Uni From Hokkaido to Santa Barbara
Sea urchin changes with the water it grows in. A tasting across three oceans.
Ikejime: The Craft Before the Kitchen
How a fish is killed decides how it tastes days later. A visit to a fisherman who still does it by hand.
A5 Is a Grade, Not a Guarantee
What the letters and numbers on a wagyu certificate actually measure, and what they leave out.
Why Omakase Counters Serve Wagyu Raw, Seared or Not at All
Beef on a sushi menu is newer than you think. Three chefs on whether it belongs.
Miyazaki, Kobe, Omi: Wagyu by Region
The prefectures, the bloodlines and the farms behind the names on the menu.
Pairing Sake With an Omakase Menu
Light and dry with the white fish, richer junmai with the tuna -- a simple way to follow the meal.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: A Short Guide to Sake Labels
How much of the rice is polished away, and what that does to the glass in your hand.
Matcha at the End of the Meal
Why so many counters close on a bowl of whisked green tea, and how to drink it.
Warm or Cold? Serving Sake at the Right Temperature
From yukibie at five degrees to tobikirikan at fifty-five, sake has a word for every temperature.
Visiting a Sake Brewery in Winter
The brewing season runs through the coldest months. A morning in the kura while the rice steams.
Booking a Counter That Has No Website
Introductions, hotel concierges and the patient art of the waiting list.
What to Wear, and Why You Should Skip the Perfume
At a counter of eight, the person beside you is eating with their nose as well as their mouth.