"Led by chef Hisashi Udatsu, this Tokyo sushi restaurant treats cooking as an act of love—he says he pours his love into everything from buying fish at the market to working in the kitchen. Raised by a butcher and inspired by neighbors who ran a sushi restaurant, he developed a passion for seafood and now uses long-standing, trust-based relationships with fishmongers at Tokyo’s markets to select exceptional fish. Standout dishes include shako (a crustacean that resembles shrimp but differs in texture and flavor) prepared in a soy/broth/mirin/sake marinade, asari clam cream croquettes, smoked otoro, and boiled scallop sushi. Udatsu considers sushi an art best executed by hand, using tactile technique to integrate fish and rice and to convey feeling." - Terri Ciccone