Sushi Noz

On a recent visit to Sushi Noz, I discovered that most conversations at the counter were about other omakases in the city. It felt a bit gauche, almost like speaking about an upcoming date in front of another lover, as my seatmates gleefully rattled through their counter conquests right in front of the chef we came to see. But perhaps I suppose this line of talk is par for the course here: No one happens upon a seat at chef Noz's counter by accident—you're booking reservations far in advance and dropping $550 per head.

Yes, Sushi Noz is one of the more expensive counters in the city and has certainly attracted the rich and those who amass omakase experiences like infinity stones. But the flurry around it is founded in a certain kind of truth. You see, every step at Sushi Noz curated by chef Nozomu Abe is careful and deliberate, one that aims to transport you out of New York—even if just for a few hours—and gently guide you through Edo-era Japan.

Kimono-clad waitstaff usher you past the blue curtain outside and into an inner sanctuary designed in the spirit of a Kyoto temple, with wooden sliding doors, bamboo slats and pale blond counters carved from 200-year-old hinoki wood sourced from Hokkaido, Noz’s hometown.

Chef Noz’s affection for seafood is displayed like theater, with opening players of otsumami, or seasonal small plates, consisting of steamed rock fish paired with a wonderfully gelatinous monk liver that jiggles like silken tofu, and a clam chowder–like take with a base of white truffle, served out of a golden-tipped shell.

The sliced and scored fish are, however, the star, including a slightly firm squid with a touch of salt and the unctuous, fatty jaw of bluefin tuna gently charred by the kiss of red-hot binchotan—never a blowtorch. Mishaps were few and far between, including two nigiri courses where the wasabi sang at such levels that tears reached my eyes, and a miso soup that was encouraged to be finished quickly but was hot enough to singe the tongue (but immediately cooled, thanks to a creamy, soft quenelle of Hokkaido milk ice cream adorned with ribbons of sweet chestnut and truffle).

Could your $550 be spent just as well at other counters in the city? Yes—our influx of fine sushi is certainly up to the task, and at that price point, two or even three heads could be satisfied in terms of quality. But if you’re one who chases the exceptional, Sushi Noz is certainly a fine catch.