TOMO — Restaurant in White Center

I had dined at Tomo a number of times in the past, and returned after about a year. Apart from the decor and a few signature cocktails, I wouldn’t recognize the place. Sadly, Tomo was failing in its effort to reinvent itself. The long blocks of comment-free five star review in the Google timeline are indicative of an effort to whitewash shortcomings.

Tomo opened to much anticipation as the approachable and eclectic invention of the former head-chef of Seattle’s iconic restaurant, Canlis. Like Canlis, Tomo formerly offered a four course tasting menu. However, the flavors used to be heavy with Japanese elements: umami flavors and soy being constant elements. Our recent dinner was more of an aped impersonation of “refined steakhouse.” Gone is the tasting menu. In its place is the much more “American” appetizer/ salad, main, and desert offering.

Having arrived 15 minutes early, we were offered to await our table at the bar and 5 minutes after our reservation we were offered our table. Neither of us were in a hurry, so I didn’t feel any inconvenience, but reading other reviews I wonder if the timing isn’t designed to wring more out of diners who from my view seemed disinclined to buy bottles of wine.

Walking to our table, I overheard a client complain to his dining partner about his steak being cold. Having been seated directly in front of the open kitchen, I could see why. Steaks were cooked in advance and stacked on a shelf that was 2 feet or so above the grill. When someone ordered a steak, I got to watch it be re-heated over the grill and plated with the side. Horrified by this crime against cow, my wife ordered the seared tuna and I the prime rib.

I was never asked how I wanted the prime rib: figuring that I was cooked to rare in the oven and got progressively more cooked as the night went on; I thought nothing of it. Later I saw another server specify the temperature for another table’s order. Well, I got to watch the chef pull a barely cooked roast out of the oven, slice a piece on a metal warming tray and place this in purgatory with the desiccating steaks, loitering 2 feet above the grill. What I got was a very thick version of the re-heated choice rib for sandwiches that you find on sale at a bar at grill, the day after prime rib night (Tomo listed it as from Klingman Family Farms, which is a pig farm label of an institutional food supplier). To my chagrin the table next to me got their’s medium rare, but they had a different server. I got a $145 dry and lean slab of meat.

Disappointed with my meal, I hoped that my wife would have done better by ordering seared tuna. As anyone who has made this dish knows, timing is essential. At home, my wife plates the dishes with sides and awaits me finishing the tuna. Tomo does it in reverse. The tuna was plated and awaited the cremation of my formerly very rare prime rib. It waited awhile: long enough that my meal was so dead that I only wanted two bites of that tough dry roast. As opposed to the warm on the outside cool on the inside that you would expect from seared tuna, my wife got seared tune lukewarm throughout.

I fault the ownership. The head chef was responsible for cooking 5 mains and plating the dishes: the result was everything was reheated to plate. Cooking numerous steaks to order requires an eye on the clock and one’s full attention: he didn’t have that luxury and the kitchen was too small to devote another chef to oversee that full task. While our waiter screwed up by not asking me how I wanted my allegedly grass fed “prime” rib, no one in the kitchen asked him what our table had ordered (I sat 3 feet away): it wasn’t until another tables order was placed until I realized that like the steaks, the “prime” rib was re-heated to order.

The appetizer, salad, side, and dessert were more in line with what you would expect for a meal for 2 costing north of $400. If you are curious, go to the bar for a drink or an appetizer. The current mains are...

Loved it. I used to live in Japan, and the food, atmosphere, and service all reminded me of “kaiseki (high-end, many small courses all beautifully plated) meets izakaya (savory pub food, upbeat atmosphere, always go with a friend or three). The brilliance of TOMO is the mashup of the two, something you normally wouldn’t find in Japan.

Went with my husband and we ordered the set menu plus the rolls. Everything was tasty, beautifully prepared, and served at a nice pace - not too fast, not too slow. By the end, we were perfectly full. In Japan they say “hara hachi bu” which basically means “eat until you’re 80% full.” TOMO courses felt a bit more generous than that, maybe 90%, but by the time we were done with our digestifs after dessert, we were pleasantly full-but-not-overfed.

