Kosaka

There are some sushi spots in the city that feel like a party, but Kosaka in the West Village lives at the opposite end of the spectrum. The tranquil dining room here makes you feel like somebody is about to place cucumber slices over your eyes and give you a massage. Only one omakase is offered—for $225, you get to sit at an L-shaped, 12-seat counter and have your nigiri presented to you one piece at a time. For $25 less, you get the same menu in a separate room, but pieces will come three at a time, and you won’t get to watch the chefs construct courses of sea eel from Nakasaki and scallops from Hokkaido right in front of you. 

The omakase consists of an amuse, sashimi, 12 sushi courses (including one toro scallion handroll with pickled radish), soup, and a dessert with tea. The quality of all the raw fish portions is very high, and the ever-so-slightly-warm rice is neither too loose nor too sticky. We especially like the Japanese grouper prepared with sea salt and key lime (the tartness is pronounced, but only for a few seconds), and another standout is the Spanish mackerel with grated daikon radish and ginger blossoms.

photo credit: Kyle Park

photo credit: Kyle Park

photo credit: Kyle Park

photo credit: Kyle Park

photo credit: Kyle Park

Service is unsurprisingly faultless, although it can seem a little overbearing at times. There are three dedicated servers to attend to the diners at the counter, and if a drop of soy sauce somehow lands anywhere other than your plate, someone will be there to wipe it up within seconds. (They even wipe your plate clean between courses, too.) At the end of your meal, you can order any piece from the omakase again or add on pricey supplements like a $70 platter with two kinds of uni. Instead of booking a spa day, come here for your next big night out, and feel just as pampered as you would getting a cryotherapy facial and a vitamin drip.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Kyle Park

Omakase

There's only one omakase here, but the price is different depending on where you sit. (A $225 counter seat will cost $25 more than a table seat.) The generous portions of bluefin tuna, amberjack, and Japanese red snapper in the early sashimi course allow you to really taste the quality of the fish without any distractions. Next come pieces of nigiri like shima-aji, kinmedai, and jumbo sweet shrimp, followed by a flavorful bowl of dashi with sugar snap peas and mushrooms. The number of courses is always the same, but the fish changes seasonally. You'll probably make note of the unique ceramic dishware here, which apparently some guests try to steal. Don't do that.