(Bloomberg) -- Consider the wagyu katsu sando the Porsche of sandwiches. The luxurious combination of elite beef, ethereal milk bread slices, and a brush of tangy-sweet tare sauce is at the top end of the spectrum in the sandwich category.

About a decade ago, the Japanese specialty began showing up in the US. (Anyone who worked in downtown New York in 2018 might remember the arrival of the $185 Don Wagyu sandwich on Wall Street.)

Later this year, the most famous version of that sando will arrive in Miami from Tokyo. 

Wagyu beef—prized for its tender, buttery, fat-marbled and very expensive flesh—is becoming ever more popular around the world. The global wagyu market is expected to hit $34.8 billion by 2029, with an annual growth rate of 6%, reflecting increased production.

That bodes very well for Kentaro Nakahara. In the fall, the creator of the wagyu katsu sando — his version is also one of the world’s most Instagrammed luxury sandwiches — will open Nakahara, a 10-seat wagyu beef-focused restaurant in Miami’s Design District. 

Renowned for his Japanese-Korean yakiniku-style grilled meats and for his dedication to sumibi (the Japanese term for food that’s charcoal-grilled), Nakahara has become even more famous for his fried wagyu sandwich. He invented it more than 20 years ago, as an off-menu special for regulars at his now-shuttered restaurant Sumibiyaki Shichirin. “I wanted to make a dish that was very easy to understand ... and it was an instant hit,” says the chef.

In Miami, the only way to sample his famed sando will be to order the 10-course, $350 yakiniku, or grilled meat, omakase. The dish will closely replicate the one that draws customers from around the world to his acclaimed, eight-year-old Tokyo restaurant Sumibiyakiniku Nakahara. 

The original is made from an A5 wagyu chateaubriand medallion encrusted in fresh panko breadcrumbs and then carefully fried to order before it lands in bouncy, butter-slathered milk bread slices—where it’s anointed with thick, soy-infused tare sauce. The dish has inspired copycat sandos worldwide, including in Miami, where versions show up at Red South Beach and the Wagyu Bar.

“Sometimes, wagyu is associated with flashy food,” says Sam Tcherassi, about the inclination of some faux-fancy places to garnish the luxe beef with caviar and gold leaf accents. Tcherassi is bringing Nakahara’s concept to Miami with his brother Jose (they’re the duo behind Miami’s forthcoming members-only sushi spot, Ura) and partner Aiste Miseviciute.

There will be no caviar bumps at Nakahara. Instead, the chef will highlight the sweet, silky texture of the beef, paired with acidic accents like the tangy tare sauce, so diners don’t feel as if they’re eating a block of butter. Chef Nakahara precisely slices the wagyu, depending on the dish: For instance, cutting it into strands for the sumptuous tartare which will be on the menu in Miami. Additional staple dishes coming from Tokyo to South Florida include 16-hour-simmered oxtail soup, thin slabs of sirloin cooked for 15 seconds over binchotan and the signature 20-vegetable salad, a respite from the beef. 

Some dishes will be designed exclusively for Miami and the American audience, such as Morioka-style naengmyeon noodle dish — the Japanese adaptation of the Korean noodle dish comprised of thin, chewy wheat noodles in a chilled broth. Another course will feature American beef, the first time Nakahara will be using it: tenderloin will be cooked directly on binchotan coals, rather than a grill, to show how much richer and more complex the flavor can be. 

To finish the meal, Nakahara will honor his mentor Shuuichi Tsukazaki, who runs a kakigori (shaved ice) shop a couple hours outside Tokyo called Sakura Hyoukaten. The specialty there is mountains of shaved ice drenched and layered in seasonal fruit. In tribute to Tsukazaki, the restaurant in Miami will offer kakigori in flavors that might include a mashup of blueberry and Parmesan or an ode to cherries. 

Nakahara in Miami is the chef’s first project outside of Japan. He plans to spend a month in Miami following the restaurant’s opening and then visit quarterly. A top apprentice from Tokyo will run the show year-round. 

The 600-square-foot space, scheduled to open around November on a prime spot on 41st Street, is being designed by Paris-based EstudioMorpho. The simple, uncluttered space will be decorated in neutral shades of cream and white, featuring textured materials such as wire-brushed oak. A long counter will separate diners from the kitchen, where food will be prepared, fired and served à la minute. 

“For 20 years, I’ve done the same thing the same way,” says chef Nakahara. Now he’s ready to introduce his specialties to a new audience. ”Omakase has become synonymous with sushi, but in reality, it is a format for shokunin [craftsmanship].” He adds, “I want to introduce my guests at Nakahara Miami to the intricacies of wagyu and binchotan cooking. It’s time to show how the Japanese really cook.”

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.