Deluxe Bluefin Ceremony
130–200 guests
- a 100–120 pound bluefin, opened in the room.
- the full sequence, through the ōtoro finale.
- two chefs, two sous chefs, and four on the floor.
La Jolla, Calif.
A fish broken down in front of the room.
Live bluefin ceremonies as private event programming. A whole fish, opened by hand and served in sequence as it is cut.
Inquire01 / The Ceremony
The main event.
Otoro Club stages live bluefin ceremonies as private event programming in La Jolla.
A whole bluefin is broken down by hand in the room over about forty minutes. Akami, chutoro, and otoro are portioned and served in sequence as they are cut. The itamae works the loin in front of the guests and names each cut as it comes off the frame. There is no back-of-house, and no kitchen between the knife and the guest.
The ceremony is what the evening is built around. It decides where guests stand, when the room turns, and what people are still talking about on the way out.
- Maguro kaitai
- The breakdown itself. A whole tuna taken apart by hand, in view, in one continuous sequence.
- Akami · Chutoro · Otoro
- Lean loin, medium belly, fattest belly. Cut and served in that order, as the knife reaches them.
- Itamae
- The chef at the board. One knife, one fish, working the whole engagement in the room.
The four movements
The knife, the room, the sequence.
Each engagement runs in four movements, in the same order every time. The room and the headcount change. The sequence does not.
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Arrival · 0:00–0:30
Whole, on ice.
The bluefin is on the presentation table before anything is served. Guests arrive to it, walk past it, photograph it. Welcome pours.
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The Breakdown · 0:30–1:10
Forty minutes, in the room.
The itamae opens the loin in front of the guests. Each cut is named as it is taken, in Japanese and English. Nothing is prepped out of sight.
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The Tasting · 1:10–2:15
Served as it is cut.
Akami, then chutoro, then otoro, portioned and passed in sequence off the board. Hand rolls made to order.
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The Close · 2:15–3:00
The room, after.
A final course and the frame left on the table until the last guest leaves.
02 / Menu
Ceremonies, stations, and the card.
A whole bluefin or a bigeye, opened in the room and served in sequence. Lighter formats for a cocktail hour, and a table for ten to twenty.
Bluefiná Bluefin Ceremony
50–100 guests
- the same fish, the same sequence, a smaller room.
- the balance of the fish, guaranteed. portioned and packed for the host.
Bigeye Tuna Ceremony
50–70 guests
- a 40–60 pound bigeye from hawaii.
- the ceremony on a smaller frame.
Stations, smaller parties, the appetizer card, and additions sit alongside any ceremony.
03 / Gallery
A private ceremony.
The room, as it happens.
04 / Inquire
Inquire about a date.
Tell us the venue, the date, and the guest count. We will come back with what the ceremony looks like in that room.