Master Jeweler

The stark lighting makes it feel like you're shopping for diamonds. And, in a way, you are. Manhattan's Sushi Nakazawa serves gems from the sea: pristine fish procured from long-trusted sources, expertly cut and mounted glistening on warm, vinegared koshihikari, the gold standard for sushi rice. Daisuke Nakazawa honed his craft under lauded Tokyo shokunin, or master, Jiro Ono, the subject of the 2011 film Jiro Dreams of Sushi. For Nakazawa, although America has freed him up to crack jokes at the bar, technique is paramount. So is intuition. Mackerel pickled in vinegar and dressed with bright Japanese mustard; silken live tiger shrimp brushed with sweet soy sauce; chum salmon hay-smoked to accentuate its swarthy richness; custardlike uni served bracingly cold—each is long pondered and uniquely prepared. This is sushi so pure, so minimalist, that there's nothing to hide behind. The maker's skill must be spot-on. And it is.