Women Behind the Counter

Sushi was long a closed profession. A new generation of chefs is changing who stands on the other side. It sounds like a small thing until you have sat at the counter a few times, and then it is most of what you remember.

Small counters, small numbers

Many of the best counters seat eight or ten and serve one or two sittings a night. That is what lets the chef make every piece to order and watch each guest eat it. It is also why the reservation is the hardest part of the meal.

The rice comes first

Shari is seasoned with vinegar, salt and sometimes sugar, and served at about body temperature. Too cold and it tightens; too warm and it turns the fish. A good chef adjusts the rice through the evening as the room warms up.

If there is a counter you think we should sit at next, write and tell us -- the best suggestions become the next visit.