Soto

With its austere white facade, you’ll likely mistake this unmarked West Village sushi bar for an art gallery. You’re not too far off—except that its owner, a third-generation sushi chef who arrived in New York by way of Atlanta, constructs Japanese-style seafood masterpieces instead of head-scratching abstract designs. Sotohiro Kosugi presides sternly over this sleek 42-seat eatery, crafting stunning fish dishes, with an emphasis on sea urchin. Among our favorites is uni wrapped in strands of translucent squid and nestled in a bed of nori strips, with a rich quail egg yolk puttingit over the top. Kosugi’s pristinely prepared seafood easily steals the spotlight from the warm dishes turned out by wife Maho. The exception: a quivering chawanmushi laced with sliced shiitake and a single shrimp.