Delight & Surprise.

To delight and surprise. This is the mission of O Ya Restaurant. O Ya is a beautifully simple space tucked discreetly in the middle of the leather district in Boston. If you didn’t know where it is, you might walk right past. An antique wood door surrounded by faded red brick shapes the façade, while VW bus-sized windows frame the exterior. The building and architecture are from a time past. Ancient really. A hundred years ago the space was a place for leather craftsmen and purveyors to create and showcase their product. Today, O Ya calls it home.

Nik and I stumbled into O Ya 5 months ago – by accident. We were simply looking for a place to eat. Somewhere close to the South Station bus terminal. Little did we know that what happened next would change our view of food and how to experience it. As with many good experiences, some luck is involved. This is where Maggie comes in. Maggie was our tour guide, educator, and food experience curator. She did so with a subtle touch, navigating the courses like Tom Brady runs the offense for the Patriots. Unlike ending the game with a win, ours concluded with chocolate.

Maggie is a graduate of Johnson & Wales Culinary School. She then apprenticed at the French Laundry with Thomas Keller. Like Nik and I, Maggie found her way to O Ya by accident. She came to Boston to celebrate her sister’s graduation from Harvard. As the story goes, Boston grabbed her, like a bird grabs a worm from the ground. Looking for her next gig, she decided on O Ya. It took a year of patience and persistence, but she finally became a member of the O Ya family. The owners, Tim and Nancy have assembled talented people that know their craft. They also care about food and the people they’re feeding. One part talent + one part fun and hard work + two parts Love = O Ya.

So, Nik and I thought it was appropriate to begin our vacation at our favorite sushi spot. My niece, Sarah, joined us. Sarah was our lift to the airport, so the least we could do was treat her to dinner. And there we were, having sushi, drinking drinks, in Boston, in a warm space, with Maggie and the O Ya gang. What better way to begin our vacation then in a place where they aspire to delight and surprise.

Tonight’s menu.