Flavors are coming alive at Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi with exclusive dining experiences that invite guests to sit back, relax, and enjoy their food how it’s meant to be: with joy and intention. Located in the heart of downtown Bellevue, Ascend is accessible luxury at the next level, seamlessly tying together exclusivity, craftsmanship, and top-notch ingredients – with unparalleled views of the city and Meydenbauer Bay from the 31st floor.
Juan Orozco, executive chef at the restaurant, shares that his team’s culinary philosophy is rooted in creativity, culture, and personal connection.
“When we’re developing an exclusive dining experience, we’re thinking beyond the ingredients and flavors, it’s about the entire moment,” he explained. “How is the dish going to be presented? What will surprise the guests? What will they remember long after the dinner is over?”
Premium Private Dining Experiences
For guests looking for an exceptional dining experience that transcends the norm, Ascend offers three private suites with exclusive culinary offerings not found on the everyday menu.
“Luxury can mean so many things,” said Alysha Janmohamed, sales and events manager for Ascend. “For some, it’s an intimate dinner with high- end decor touches like custom linens, floral and hand- painted place cards. For others, it’s an elaborate celebration with live culinary presentations and every detail customized. Our job is to understand what matters to that guest and build the experience around it.”
There are a variety of options for diners to choose from.
Elaborate seafood towers featuring king crab, lobster, oysters, and other premium seafood are beautifully presented for guests, or choose from large-format, bone-in steaks with personalized engravings with a company logo, name, anniversary date, or birthday date to celebrate a special occasion. Interactive, chef-led experiences including hand-rolled sushi stations, live Ibérico Jamón de Bellota carving, or A5 Wagyu grilling are also offered and allow for a more exciting private event.
“Japanese A5 Wagyu is one of those ingredients that speaks for itself,” Chef Orozco explained. “The incredible marbling, delicate texture, and rich, buttery flavor make it unlike almost anything else. But what makes it truly special to me goes far beyond the beef itself. There’s an incredible amount of dedication, tradition, and craftsmanship behind raising these cattle. Every farm has its own story, and every prefecture offers something unique.”
Ascend’s interpretation of the classic surf-and-turf is available in the Scorpion Chop Experience, which welcomes small groups to experience the dramatic steak and lobster presentation with miso-cured Mishima long-bone double chop, lobster roulade, shoyu truffle beurre blanc, shaved truffles, Kaluga caviar, tobiko, and masago.
“We roll the cart directly to the table, encourage our guests to take out their cameras, and walk them through each component as we finish the dish right in front of them,” Chef Orozco said, “You can see the excitement building before they even take their first bite. As chefs, we spend countless hours preparing and perfecting these dishes, but seeing a guest’s reaction in that moment makes all that work worthwhile.”
Beyond the Dining Room
Outside of the private dining suites, Ascend Prime stretches across the 31st floor of its building, from the lounge to the dining room with panoramic views. While guests can find A5 Wagyu, omakase, and an impressive spread of seafood in both locales, the sushi bar has also recently stepped up its game.
Offered the first Tuesday of each month, the Aburi-Robata Experience is an innovative sushi bar experience that showcases the traditional Japanese culinary techniques of robata (fireside cooking) and aburi (seared by flame). The menu reveals these methods in a 12-course tasting, presented in five movements.
“Unlike ordering from a traditional menu, Aburi-Robata is a carefully curated experience where every course has a purpose, a story, and a reason for being there,” Chef Orozco said. “It’s not just about what we’re serving, but why we’re serving it.”
The fine-dining restaurant also regularly hosts immersive pairing and collaboration dinners – like the most recent with legendary sushi chef Shiro Kashiba — and several marquee soirees such as the annual Halloween and New Year’s Eve events.
And while the extraordinary ingredients, mouthwatering flavors of each menu item, and unforgettable experiences are truly at the heart of Ascend, for Chef Orozco, it’s really about who’s gathering around the table.
“I became a chef because I fell in love with food, but what continues to drive my passion is the opportunity to share something I’ve created with someone else,” Orozco shared. “I want our guests to remember more than what they ate. I want them to remember how we made them feel. That’s what an Ascend experience should be.”
Learn more about Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi and book your reservation for one of these one-in-a-lifetime elevated experiences here.
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