The short answer: Build five to seven small courses from one cow, moving from lean to fatty and from raw to seared to braised. A seven-course version runs tartare, tataki, tableside slices, nigiri, a palate break, a steak and a braise. Serve 15–70 g per course and about 210 g (7½ oz) per guest in total, or about a third less for A5.
What goes into a Wagyu tasting menu?
Six or seven small courses, all from one animal, in an order where each bite tastes a little richer than the one before. The plan below feeds six guests from six packs of one cow, Takemitsu-chan, and serves 210 g (about 7½ oz) of beef per guest across the night. That's the top of the 4–8 oz we suggest per person for Japanese Wagyu, which is where an A4 like her eats best (serving size).
Two rules set the order. Go from lean cuts to fatty ones, so a marbled course never flattens the leaner one after it. And go from raw to seared to braised, so the food gets warmer and deeper as the guests get fuller.
What order should the courses go in?
| # | Course | Cut | Method | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tartare | Top round yakiniku slice | Raw, hand-chopped | 25 g |
| 2 | Tataki | Rump (top sirloin) steak | Seared whole, chilled, sliced thin | 30 g |
| 3 | Tableside slices | Knuckle yakiniku slice | 5–15 s a side, hot stone or griddle | 30 g (two slices) |
| 4 | Aburi nigiri | Kaburi (rib cap) steak | Sliced thin, torched over rice | 15 g (one piece) |
| 5 | Palate break | No beef | Pickles, chilled dashi | – |
| 6 | Steak | Zabuton steak | 1″ steak, about 90 s a side, sliced | 70 g |
| 7 | Braise | Short rib stew cubes | Simmered 1.5–2.5 hours | 40 g |
Each course has its own guide, so I won't repeat the methods here: tartare, carpaccio and tataki, hot stone and yakiniku for the tableside slices, nigiri, and the searing and stewing sections of our cooking guide. Sauce follows the same lean-to-fatty line. Salt or nikiri-shoyu suits the first three courses, ponzu with grated daikon suits the zabuton, and the braise carries its own liquid (sauces).
To shorten it to five courses, drop the nigiri and the palate break. To change the finish, consider swapping the braise for a sando. For wine by course, see Wagyu wine pairing.
How much Wagyu should each course be?
Raw and cold courses run 15–30 g, a few bites each. The steak is the largest at 70 g, because it's the one full steak of the night. The braise comes back down to 40 g, since by then everyone has eaten 170 g of Wagyu.
The six packs for six guests come to about 1,800 g bought and 1,260 g served. Most of the extra is in the rump, where you trim the seared ends off the tataki, and in the kaburi. At current pack prices the beef costs about $362, or about $60 a guest. For eight guests, add a second zabuton and a second pack of cubes. The other four packs stretch to cover eight. For more on portions, see how much Wagyu per person.
How do you serve A5 Wagyu?
Serve less of it, and lean on the early courses. A5 needs marbling of BMS 8 to 12, the richest range Japan's grading scale measures (A5 grades explained). With A5, start near the bottom of the 4–8 oz range, about 140 g a guest, and trim the steak and braise portions the most. Keep the fatty courses thin and hot, salt them after cooking, and put ponzu, grated daikon and pickles on the table.
Takemitsu-chan graded A4 with BMS 6, so the 210 g plan above is written for her. If a client has asked for "A5", it's worth telling them the grade plainly.
Where do the palate breaks go?
We'd put one full break after the nigiri, as course 5, and a small one before the braise. The first sits where the menu turns from lean bites to the steak. It also gives you the time to sear the zabuton, about 90 seconds a side, and rest it for 2–3 minutes (searing).
Breaks work best cold, sour or bitter: a few slices of pickled daikon or cucumber, a small cup of chilled dashi, or green tea. Before the braise, a spoon of grated daikon with ponzu is enough.
What's the prep timeline?
- Order early. Packs ship frozen from Illinois. Having them in your freezer at least three days before the dinner leaves room for a delay.
- Two days out. Move every pack, still sealed, onto a tray in the fridge. Even a pound of frozen meat takes a full day to thaw there, and thawed steaks keep 3–5 days before cooking [2].
- One day out. Make the braise, cool it and refrigerate it. Make the nikiri-shoyu. Reheat the braise to 165ºF before service [1].
- Morning of. Sear the rump whole for tataki and chill it. Make the ponzu fresh, and the pickles if they're quick ones.
- Two hours out. Cook and season the sushi rice. Set up the stone or griddle.
- During service. Chop the tartare to order and keep raw beef over ice. FSIS says perishable food should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours [2]. Take the zabuton out 20–30 minutes before course 6, as our unboxing guide suggests.
What should you tell the client?
It's worth telling them which courses are raw or rare. USDA FSIS recommends cooking beef steaks to 145ºF and resting them at least 3 minutes [1]. The tartare, tataki, nigiri and a rare zabuton all fall below that. Ask whether any guest is pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised, and consider having a seared version of each raw course ready.
Then there's where the beef came from. Every course on this menu is from one cow, raised by Ellie Takeda and her mother at Takeda Farm in Hokkaido. Her grading certificate is on her page, and her 10-digit ID, 1493019197, can be looked up in Japan's national cattle registry. A line on the menu card with her name and ID gives guests something to read between courses.
Frequently asked questions
How many courses should a Wagyu tasting menu have?
Five to seven. Fewer than five and each portion gets big enough to tire the palate. More than seven and the fatty courses start to blur together. Our seven-course plan includes one course with no beef, so guests eat Wagyu six times.
How much Wagyu per person for a tasting menu?
About 210 g (7½ oz) of A4 Wagyu per guest across the whole menu, split into courses of 15 to 70 g. That sits at the top of the 4–8 oz we suggest per person for Japanese Wagyu. For A5, plan about a third less.
What is the best way to serve A5 Wagyu?
In small portions, thin or quickly seared, and salted after cooking. A5 has the richest marbling the Japanese scale measures, so serve less of it per course, put lean cuts first, and keep sharp sides like ponzu and grated daikon on the table.
Can you serve Wagyu raw in a tasting menu?
Chefs do, as tartare, carpaccio or nigiri, but USDA FSIS recommends cooking steaks to 145ºF with a 3-minute rest, and raw or rare courses fall below that. Tell the client, ask about guests at higher risk, and have a seared version of each raw course ready.
How far ahead should I thaw Wagyu for a dinner?
Move every pack from the freezer to the fridge two days before the dinner. USDA FSIS says even a pound of frozen meat takes a full day to thaw in the fridge, and thawed steaks keep 3 to 5 days there before cooking.
