James Beard semifinalist Nick Bognar, chef and owner behind the acclaimed Southeast Asian and Thai-inspired restaurant, Indo and Japanese-Thai restaurant Sado, announced today opening December dates for his latest venture, Pavilion. Nestled in the back courtyard of Sado at 5201 Shaw Ave. on the Hill, Pavilion offers an 18-course, Thai-inspired omakase experience in an intimate, custom-built wood and glass-enclosed pavilion.
With counter seating for each dining experience limited to six, the multi-course meals will be offered on a ticketed basis. Tickets for the first Pavilion dining experience will be available online on Monday, Nov. 25, at 11 a.m. for seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 8, and Thursday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 15.
At Pavilion, Bognar will combine his skills in Japanese, Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine, and will feature his extensive dry-aged fish program, complemented by Thai flavors, in a thoughtfully crafted dining experience.
Pavilion will be an extension of Sado, which opened in March 2023 and was named a 2024 James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. “Pavilion was in the works before Sado even opened,” Bognar said in a press release. “We had this vision to create a literal Pavilion, inspired by Japanese pavilions and gardens in the back of Sado to offer a super intimate omakase experience, leaning more into my Thai roots,” the statement continued.
Moving forward from the initial ticket release on Nov. 25, Pavilion will release tickets every two weeks on Mondays at 11 a.m., two weeks in advance of the reservation dates. Depending on the night of service, tickets will be offered at two price points. For $250 per person, which includes tax and gratuity, guests can experience premium offerings prepared by chef Bognar, or they can opt for a more casual omakase experience at $175 per person and dine on selections prepared by chefs who have trained with Bognar. Sake and wine pairings will be available at an additional cost as well as a limited additional beverage menu for either ticket price.
Once guests arrive, the immersive experience starts with the walk to Pavilion, designed by St. Louis-based design and architecture firm Tao + Lee. Guests will walk through the Sado kitchen to the wood and glass-enclosed Pavilion space, located within the courtyard of Sado.
Pavilion features intimate seating for six at the sushi counter and a few small two-person tables. The space inside has wooden paneling on the ceiling and walls and a curved marble sushi bar. The outer-facing glass wall overlooks Sado’s newly renovated courtyard, adorned with river rocks and plants.
The offerings will rotate seasonally, but Bognar’s 18-course menu will showcase a combination of binchotan-grilled and dry-aged nigiri and sashimi, highlighting his extensive dry-aged fish program and the playful integration of his Thai heritage with family recipes woven throughout the traditional Japanese omakase experience.
Some of the offerings guests can expect include corn vichyssoise, an umami-rich dashi corn broth, with juice from shellfish in the dashi and the corn broth, thickened with potato, slices of geoduck, clam and scallop, gently cooked and served with aromatic oil. Other selections include smoked masu sashimi with watermelon, Thai basil, palm sugar emulsion, toasted sunflower and Thai chile, as well as fish caramel unagi, which features dried unagi that has been steamed and grilled, served with peanuts, herb salad, crispy onion and mixed chilis, and Thai chile cured prawn.
There will also be an optional drink pairing with wine and sake to complement the dishes and nigiri, as well as a limited wine, beer and sake menu. Veteran pastry chef Sarah Osborn, who leads the dessert programs at Indo, Sado, and now Pavilion, will have the continued opportunity to experiment with unique desserts that align with Pavilion’s omakase menu.
For more information, please visit the restaurant’s Instagram page.
This article appears in November 2024.