We had cocktails before dinner (mine was NA), a bottle of wine with dinner (took half home), and digestifs with dessert. Part of the genius of TOMO is their delightful and knowledgeable sommelier, who made excellent off-menu recommendations for wine and shared nice little stories around each winemaker.

Another fun surprise was the extensive list of all kinds of liquors, including some rare, vintage, and hard-to-find selections. There’s a particular bourbon maker we love and it’s rare to find even one of their bourbons at a restaurant - but TOMO had three.

We ended up paying just north of $400 for two, including wine, drinks, and tip (included in the bill the way we like it, and well-deserved). It would have been south of $300 without the alcohol. So yes, it’s a special treat, but it’s what you’d spend at any higher-end restaurant in Seattle.

All the tables were in 2- and 4-top arrangements and the atmosphere works well for couples and groups as large as four. We actually started at the bar, which is lovely, and there were some solo diners seated there.

Parking was a bit challenging, the main drag of White Center was full, but we found a perfect lot in front of the Domino’s, which is one block behind the main drag and two blocks away from TOMO.

My two suggestions for the restaurant: first, the bar stools are very uncomfortable, my husband and I are not large people but our legs were falling asleep halfway through our meal. We requested a move to a table halfway through the meal. The banquette was fine but the individual chairs at the tables aren’t much better. The bar stools and chairs should all be upholstered, which will probably run less than replacing them. Second, both of our steak knives were laughably dull, we couldn’t cut the steak or even the green onion without a ridiculous amount of sawing. I told our server the knives need sharpening and she said they have them sharpened every two months. This is simply not enough, even for good knives. Have them professionally sharpened every two months, yes, but knives should be touched up before every service, even if you’re just using an inexpensive Chef’s Choice and giving the blade 5-10 quick draws. The custom TOMO knives are beautiful but they are not the crown jewels.

We’ll definitely be back again, next time with another couple. Our plan for our larger group is to skip the set menu and just order one of the entire regular menu, which will be about right for four people (and it includes their fried chicken, a measure of a...

This is for the 9811 16th Ave SW, Seattle, location. The reason why I am specific is because there are A LOT of Tomo's in this area. A shortened version of "tomodachi," I presume, and it's a friendly place. The staff are really nice but not the professionalized service you would expect. Most of the staff are transplants from a well-established restaurant near the Aurora bridge, and unfortunately, this place took on all of the bad habits and culture.

Parking is available out front, but the area is pretty busy. Expect to park in an off-street one to two blocks away. This is a tough neighborhood is Burien, so do take care when and where you park. The signage is tough to see, but it is sandwiched in between another American-fare restaurant and an adult entertainment storefront.

Service was good, but not mind-blowing. We were the first ones at the door with a reservation, and they invited us to sit next to the restroom. Thankfully, they were able to accommodate us near the front by the windows and the bar. Please know they take on a $50 reservation fee per person. They add in a 22% auto-gratuity, but after they add everything in including the tax.

A couple of the things that really stood out for me were: They place all of the eating utensils directly on the table. And they never asked if I wanted chopsticks. It's an Asian-style restaurant, so I felt that was odd.

A lot of the bowls and cups we used were chipped, and the utensils looked very worn and not clean. I did love their water bottles, they appeared handcrafted.

If our tea or coffee is empty, just fill it. I get that service at the local diner, if I have to chase you down or ask you for more hot water, then you didn't earn that tip.

As far as the food, their menu changes regularly, and the substitutions are not easy to get unless you upgrade so ask before you go if you absolutely don't like something. The 5-course experience is $108 per person and they need full participation from the table so keep this in mind. We for example got 3-quarter sized scallops as the main entrée with the set experience and on the main a la carte, it's $48 for 6-scallops so it's a good deal if you want to sample everything. The full dinner was just over the 2-hour mark. Unfortunately, one of the courses were clams. It had a rock in it. They got me a napkin but did nothing about it when I said, "ow, that's a rock in my clam." The tea was a good green tea and the coffee was Cafe Vida served in a tea bage so that was one of the good mentions.

We had more hopes for this location then the experience we received.

Midas 2-stars for the okay high-end asian-style food. Not much value in the experience and...