The Sushi Master Who Used to Work at the Cheesecake Factory

"A small, under-the-radar Upper East Side sushi counter tucked in the 90s on Madison Avenue, its six-seat upstairs tasting counter fills most nights with neighbors and seafood lovers for a seasonal omakase run by chef Jorge Dionicio. Service is hushed and meticulous: dishes range from Alaskan king crab presented on a miniature stone garden with a crab-and-miso sauce and uni with caviar atop crispy yuba, to zensai like hotaru ika, Hokkaido uni and awabi; the omakase often features ankimo (monkfish liver), kamasu (brown barracuda) and nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch). A standout bite is hamachi dressed with ponzu, serrano chilies, micro cilantro and crisped potato — a subtle, nontraditional touch that reflects the chef’s diverse training and careful restraint (he emphasizes respecting tradition and avoiding excessive sauces). Most seafood (except oysters and king salmon) is flown in weekly from Japan’s Tsukiji market, and the kitchen follows the mottainai ethos of wasting nothing. Opened just last fall, the counter has built a small but dedicated following by pairing high-level technique (informed by the chef’s training in Tokyo and experience at spots like O Ya) with comparatively accessible pricing — typically $125 for a ten-piece tasting and about $225 for a 20–24 piece weekend “grand” omakase — while the chef juggles long hours, close attention to cost control learned earlier in his career, and hands-on management of a compact staff." - Hannah Seligson