Masa vets serve an 18-course omakase sushi menu at Shuko

Over the summer, while this Neta follow-up was still in progress, Masa vets Jimmy Lau and Nick Kim test-drove the omakase sushi concept at a Hamptons pop-up. There, they tapped local fishmongers and farmers’ markets for seafood and produce to be rolled into seaweed, pickled and grilled in the open kitchen. The spiel is the same for their full-time Union Square restaurant, but the duo also tinkers with kaiseki (multicourse Japanese dinners), serving six appetizer courses—pistachio-miso mochi, squab sukiyaki with braised squab leg—before a dozen sushi and sashimi plates highlighting triggerfish, fluke and clams. Between each singular sushi plate come bites like rice-bran–pickled turnips, winter-squash hand rolls, and spoons of baby shrimp, sea urchin and caviar. Spirits pairings for the ever-changing menu span three pages of wine, sake and shochu varietals and an understated list of two-ingredient cocktails like the French Paradox (Armagnac, citrus oil) and the Umami Martini (gin, kelp). In the walnut-walled dining room, the ash-wood sushi bar dominates, offering 20 seats at the counter and an intimate exchange between chef and diner. 47 E 12th St between Broadway and University Pl. (212-228-6088, shukonyc.com)