Sushi restaurants are doing good on the “50 Most Recommended Restaurants in North America and Europe”-list that was sent to me the other day. This list is based on a survey of some of the world’s most passionate diners. If you want to contact them or participate, you can do so by sending an e-mail to: info@opinionatedabout.com

As part of an ongoing process of creating guides to fine dining establishments in North America
and Europe, “Opinionated About Dining” wants to share their Quarterly reports. Their first release is this list. We hope you’ll find the list useful and that it will help improve your dining experiences this summer.

I took the liberty of extracting the sushi restaurants on the list only with the reasoning behind their placement on the list. Here they are:

40. Masa NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Serving fish that fans claim is “head and shoulders above what you can find elsewhere in the U.S.,”
Masa Takayama’s restaurant in the Time Warner Center could be the only restaurant outside of
Japan that is on a par with the best restaurants in that country. Of course, quality at this level
comes at a significant cost, with an omakase starting at $350 and quickly rising to $500 with the
addition of certain luxury ingredients like truffles and caviar.

38. Sugiyama NEW YORK, NEW YORK
In an environment where Nobu-style restaurants monopolize the Japanese landscape, chef Nao
Sugiyama continues to serve what one person described as “the best classic, non-sushi-intensive
omakase in the U.S.” at this small but elegantly designed Midtown restaurant. His seasonal tasting
menus are based on unusual vegetables and fish and meat that he sources in Japan. If possible,
diners are advised to sit at the counter so chef Sugiyama can serve them directly while explaining
the ingredients in each dish.

32. Sushi Yasuda NEW YORK, NEW YORK
A signature aspect of the Yasuda experience is the opportunity to order flights of fish, like three
types of yellowtail, multiple grades of fatty tuna, or up to five different types of salmon. Many people
consider Yasuda’s sushi rice to be the best available, with one person suggesting that “it’s
worth going for the rice alone.” Diners should try to book at the counter, where Yasuda will orchestrate
your omakase as if he were conducting a symphony.

28. Uni BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
This is possibly the most under-recognized restaurant in the United States. One person described
Ken Oringer’s fish as “knee-buckling good gems of the ocean.” Diners are advised to take a seat at
the sushi bar and let chef de cuisine Chris Chung serve them the house signature spoons: sea
urchin with a quail egg and osetra caviar, and minced toro blended with anchovy-caviar cream.
Highlights among the cooked dishes include a foie gras and barbecue eel sandwich and seared
Kobe beef served with matsutake mushrooms.

23. Kuruma Zushi NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Chef Toshihiro Uezu serves exceptional-quality fish that is more likely to be found swimming in the
Sea of Japan than in the Atlantic Ocean. While Uezu is better known for his top-of-the-line sashimi
than for his sushi, the main rap against his restaurant is the price of a meal, which one person
described as “great fish at extortionist prices.” Another responder, though, told us that the $50
omakase was the best sushi he’d ever had.

4. Urasawa BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA
When Masayoshi Takayama decided to move to New York City, the young chef who had been working
as his second took over this nine-seat sushi counter on the second floor of a Rodeo Drive office
building. Three years later, Hiro Urasawa’s restaurant is the most recommended restaurant in the
U.S., serving diners a combination of Kyoto specialties like a delicate ball of pressed tofu topped
with Iranian beluga caviar and 24-karat gold flakes, and ultrafresh fish and seafood that he sources
from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market.

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Happy dining!