepared raw, there is a lot more that goes into them than just slicing up fish. For example, Ito likes to change diners’ preconceptions about items like fish liver or squid. Lately, he’s really gotten into mackerel – even though many consider it to be, as he says, a “fishy” fish.
“Strong-tasting mackerels are honestly one of the most flavorful fish. It’s just that, because of the oil content in them, if they’re paired incorrectly, or if it’s not fresh, it can get really strong in a bad way,” he said. “How I do my mackerel is very technical.”
To make sure that eaters aren’t overwhelmed with mackerel flavor, Ito makes sure to buy quality products, which he salt cures and bathes in a vinegar solution.
“That process is different for each chef. Some do it a lot longer. Some do a lot less. And that’s what makes mackerel really stand out,” he explained. “The salt process is extracting the moisture … and then it allows the vinegar kind of to penetrate, so you’re balancing that oily flavor. But that’s what makes the best bite, and that’s why mackerel, to me, is my favorite.”
This attention to detail is precisely why Ito has gotten so many nods from the James Beard Foundation. But could this year be the one where he finally receives the elusive culinary honor? What’s more, now that Michelin is coming to the city, how is he handing the new weight on his shoulders?
“If your main passion is awards or just becoming famous, then people see through that,” he said. “It’s not sustainable long term. I love what I do, and I do what I do because I just want to keep getting better. If it fits into Michelin or James Beard or whatever standards, then that’s great. But you know, I do what I do because this is what I love.”
Ito is excited to travel to Chicago for the Beard Awards. It’s a great opportunity to see friends in the industry. However, he’s also got his next project on the brain: a new restaurant, dancerobot, which is set to open in Rittenhouse this year.
“It’s a high-energy Asian restaurant that’s gonna be a lot of fun and casual and do brunch and late night and dinner,” he said. While the restaurant will have an ‘80s undertone, it is not a theme bar.
“I think theme bars give a little, they get dated over time. But there’s, there’s an ‘80s inspiration,” Ito said. “I love the ‘80s, right?”
Diners can expect dishes like katsu curry and hamburger steak with wasabi mashed potatoes. For brunch, anticipate delicious milk bread toasts, yaki onigiri and Teishoku.
No matter what happens this June, dancerobot will begin a new chapter for the chef – one that he hopes will continue to foster love for the unique community around him.
“My parents had a restaurant for 40 years,” he repeated. “I have customers that have known me since I was a kid, and I’ve known customers since they were kids. It’s a really nice part of what I do – building that relationship. And I think the nature of Philadelphia kind of allows that.”
