Akashi

Yoichi Akashi is pretty comfortable behind a sushi counter. His 25 years as a sushi chef include stints at acclaimed raw-fish temples like Sushi Yasuda and Sushi Nakazawa. For his eponymous solo debut, the chef is turning out a kappo-style omakase—kappo means, literally, “to cut, boil, stew and fry”—to a 10-seat hinoki-topped counter and an eight-seat dining room decorated with floor-to-ceiling bamboo surfaces and a century-old stone accent wall. The daily-changing lineup, around 20 dishes, may include plates like broiled Sicilian eggplant with white miso, murasaki uni with soy-marinated salmon roe, and Miyazaki beef with seaweed salt and cucumber. Beverage director Melissa Avis and former 15 East sommelier Hiromi Kiyama complement the omakase with a wine list spanning New York to New Zealand, as well as sake available both chilled and warmed, like a plum variety from Nanbu Bijin.