Taro Sushi (CLOSED)

The city’s explosion of Japanese restaurants has left neighborhood sushi bars in a tough spot—overshadowed by power players and struggling to stand out. Occasionally, one rises above the pack—like Taro Sushi, at the northern fringe of Park Slope. Chef-owner Yuji Sano trained at his parents’ restaurant in Tokyo (also called Taro) and at Manhattan’s Ise. He knows little things matter, like using freshly grated wasabi, and vigorously massaging octopus in brine until it bears no relation to the rubbery tako at most sushi joints. You won’t find anything radically different at Taro, just decisively better—and affordable.