Sushi Aoba

Dinner at Sushi Aoba on the edge of Japantown is calm and unhurried, and that’s why we love it. You won’t experience too much conversation between you and the chef, so all you have to do is sit back and watch. Sushi Aoba goes the extra mile in terms of presentation, too: the chef will smoke pieces of red sea perch in a domed glass case, and light a conch shell on fire before calmly handing you the plate from behind the bar. For $180, you'll get 21 courses, a mix of smaller things like chawanmushi and shrimp cake with cherry blossom, plus a variety of nigiri that you’ll still be thinking about days after a meal here—like scallop with caviar and a touch of lime zest, and buttery wagyu topped with pickled shallots and gold flakes.