A First Taste of Musume Dallas’ New Omakase Dinner In Partnership With Booker T. Washington

For one of my very first stories for PaperCity, I got to explore a new secret bar in the back of a Dallas Asian restaurant. Akai had recently opened at Musume in the Dallas Arts District. It required a code word, which could be found by texting a phone number found on its Facebook page, and guests were directed through the kitchen to get to the space. It was all very mysterious and cool at the time.

Six years later, Musume has expanded to a location in Fort Worth (which is awaiting its reopening after an explosion took place in the basement restaurant space at Sandman Signature Hotel in early 2024) and is opening another outpost in Frisco. The Dallas location will remain the only one to have the Akai speakeasy.

While gearing up for the opening of a new Frisco location, Musume Dallas recently launched a new omakase dinner in partnership with Booker T. Washington High School. The nine-course menu features original student-produced artwork for each course, and 10 percent of omakase sales will be donated back to the school’s Visual Arts Conservatory.

Led by Musume partner Khalil Lalani, the process for creating the special omakase started with bringing nine students in to experience the dishes that chef Yuzo Toyama had crafted for this collaboration. Each student was then assigned a dish to illustrate. This resulted in a booklet (read right to left like in Japanese culture) that laid out each course along with stunning illustrations.

A First Taste of The Booker T. Omakase Dinner

The first thing I noticed when experiencing Musume’s new omakase was that the ingredients of each dish were detailed in the booklet guests received at the start of the meal. This was a helpful addition, as several other omakases around town tend to fly through what’s in each dish when presenting. Most of the time, I just nod along like I caught everything, only allowing myself to ask a couple of times — “What was in this again?” But no need at Musume. From the first course of Hirame Dragon (a beautiful creation of flounder, dragon fruit, red onion amazu, and more) to the delicious matcha fran dessert, I could always look back and see every ingredient that was included.

Favorites of the menu included the Aburi Nigiri in Apple Wood Smoke — two pieces (salmon and hamachi) served in a little box filled with smoke, which adds so much extra flavor to the fish —, the A5 wagyu from Kagoshima, Japan, and the Lilikoi Hamachi made with yellowtail, avocado, roasted coconut, and a passion fruit vinaigrette that really makes the dish. And if you’re more into traditional nigiri, the Premium Nigiri comes with toro, roe, and snow crab bites, while the eel nigiri suzette is a little bit of a show. Chef Toyama comes out to create the sauce (Grand Marnier, Okinawa black sugar, orange, and butter cinnamon) tableside. There’s a lot of fire involved, but I always enjoy eel.

At the end of the omakase, chef Toyama will sign and date each booklet along with your server. It’s a nice touch that creates a lasting memory of the experience. Musume’s omakase dinner partnership with Booker T. will run on two cycles each year – February to July and August to January – with a new group of nine students presenting their creative visions for each launch.

Musume Frisco

In July, the third location of Musume will open at The Star in Frisco. The 6,000-square-foot space will feature indoor and outdoor seating, two bars, a private Tatami room, and a 20-seat sushi bar. The design will blend Texas and Japanese elements with highlights including sunken seating in the Tatami room, “custom sake displays, zen lighting, moss and tree installations, “floating” banquettes, sake millwork, warm wood accents, and chiseled stonework.” Themed restrooms will also “add an element of surprise and intrigue.

Musume’s Frisco menu will include “fan-favorites like the Robusuta Roll with lobster and tempura shrimp, tableside ramen noodles, and the Black Cod Misozuke marinated for 72 hours, as well as new menu highlights exclusive to the Frisco location.” It will also “boast North Dallas’ largest selection of premium sake with more than 120 labels, the region’s largest collection of Japanese whisky with more than 60 offerings, an extensive wine list, and an Asian-inspired artisanal crafted cocktail menu.”

This isn’t Rock Libations Group’s first foray into the suburbs. The Musume owners also run Wine a Little, a wine bar in McKinney, Chop Sports in Las Colinas and McKinney, and Boozy Bird in Carrollton, but this will be their first fine dining experience outside of Dallas and Fort Worth proper.