Sushi Shin

I'm blown away by this sushi place in Tokyo. You take the elevator to the third floor of a nondescript building, and the doors open onto an oasis. The chef, Shintaro Suzuki, is incredible. Service is omakase: you don't pick, he does. He'll press his thumbs into a scallop to soften it, season it with shichimi togarashi spice blend, and grill it quickly between sheets of nori. He might serve a terrine of angler fish liver cured with green tea; it's warm, creamy, sweet, and smoky. He'll butcher a whole mackerel beautifully in front of you. Then he'll mash ginger, Japanese chive, and a little garlic in a mortar and pestle. The pungent sauce cuts right through the fish's fat. He's young, this guy—just 39—but he's such a pro. —David Myers, Comme Ça and Sona, Los Angeles